Back Before Dark (21 page)

H
iro’s ride to Joseph Stein’s house was absolutely maddening. Lunk couldn’t stop grinning. He was in his element. Probably couldn’t wait to swing that stupid bat of his. Coop kept up a fast pace, like he was afraid she might change her mind—or lose his nerve. Probably both.

Hiro pulled up alongside him. “Do you know how many laws you’ve broken today?”

Cooper looked at her and smiled. “Probably a couple more than I’ve told you about.”

“Oooooh.” Hiro glared at him. “Exasperating. That’s what you are, Cooper MacKinnon. You know that?”

Cooper nodded. Which didn’t help Hiro’s mood. “I’m not going to get arrested,” she said. “I’m telling you that right now.”

Lunk pulled up alongside. “Then stick with Coop. If the police chase us, he won’t let you get caught.”

“That’s not what I meant, and you know it, Mr. Lunquist.”

Lunk dropped back a half-bike length, smiling.

Should she have backed out? Let Coop and Lunk do this on their own? Maybe. But deep down she really wanted to be there if they found Gordy.

Cooper seemed really focused. He’d need that. He’d need a lot
of nerve, too. He took the long way around, which meant riding the bike path along Salt Creek behind the row of homes where Stein’s stood. The creek was over its banks now and getting dangerously close to the homes that bordered it.

When they reached Stein’s house, Cooper cut through the soggy grass and dumped his bike behind the garage. Hiro glanced at the broken window and wondered what else the boys would break to get Cooper inside the house.

“Okay, Lunk, you and I will find a way in through the back. You’ll stand guard outside and give me a shout if we get company.”

Lunk smiled and patted his wiffle-ball bat.

Naturally.
Sometimes he was totally predictable.

“Hiro, you’re up front.” He held up his phone. “Call me if we’ve got trouble.”

“This whole thing feels wrong.” Hiro fingered the police star necklace around her neck. “Do you realize what you’re asking me to do?” Cooper nodded. “Help a good friend.”

She shook her head. “Way more than that. You’re asking me to be an
accessory
in a crime.”

“It’s an empty house. I’m just going in to have a look. Where’s the crime in that?”

Hiro put her hands on her hips. “It’s wrong—and you know it.”

“Okay,” Cooper said. “It’s wrong. But I’m going in. If you want to leave, go ahead.”

“Yeah,” Lunk said. “Maybe you’d better leave, Hiro. I’ll cover for you.”

Hiro hesitated. She’d like to leave. She really would. But something didn’t feel right about that, either. The trouble was, Coop and Lunk seemed to be approaching this whole thing too casually. “This could get dangerous, guys.”

Lunk thumped his chest. “You’re
looking
at dangerous. And I’ve got his back.”

“You’re standing guard
outside
,” Hiro said. “Who has Coop’s back when he’s inside?”

Lunk shook his head. “You think too much, Hiro.”

“And you don’t think
enough
, Mr. Lunquist.”

Cooper made a timeout symbol with his hands. “Let’s just get this over with.” He took a wad of paper out of his back pocket and unfolded the pages. “Just want to review this one more time.”

Photos of the house. That was actually very clever. Coop had done his homework.

Hiro tried to get a view of the pictures. “What happens if the police drive up and you’re trapped inside?”

“The house has a front and back door. The basement has window wells.” Coop tapped the pictures. “I’ll get out.”

“And I’ll stall the police until he does,” Lunk said.

Hiro looked up at the sky. “I’m surrounded by idiots! I don’t know what to say.” Hiro turned from Cooper to Lunk, and back. “I cannot come up with a word to describe how
insane,
how
crazy
, how
dangerous
, how
stupid
this is.”

“Sounds like you’ve come up with several.” Lunk snickered.

“Oh”—Hiro drilled Lunk with her eyes—“you honestly think this is funny? Coop will be trespassing. If he gets caught, he could get arrested.”

Coop looked at her. “What’s really bothering you, Hiro?”

She looked at Coop. There was something more, and maybe he needed to hear it. “Okay,” Hiro said. “What if Joseph Stein is inside?”

Lunk tapped his concrete-filled bat. “That’s where I come in.”

Hiro glared at Lunk. “Are you
serious
?”

“I can handle myself,” Lunk said.

“Joseph Stein is dangerous. He tried to kill both of you once.” Hiro said. “Use your head, Coop. What if Lunk doesn’t get to you in time?”

