Read Online Bad Penny by John D. Brown - Free Book Online Page B

hacked into the twelver’s phone. Then his school login. Then his home. Every time he caused them trouble, he got a little anonymous love back.
    Ed and Jesus were about to learn that principle. But it wasn’t going to be anonymous. Not by a long shot.
    The officer retrieved something from his car and began to walk back. Frank shook his head, spread his arms like he was embarrassed all to heck. “Officer, oh man,” he said with regret, “I’m afraid I put everyone through a fire drill. I’m so sorry.”
    The officer tilted his head, waited.
    “I just got a call from Tony. It’s all a dumb teenage gag. On me. L-O-L.”
    “You know we have to follow up.”
    “I know, I know,” Frank said. “I just feel so stupid. We had a talk about abductions last night. Tony was rolling his eyes the whole time. I guess he thought it would be funny to give me a heart attack.”
    Frank shook his head, tried to play the part. The officer nodded, but Frank didn’t know if he bought it or not.
    The officer said, “Let’s push this car off the road. You have a gas can?”
    “I’ll get one. We’ll be back in a minute, and I’ll get it out of here.”
    The officer nodded. “You sure he’s okay?”
    Frank waved his concern away. “Yes. In fact, I’m going to bring the little jerk in to the station, if that’s okay. I think it would do him good to sweat a bit.”
    The officer cracked a smiled. “We can do that.”
    Sam got out of the minivan, and the three of them pushed the Nova well off the road. The officer went back to his cruiser and picked up his radio. Sam and Frank got back into the Mazda.
    “What’s going on?” Sam asked.
    “Just go back and pull into the first gas station you see.”
    Sam started the Mazda, put it in gear, and made a U-turn onto the highway. They headed south. Frank waved at the officer as they passed.
    “So it was all a joke?”
    “It was no joke, Sam.”
    “But you sent the cop away.”
    “I keep the cops out, and Ed promises not to hurt Tony, and to keep his hands off my sister.”
    “You sure this isn’t a bluff?”
    “You know that good little man that sits inside your soul, prompting you to do what’s right? Ed killed his off a long time ago. Then he pickled his eyes and put them in a jar on his shelf. Ed looks like a human being, but he’s one of those pod people. He’d take my sister, your sister, your dog. He’d take his own children, if he’s spawned any, and cut them up into pieces. He’d do whatever it took. Because to him and his kind, humans are ants.”
    “So we’re going to just sit tight?”
    “I figure we have forty-eight hours. We don’t get to Tony by then, we might not ever get him back.”

5
Killer App
    FRANK PULLED OUT his phone and looked at the time. 2:33 p.m. He dialed Kim. It rang five times and went to voicemail. “Doesn’t anybody answer their phones anymore?” he asked.
    “Text her,” Sam said. “She’s probably in a meeting.”
    Frank opened a message, punched in “call me asap!” and sent the text. He couldn’t believe this was happening. Tony had begged to come up and visit Frank. Kim had finally relented, issuing all sorts of rules and regulations to go along with it. Now he’d let her down, and put the creature called Ed Meese on her trail.
    Good night ! What a mess.
    They sped back across the railroad crossing, back past the Highway Patrol station, back the two plus miles to the outskirts of town. Sam pulled into the first gas station they saw. Frank ran in and purchased a red two gallon plastic gas can. Then he went out, placed it on the cement in front of a pump, and started to fill it.
    The officer at the scene passed the station. Frank waved all happy like. He topped the can off and screwed on the lid. He was now down to just a few bucks in his wallet. He checked his phone, but Kim had not texted him back.
    Frank got back into the minivan with his gas can, and Sam drove him back up to the car. Frank poured the gas in. Just as he