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“Um, hi. Is this Critter Catchers?” a man asked.
Demetrius had forgotten he’d forwarded work calls to his mobile phone. “Yes, it is. Sorry, I should have said that when I answered. How can I help you?”
“I’ve got something… unusual in my yard.”
“Oh? How unusual?”
“It’s easier if you just come over. Any chance you’ve got someone available right now?”
“Right now?” Demetrius looked at Oliver who shrugged and nodded. “Yeah, sure. I was actually just finishing up another job. But I will have to charge you our priority rate.”
“Yeah, okay, sure. Just come over quick.”
The man gave Demetrius his address, which he repeated and watched as Oliver typed it into his phone. “We’ll see you soon.”
Demetrius ended the call and smiled at Oliver. “Thanks for doing this.”
“I’ve always wanted to go on a Critter Catchers job.”
“You have a weird sense of adventure.”
“That should not surprise you.”
Demetrius shook his head as he backed out of the parking space. “Nope. Not at all.”
* * *
Oliver put his hands on his hips and said, “Huh.”
Demetrius nodded and put his hands on his hips as well. “Yeah. Huh.”
Max Potter, their client, stood on Demetrius’s opposite side, hands also on hips, and said, “Right?”
“It’s a… camel?” Oliver said.
“Looks that way,” Max said.
The critter in question—most definitely a camel, based on the hump—lifted its head from the raised garden bed and, a few lettuce leaves hanging from its mouth, fixed the three of them with a steady stare.
“But where the hell did a camel come from?” Demetrius said.
“No clue.” Max shrugged. “And I don’t even care that he’s eating that lettuce. My wife planted all of that, and we’ve been eating salads for the last five weeks.” He jerked a thumb over his shoulder, indicating his small ranch house. “Okay, I gotta get back to my laptop. Just give a knock on the door when you’re done.”
Demetrius watched Max practically speed walk across the back lawn to a sliding door and disappear inside. He turned back to the camel again and marveled at the sheer size of it. He had never really stood close to a camel before, just seen them from a distance the few times his parents had taken him to the Harriettville zoo, and it was a little unnerving how damn big of an animal it was.
“It’s not Wednesday, is it?” Oliver asked.
Demetrius absently checked his phone display. “No, it’s Friday. Why?”
“Hump day.” Oliver grinned. “Get it?”
Demetrius gave him a sour look. “If I didn’t need your help so badly right now, I’d fire you.”
Oliver laughed and bumped his shoulder. “Come on, where’s your sense of humor?”
“Sorry, it’s been swallowed up by all the monster cases and legal issues that have come our way lately.”
“Yeah, all right. But I hope the sense of humor comes back soon. I miss fun Demetrius.”
