Back Before Dark (12 page)

H
iro sat at the lunch table but kept watching the doors for Cooper. She emptied her lunch bag and arranged the contents on the table. Bottle of water. Plastic bag of mixed carrots and celery. Plastic bag with an apple—precut into slices. And a fresh-sliced turkey sandwich with spinach leaves and tomato on whole wheat bread, cut diagonally. Everything organized and in its place, just the way she liked it. Too bad life couldn’t be that neat.

Gordy’s abduction. The fact that the kidnapper’s bait had fooled her—Hiro—the one who wanted to be a cop someday. Then there was the police investigation—turning over plenty of rocks but finding nothing. The trail had gone cold. She closed her eyes and a shiver ran through her. She couldn’t let her mind go there.

Her life was a mess.
Chaos
was a good word for it. Her mom was trying to put up a good front, but Hiro knew better. She dozed on and off watching the six o’clock news last night, but her bedroom light was still on well after midnight. Hiro noticed her crying while she cleaned the kitchen. Mom never explained, but the tears running down her cheeks spoke for her. She couldn’t imagine how bad things were at Gordy’s home. Or at Coop’s.

And Coop wasn’t doing well. He was starting to scare her. And Lunk wasn’t any help.

Posting flyers was smart. But visiting the homes of registered sex offenders? That was insane. Even
considering
checking their homes crossed a boundary. He’d left clear thinking behind, and he was headed someplace very reckless. And dangerous. She wished she’d never brought it up, never showed him the website.

If she could convince him to just check house-to-house to see if anyone saw the van. But Coop couldn’t let the license plate thing go. He couldn’t forgive himself for not catching that van.

Cooper couldn’t handle the thought of losing Gordy. Gordy could be dead already. She considered the idea, turned the thought around in her mind. She tried looking at it logically, like a good cop would. But Coop wouldn’t consider the fact that Gordy might be gone. In Hiro’s mind, it had been too many hours to ignore that possibility.

Possibility.
That was the wrong word, wasn’t it? Realistically, it was no longer a possibility. It was a
probability.
And Coop could lose his life trying to find someone who was never coming back.

She had to play this smart. She’d go along with him to a point—if only to keep him from shutting her out. But there was no way she’d let him knock on the door of a registered sex offender. She’d blow the whistle on him first—and she wasn’t afraid to tell him that to his face.

The thing that scared her was how he might react. Would he pull away from her? Probably. And then who would be the voice of reason? He’d hatch some crazy plan, and she wouldn’t have a chance to talk him out of it.

Hiro pulled a manila file folder out of her backpack and spread the contents on the table. Page after page of printouts from the satellite views of the route the minivan had taken. They wouldn’t have much time at lunch, but even a few minutes might help.

Lunk sauntered over, tray in hand, and sat on the same side of the table as Hiro, with ample space between them. His plate was piled with four huge slices of pizza, surrounded by four cartons of chocolate milk.
Just the kind of lunch Gordy would have chosen.
She wondered what he might be eating if he was still alive.
Was
he eating?

Lunk scanned the cafeteria. “Where’s Coop?”

“Miss Ferrand wanted to talk to him.” She checked the entrance again. “I’m surprised he’s not here yet.”

“What’d she want?”

Hiro took a sip of her water. “I have no idea.” She tried to keep her voice even. Like it didn’t concern her. She kept her eyes on the cafeteria entrance.

Officer Sykes walked in and surveyed the room. When he noticed her looking at him, he headed their way.

“Nice lunch,” Lunk said, poking a slice of pizza at her sandwich. “That kind of food will kill you.”

“Really.” Hiro took her napkin and dabbed the top of one of his pizza slices. She held it up. “See this? Grease. Lots of it. You call
that
healthy?”

“Well,
yeah.”
Lunk looked at her like she was a little crazy. “That
grease
, as you call it, is a specially formulated lubricant to help the pizza get down your throat without causing a choking hazard.”

Hiro turned her head away. She didn’t want Lunk to have the satisfaction of seeing her smile. Officer Sykes was almost at their table, stuck behind Candy, Lissa, and Katie. The three beauty queens were walking way too slow, looking for a prime place to sit. Their plates were piled high with processed food. At that rate, they wouldn’t be beauty queens for long.

