Code of Silence: Living a Lie Comes With a Price (16 page)

“Good call, detective,” Coop said. As they got closer to the bell tower, Cooper held the bag of mini-donuts out toward Gordy. “Let’s keep our eyes focused on the bag as we go by,” he said.

Gordy grabbed a couple and stuffed them in his mouth as they walked. “What if they left a note for
you
?”

Coop thought for a moment. “No way are we going to get it. We tip the police.”

Hiro slipped in between them and hooked her arms in theirs.

“Exactly.”

She kept her arms locked with theirs as they approached the tower.

“Okay,” Hiro said. “Definitely no note … but there’s something weird …” she sucked in her breath and clutched onto his arm tighter. “O God,” she whispered. “Dear Jesus.”

Gordy looked at the base of the bell tower and immediately saw a bike. Coop’s. Mangled, crushed, and folded nearly in half. No. They didn’t leave a note, but they definitely delivered a message.

“Don’t stop. Keep walking,” Hiro said. Her voice sounded tight. “Keep walking. Keep walking”

She didn’t have to tell him to keep walking. He had no plans to stop. In fact right now the only thing he really wanted to do was
run.

T
o Cooper, the walk home seemed strangely quiet—which gave him the chance to sort things out in his head. Gordy seemed to do as much checking over his shoulder as he did looking ahead. And Hiro was likely building a case for breaking the Code. They took a roundabout way to their street, doubling back more than once just to be sure they weren’t being followed.

Fudge bounded to meet them the moment they walked into the backyard. She zeroed in on the mini-mart bags, sniffing and poking them with her nose. She barked when Cooper headed up the ladder. He grabbed a powdered donut from his bag and held it up for her to see.

Ears alert, she focused on the donut in his hand.

Cooper feigned a throw. Fudge bounded after it, but quickly turned back. He threw again, but this time with an easy, underhand pitch. Fudge caught it and wolfed it down without chewing at all. She pranced back happily and stared at him, hoping he’d throw again. As if she didn’t have a care in the world. Cooper couldn’t imagine how nice that must feel.

The day was too perfect to be indoors, even if it was in the cabin of
The Getaway.
Cooper found a seat on the bow and the
other two followed. Both of them looked at him, waiting for him to begin.

“Okay,” he said. “Elvis and the clown are still in town, and they’re serious.”

“Seriously demented,” Gordy said. “They twisted your bike like a pretzel.”

More like the knot in Cooper’s stomach.

“We need protection, Coop,” Hiro said. “If they’d caught you last night we’d have found
you
under the bell tower. You know that. Right?”

He nodded, but Cooper had no intention of ever being that close to them again. “There is one good thing about them still being in town,” he said. “The police can still catch them.”

Hiro nodded slightly. “True.”

We’ve been able to stick to the Code for four days, and we just caught a real break with the whole police interview thing.”

“A
break
?” Hiro took a sip of her water. “There’s more than one way to look at that. And if they have a solid reason to do it, they can still pick you up for questioning.”

She was right.

“Anyway, we can’t just sit around and hope the police nab the robbers.”

Gordy twisted open the cap on his soda. Fizz streamed out, and he held it over the edge of the bow so it dripped down to the ground below. “So what do you think we should do?”

Cooper looked from Gordy to Hiro. “Help with the investigation.”

Hiro looked at him for a long moment. Like she was trying to visually test the sincerity of what he just said. “How?”

Cooper glanced at the house for a moment. The bow of
The Getaway
was a perfect spot to talk. He could see anybody coming long before they got within earshot. “The police are spending too much effort looking for their mystery witness.” He pointed to himself.

“They may not have any other leads,” Gordy said.

Cooper leaned forward. “So we have to find a way to steer the police in the right direction, without blowing our cover.”

Hiro slumped back. “Are we just going to rehash our situation, or do you have some way to accomplish this impossible task?”

Cooper smiled. “I have a plan. And I think it will work.”

“I’m listening.”

“Okay. I type a letter to the police telling them what happened. They’re only sure about one of us being there, so I won’t mention anyone else but me. I tell them about the guys who did it. The ones they
should
be looking for.”

“Wait a second,” Gordy said. “If you do that, and the cops did it, they’ll really be out to find you. They’ll figure you’re going to talk.”

Cooper shook his head. “I’ll make it really plain that I can’t identify the men.”

Hiro looked deep in thought. “Why would they believe it? They may have gotten dozens of letters from people claiming to have been there. People do that, you know.”

“I’ve already got that worked out.” Cooper pulled a powdered donut from his bag and stuffed it in his mouth. He twisted off the cap of his chocolate milk and gulped down a couple of cool mouthfuls.

Hiro jabbed him. “Are you going to tell us, or what?”

“I give them some details only I would know.”

“Like what?”

“Where Frank was laying. How he was laying. That a stool was used to break the glass door. That the register change drawer was on the floor. That Frank’s glasses were on the floor by the feet of Frankenstein. Things like that.”

Hiro thumped him on the back. “Brilliant!”

“Almost as good as coming clean and telling the truth?”

Hiro smiled. “Almost.”

It was good to see her smile at him again. And there was something more. Respect. “Well, it’s as close as we’re going to get.”

Gordy wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “Sounds good to me. Then we just drop it in the mail?”

“Yeah,” Cooper said. “The bad thing is we’ll lose a whole day or so before the police get it.”

