Page 3

CHAPTER THREE

“Y ou could show a little more gratitude, that’s all I’m saying.”

Cody grunted. He tried to keep any attitude out of it, but… Well, Demmy’d told him more than once he shed attitude like a dog shed hair.

“Oh, so you’ve got a different opinion about that now?” Jugs stood in the middle of the aisle, fists on hips, feet spread. His eyebrows were up. Like, way up. So far up they’d almost joined his hairline.

“I didn’t say anything.” Cody grabbed another box off the pallet and slid it into place at the back of the shelves. “All I did was give an agreeable grunt.”

“That was in no way agreeable.”

Cody pulled off his gloves and rubbed a knuckle into one eye. The shelves were dusty, and his eyes were tired. Hell, his entire body was tired, including his knuckle.

“All I’m saying?—”

“I know. It’s all you’ve been saying for an hour now.” Cody pulled his glove back on. Well, yanked was more like it. “I’m thankful, okay? I’m glad your girlfriend told you it would be better for your relationship if you didn’t work together and you found this job. I’m grateful you thought of me when another junior level position in the stock management chain of command here at lovely Bulk & Beyond in scenic Harriettville opened up. I’m thankful beyond words that two weeks after my grandmother died, and with a house full of family, I’m able to come into work late at night and stock shelves like some kind of oversized underpaid elf. Thank you, Jugs old pal, for all the gifts you’ve bestowed upon me.”

Jugs glared. Cody dropped his chin to his chest. His heart pounded, and the muscles at the base of his neck felt stretched taut as a barbed wire fence. He closed his eyes and pulled in a breath. The smell of the store filled him: dust, cardboard, grease, fertilizer, and his own sweat. The automatic doors at the front of the store made a scraping sound as they opened. The old guy stationed in the greeter post called out a greeting. His voice croaked, making him sound like one of the giant bullfrogs that had lived in his Aunt Marlene’s pond on her farm.

When he lifted his head again, Jugs was gone.

“Oh, for the love of…”

He didn’t have the patience to track Jugs down at the moment. And anyway, he was too worked up to conjure the words for the apology he knew he needed to make. He turned in a circle, looked up at the metal roof and exposed duct work high overhead, and blew out a breath. Standing in place, head tipped back, he stared at the ceiling without seeing it. All he saw on the mental drive-in movie screen of his mind was every stupid thing he’d done in the past year. And that wasn’t just a trailer’s worth of scenes, that was a full-on feature.

His mind tried to go back to the night his grandmother had died, but he closed his eyes and shook his head. He didn’t have time for that right now. It was too big, too much. He didn’t think he’d ever have enough time to swim up from the bottom of that deep pool of grief.

He returned to work, shoving taped and recently received boxes of household goods onto shelves behind open boxes. It was mind-numbing and brainless, but a small part of him knew it was exactly what he needed. As he restocked the shelves in the wide open space of the ridiculously large warehouse store, Cody had plenty of time to wallow in guilt for the things he hadn’t done for his grandmother, how he’d been responsible for causing them to lose their business, and now, for how he’d treated Jugs.

As he lifted another box onto the shelf, he caught movement from the corner of his eye. He paused, box halfway onto the shelf, and turned to the far end of the aisle. Someone had gone past his aisle at a brisk walk. He’d been employed there for six weeks, and he’d never seen another employee walk that fast. Had to be a customer. But this late at night? What the hell time was it, anyway?

He shoved the box into place. The cardboard scraped along the metal shelf, the gritty sound putting his teeth on edge. Removing a glove, he pulled his phone from his pocket and checked the time: nine forty-seven p.m. The store was open until eleven, which, in his opinion, was insane. But no one had asked him. His mood soured even more when he realized he’d only been there a little more than an hour and a half.

