Near dusk, Jonathan called the police again.
Before long, a police car arrived at the Kent farm. The town police chief, Bob, stepped out along with several officers. He and Jonathan had once been classmates in high school, and the familiarity between them softened the otherwise serious atmosphere.
Bob finished taking notes about the earlier report and then stood by the porch with Jonathan.
"Bob," Jonathan asked quietly, "have you caught the murderer yet?"
Bob sighed and shook his head.
"Unfortunately, no. We did find Catherine's body in the antique shop, but the money from the robbery was gone. The killer probably moved it somewhere else."
Because Jonathan had been the one who provided the initial lead, Bob didn't try to hide the situation.
"We searched the area for quite a while," he continued. "But the suspect had already disappeared. No one suspicious has been seen in town."
He paused before adding another detail.
"Catherine's daughter Tina is also missing. Right now we suspect she might be another victim."
Bob rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"The medical examiner said Catherine had actually been dead for quite some time. That means the woman your wife met earlier probably wasn't her."
He frowned as he thought back to the strange bank robbery.
"Do those spy-style disguises really exist?" he muttered.
Jonathan forced a polite smile and said nothing more. After exchanging a few final words, he walked Bob and the other officers back to their car.
When Jonathan returned inside the house, he let out a tired sigh.
"Bad news," he told his family. "The police didn't catch anyone."
Martha frowned with concern.
"Maybe that's actually better," she said quietly.
"Tina has those strange abilities. Even a pistol might not stop her. If Bob and the others had run into her, they might have been in real danger."
Victor and Clark exchanged a brief glance.
Neither of them had expected the police to catch Tina.
Outside, the sun sank below the horizon.
Darkness spread across the farmland as the starry sky slowly appeared overhead. The wind blew cold across the fields, flattening waves of wheat beneath the night air.
Bright lights illuminated the front of the Kent house.
Victor and Clark stood outside near the doorway, one on each side.
If Tina decided to attack, she would have to approach from the open farmland. Even if she tried sneaking around behind the house, Victor's extraordinary hearing would detect her long before she arrived.
"She'll probably come tonight," Victor said quietly while staring into the darkness.
His voice sounded as cold as the wind sweeping across the fields.
If Tina wanted revenge, she would have to act quickly. Pretending to be Catherine had allowed her to avoid suspicion for a while, but now that the police were involved, maintaining that disguise would become impossible.
A thief could be caught for a thousand days, but a guard could not watch forever.
Clark stood nearby, occasionally scanning the surroundings with his X-ray vision.
"The medical examiner said Aunt Catherine probably died after falling down the stairs," he said hesitantly.
Victor turned his head slightly.
"What are you trying to say?"
Clark glanced back through the window at their parents sitting in the living room.
His voice dropped.
"When Tina comes… I'll handle her," Clark said quietly. "I'll subdue her."
Victor raised an eyebrow.
Clark's expression was serious.
He remembered the coldness Victor had shown earlier when dealing with Greg. Clark didn't want his brother to stain his hands with more blood.
"And after that?" Victor asked calmly.
Even though Clark had repeated the same argument before, Victor didn't sound annoyed.
"I've already thought of something," Clark said with a hint of pride.
He pulled a blue woven hood out of his pocket. After making sure no one was nearby, he slipped it over his head.
The hood covered his entire face except for his eyes.
"Well?" Clark asked while lowering his voice dramatically. "Can you still recognize me, Victor?"
Victor glanced at him lazily.
"A bank robber heading out to rob a bank?"
Clark froze.
The only difference between Clark's current appearance and a criminal was the absence of a gun.
"This idea came from comic books," Clark insisted, refusing to feel discouraged.
His tone grew more serious.
"I can't force criminals like Greg to keep quiet about my powers. But if they think they were defeated by some mysterious stranger, then my identity stays hidden."
Clark looked at Victor firmly.
"So don't step in unless you have to. Otherwise Mom and Dad might start wondering about you too."
Clark believed he had finally solved the problem that always worried him.
If criminals believed they were defeated by a masked stranger, Victor would no longer need to silence people permanently.
Unfortunately, the idealistic son of Krypton had no idea that Victor's actions had never been motivated by fear of exposure alone.
Rustle.
While Clark continued persuading him, a slender figure slowly approached from the darkness.
A young woman with black hair walked toward the house while hugging her arms against the cold wind. Her cheeks were red from the chill, and her eyes looked watery as if she had been crying.
She hesitated slightly before speaking.
"Clark? Victor? Why are you standing outside?"
Clark turned immediately.
"Lana?"
Seeing the girl he secretly liked standing outside his house surprised him completely.
"Wait… how did you recognize me?"
Clark touched the hood covering his face.
Lana sniffled softly.
"Your clothes," she said. "Your height… and most importantly, you're standing next to Victor."
Clark blinked awkwardly.
He had completely overlooked that detail.
"What happened?" Clark asked anxiously when he noticed the tears at the corners of her eyes. "Why do you look like this?"
Victor studied Lana silently.
His gaze moved slowly from head to toe while Clark rushed forward with concern.
"Did you forget something, Clark?" Victor asked calmly.
Clark froze.
Right.
They still didn't know whether the girl standing in front of them was actually Lana.
Clark immediately activated his X-ray vision.
"Clark…" Lana said weakly.
"My aunt thinks I should give Whitney another chance. We argued, and I ran out of the house. I don't have anywhere to go tonight."
Her voice trembled slightly.
"Can I stay here for a while?"
She took a step closer.
"Stop!"
Clark suddenly raised his hand.
Through his X-ray vision, he clearly saw the glowing green skeleton beneath her skin.
"That won't work," Clark said angrily. "You're not Lana!"
The girl's face filled with confusion.
"Clark… what are you talking about?" she asked. "If I'm not Lana, then who am I?"
Victor's eyes turned cold as he prepared himself to act.
"Tina," Clark said firmly. "It's not too late to surrender."
For a moment Clark felt dizzy looking into the tearful eyes of the girl he liked.
But he clenched his teeth and forced himself to stay calm.
Inside the house, Jonathan and Martha noticed the confrontation happening outside.
Jonathan grabbed the shotgun near the door and stepped forward, placing Martha safely behind him.
"You ruined my life."
Tina's expression twisted as her disguise collapsed.
Her skin rippled violently as the illusion disappeared, revealing her true form.
"I wanted your family to die one by one," she said sharply.
Her voice sounded cold and cruel, like something crawling out of hell.
"I wanted you to watch each other die in shock and confusion."
Her eyes narrowed.
"How did you recognize me?"
Clark didn't answer.
Instead, he stepped forward.
"Was Aunt Catherine's death really an accident?" he asked. "Or did you kill her?"
Tina sneered.
"Does it matter?"
Her eyes suddenly locked onto Martha standing behind the brothers.
"Even if you exposed me, I can still finish what I came here for."
Her voice turned vicious.
"I'll start with you, Martha!"
The grass beneath her feet exploded as Tina kicked off the ground and launched herself forward, rushing straight toward the house.
....
Join my P*atreon for 100 premium chapters ahead of the public release.
Link: pa*treon.com/MysticVerse (Remove the *)
Free members also get 2 advanced chapters for free.