Terror by Moonlight: Critter Catchers, #1

By Hank Edwards

A charming serial dater. A serious-minded entrepreneur. A bloody start to their new business venture.

 

All it will ever be is a close friendship. That's been Demetrius Singleton's mantra for as long as he's known his best friend, Cody Bower. It's helped through the years as he's watched Cody date practically every girl in town. Now several years out of college, Demetrius manages the business side of their brand new animal control service, Critter Catchers, while Cody acts as the idea man and finesses potential clients.

 

When their first client is brutally murdered by a large unidentified animal, they have to act quickly to save their business reputation and stay out of jail. Demetrius is distracted by a handsome new town reporter, but Cody is wary of this new arrival's intentions. And, quite possibly, a little bit jealous. But he doesn't feel that way for Demmy… does he?

 

No matter how they feel about each other, they will need to work together to uncover the truth about the gruesome murders in their small town of Parson's Hollow before they end up victims of the beast themselves!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mitten Ginger Media
• Release date: May 8, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223338147

Hank Edwards

Hank Edwards has been writing gay erotic fiction for more than twenty years. He has written over two dozen novels and even more short stories. His writing crosses many sub-genres, including romance, rom-com, contemporary, paranormal, suspense, mystery, and wacky comedy. Find out more at www.hankedwardsbooks.com.

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

T hank you for calling Critter Catchers. We’re, uh, not in our right fucking minds at the moment and may call you back if we feel like it. Cody mashed the disconnect button and tipped his head back to shout FUCK! at the ceiling.

Demetrius shook his head as he sifted through papers on his desk. I don’t really think that message will encourage anyone to leave us their number. You might want to rethink your strategy so people will actually want to pay us which, in turn, will allow us to pay off some of these bills.

Cody looked over, widened his dark brown eyes, and slipped that gorgeous, half-cocky, half-helpless grin into place. Come on, Demmy, just do this one thing for me, okay? You know I’m not good at stuff like this.

The grin usually worked. Demetrius was a sucker for Cody’s grin, had been all the years they’d been friends, but not this time. He had to stand firm, had to get Cody to see that being part owner of a business meant having to do the crappy stuff like phone messages and paperwork and ironing their uniform shirts, and not just the fun field work stuff.

Nope, not gonna do it. Demetrius shook his head. Consider it a growing experience for you.

Cody narrowed his eyes before slamming the phone down again. Fine. I need a moment to collect myself.

Fine. Demetrius watched him pace the length of their narrow office. Thirty steps to the back of the office, thirty steps to the front, and fifteen feet from side wall to side wall. The office was barely tall enough for Cody’s six foot five frame, seemed barely wide enough to accommodate his broad shoulders, and was definitely too small to contain his personality.

I hope you find your inner phone message muse before someone calls us, Demetrius said. He winced as he opened another bill and saw the amount due. They needed to get some work and soon, or else they’d be forced to close down shop before they’d really even gotten started. Maybe this whole animal control with heart business plan hadn’t been the right move for them.

You know, you’re being kind of a bitch right now, Cody practically whimpered as he paced by Demetrius’s desk. I mean, we’ve been friends for twenty-one—

Twenty-three, Demetrius corrected automatically as he continued to shuffle through the mail.

—years now, and you should know the things I have trouble with and the things that are my… well, my strengths. Cody came to a stop right beside Demetrius’s desk, his big hands hanging straight down, and a tortured look on a face seven times too handsome for their tiny town of Parson’s Hollow.

Demetrius sighed, folded his hands on the stack of unpaid bills, and focused on Cody’s dark brown eyes. Cody Bower.

A slight grin turned up one corner of Cody’s mouth. Demetrius Singleton.

We have been friends for twenty-three years.

Twenty-three? Cody frowned.

Twenty-three. Ever since kindergarten when you saved me from being beaten up by that fuckwad Shaun Grivet.

Cody sneered. I hated that kid. Still hate him, actually.

He is a shit, Demetrius agreed.

Of the stinkiest variety, Cody expounded.

Truly. Demetrius cleared his throat. During these twenty-three years of friendship, I have come to understand your inner workings, and, shall we say, the way you operate.

Cody smirked his seductive smirk and perched one fine, firm ass cheek on the corner of Demetrius’s desk. When you say it that way, it sounds really romantic.

Demetrius sighed and dropped his gaze to the desk, shaking his head. It would, Cody, if not for the fact that you are unabashedly, undeniably, certifiably straight and I… Well, I am not.

Fine. Cody pushed off from Demetrius’s desk and sat in his chair, lowered almost to the floor as he liked it. He tipped back and put his big boots up on his desk. You know how a lot of things people do are fun and enjoyable and stay with them the rest of their lives?

Yes.

This is not one of those things.

Just pull on your big-boy pants and do your part for our company.

You know, I would probably be a lot more into— Cody curled his fingers into air quotes —our company, if we had some actual business.

Demetrius nodded and spread his hands open on his desk. I know, I know. And I’m working on that. Look, we’ve got an in at the police station, right?

Cody gave a derisive snort. Lucia Durant? That’s not an in.

You’re just mad because she’s the only girl in high school, hell, in all of Parson’s Hollow, who broke up with you before you could break up with her.