Movement again, but this time the person turned into his aisle. He made a face as he watched Tracey Mumm, assistant director of the town library and another of his ex-girlfriends who still lived in town. She wore glasses and her shoulder-length dark hair was a bit mussed. Her cheeks were pink as if she’d been out in the chill night air for a bit before coming inside. With quick, slightly frantic movements, Tracey made her way down the aisle, looking side to side and up along each shelf. She’d yet to notice him, and he debated whether or not to announce himself, even though he could pretty much predict her reaction.

“Hey, Tracey. Need help finding something?” He leaned back against the handle of the pallet puller. It rolled from under him, causing him to stumble and almost go down on his ass. He grabbed the handle, set the brake, and tried the move again. Much better executed, this time.

Tracey stood in the middle of the aisle, staring as if she didn’t recognize him. Her eyes were wide behind the lenses of her glasses, and her lips were parted. She had a twig or leaf or something stuck in her hair, and a small cut across her cheek. She looked like she'd been running through the woods.

It was a look Cody knew well, because he’d done it himself more times than he cared to remember.

A low grade alarm and wave of concern rose inside him like a dark and icy high tide. “Tracey? It’s Cody. You all right?”

He took a cautious step forward, and she retreated, holding her hand up, palm out, as if to ward him off. She carried a large leather messenger bag over one shoulder. The sides were weathered and soft, and she gripped the strap tight, holding the bag tight against the front of her body.

“Don’t. Don’t come close.” Her voice shook slightly, and she darted a glance over her shoulder. “Just stay back.”

Cody raised his hands. “Okay. I’m not going to come any closer. But are you okay? You look scared. What’s happened?”

“I…” The front doors scraped open again, the sound grinding along Cody’s nerves. The old guy called out his froggy greeting, and Tracey lowered her shoulders a bit before she turned back to him. “Actually, it’s probably good I ran into you.”

Oh, shit. Hearing that from Tracey could not be a good thing. Hearing it from her when she looked like this was definitely a bad thing.

“Oh? I think that’s the first time you’ve said that. Like, ever.”

She didn’t smile, but she did take a step closer. When she spoke, her voice was lower. It shook slightly, and she flexed the fingers of her left hand. The skin looked red and irritated. “Something’s happened.”

His inner voice doubled the shit, and added a fucking hell to his word list of the day.

“I’m going to assume it wasn’t the best thing that’s happened to you all year.”

“You and Demetrius might know about this already.”

“I can absolutely promise you we don’t.” Then, because he was feeling a bit extra bitchy, he added, “Unless Demmy’s keeping secrets from me. Again.”

That one caught Tracey’s attention. Her expression shifted quickly to resemble something like her usual condemning demeanor. She even folded her arms over her big, bulky parka, the material squeaking and rustling.

“You really want to call him out for keeping secrets?” Her eyebrows went up, which apparently was a thing a lot of people did these days when interacting with him. “Really?”

Cody waved her comment aside. He was hoping to be able to wipe away this entire interaction, but Tracey remained stubbornly in place.

“All right, point taken,” he grumbled. “What’s got you so spooked? I can tell you’re on the verge of freaking out about something. Even with your sassy attitude. What’s going on?”

She moved another, smaller step closer. Her voice was low and shook slightly when she spoke, and it sent a chill through him that started somewhere in the center of his gut.

"Heath has been?—”

A shout of surprise from the next aisle over followed by the cascade of cans clattering to the floor. They both jumped, then Cody groaned. He was going to have to clean that up. A whiff of something rotten, like roadkill on a hot day, drifted to him and he made a face.

Tracey was suddenly beside him, gripping his arm, digging her fingers painfully into his bicep. "He's here."

"Who?"

“Heath,” she said, eyes wild as she looked from one end of the aisle to the other. “But, it's not Heath. Not anymore." Her voice had dropped to barely a whisper. "Something… something got inside him. Took him over. We weren’t expecting to find him out there tonight. We were just looking around. We had sage and salt with us, but we didn’t get it out in time. And then Rita… and then Heath…”

A shadow stretched across the end of the aisle. Cody saw Tracey’s boyfriend, Heath…sort of. Heath's body was there, thick dark hair and matching beard, black framed glasses, but something was very, very wrong. He moved with a stiff, unnatural gait, as if his joints didn't quite bend the right way. He wore a tan Carhartt jacket over a flannel shirt, and the seam at the top of the left sleeve was split. He turned his head with mechanical precision until he was looking directly at them. His eyes were completely black.

