Zombie Patrol by Elizabeth Basque, J. R. Rain Page B

supposed to keep tabs on that sort of thing?”
    They hesitated. Then Johnson said, “Normally, we do. But your brother’s gone…missing, and we think he might be in trouble. He’s ill. He may not be thinking straight.”
    Understatement of the year, I thought.
    “ Mr. Carter,” Johnson said from behind his cool black shades, “we understand you’re very close to your brother. He may have come in contact with a very rare virus. It tends to...alter the imagination. He may be delusional. Others have been infected, and have been cured.”
    Lies mixed with truth, I thought to myself. He was sick, but did they really have a cure?
    The second agent said, “We’re certain you’d like your brother to be healthy? It’s very serious. Without treatment, he could die.”
    I was about to respond when Carla spoke up. “He’s already told you he doesn’t know where his brother is.”
    They ignored her. Agent Johnson said, “Jack, we understand your need to protect your brother. Family and all that. We get it. But your brother is Navy property. We would hate to see him dishonorably discharged. You wouldn’t want that either, would you?”
    “ We’re only here to help,” the second agent chimed in.
    I was about to do it. Maybe they were right. It certainly made more sense for my brother and his friend to have contracted some rare infection than their story about the damn space rock. If my gut wasn’t screaming otherwise, I just might have.
    Except…I always listen to my gut.
    “ I wish I could help you, boys.” In a sense, this was true. But I couldn’t. Yes, Joe was my brother. And, no, I wasn’t going to sell him out, even if he was sick.
    They’re not going to help, I suddenly thought. And it wasn’t so much a thought as a knowing. No, they’re going to make them disappear.
    “ Well, that’s a shame, Mr. Carter,” Agent Johnson concluded. “If we don’t find your brother and his buddy, this will develop into a criminal investigation.” For the first time, he took off his sunglasses. He polished them and took in the magnificent view. “We’d hate to waste valuable government time and money watching your every move.”
    “ I can’t stop you from that,” I said.
    Johnson faced me. “That includes your family, including your daughter, Anna. She seems like a fine young lady.”
    “ That’s harassment,” said Carla, stepping forward. “I’d like your badge numbers, please.”
    Johnson chuckled. He took out a card and pushed it into my hand. “If you do see your brother, or hear from him, it would be much easier for everyone involved if you called.”
    “Involved in what?” I asked.
    He ignored my question, and they turned to go. I was about to call after them when Carla stopped me. “Let them go,” she said.
    I looked down at the card. Nothing but a phone number. No name, no military insignia. I tried not to think of conspiracy theories. “Do you believe me now?” I asked her as they stepped into their Lincoln Town Car. Black, of course.
    “ I believe something. One thing is certain, though, your brother is in some deep shit. You, too. And now, probably me. An accessory after the fact.”
    “Welcome to the club,” I said.
    “Thanks. We need to figure out what the hell is going on.”
    “We?” I said.
    “Hey, we’re in this together.”
    “Sounds romantic.”
    She snorted. “Mostly, we need to get your brother some help.”
    I nodded, my grin faltering. My poor fucking brother. Jesus, what had he gotten himself into? My crime investigations were often nature-related, or gang-related. But I still had what it took to solve mysteries. Maybe I needed Carla, maybe not. Either way, I had to look at my brother as a case. Take my emotions out of it. I also had to take care of Anna. That these clowns knew enough about me to know about her enraged me, but it didn’t surprise me. I had to be as tough as they were. And smarter.
    I took a deep breath, centered myself. “Okay. First things first.