Page 36 of Grave Danger

“Yeah, same here,” Demetrius said, hearing the shake in his voice and hoping the spit came back to his mouth sometime soon. “Sorry I scared you.”

The top of a ladder appeared, and a young man with a thick, dark beard, a Philadelphia Phillies ballcap with wraparound sunglasses perched on the bill, and a dark green polo shirt that showed off his strong arms and chest climbed out of the grave. When he stood on the grass, he gave Demetrius a hard look before turning to squat and pull the ladder up after him.

Demetrius got to his feet and dusted off his hands. “What were you doing in there?”

The man looked over his shoulder, his expression still and unreadable. “Can I help you with something?”

“Oh, um, yeah. My aunt has a plot out here, and I wanted to take a look at it. But I don’t know where it is.”

“Go to the main office.” The man gestured toward the other side of the cemetery then took his sunglasses from atop his hat and slid them on. “They’ll be able to look up the plot number and give you a map.”

“Okay, I will. Thanks.” Demetrius took a couple of steps closer. “Were you making sure all the sides were level or something?”

The man turned to fully face him and crossed his arms. “I’m not going to discuss my position or related work here with you. Is there anything else you need?”

“Wow, okay. I’m sorry I interrupted your… work. I was just wondering what you were doing because the edges of this grave look really straight, you know? Like perfect. So much better than over at Hollow of Eternal Rest, that’s all.” Demetrius turned toward his truck and lifted a hand. “Have a good day.”

“You’ve been out to Eternal Rest?”

Demetrius managed to hold back his satisfied smile as he turned back to the man. “Yeah, I went there first. I thought her plot was out there, but they told me she wasn’t listed and suggested I come here.”

The man snorted. “I bet they hated doing that.”

“Didn’t seem like they enjoyed it.”

“Was it Marla you talked to?”

“Oh, I didn’t catch a name. But it was a woman.”

“Dark hair in a long braid down her back?”

Demetrius hesitated only a moment. This line of questioning could be a trap to see if he was lying about going to the other cemetery first. For all he knew, there was no Marla who wore her long dark hair in a single braid. He decided to keep it simple.

“No, she didn’t look like that. This woman had blond hair worn loose and just below her shoulders.”

The man gave a single nod. “Did they have many open graves there?”

“Oh, I’m not really sure. I didn’t count, you know. But there was at least one that looked like they were getting ready to hold a funeral.”

“Good to know. Thanks.” He gestured at the other side of the cemetery. “You can check at the main office for your aunt’s plot number.”

“Yeah, I will. Okay, thanks.” On impulse, he stepped forward and extended his hand. “I’m Demetrius, by the way.”

The man let his hand hang a moment before reaching out. His grip was strong but cool. “Sam.”

“Nice to meet you, Sam. Sorry I interrupted your, um, your work.”

“No problem.” He released Demetrius’s hand. “Head to the office. They’ll be able to help you.”

“Yep, I’ll go there now. Good luck with the rest of your work.”

“Thanks.”

The man stared at him from behind his sunglasses and Demetrius turned away to walk casually back to his truck. He got into the cab and looked down at his phone, acting as if he was reading and replying to text messages as he watched Sam from the corner of his eye. Demetrius hadn’t seen a vehicle anywhere nearby. Had Sam carried that ladder from whatever maintenance shed was on the grounds?

Sam had busied himself with items inside a fanny pack Demetrius hadn’t noticed at his waist. When he’d finished, he zipped it closed and stood looking in Demetrius’s direction. Okay, no reason to keep putting it off. He’d have to drive over to the main office and see if he could find out some information there.

He started the truck and eased back onto the road, forcing himself not to look in Sam’s direction. Good looking guy, sure, but way intense and creepy as hell. And who carries a six foot ladder across a cemetery? Some new kind of workout craze?