“I…I need to go." Tracey's voice shook slightly. "I need to… “ She backed away, keeping her eyes on the shadow-shrouded figure of Heath.

“Back door," Cody said quietly, while keeping his eyes fixed on Heath. “Through the swinging doors in the back and then straight ahead. Go.” Something was profoundly wrong with him. His body seemed to vibrate slightly, as if it could barely contain whatever was inside it.

Heath titled his head at an unnatural angle. When he smiled, his teeth looked too big and white, his grin too wide for his face.

"Traaaaacey." The voice that emerged wasn't Heath's. It was deeper, resonant in a way that made Cody's skin crawl. "I just want to talk."

"Fuck this," Tracey said. She took a step back, then looked directly at Cody. "Whatever you do, do not let him touch you."

“Not high on my list,” Cody replied, but Tracey was already backing away.

Heath took a step forward, his movements suddenly fluid, too quick. Tracey bolted down the aisle toward the back of the store.

"Don't. Run." Heath took another step, and that spoiled roadkill smell intensified.

“You know what?” Jugs said in a wounded high-pitched voice. Cody cursed quietly and looked over his shoulder. Jugs was coming toward him from the opposite end of the aisle. He passed Tracey without a second look. His brow was furrowed at Cody, and he clutched his gloves in a tight fist. “I don’t deserve to be spoken to like that, Bonker. We’ve been friends for too many years, and we’ve lived through too much supernatural bullshit for you to take your pissy mood out on me.”

When he was a few steps away, Jugs pulled up short at the sight of Heath. “Oh, excuse me, sir. I didn’t see you there.”

“Jugs, it’s Heath,” Cody said, keeping a few feet away. “From Parson’s Hollow library.”

“Oh, okay.” Jugs frowned. “Why’s he look so…”

“Can I help you find something, Heath? Maybe something in another aisle across the store?”

Heath snapped his head toward Cody. For a terrifying moment, those black eyes locked with his. Then, with a smile that stretched unnaturally wide, the thing wearing Heath's body turned and began walking after Tracey. Cody took a step back as he tried to think about what to do. He could tackle Heath, which would buy Tracey some more time.

The backs of his shins connected with the pallet puller, and he sat down hard on it, flailing slightly. His heart raced and icy fear flooded his body. He heard Jugs say something, but couldn’t hear him over his own swearing and the rush of blood in his ears. When he got to his feet again, Heath was out of sight, but that terrible odor lingered.

“You okay?” Jugs asked, approaching him.

“Yeah.” Cody headed after Heath and Tracey. “Come on.”

“What in the roller derby hell was all that about?” Jugs asked, following him. “And what the hell is that smell? That’s nasty. Dude needs to lay off the lactose.”

Cody stopped and crouched to pick up a leaf. It had fallen from Tracey’s hair when she’d turned to flee. Nothing unusual about it. It was an oak leaf, dry and brown. Tens of thousands of oaks were in the woods around Parson’s Hollow and Harriettville. Cody held the stem and twirled it between his fingers. Jugs stopped beside him, looking at it.

“No idea what was wrong with him. But something’s definitely off,” Cody said, moving to the end of the aisle. “He’s really freaked Tracey out.”

“Wait, that was Tracey? From the library?”

“Yeah, detective, good eye,” Cody said, stopping at the end of the aisle and looking both ways. No one was in sight, and he turned to go in the other direction, finding Jugs standing behind him, scowling.

“Rude,” Jugs said, then lifted his chin in the direction Tracey and Heath had gone. “Think you should call Lucia?”

Cody nodded. “Yeah. Tracey looked really scared.”

Cody reached for his phone, surprised to realize his hand trembled slightly. Jugs folded his arms across his big chest and cleared his throat. Loudly.

