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Margie looked around the empty restaurant. She looked tired and sad, but the set of her jaw gave her an air of determination as well.
“I’m doing as well as I can.” She tried for a reassuring smile, but it didn’t make it to her eyes. “I couldn’t help overhearing some of what you were talking about. The park service doesn’t offer tours of those logging cabins any longer. Staffing shortages, I think. But the cabins are still there on a path off Morley Trail.”
“Thanks,” Demetrius said. “We’ll probably check them out tomorrow morning.”
“You boys be careful,” Margie said. “I know what all you get involved in.”
“You better than most,” Demetrius said.
Margie put a hand to the St. Christopher’s medal she wore around her neck, the one she’d given to Demetrius for protection that terrible night years ago when Nicolae had tried to take over the town.
With the checks all paid, they left the restaurant as a group, talking and laughing. Demetrius heard Margie lock the door behind them, and felt a swell of sadness rise up inside him. Any other night Margie would be open until nine o’clock, and it wasn’t even eight thirty yet. He really hoped he and Cody could not only clear their names and get their business back on track, but Margie’s as well.
Clarabell stood expectantly beside the truck, smiling as they approached.
“Hiya, roomies,” she said.
“I need a Tums,” Cody said as he rounded the truck to the driver’s side.
Demetrius couldn’t help smiling as he let Clarabell into the narrow backseat and climbed up in the passenger seat. Clarabell talked about the different creatures they might be dealing with, the words coming fast due to her excitement and interest in the topic. Demetrius heard the names Gator Man, Ningen, and Sachamama, whatever those were. Hearing her rattle off the names of so many different creatures made him feel a little lightheaded. How were they supposed to keep up with all of these things?
He reminded himself they didn’t need to keep up with all of them, just the things that happened to come to Parson’s Hollow. Or some other place they might be visiting and accidentally stumble into weirdness.
When they arrived at the house, Clarabell kept talking all the way up the walk and through the door. Cody and Demetrius hadn’t managed to get a word in, and once he’d locked up for the night, Cody stood before Clarabell and put his big hands on her shoulders. She stopped speaking mid-sentence and looked up at him, her eyes big behind her glasses.
“Clarabell,” Cody said. “I adore you and respect your knowledge.”
“You do? Well, thanks.”
“But I’m also tired of hearing about monsters,” Cody continued. “I’d like to spend what little time is left in the evening with my husband.”
Clarabell nodded. “Okay. You don’t have to tell me twice. I’ll shut up.”
She gently removed Cody’s hands from her shoulders, then sat on the sofa and switched on the television. “What are we watching? You guys watch that Bridgerton show? They’ve got a hot and diverse cast.”
“We don’t have a subscription,” Demetrius said before Cody could go off on her. “We use a digital antennae to get the local channels.”
“Okay. So, what did you want to watch?”
“You walking down the hall to the guest room,” Cody said.
“Oh. I see.” Clarabell scooted forward off the sofa and straightened out her oversized Godzilla t-shirt. “I didn’t mean to cramp your style. I was just excited to spend time with you guys again. But I know you need time on your own.”
Demetrius felt the intended twist of guilt and looked to see Cody scrunch up his face as well. Clarabell sidled past them sideways and started off down the hall.
“Wait,” Cody called, blowing out a breath and looking up at the ceiling.
Clarabell stopped halfway down the hall and turned back. Her eyes looked large and liquid, her hands in tiny fists at her sides.
“We have some DVDs we haven’t watched yet,” Cody said.
“I don’t want to intrude,” Clarabell said, but took a step closer.
Cody gestured toward the sofa. “Shut up and sit down.”
Demetrius gave Cody’s ass an affectionate squeeze before going into the kitchen to grab a bag of chips. He could hear Cody and Clarabell arguing in a friendly way about which movie to watch, and he had to admit, it made the house feel a lot more like a home.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
