Page 6 of Dark Obsession

“You’ve really got a body in the back of your truck?”

“We really do,” Cody said. “Care to take a look?”

The guard’s brow furrowed. “How do I know you’re not just a couple of murderers?”

Cody held his arms out. “Do we look like murderers?”

The guard didn’t answer.

“We can leave the body at the side of the driveway here and just drive off, how’s that?” Demetrius said.

“In view of the road?” The guard shook his head. “That’s not a good idea.”

“Hey man, what’s your name?” Cody said.

“Rich.”

“Okay, Rich, I’m Cody, and this is Demetrius.”

Demetrius waved. “Hi.”

Rich gave him a weak wave back.

“Why don’t you open the gate and let us put it back there off to one side,” Cody suggested. “That way it’s out of sight from the road.”

Rich shifted his weight and hiked up his pants. “I mean, I guess it’s better than leaving it out at the road.” Rich thought another moment then reached for a ring of keys at his belt. “Okay. But no fast moves.”

Cody held up three fingers. “Promise.” He smiled and pointed at the guard. “Rich, my man.”

They returned to the truck, and Cody backed up to give himself room to turn around.

Demetrius reached over to squeeze his thigh. “I thought that was going south for a minute.”

“Yeah, me too,” Cody said.

Cody backed the truck through the open gate. Rich stood off to the side, holding the gate with one hand and resting the other on his weapon. Cody stopped halfway through the gate, and they got out. Grabbing their gloves from the bucket, Cody dropped the tailgate, and they both reached in to grab the body.

“Holy shit,” Rich said, eyes wide beneath the brim of his cap. “That’s a real body.”

“One hundred percent real, buddy,” Cody said as they carried the corpse off to a grassy spot along the side of the single-lane asphalt road that wound through the cemetery and laid it down.

Rich took a few steps across the asphalt, staring. “He’s wearing a suit.”

“Yep. He was dead and buried until those assholes woke him up,” Cody said, pulling off his gloves.

Demetrius gave the body a final look as he removed his own gloves. The hole Cody had stabbed into the skull glimmered slick and fatal in the moonlight.

“Okay, so, I guess it just…lays there now?” Rich said, shifting his weight.

“That’s all it’s going to do.” Cody saluted him with his gloves. “Thanks for the assist, Rich. Have a good night.”

“Yeah, okay. You guys, too.”

Demetrius dropped his gloves in the bucket and gave Rich a wave before he climbed into the truck. Cody started the engine and rolled toward the road. Demetrius watched in the side mirror as Rich swung the gate closed and locked it, keeping his distance from the body.

“I’ll hose out the bed tomorrow,” Cody said, keeping his foot on the brake as he grabbed a couple of wipes and passed one to Demetrius.

“Feel like I need to be hosed down as well,” Demetrius said.

“That could be arranged,” Cody said with a grin.

A car sped past on the road, headlights lighting up the asphalt. It was a dark green Subaru with a roof rack on top.

“That looked like Zenona,” Demetrius said.

“It did. A little speedier than usual for her. She’s coming from out toward Harriettville. I wonder where she’s been this late?”

“Maybe she needed some drinks at the Hollow Leg after a late shift at the hospital,” Demetrius suggested.

“Yeah, maybe.” Cody dropped his wipe in the storage area in his door. “Let’s go home.”

“I’m so ready.” Demetrius put a hand on his leg. “For all of it.”

“God, me too.”

Demetrius grinned as Cody drove faster than usual toward home.