“What?” Cody held up his phone. “I’m doing it.”

“Don’t you have something else to do first?” Jugs’s eyebrows went up again.

“Are you kidding me? After what you just saw?” Jugs simply stared. Cody huffed and shook his head. “Fine. Jugs, old buddy, I’m sorry I snapped at you. I’ve had a shitty few weeks, and I took it all out on you.”

“And?”

“You want more?”

Jugs put his hands on his hips. “No, I deserve more.” He snorted. “How the hell does Demetrius put up with you?”

“He gets a lot of fringe benefits you don’t.”

“Gross.”

“Hey, you started this. What more do you want? I just apologized.”

“How about a genuine thank you for getting you this job.”

“Actually, I got myself this job with the in-person interview.”

“Bonker… ”

“Fine. Jesus Christ, you’re becoming more of a baby the older we get, you know that?”

“Still haven’t heard the magic words.” Jugs put a hand behind his ear.

“Fuck you.”

“Almost there, but not quite.”

“Go to hell.”

“So close, but we’re getting off track. Good energy and intention behind it though, so keep that.”

Cody made a face. “Fine. Thank you. For getting me this job.”

Jugs dropped his hand and flashed a big, bright smile. “There it is. You’re welcome, Bonker. Now, was that so hard?”

“How does Agatha live with you?”

“Who do you think I learned this from?”

Cody turned and took a few steps away from Jugs. He unlocked his phone, but before he could open his contacts list, it buzzed in his hand. Demmy’s picture displayed on the screen, a recent favorite. He’d taken it when Demmy had been laughing with Dave, Cody’s younger brother. That had been months ago, during happier times. The photo made him smile, but then he frowned. This was a call, not a text. Demmy didn’t usually call him when he was at work.

“Demmy’s calling,” he said over his shoulder. Before Jugs could respond, Cody accepted the call and resumed walking toward the other end of the aisle.

“Hey. Was just thinking about you.”

“Good thoughts, I hope.” Demmy’s voice sounded a touch strange. Like he might be faking the casual tone. Hearing it made Cody’s defenses go back up… hard.

“Depends what this call is about.”

“Well…” Demmy paused, and Cody’s brain spun quick and terrible scenarios as he waited for him to speak again. They were never sure they’d found all the vampires in the weeks after Halloween. Had one now returned to extract revenge? Or maybe a new werewolf had popped up after all these years. Or something even more terrifying had suddenly made an appearance. Something like Heath who looked and smelled like a living, breathing prop from a well-funded haunted house.

“It’s not necessarily a bad thing.”

“Son of a sideshow huckster,” Cody muttered.

Demmy laughed. “That’s a new one.”

“I’ve been asked more than twice not to swear on the sales floor.”

“How’s that going?”

“Just a few minutes ago I told Jugs to fuck off and go to hell, so about average.” Cody had reached the end of the aisle and stopped. He looked both ways, but the front aisle was empty. No sign of Tracey or Heath. A touch of shame went through him when he realized he felt relieved. “I have some news to report as well.”

“Oh?” Demmy sounded worried, and Cody disliked the small glimmer of satisfaction he received from hearing it. After all the spooky cases Demmy had run into at full speed, it was gratifying to hear him concerned. But Cody didn’t enjoy how it made him feel. Must be his night for weird feelings.

“Yeah. But you share first. I have a feeling yours may be worse.”

“Mac found something out in the yard.”

As Demmy explained about the hex bag—another fucking term he never wanted to learn and now knew about—Cody’s pulse increased, and a tingle of fear crawled up the back of his neck.

“She thinks it’s for protection?” Cody asked, then started when he realized Jugs stood beside him.

“What’s going on?” Jugs asked. “Demetrius okay?”

“Dammit, Jugs just scared the crap out of me,” Cody grumbled.

“Oh, tell him I said hi,” Demmy said.

“Demmy says hi, and to give me some space so we can talk dirty.”

Jugs made a face. “You’re just not right, you know that?” Jugs leaned in a little closer and said, “That wasn’t for you, Demetrius. You’re a saint for being married to this yahoo.”

