24

Police Report

Back out on the street, the four Breimas moved a bit more somberly. For Lottica, the thought of returning to their grandfather and grandmother's house was not a cheery prospect.

After all, she and Nick had essentially run away. Grandfather had called her newly undead dad a jackass. There were already deep-seated tensions between their parents and grandparents, so what was this crazy situation going to do to their relationship.

But, they needed their grandparents. They could get away with their mom and dad's creepy appearance on Halloween. Tomorrow, however, the undead look would be out of fashion for another year. They needed a place to regroup and figure out what this all meant.

Suddenly, a police car pulled up along the curb right next to their parents’ shambling forms. Two policemen got out and approached the Breima clan. Protectively, Nick stepped in front of his parents to intercept the policemen. Deilune gingerly placed a hand on his son’s shoulder and whispered, "It's okay, Nick. We're in costume, remember?"

Still, Nick held his position. The two police officers stopped a few feet away and scanned the group. A slight smile appeared on the taller officer’s face. "Good evening. Sorry to bother you, but we've had reports of a disturbance at Cemetery Hill, and we’re just checking the neighborhood for any information. Have you noticed anything peculiar…" He trailed of and his smile reappeared. "I mean, out of the ordinary beyond the usual trick-or-treating thing?"

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"We were just having pizza, officer, and we haven't been out for about an hour. What happened?" Deilune asked.

"Just reports of some kind of explosion in the cemetery. Probably just kids—" the taller officer glanced down quickly at Nick "—with an M-80 or something."

"No, officer, we haven't seen any teens with explosives in the cemetery," Deilune calmly answered.

"What about the men in capes?" Lottica asked, her voice full of cloying concern.

The shorter officer crouched down in front of Lottica. "Tell us about the men in capes."

Innocently grabbing Nick’s sleeve costume, Lottica tugged at her brother who was staring somewhere north of the moon. "Nick, don't you remember those two tall men in black capes when we were trick-or-treating up by the cemetery gates? You even told me we should stay on the opposite side of the street."

"Two grown men in black capes up by the cemetery entrance? Is that what you saw?" the taller policeman asked.

"Yes, sir," Lottica replied and slipped back behind her father.

"About what time was that?" The officer was now looking at Nick.

Hesitating, Nick tried to do some quick calculating. "Maybe an hour before we had pizza, so maybe two hours ago. I don't know if it's a big deal. It's Halloween."

"You're probably right," the officer said, "but you don't generally have that many grown ups dressing up on Halloween." He nodded to Deilune and Linda, who smiled crookedly back. "Though, it's nice to see a whole family enjoying the fun tonight. Thanks for your help."

He tipped his hat and stepped toward the other officer who then turned and walked with him up the block. They exchanged a few words, and the taller officer crossed the street. The shorter officer continued up the block. As he turned the corner he looked back and waved, shouting, "Great costumes!"

By the time the bus pulled into the stop, Lottica was sure her dad's left eye would pop out from all his laughter. He was having way too much fun being undead.