HORNS « STILES STILINSKI »

VIII. DEPUTIES & DATES

"Veggie burger." Stiles answers.

"Ha ha ha, a veggie burger." I laugh. "Bon Appetit, Sheriff."

"Stiles, I asked for a hamburger." Sheriff says.

"Well, veggie is healthier." Stiles tells him, and shows us his salad. "We're being healthy."

Sheriff opens a box, which should've contained fries, but instead, contained vegetables.

"Oh, hell, why are you trying to ruin my life?" Sheriff asks, and I laugh.

"I'm trying to extend your life, okay?" Stiles replies. "Could you just eat it, please?" He asks, taking a sip from his soft drink.

"And tell us what you found." I add, taking the cup form his hand.

"No, I'm not sharing confidential police work with two teenager." Sheriff tells us, as I drink the coke.

"Is that it on the board behind you?" Stiles asks, leaning upwards to see it.

"Don't look at that." Sheriff tells him, as I just sip form the straw, amused.

"All right." Stiles replies, but doesn't stop.

"Avert your eyes." Sheriff says.

"Okay." Stiles replies, not listening.

"Hey! Avert." Sheriff tells him.

"I see arrows pointing at pictures." Stiles says.

"Okay, okay, stop. Fine." Sheriff caves in. "I found something. Mechanic and the couple who were murdered. They all had something in common."

"All three?" I ask.

"Yeah." He replies, turning to Stiles. "You know what I always say. One's an incident. Two's coincidence."

"Three's a pattern." Stiles completes.

"The mechanic, the husband, the wife." Sheriff lists. "All the same age. All 24."

"Wait a minute, what about Mr. Lahey?" Stiles asks.

"Yeah, Isaac's dad isn't anywhere near 24." I add.

"Which made me think that either A, Lahey's murder wasn't connected, or B, the ages were a coincidence, until I found this, which would be C." Sheriff replies, handing us a file, which Stiles takes, and opens. "Did you know that lsaac Lahey had an older brother named Cameron?"

"'Died in combat'?" Stiles reads off the report.

"But if he were alive today, take one guess as to how old he'd be." Sheriff asks us.

"Twenty-four." I say.

"NOW, WHAT IF SAME age means same class?" Stiles asks, as the Father-Son duo was standing in front of the board, and I was leaning in my seat, eating fries. "Did you think of that?"

"Yeah, yeah." The Sheriff nods. "Well, I would've. I mean, I just got Lahey's file two hours ago."

"Two hours?" Stiles asks, in disbelief. "Dad, people could be dying.

"Yeah, I'm aware of that." Sheriff tells him. "Thank you."

"Same class." Stiles mumbles, and they both turn to looks at each other, and almost at the same time, run to grab yearbooks.

I almost laugh at them, and at how in sync they were, as they both drop the books on the desk, and I sit up straight.

"Excuse me, Sheriff." Deputy Johnson appears. "Alex's Grandfather has arrived."