“Yahoo?” Cody said to Jugs’s back as he walked off.

“You should tell him that’s what you say when you orgasm,” Demmy suggested.

Cody laughed. It was spontaneous and loud, and it felt good. Like blowing the dust off an old part of himself that had been quiet for a while. “You’ve been married to me too long.”

“Never long enough,” Demmy said.

“You say that like you like me or something.”

“Or something.”

“Anything else?”

“Oh, yeah. Before Mac showed me the hex bag?—”

Another shiver of fear went through him just hearing Demmy say the phrase. Was that going to become part of their daily lives now, like checking the phase of the moon or greeting each other with the word ‘nix’ to make sure they weren’t a shape-shifting water sprite?

“Amelia sent me a text.”

“Uh oh. My parents acting up or something?”

“No, nothing about them. But Isaac Wilkerson came to their door.”

Cody grunted as he set off along the front aisle that ran the width of the store, checking each intersection for any sign of Tracey. “The guy with the police radio?”

“That’s the one.”

“We know way too many seniors out at Parson’s Pines.”

“Amen to that. Anyway, Isaac heard that a body had been found out in Parson’s Woods. He wanted to know if we were looking into anything suspicious.”

A body in Parson’s Woods. Again.

Cody was still holding the leaf that had fallen from Tracey’s hair, and he looked at it. Lots of oak trees in Parson’s Woods. She’d mentioned the name of another woman who had been with her and Heath, but Cody couldn’t think of it at that moment. All he could really think about was how scared Tracey had been. And worse yet, how scared she’d been of Heath, her boyfriend, who, although usually strange and slightly threatening, seemed to be very much not himself.

“This will sound unrelated, but I have a feeling it’s not,” Cody said. “I just saw Tracey here in the store.”

“Mumm? From the library?”

“Yeah.”

“Did you two get along?” Demmy asked.

“Well, it’s weird.” Cody gave him a brief rundown of the events.

“What the hell?”

“Damn good question. Hey, tell me something.”

“Okaaay.”

“Mac found the hex bag and told you it’s for protection, so she must know about stuff like that. Witchcraft type stuff.”

“Witchcraft?” Jugs said.

Cody shouted and wheeled around. “Are you following me?”

“We’re supposed to be working together,” Jugs said. “I was coming to tell you that Shanice came out to the floor and asked where you were.” He took a step closer and lowered his voice. “Why in the name of Easter eggs are you talking about witchcraft?”

“You’ve done it now,” Demmy said. “You’ve triggered his spooky case mode.”

“Yeah, I know,” Cody said into the phone. To Jugs, he said, “Give me a minute and some space, and I’ll tell you what I know.”

“I don’t know if I want to hear it, but all right. Just hurry up. I can only come up with so many excuses for your lazy and easily distracted ass.”

“Did Jugs just say you had a nice ass?”

“In a roundabout way.” Cody started down the last aisle in the store, headed for the back of the store. “Ask Mac what she might use sage and salt for.”

Demmy turned away from the phone and asked the question. Mac said something Cody couldn’t quite make out. By the time Cody reached the aisle at the rear of the store, Demmy was back talking with him.

“She said those ingredients would be used for protection, and are most likely part of the ingredients inside the hex bag she found. Why did you have me ask her that?”

A few aisles ahead of him, Shanice stepped into view. She was looking the other direction at first, but Cody wasn’t lined up with an aisle to be able to dart out of view so when she turned her head, they made direct eye contact.

“Yeah, I may need a protective hex bag to carry with me at work. Look, I need to go. We’ll talk about this later, okay?”

“Are you okay?”

“Physically, yes. Employably, not quite sure.”

He disconnected the call and stuffed the phone in his back pocket. Conjuring up the biggest smile he could manage, Cody said, “Hey, Shanice. I was just coming to find you.”

“From the far end of the store?” She jabbed a finger toward the double swinging doors that led to the back area. “My office. Now.”