Page 46 of Coven of Corpses

Demetrius looked over his shoulder. They’d entered the trees and the sunlight was slightly muted by the branches overhead. The leaves were still unfurling from their buds, but it wouldn’t be long until everything was green. Birds chirped and trilled, and somewhere close by, a woodpecker went to town on a tree. It felt like a good day for a walk in the woods. It was too bad they were trying to track down a possible murderer experienced in dark arts, and his demon sidekick.

“I think we’ll be okay,” Demetrius said. “It’s mid-morning, the sun is out, and the birds are singing.”

“It’s like you’ve never worked one of our monster cases before.”

“Look, when we get back to the truck, I’ll reach in your pocket and get the key out. Sound good?”

“I’m going to hold you to that.”

“I’ll hold something of yours,” Demetrius said.

“What?”

“You heard me.”

“I did, but I like when you talk dirty.”

They walked in silence for a bit. Demetrius picked a path between the trees, checking the compass app on his phone to keep his bearings. He wanted to return to the clearing they’d found the day before, but he wasn’t quite sure about the direction. Yesterday’s encounter with the witch had left him feeling a little scattered when they’d walked back. He paused to tie a red shop rag around a low tree branch before moving on.

“Do you think Tracey was the one who called in Rita’s body?” Cody asked. “I can’t imagine anyone just wandering this far out in the woods and finding the body so quickly.”

“Yeah, Tracey said she called Lucia.”

“So, Lucia knows about the witch and the demon and everything.”

“I would assume so.”

“Would have been nice of her to share the details with me last night.”

“You know what she would say,” Demetrius said, and Cody chimed in to say it with him. “It’s an active investigation, so it’s need to know.”

A squirrel foraged among the leaf litter nearby. When it heard their approach, it popped up from behind a fallen branch to give them a look before scampering off. Once the sound of its departure had faded, Demetrius noticed how quiet the woods were around them. The bird song had stopped, and no other small critters were out and about.

“Got pretty quiet,” Cody said, his voice low.

“I noticed that.”

Demetrius walked another few yards, hearing Cody close behind him. The trees here were old growth, tall and thick. High overhead, budding leaves crowded the ends of the heavy branches. The only sounds were the rattling of fern stalks, brown and stripped of leaves from the cold winter air, and the groan of heavy branches swaying above them.

A flash of sunlight caught his eye, and he stopped, turning his head to squint in that direction.

“What do you see?” Cody stood close and followed his gaze. “Oh, bingo.”

The sun shone down into the clearing, filling it with light that coaxed them closer. Demetrius led the way through the trees, moving slowly, senses on alert. He reached a final tree before the clearing and stopped. Cody stood just behind him, one hand on Demetrius’s hip.

“I’d say we got really lucky finding it again, but I don’t think this is a lucky place.” Demetrius nodded and, with Cody right behind him, felt safe enough to take a single step forward. “Careful, Demmy.”

“I know.”

Demetrius took another step and looked around. The sunlight today helped the place feel a little more open, but as he took in the white stones scattered around the grassy area, Demetrius noticed something a bit off about the quality of the light. It was almost as if someone had placed a filter over the space that dimmed the light slightly and lent the area a vintage feel.

“This place feels… old.” Cody had moved up beside him, and he pitched his voice even lower, as if not to disturb someone. Or something.

Demetrius took Cody’s hand and held it tight. He needed to feel connected to him, to feel safe. The warmth of his skin and the familiar grip of his fingers helped.

“So, the theory we’re working with is that these rocks were once gravestones?” Cody gestured to the thin white stones just visible within the grass and weeds.

“Yeah. And those stones behind us were the foundation of the church.” Demetrius turned and pointed to the line of gray stones closer to the trees. “We’re probably standing on someone’s grave right now.”