“It figures Joanne would keep that kind of secret from me,” Costner finally said, eyeing where his ex-wife and daughter were sitting by an ambulance.
“Well, we can keep her identity a secret from the public like you did with me,” Jeff said, “And I can start training her.”
Costner turned around, glaring at him. “What? No, absolutely not,” he argued. “She’s just nine years old.”
“Is that your choice or hers?” Jeff asked. “Now that she’s got these powers, she’s going to use them whether you want her to or not.”
The detective didn’t look happy with that thought.
Jeff pressed the point. “If it hadn’t been for Erica, I might have turned out to be one of the bad ones. We owe it to her to make sure Teresa becomes one of the good ones too.” A sudden thought came to him, one that warmed his heart. “And the city needs a Cadet Trainee.”
Detective Costner eyed him, his mouth shifting to a half-smile. He asked, “She tossed you through a wall, huh?”
“And flattened a dozen zombies in one shot,” Jeff answered.
“I’ll talk it over with Joanne,” Costner said, watching Teresa sit in her mother’s arms. Joanne was speaking quietly to her. “Who knows, working so closely, they might even start talking to me again.”
Tom Costner barked another laugh and approached Joanne and Teresa. Joanne’s stone-faced glare hid a grudging appreciation of his help. Teresa looked down at his feet, but hung there as though she was looking to see if he would stay or leave.
Jeff watched the scene and thought of his own family, realizing that everyone had it rough, one way or another. Erica stepped into his life not long after his own mother left him and his dad.
On impulse, Jeff brought up his dad’s number on the screen in his helmet. He dialed out and waited.
A nearly inaudible hiss crackled in his ears.
“Hello?” his dad asked uncertainly.
Jeff smirked, realizing that his father’s cell probably showed that this call was coming from a blocked number.
“Hey dad, it’s Jeff,” he said. “Can we get together? I need to talk to you about some … things.”
There was a pause and Jeff’s stomach clenched for a breath. He had kept the superhero side of his life a secret from his dad from the beginning, which was his choice by law. Everyone honored it, including Erica, even though she didn’t agree. She told Jeff that he was avoiding another rejection by distancing himself from the one person who stayed. He resented her for saying it, but he saw now that she was right. Erica was always right.
“Sure, son,” his dad said as though he chewed each word before letting it escape his mouth. “Actually, it’s … uh, good that you called.”
“What’s going on?” Jeff asked, hearing the tremble in his father’s voice.
“It’s your mom, Jeff. They found your mother.”
Superheroes Kill Zombies Page 4