Whatever. Cody waved the topic away as if it were a troublesome fly. So what’s this in supposed to get us?

The phones on their desks rang, and they stared at each other in mild shock.

This! Demetrius finally said, pointing to the phone on his desk. This is what that will get us. Answer it!

Me? Cody sat upright, hands raised as he rolled away from the phone, a truly terrified expression on his face. I don’t know what to say to random strangers.

You talk to strangers all the time! Demetrius shouted. You hit on every woman in every bar in this and the surrounding counties! You joke and badger every man, you give noogies to every child, and you even flirt with the women in Parson’s Pines when you go visit your grandmother!

That’s different, Cody said, the pitch of his voice rising. That’s not work related!

A sudden realization hit Demetrius, and his chest tightened with panic. The message!

Cody frowned. The message? Understanding dawned, and his eyes widened. I didn’t finish the message!

Get the phone! Demetrius shouted.

You get the phone! Cody shouted. He tried to wheel himself back to his desk, but his chair appeared to fight against moving in that direction.

The ringing stopped. They looked at each other, then Demetrius put his face in his hands and let out a long, shuddery breath. We’re ruined before we’ve even begun.

Maybe it wasn’t a potential customer, Cody offered. Maybe it was your mom?

Demetrius glared at him. How is that better?

Before Cody could respond, the red message waiting lights on their phones flickered to life, accusatory and impatient.

They left a message, Cody whispered. He tore his eyes from the message light and looked at Demetrius. Who do you think it was?

One way to find out. Demetrius hit the speaker button and dialed the number to reach their voicemail. The greeting Cody had attempted played, and Demetrius glared across the desks, focusing all his frustration, annoyance, and aggravation on him. Cody had so much going for him: the looks, the charm, the athletic ability, even brains when he wanted to use them. People flocked to Cody, and he made those around him feel as if they were in on every inside joke, every subtle flirt, and lived forever in a tiny corner of Cody’s heart.

But it never lasted. Cody’s charm and good time persona eventually collapsed under the demands of all those he had gathered to him. His internal ecosystem just wasn’t strong enough to respond to the needs of all those people who became enamored of him. And after those dropped off, he’d start all over again with a new group, and Demetrius would stand on the sidelines and watch it play out once more.

For some reason, Demetrius had managed to stay within Cody’s inner circle far longer than anyone else outside of Cody’s family. Perhaps it was Demetrius’s ability to shrug off Cody’s charm and mild flirting. Or maybe it was because Demetrius called Cody out on his bullshit when he needed it. Perhaps it was Demetrius’s ability to take care of himself and not act like an emotional siphon on his friend. Whatever the reason, they had been best friends since kindergarten. Now that they were twenty-eight years old, they had quit or, in Demetrius’s case, been fired from their dead-end jobs and decided to go into business for themselves. And here they sat, in the tiny office space of their own business, Critter Catchers, Animal Control with Heart.

The greeting Cody had fucked up so intensely ended, and the system beeped at them. Demetrius entered their password, and his stomach tightened as he waited to hear the first message they had received as a business.

The voice belonged to an older man, and he sounded not so much angry as exasperated. Um, hello? That’s not a very professional greeting for a new business. I’ve half a mind to hang up right now if it wasn’t for this damn raccoon that’s taken up inside the eaves of my house.

Yes! Cody pumped a fist and spun in his chair. Raccoon! On the first call. He pointed a finger at Demetrius, his joy and broad smile completely infectious. I rock at evicting raccoons.

It was true, Demetrius knew. Cody did rock at extracting raccoons. He had a lot of practice over the years getting at least five a year out of his parents’ barn and attic. As Demetrius had been helping Cody one afternoon many years ago with this task, it had become the nugget of the idea that had morphed into Critter Catchers.

Lucky break, Demetrius grumbled.

Cody shook his head and jabbed his finger at him again with more zeal. You are a sore loser. I fucked up the greeting, but we still got a customer and it’s a raccoon. Take that, Mr. Business Pants.

Demetrius scrunched up his face. Mr. Business Pants? What does that even mean?

Cody waved his question off and stood up to plant his dinner plate-sized hands on his desktop, leaning in to hover above Demetrius’s desk to hear better as the man gave his name and number.

Call me back, please. And none of that horsing around like on your greeting. You’re a business, for God’s sake, act like it! My name is Ian MacLeod. Good-bye.

Cody strutted up and down the length of their office, grabbing his crotch and throwing his arms out like an unbalanced Michael Jackson imitator. Yeah, who got it? We did. We got it. That’s right, uh-huh, you know it.

Demetrius could not help laughing and finally got to his feet and put up his hands. Stop! For God’s sake, please stop the madness.

Cody stepped up close to him, shaking and shimmying. Demetrius could smell the fresh scent of his friend’s deodorant and, beneath that, the arousing tang of his sweat. If Demetrius were to let down his guard, Cody’s actions and smarmy charm could completely overwhelm him and push him into a tailspin of unrequited attraction.

But even though

Reviews for Terror by Moonlight

[Elena A · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

solid mystery with best friends kind of wanting each other and loving each other but putting their friendship first and besides right now they have to worry about their business...and lives (and sanity, because wth , THIS is happening?)

paranormal spooky small town mystery

check out the audiobook too , very pleasant voice (not on Scribd)