Page 72 of Starved Until Sunset

“What the hell is this?” Lucia said.

“Holy water.” Clarabell smiled. “The seniors at Parson’s Pines gave me the idea.”

That made Demetrius think about Amelia and Otis, and he pulled out his phone. “I should check on Amelia.”

“I saw her just a little while ago,” Lucia said, then nodded to Oliver. “She and Eileen were hauling gallon jugs of water out of Holy Mother of Perpetual Twilight, so I guess that explains that.”

“I’m glad she’s preparing herself.” Demetrius tightened his grip on his phone. Maybe he could check on her in a few minutes. Besides, if he knew his husband at all, Cody would have checked on Amelia and Eileen both after seeing to Felicia.

Lucia and Deputy Walsh left to go on patrol, stakes gripped in one hand and squirt guns in the other. Oliver took a few stakes and a squirt gun with him before departing as well. Clarabell grabbed some protein bars and stuffed them in her bag, then she and Demetrius loaded a canvas shopping bag with the remaining stakes, and each of them picked up a squirt gun before they left her apartment.

The sun had gone down, leaving long smears of orange and yellow across the clouds in the west. Demetrius shivered in the chill and wished he’d brought a heavier coat.

“I’m not climbing in and out of your truck all night,” Clarabell said. “Let’s take my car.”

Demetrius was glad to be a passenger for the night. So many times he’d been the one making decisions and driving things forward. It would be refreshing to get a break from that, from being the town savior once again.

Once Clarabell had shifted the pile of papers and books off the passenger seat of her Kia Soul into the back, Demetrius got in the car. They took a few minutes adjusting the positions of the squirt guns, stakes, and crucifixes, making sure everything was readily available. When they were finally settled, Clarabell started the engine, put her hands on the wheel, and turned to him.

“Where to first?”

Demetrius almost laughed. So much for just being a passenger.

“The hospital, I guess, to talk to Dr. Graham.”

“That’s what I was going to suggest, as well. Give a shout if you see a vampire.”

“Oh, you’ll know about it.”

Cody had no idea where to begin looking for Demmy. He hadn’t responded to Cody’s texts, and that had him worried not only about Demmy’s safety, but also their future as a couple. Had Cody finally done what he’d been afraid of all along and really fucked everything up between them?

Adding to his frustration and anxiety were the tourists. The sidewalks were packed with costumed people in varying levels of sobriety. Since Eileen’s hip was bothering her, Cody left his truck parked in front of Amelia and Otis’s condo and backed Geraldine out of Eileen’s garage. Geraldine was the name he’d given to the tank of a car the Widow Monroe had left to him in her will. She was a classic: a tan, four-door mid-70s Cadillac Sedan DeVille with a white vinyl roof and leather interior. The car had saved their lives on numerous occasions, and during all of the accidents and incidents, had received barely a scratch. It nearly broke the bank for him to drive her—a staggering twelve miles per gallon, on a good day—but after years of frustration at seeing the car pull out in front of him, Cody loved being behind the wheel.

It was long and wide, with plenty of room in the front bench seat for all three of them. Amelia sat in the middle, a squirt gun in her lap, while Eileen took the passenger seat, her cane between her knees and a squirt gun across her thighs.

“Still smells like JoAnn,” Eileen said.

“Probably pressed into the leather itself,” Cody said. “I think I’ve become immune to it.”

“You do look good behind the wheel,” Amelia said. “This car suits you.”

“I’ve always considered myself a vintage classic.” Cody flashed a tight smile, then braked hard as a group of people in their mid-twenties darted across the street in front of him. They all wore headbands with werewolf ears, and a couple of the guys sported plastic fangs. “Damn kids.”

“Why don’t you just move out to Parson’s Pines now and get it over with?” Eileen said.

“Are you kidding? We’ve got the best house in town, thanks to our lovely benefactor,” Cody said, shooting the stink eye to the backs of the carousers before taking his foot off the brake and moving on.

“Oh, pine trees, go on with you,” Amelia said, but she looked pleased.

Cody left the downtown area and slowly wound his way through the residential streets. He slowed even more as he passed Amelia’s house where he and Demmy lived, his hopes dashed when he didn’t see Demmy’s truck in the drive.

“I’m sure he’s fine,” Amelia said, touching his arm. “He’s out trying to find Zenona as well.”

“He knows how to take care of himself,” Eileen said, leaning forward to look at him around Amelia. “You know that better than anyone.”

“Yeah, I know. Would be nice if he let someone take care of him once in a while,” Cody said.

“But that’s not who he is,” Amelia said. “You know that as well as I do.”