Cooper raised the cuff of his pants to reveal the dive knife strapped to his calf. He slid it halfway out of the sheath, just enough to show the strength of the stainless steel blade and the rugged sawtooth back.

Hiro stared at him. It almost seemed like she didn’t know him anymore.

Lunk shifted his weight and looked uncomfortable. “You really think Stein might be in there?”

Hiro turned away. She didn’t even want to look at the knife. “A concealed weapon. Lovely.” She wasn’t sure what bothered her more. The possibility that he would have to use it, or that he’d strapped it on in the first place.

“Let’s go,” Coop said. He ran from the corner of the garage to the back of the house. Lunk followed with his concrete-filled bat.

Hiro took a deep breath and hustled to the front corner of the house and got down low under the bushes so the neighbors across the street wouldn’t see her—if they hadn’t already. Hiro had a perfect view of School Drive in both directions. She took out her phone and dialed Coop. All she’d have to do is push the send button if there was trouble.

But she was more worried about there being trouble
inside
the house. What if Stein
was
there? She pushed that thought out of her mind and tried to focus on Gordy. Sweet, loveable Gordy. Always trying to be the peacemaker. Just trying to help. And some predator snatched him up. A lump burned in her throat. And something else burned in her gut. A fire. She
would
become of cop someday, and she’d put creeps away for good—like the one who took Gordy.

What if Gordy really was alive—and Coop found him? It would be the perfect ending to this nightmare. But too many hours had passed for that to be much a possibility. The thought just kept running through her head.
What if Coop finds Gordy—but Gordy isn’t alive?

C
ooper peered through the back window of Joseph Stein’s house. He could barely make out the outline of a stove and refrigerator. Okay this was the kitchen. Not nearly as friendly-looking as the photos online. Nothing but shadows now, and it felt like they reached right through the glass and crept into his heart.

“Why don’t I go in and you stand guard,” Lunk whispered.

“I got it,” Cooper said. He didn’t want to go in. Not a bit. But he had to. Something stronger than his fear was driving him.

“Okay then,” Lunk said. “Cover your eyes.”

The sound of the breaking glass was as loud as a starting gun. Lunk reached through the broken pane on the back door and unlocked it.

“Happy hunting,” he said. “Just shout if you need me.”

Cooper kicked into action. He slipped inside and took a moment to get his bearings—and gather his nerve. The house smelled stale. It wasn’t exactly a bad smell, but it wasn’t good, either. Cooper’s mind flashed back to Hiro smelling the air through the garage window earlier. He shuddered. It wasn’t like that. The air didn’t smell like death. It just smelled dead. There was a big difference.

“What’s wrong?”

Lunk’s voice through the broken window made Cooper’s heart lurch.

“Nothing.” Cooper fumbled in his pocket. “Getting my flashlight.” He flicked the switch and kept the beam on the floor, filtering it with a couple fingers. It gave him plenty of light, and Cooper followed it into the next room.

What if Stein was here? What would he do? Cooper walked in a step-pause, step-pause pattern through the front room, careful not to make a sound on the floors. No furniture in the room, but Cooper could pretty much tell where furniture had been by the wear pattern in the carpet.

He kept the flashlight low and away from the windows. If that same nosey neighbor saw a light inside the house there’d be trouble. Which brought his mind back to Joseph Stein. What if Stein was here? What would he do? Cooper paused and pulled the cuff of his pant over the top of the sheath. He wanted it to be an easy grab if there was trouble. The truth was, there was already plenty of trouble. Cooper drew the knife out of its sheath.

The first floor bedroom felt darker. The bi-fold closet door at the far end was closed. Cooper took a deep breath. He had to open it, just to be sure. He swung it open and stepped back, half-expecting Stein to rush out at him. The closet was empty. He quickly checked over his shoulder to make sure Stein wasn’t sneaking up behind him.
C’mon, Cooper. Don’t lose your nerve here.
He wished he’d had Lunk come inside with him instead of standing guard out back.

The closet in the hallway was empty, and so was the one in the second bedroom. He’d planned to skip the bathroom—until he saw the drawn shower curtain. A western scene was printed on the heavy vinyl, totally blocking the view of the tub. Cactus, coyote, and an orange sunset glowed eerily in the dim light of the flashlight. Cooper swallowed and stepped closer, his arm extended. He slid the curtain to one side with the tip of the knife. If Stein rushed him, the man would stick himself good on the blade. Cooper breathed a quiet sigh of relief. The tub was empty.