Candy stopped at the table and turned to get a better look at the pages. “What are you doing
now
, Hiroko?” She made a mock face of bewilderment.

“Hey,” Lunk said. “It’s the female version of the Three Stooges.”

Was he actually trying to stick up for her?

Candy didn’t even acknowledge that Lunk spoke.

Hiro felt her temperature rising.

Lissa nodded toward the aerial views. “Planning a treasure hunt?” Hiro smiled. Not because she felt particularly happy, but showing hostility was plain ugly. Candy and her friends were proof of that.
“Yeah, it’s a treasure hunt. I’m trying to help find Gordy Digby, in case you’ve forgotten. And he
is
a treasure. Worth his weight in gold.”

“I can’t argue with you there,” Candy said. “But you have to admit, he had poor taste when it came to picking friends. I could never see the value in them.”

Lissa and Katie giggled.

Hiro was
not
going to let them get under her skin. “Treasures like Gordy are rare.”

“Not as rare as you think,” Lunk said. “These three ladies are a treasure too.” Lunk pointed. “If we combined their considerable weight and had
that
in gold, it would be worth a fortune.”

Candy glared at him. “Look who’s talking. You’re a real jerk, you know that, Lunquist?” The girls stomped off, chattering among themselves and shooting disgusted glances at Lunk.

Officer Sykes took the bench opposite them. “Nicely done, Mr. Lunquist. But you never heard me say that.”

“It
was
a horrible thing to say, Lunk,” Hiro said. “But I loved it.”

Lunk grinned.

“But,” Hiro shook a finger at him, “I can handle myself.”

Lunk raised both hands in mock surrender. “Don’t I know it.” He angled a slice of pizza into his mouth. “Tell me something, Hiro. Why don’t those girls like you?”

Hiro gave him a sideways glance. “You used to be just as rude—up until six months ago or so. Why didn’t
you
like me?”

“Oh …” He shifted the pizza to one side of his mouth. “Don’t get me started.”

Officer Sykes rested his forearms on the table and studied the pages pieced together to make an aerial map of the crime scene area.

Coop walked up and stepped over the bench seat on the other side of Hiro. He looked paler than in class. “Hi, Officer Sykes,” Coop said.

Sykes nodded. “I thought I’d join you for a few minutes.” He focused on the aerial views. “You mind?”

Coop pulled a peanut butter sandwich out of the brown paper bag in his backpack. “No problemo.”

Hiro didn’t have the patience for small talk. “What happened with Miss Ferrand?”

Cooper pulled the slip of paper out of his pocket. “Wants me to see a shrink after lunch.”

Lunk snorted a hearty laugh.

“Ridiculous,” Hiro said. “Are you going?”

Cooper took a bite of his sandwich. “No choice.”

Lunk leaned in close. “How do you feel about that, Cooper?” He spoke in a slow, smooth voice.

Cooper stopped chewing. “What?”

Laughing, Lunk opened a milk carton and took a long swig. “Just trying to get you ready for your first therapy session.”

“First and last.” Cooper pulled his phone out of his pocket and checked for text messages.

Hiro followed his lead and scrolled through her phone.

“Anything?”

Cooper shook his head. “Forty hours and no word. No clue. No van. Nothing.” His head dropped. “God, where
is
he?” He said it quietly.

Hiro swallowed the lump in her throat.

Officer Sykes cleared his. “Tell me about the green highlighted section.” He tapped the aerial views with his pen. “Why does it end here on School Drive, right in the middle of the block?”

Cooper shrugged. “It’s the last place I saw the van, which could have given him a quick escape if he took the most direct route to 53.” He traced the route north on School Drive, and zigzagged onto Cambell, then over to Rowhling. “But we can’t be sure where he went after he hit Campbell Street. We don’t want to make assumptions that could lead us in the wrong direction.”

Officer Sykes nodded. “Good procedure.” He looked at Hiro like he knew she was the one who had initiated it. “And this?”
Officer Sykes pointed at a red heart Hiro had drawn in the alleyway behind the Jewel food store.

Hiro kissed the tip of her finger and touched the heart. “The last place
I
saw Gordy.”

Officer Sykes clenched and unclenched his jaw like he was trying to swallow a lump in his throat too.

Hiro tried to think of something to say to get her mind off the red heart. “We mapped out the area and the routes the van could have taken. We posted flyers along each of the routes and plan to go door-to-door to see if anyone living there might have seen the van.”

