Page 84 of Ancient Obsession

“Jesus Christ.” Tracey ran her hands up and down her face, her glasses bouncing across the backs of her fingers. “You woke up a fucking mummy.”

“Wait, what?” Zenona’s eyes were wide. “Is she right?”

“I don’t have definitive proof,” Oliver said. “But the mummy has gone missing, and members of the team have…died.”

“Accidentally?” Jugs studied him.

Oliver bit his lip before answering. “Murdered.”

“And two others are missing,” Robin added, then made a face when Oliver glanced at them. “Sorry.”

“A mummy is twice as bad a zombie,” Jugs said with a groan.

“What is it with you guys?” Agatha shook her head. “Can’t you leave well enough alone?”

“Hey, most of the time it’s not me.” Oliver waved toward Demetrius and Cody. “It’s them!” He heard the defensiveness in his voice and took a breath. “Sorry.”

“Ouch,” Demetrius said.

“He’s got a point,” Cody said.

“Yeah, true, but…” Demetrius sighed. “Okay, fine.”

Oliver held up his hands and was surprised when everyone quieted. “Dave and I felt you all needed to understand the extent of the situation. And it doesn’t hurt that all of you would believe a murderous mummy is on the loose right out of the gate.”

“Murderous mummy would be a cool gamer tag,” Robin said.

“I’ve got some snacks set up here in the kitchen,” Clarabell said. “Everyone grab a plate, and Oliver can tell us all of it from the beginning.”

“Cheez Whiz on a Ritz cracker isn’t going to make up for being chased by a mummy,” Jugs said, but he got up and headed for the kitchen island.

After leaving Clarabell’s, Oliver and Dave drove to Bishop Point University. Getting out of the car, Oliver paused to look across the quad. It was mid-afternoon on a Friday, and from what he could see, campus security and Glenmont PD outnumbered students and faculty. Everything appeared peaceful, but knowing a monster prowled the campus put things in a different perspective. Shadows appeared darker, and the approaching clumps of clouds were tinged with a touch of menace. Would security personnel have any kind of impact on a 3,000-year-old corpse?

“You okay?” Dave asked, coming up beside him.

“Yeah.” Oliver slid an arm around his waist and leaned into him.

Behind them, a man cleared his throat. “Not before your wedding night.”

Oliver groaned at the sound of Cody’s voice. “How did they get here so fast?”

Dave laughed and turned to Cody. “I’m just following the example set by my older brother.”

Cody smirked. “You leave Grant and Roman out of this.”

“Enough brotherly love for the moment.” Demetrius touched Oliver’s arm. “How are you holding up?”

“I’m all right, thanks.”

“Lots of cops and security around,” Cody said. “I don’t think Demmy and I have ever earned this much police interaction.”

“Actually, I think we had even more on our own honeymoon,” Demetrius said.

Cody scowled. “Oh, yeah.” A muscle in his jaw tightened as he stared out over the quad. “Fucking Esther.”

Demetrius gently tapped Oliver’s shoulder. “After this rehearsal, you and Dave can go home and take a nap before meeting the group for dinner at Margie’s.”

Oliver winced. He was tired to his core. He absolutely wanted to marry Dave; he’d just never expected it to happen under threat of a mummy and being suspected of murder.