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“We’ve done a lot of cool stuff,” Cody said in a low voice, so he was pretty much talking to himself. “A lot of cool stuff.”
A short time later, Demmy pulled the truck into the parking lot of the Parson’s Hollow High School. Since it was the middle of August, the lot was empty, and Cody wasn’t surprised when Demmy parked across a few spaces. Once Demmy shut off the engine, Cody climbed down from the bed and moved up close enough to pet the camel’s neck. The hair was coarse and a bit oily. He held the stick so the camel could get to the lettuce and smiled as it crunched the head in half.
“You look like a little kid,” Demmy said, coming up behind him and running a hand up and down his spine.
“I feel like one,” Cody said. “This is a nice change.”
“I agree.”
The four of them didn’t talk much as they stood around the camel. And even though the asphalt surface of the high school parking lot felt a bit to Cody like standing on the surface of the sun, he didn’t want to suggest finding some shade. He wanted to stay in that spot for as long as possible, petting the camel and feeding it the last few droopy leaves of lettuce.
When the petting zoo director arrived in a truck with a horse trailer behind it, Lucia approached and spoke to the man about the conditions of the petting zoo. Cody heard her mention the possibility of a citation, and was glad to also hear her say she was going to follow him back to his establishment and inspect it to make sure the animals were being treated well and there were no obvious safety hazards.
After receiving his dressing down from Lucia, the director seemed nervous, but also grateful to them for getting in touch. The camel was a Bactrian, the director told them, and his name was Joe, which gave them all a good laugh as the man led Joe into the trailer. Once the director got back in his truck, Lucia approached Cody.
“Keep your lips shut and your eyes open.”
“That what you tell your dates when you take them home?”
Lucia glared.
“Fine,” Cody said, holding up his hands. “I’ll keep quiet.” He leaned in a little closer and lowered his voice. “But I’m telling Demmy.”
“Telling me what?” Demmy said, and turned away from where he’d been talking with Oliver a few feet away.
“Fine,” Lucia said. “And obviously your new intern will need to hear it as well.”
“Intern?” Oliver said, sounding offended.
“But no one else,” Lucia finished up, then looked at Demmy and Oliver. “No one.”
“Yeah, all right,” Demmy said.
Lucia gave a single nod and returned to her patrol car, then followed the petting zoo truck and trailer out of the parking lot.
“Bye, Joe,” Cody said quietly. “Good to meet you.”
“What was that about?” Demmy asked.
“The usual,” Cody said, wiping sweat from his brow. “Let’s go to Margie’s and cool off. I’ll fill you guys in there.”
Oliver was tapping at his phone as the three of them headed for Demmy’s truck. Cody opened the passenger door and waved for Ollie to get in first, to which Ollie rolled his eyes, but complied. On the short drive to Margie’s, Demmy and Ollie filled Cody in on the details of their interaction with Heath and the call about Joe the camel.
“So, we’re no closer to understanding this than we were before,” Cody said with a sigh.
“Not unless you have something that might illuminate things,” Ollie said.
“You and your big words,” Cody grumbled.
“Which one? ‘Things’?” Ollie let out an ‘oof’ when Cody dug an elbow into his side.
“All right you two,” Demmy said in a tone perfectly imitating a tired and distracted parent.
Once Demmy had parked a few spaces down from Margie’s, they stepped into the wonderfully cool diner, and Ollie waved and approached a booth, saying, “Hey there, honey, what are you doing here?”
Cody’s younger brother, Dave, was sitting in a booth near the back of the diner.
“That little sneak texted him to meet us here,” Cody said as he tried to glare a hole in the back of Ollie’s head.