Officer Sykes’ nodded. “After school, I’m going to do some house-to-house checking.” He obviously cared for the students enough at Plum Grove to keep looking even when he was off the clock.

She felt a flicker of hope. Maybe Officer Sykes could talk Coop into helping him somehow—keep him from pursuing the sex offender’s angle. “If we could find someone who saw the van after Coop lost sight of it—”

“We may find out if he headed to 53 or stayed local.” The policeman finished her thought.

Officer Sykes drummed his fingers on the pages. “What about the houses with the big X through them?”

“Empty,” Coop said. “For sale or foreclosed by the bank, but nobody is living there anymore. We put a flyer on the front doors because they’re on one of the routes the van could have taken. But we figured there’d be no sense ringing their doorbells looking for witnesses.”

Officer Sykes nodded. He scanned the map again. “I’m impressed. I really am. What do you say we combine our efforts this afternoon? You guys can help me canvass the neighborhood. We’ll stay together but work both sides of the street.”

Perfect.
Hiro looked at Coop.

Cooper picked at his food. “We’ve got to go where the police can’t. Or won’t.”

She couldn’t believe he just said that. Which proved her point. Coop was absolutely getting reckless. And that was dangerous.

Officer Sykes gave Coop a sideways glance. “You can speak your mind around me.”

Coop’s lips formed a thin, tight line, like he wasn’t about to say more.

“Tell him, Coop,” Hiro said.

Coop shot her a questioning look. Like she was betraying a confidence. Which, of course, she was. Maybe Officer Sykes would talk him out of it if he knew where Coop wanted to start looking.

Coop seemed to be weighing his options. Like he wasn’t sure he could trust the policeman. Afraid Officer Sykes would stop him.

“There are some houses we’re going to check extra carefully,” Lunk said. He pointed to the houses Coop had circled and drawn a skull and crossbones next to.

Sykes looked from Lunk to Coop, like he was waiting for an explanation.

Hiro leaned forward. “Registered sex offender homes. Coop intends to check them out.” She half expected Coop to glare at her, but he didn’t.

Officer Sykes turned his whole body to face Coop. “Tell me I didn’t hear that right.”

Coop shrugged. “There are seven registered sex offenders living in Rolling Meadows. Somebody has to check them.”

“The police checked them out first thing. Every one of them.”

“Did they
search
their houses?”

Officer Sykes gave Coop a long look. “If they had
any
reason to believe one of these men had a hand in Gordon’s disappearance, they would get a warrant.”

“I take it that means
no.
”

“Look,” the policeman said. “I don’t know what you have in mind—and I don’t think I want to know. But don’t try to shortcut the system.”

Tell him Officer Sykes.
Hiro looked at the policeman, silently willing him to keep talking, to convince Coop somehow.

Coop shook his head. “By the time they get around to searching their homes it may be too late.”

“You’re shortcutting,” Officer Sykes said. “Shortcuts generally lead to trouble in the long run. Like not being able to convict the criminal because evidence gets thrown out.”

Cooper hesitated for a moment. “I get it. That makes sense. But if I wait …” His voice trailed off.

“Okay,” Officer Sykes said. “You’re upset. Have every reason to be. But the police have protocol in place for everybody’s protection. Yours included. Start playing the Lone Ranger and somebody’s going to get hurt.”

Lunk raised his hand. “He won’t be alone.”

Hiro jerked a thumb toward Lunk. “Of course. Tonto here will make sure the Lone Ranger stays safe.”

Lunk’s cheeks reddened. “Exactly.”

“All right,” Officer Sykes formed a “time out” symbol with his hands. “Every one of us wants the same thing. If you start checking places you shouldn’t be going, you’ll slow down the investigation. You don’t want that to happen.”

Hiro watched Coop’s face.

“Good advice,” Coop said. “Thanks.”

Officer Sykes smiled and stood to leave. He gave Coop’s shoulder a little squeeze before he left, like he truly thought Coop had changed his mind.

But Hiro knew Coop too well for that. She leaned closer. “He’s right, you know.”

Coop shrugged. “Technically, yes. But if I wait until everything is legal and proper, it may be too late. And you know
I’m
right. Which is more important, keeping evidence admissible by waiting for a warrant or saving Gordy?”