The Death and Life of Superman by Roger Stern

Author:Roger Stern [Stern, Roger]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: General Fiction
ISBN: 9780553569308
Publisher: Bantam Books
Published: 1993-08-01T00:00:00+00:00

Rusty jumped up in surprise as Dan Turpin came stalking toward him through the underbrush.

“I didn’t expect you so soon, Inspector. The roads are pretty slippery out there tonight.”

“ ’S no problem if you know what you’re doin’. This just better be good, to roust me outta a warm bed.”

“It’s good, all right.” He pointed along the wall. “There’s where I saw our ghost.”

“Shhh! Keep it down.” Turpin looked around, making sure they were alone. “The last thing we need is for the tabloids to write about cops chasing shadows.”

“I hear you.” Rusty stamped his feet in a futile attempt to keep warm. He was wearing two layers of good wool socks, but his shoes had been authentically tattered to maintain his cover. “Meaning no disrespect, sir, but can we keep moving? I’m freezing my badge off out here.”

Turpin grinned. “Just think warm thoughts, kid. Show me what you’ve found.”

Rusty led Turpin along the wall to the ventilation shaft. The grating was still slightly ajar. The opening left between the grate and the edge of the wall was almost—but not quite—big enough for a grown man to slip through. “This is the way I found it, Inspector.”

Turpin ran his hand along the rim of the metal grate. “Pretty crafty. Nobody ever gives these things a second look. Lotsa folks never notice ’em at all. You could hide all sorts of things in there.” He gave the grating a little tug; it just barely moved. “Hmmph. Heavy sucker.”

Rusty tucked his hands up under his arms and shifted his weight from leg to leg, dancing to keep his blood flowing. “Yeah, I tried sliding the grate the rest of the way open, but I couldn’t budge it.”

“That’s ’cause ya never eat a good breakfast, kid.” Turpin gave Rusty a cockeyed grin and squared his shoulders. “But I bet if ya let an ol’ hand like me help ya out, we can move it just fine.”

After a few minutes of pushing and heaving, Rusty and the inspector managed to slide the grating open a few more feet. “Well, it ain’t perfect,” groused Turpin, “but it’s close enough.” He stuck his head in the opening. “Warm in there.”

“Yeah?” Rusty leaned closer to the opening. “Oh, yeah!” He stood there warming himself while Turpin fished a flashlight out of the lining of his coat. “Hey, you know, Inspector, LexCorp financed a lot of the work to this part of the park, even before they had Superman’s tomb built. You think they might have something to do with this?”

“Maybe.” Turpin shrugged out of his coat and switched on the flashlight. “Could be the answer’s inside. If it is, I’ll find it.”

“You want any backup?” Rusty glanced back at the empty plaza. “Technically, I’m still on duty out there, but—”

“Don’t sweat it, kid. I ain’t afraid of ghosts.”

Rusty smacked his hand against the grate. “Hey, no ‘ghost’ could’ve moved this mother.”

“You’re learnin’, kid. You hold the fort up here, but give Cap’n Sawyer a call and tell

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