How much time had passed? Cooper wanted to get out of here—but not before he checked the basement. Actually, the basement was absolutely the last place he wanted to go. His heart thumped in his chest, beating out a warning chant.
Get out. Get out. Get out. Get out.

There were only three doors in the hallway. The closet. The bathroom. He hesitated in front of the third door. It had to be the basement. Cooper took a moment to wipe his sweaty hand on his jeans and get a fresh grip on the dive knife.
Just do this. Get it done and get out of here.
He swung open the door, and shined his light on the unpainted wooden steps below.
Water.
Maybe a couple feet. Which made sense. Cooper hadn’t checked any light switches, but with a house foreclosed like Stein’s was, the electricity was likely turned off. Without power to the sump pump, any basement would flood with the kind of rain they’d been having. And if the creek swelled much more the basement would fill completely.

Cooper went down four or five steps, crouched down and scanned the basement with his flashlight. The water lay black and still—like the surface of a swamp at night.

“Gordy?” He whispered. The basement was empty, except for the furnace. His heart sunk. No Gordy. No sign that he’d ever been here. Just a creepy empty house where Cooper didn’t belong. Cooper was alone. The feeling was as dark as the water itself. He shined his light up the stairs in a sudden panic that he’d see Stein standing in the doorway. Towering over him like the giant in
Jack and the Beanstalk.
Ready to tear Cooper apart. Crazy that he should think of that now.

I gotta get out of here.
Cooper had the feeling that some kind of giant trouble was coming. Sniffing him out.
Fe-Fi-Fo-Fum.
That it was only a matter of time before it would find him.

Cooper’s phone vibrated in his pocket. He clamped the knife between his teeth like a pirate and checked the text. Hiro.
Police cruiser—get out!

C
ooper sheathed the knife and pounded up the stairs. He tore through the kitchen and turned off the flashlight. Lunk had the door open for him.

“Cops!” Cooper held up the phone.

Lunk nodded and bolted for the garage with Cooper right on his heels. All three bikes were exactly where they left them—but no Hiro. Cooper stood at the corner of the garage and peered down the driveway. He could see Hiro crouching in the bushes from here. Why didn’t she get out of there after texting him? The police cruiser was on the street, the cop inside painting the house with his searchlight.

Was it the same cop that chased them before? Probably. And thanks to the nosey neighbor, smart enough to know that the kids had some unfinished business at the house.

Hiro looked back like she was trying to decide if she should stay in hiding or make a break for it. Could she see Cooper? Probably not.

“Move it, Hiro,” Lunk mumbled. “What are you waiting for?”

The searchlight lit her up—and stayed glued on her.

“Uh-oh,” Lunk said. “He got her.”

“Hiro, run!” Cooper shouted. “Now!”

Hiro stood. The cop pulled in, and flashed his high-beams on
her. Hiro turned and sprinted toward Cooper, chasing her own shadow.

Lunk swung a leg over his bike and pushed off. “I’ll decoy him.” He rode around the corner of the garage right at the police car.

“The Getaway
,” Coop shouted after him. “Meet us there.”

Cooper already had Hiro’s bike ready when she rounded the corner of the garage. She mounted on the fly and pedaled like crazy beside him for the bike path. The wind roared in his ears as they put distance between them and Stein’s house.

Cooper checked over his shoulder once, just to be sure the cop wasn’t following. He hoped Lunk would get away, too, but the odds of all of them escaping felt slim.

Cooper pedaled hard and kept his bike on a straight course. “We’ve got to get off the street fast,” he said. Hiro nodded, her face pale and ghostlike in the glow of the streetlights.

They flew down the darkened streets, blowing through every stop sign. Cooper expected to see a police car squealing around a corner any second.

Minutes later they dumped the bikes in Cooper’s backyard. Neither of them said a word until they closed the cabin door behind them in
The Getaway.
Cooper looked out the porthole window. The house was still dark. Mom must still be with Aunt Cris. No sign of Lunk. Cooper sent a quick text to Mom to tell her he was home. Home was supposed to be a place where a guy felt safe. Cooper didn’t think a place like that existed anymore.

He was feeling the shaky aftershocks of being chased—and getting away. The escape was too close for any feelings of exhilaration. He was still in deep water—even if Lunk did manage to get away. Cooper was like some poor fish that had swallowed a nasty lure. He could run or hide, but for how long? The police had him on the line—and it was only a matter of time before they reeled him in.