Page 37 of Ghost Falls
“What’s the bad news?”
“The cost of two kids going to Prince’s town.” Everly shrugged as if she didn’t understand what she was saying.
“Do you mean Princeton University?” Ronan asked.
“Yup. The people there talk really funny, like Snooki.” Everly tried the accent on for size.
“How do you know who Snooki is?” Ronan asked, while Ten laughed.
“Lucky guess.” Everly ran out of the room giggling.
Jude knew damn well it wasn’t a lucky guess. He had a feeling Nana Kaye was an undercoverJersey Shorefan. “Okay, so are we all set here?”
Cannonball nodded. “I can’t thank you enough for all your help.”
“You’re welcome, but there’s someone here who wants to talk to you,” Cope said, his gaze fixed on the spot beside the now-blank television screen. He held up Cannonball’s lucky quarter and flipped it back to him.
“Someone who wants to talk to me?” Cannonball asked. “Who?”
“Rooster is here?” Cannonball wore a stunned look. “My father?”
Cope nodded.
Just when Jude thought things were about to calm down for the night, it turned out that the fireworks were just getting started.
17
Cope
Cope had noticed the spirit of Carl “Rooster” Jackson around the time Milt was telling Cannonball that he had no common sense. The elder daredevil had nodded his head to that assessment.
“You’re actually saying Rooster is here in the room with us?” Cannonball sounded skeptical.
“He is.” Cope pointed to the exact spot where he saw the elder daredevil. Seconds later Rooster morphed into view.
“Holy shit,” Cannonball muttered to himself. “Dad is that you?”
“Who the hell else would it be?” Rooster asked before yelping. “God damn it, woman, stop kicking me!”
Bertha Craig appeared beside Rooster. “Hey, Cannonball. You don’t know me, but I’m a friend of the tiny psycho. I could drown you myself for that shot at my granddaughter, but I digress. I found your father yesterday, but it took me this long to talk him into coming here to see you. Turns out this Father of the Year didn’t even know you were a stuntman following in his shoes.”
“Is that true? You weren’t watching over me as I grew up?” Cannonball sounded as if he were about to burst into tears.
“Oh, grow up, boy. I had my own afterlife to live. I knew you’d be fine with your mother.”
“You selfish son of a-” Cannonball stopped what he was about to say before he finished his sentence, as if he’d thought better of it.
“Dumbasses in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones, remember?” Fitzgibbon asked.
“Yeah, I remember.” Cannonball turned his attention back to his father. “Do you have any tips for tomorrow?”
Rooster laughed. “Don’t expect me to be waiting for you in the white light. I got my own shit to do. OUCH!” Rooster grabbed the leg Bertha kicked and hopped around on his good one.
“Keep it up and I’ll kick the other one just to watch you suffer. This is your son we’re talking about. You haven’t seen him in twenty years and there’s not a single nice thing you can say to him?” Bertha lifted her foot off the ground, as if she were getting ready to kick Rooster again.
“That’s the way life goes, woman. You take care of yourself and fuck everyone else. I don’t want to see you again, got it?” Rooster’s eyes went from Bertha to Cannonball.
“I know you said you were nicknamed Rooster because you were cocky. I think you’re just a giant dick.” Bertha grinned as Rooster faded out of sight. “Damn, I feel like I need a shower after being that close to him. What a twatwaffle!”
