Page 19 of Dark Obsession

“It’s safer than the two of you gallivanting around town with a corpse in the back of your truck,” Lucia said.

“Gallivanting?”

“I don’t think Pat or Marty are qualified,” Gayle said around her mouthful. Lucia stared at her. “What? They aren’t.”

“Has the sheriff’s department included anything about all of our special cases in the interview process or deputy training?” Demetrius asked.

“And send them all out of the room screaming?” Lucia said.

“Better finding out ahead of time whether or not they’re prepared rather than in the moment when people’s lives are at stake,” Demetrius said.

Gayle raised her eyebrows and pointed her fork at him. “This right here is exactly what I’ve been saying.” She bumped shoulders with Lucia. “And you too, though I know you won’t tell him that.”

“Guess there’s no need for me to tell him now.”

“I may or may not tell Cody you agreed with me.” Demetrius grinned and took another bite of his burger.

“Guess you’ll have to weigh that decision against whether you want an influx of parking tickets or not.” Lucia dropped her hands into her lap as she looked at him. The skin around her blue eyes was tight, the lines at the corners more pronounced. When she spoke again, her tone was low and steady. “I know it feels like all of this is falling on the two of you.”

“Us and the rest of the gang,” Demetrius added.

A quick pained expression flashed across Lucia’s face. “Don’t get me started on the rest of them. I want you to know I’m trying to make changes, real changes, within the department.”

“But?” Demetrius prompted after her voice faded out.

Lucia sighed. “But it’s not easy. Despite the multiple times we’ve faced down paranormal threats here and despite what we’ve learned about those fucking ley lines acting like a goddamn lighthouse to all things creepy and terrible, no one wants to fund my updated training program or interview process.”

“Of course not,” Demetrius said. Even though his stomach had tightened, he forced himself to take another bite.

“So while I can appreciate what you’re doing, I also want you to keep me updated on anything you learn about the dark shit that goes on around here.”

“Clarabell is tracking everything in the spreadsheet,” Demetrius said. “We all get notified of updates.”

“And do you give her each update and rumor in real time?”

Demetrius made a face. “Fine. Point taken.”

Lucia continued. “I know you two will do whatever investigating or tromping around crime scenes and destroying evidence you want to do⁠—”

“We really don’t…” Both deputies had raised eyebrows and flat stares. He huffed and crossed his arms. “Fine, okay. Yes, we tend to go off on our own a bit.” Their expressions soured even more. “All right, a lot. Are you happy? We go off on our own often and do many risky things. But it’s what we’ve gotten used to doing over the years because we were often blamed for awful murders around town.”

“Sounds like both sides need to open up to each other a bit more,” Gayle said before taking the last bite of her salad and smiling as she chewed.

Demetrius and Lucia both had only finished half of their cheeseburgers. Margie approached with to-go containers and the bill, which she placed face down in front of Lucia.

“How was everything?” Margie asked.

“Really good,” Demetrius said, glancing at his unfinished meal. “I just had a big breakfast.”

“That’s fine.”

Lucia handed her the bill with some cash. “Thanks, Margie.”

“Thank you, Deputy Durant. All three of you be careful out there. We’ve got some more wide-eyed visitors in town—” She tipped her head toward a booth near the large window in front. “I’ve overheard them talking about trying to find the ley lines crossroad.”

“Great,” Lucia said with a sigh. “Let’s hope they don’t get themselves lost.”

“Or stir something up,” Demetrius said.