“Why don’t we deliver it ourselves?” Hiro said.

Gordy snorted. “And risk getting caught?”

“No, not at the police station.” Hiro stood and paced the bow. “The night drop slot at the library?”

Cooper thought about that for a moment. “We address the letter to the police. The librarian will get it in the morning and call them. They’ll probably send a squad car right over.” He nodded. “Great idea. What do you think, Gordy?”

Gordy didn’t look so convinced.

“What if the librarian doesn’t call the police? The mail is safer.”

“But slower,” Cooper said.

Hiro shrugged. “Why not do both?”

“Perfect.” Cooper threw a powdered donut to Fudge. “If the library idea works, the police will get a head start on finding the men. If the library sits on it, the police still get the letter in the mail.”

Hiro stopped pacing and leaned against the rail. “One problem.”

Cooper popped another donut in his mouth and looked at her.

She fingered her necklace. “It might actually make things worse. I mean, if I were a cop—”

“But you’re not,” Gordy interrupted.

Hiro glared at Gordy.

Cooper held up one hand. “Let her finish.”

“If I were a cop—” she glared at Gordy as if daring him to interrupt again “—this letter would make me want to question whoever wrote it. Maybe I’d find out even more details if I questioned the witness in person. Right?”

“Well that’s not going to happen,” Cooper said. “They’ll have to be satisfied with the letter.”

“But they won’t be. Not unless they can talk to you.”

Cooper thought about that for a second. “And if they really want to talk to me, they may try even harder to find me.”

“And,” Gordy said, “the letter may give them some clue as to who you are.”

“Great.” Cooper twisted off the cap of his chocolate milk and took a long drink. “We’re back to square one.”

Hiro sat back down between them.

“What if I put a phone number in the letter?” Cooper said. “We could pick up one of those disposable phones at Walmart.”

Hiro’s eyes brightened. “We buy the phone with cash and there’s no record of who owns the phone!” She clapped him on the back again. “Let’s do it.”

“I feel like a spy or something.” Gordy smiled. “So when do we get this letter out?”

Cooper looked at Hiro, then back at Gordy. “Tonight.”

C
ooper felt energized. He was playing offense now. The three pooled their cash for a phone. Hiro and Gordy left on their bikes for Walmart. Cooper stayed back to write the letter.

He worked at the computer right in the family room. It was either that or the library—which didn’t seem like the best idea. Every time his mom walked through the room, his heart pounded out a warning. He wanted to work fast, but he had to be careful with every word. He had to give enough information to prove he was at the scene of the crime, yet not give away his identity while he was at it.

“Homework?”

Mom’s voice startled him. Cooper whirled around in the desk chair. She walked toward him, her eyes on the screen. Cooper stood, blocking her view.

“Yeah, I’m trying to get this done so I can go riding with Gordy and Hiro later.”

Lies and deception. They came easy now. Cooper pushed the thought out of his mind.

“Need any help?” She moved her head to one side as if trying to see the screen.

Cooper reached over and gave her a hug. “Thanks, Mom.”

“What brought this on?” Mom hugged him back. She seemed pleasantly surprised. And distracted.

“Let me finish this up, and maybe I’ll have you proofread it when I’m done.”

“Okay.” She gave him a squeeze. “Just let me know when you’re ready.”

Cooper didn’t sit until she left the room. He banged out the letter, printed three copies, and had another thought. He made some quick changes, printed one copy, then deleted the file. He found envelopes in one of the desk drawers and printed those too.

He didn’t start to relax until the letters were safely tucked away in his backpack.

Now all he had to do was add the phone number and wait until dark.

Cooper met Hiro and Gordy in the cabin of
The Getaway
after dinner. Cooper laid the copies of the letter and the four envelopes on the small built-in table.

“Don’t touch them,” Cooper said. “If they dust them for fingerprints, we only want them to find one pair.”

“Good thinking,” Hiro said. “Maybe you’ll make a good cop yourself.”

Cooper didn’t want to be a cop. He wanted to get as far away from them as he could.

Gordy counted the envelopes. “Why the extras?”

“One copy for me to keep. One for the Daily Herald.”

“The Herald?”

“I was thinking.” Cooper picked up the envelope and slapped it on his open palm. “If the police don’t take the letter seriously, maybe the paper will. I just had to make some changes to this copy.”

“I’m impressed,” Gordy said. “Looks like you’ve covered all the bases.”

Cooper printed the phone number on the police copies of the
letter and added “Between 3:30 and 4:30 p.m. ONLY.” He didn’t want anyone trying to call him while he was at school or at the dinner table. He wrote slow and neat. If the police showed it to any one of his teachers, they definitely wouldn’t recognize the writing as being his.

“Maybe we should say something about Lunk,” Hiro said.

“And if they find he’s not involved they’ll
really
think we’re trying to mess up their investigation,” Cooper said.

“You still think he had nothing to do with it. I think that’s a problem.”

“Let’s just say I’m not convinced. Besides, I’m not going to risk retyping this.”

Hiro didn’t argue, but she didn’t look happy either.

“What about the printer?” Gordy pointed at the envelopes. “Can they trace it back to you by looking at the text under a microscope or something?”

“We’re okay,” Hiro said. “The police have his fingerprints and DNA. If they suspect him enough personally to bring him in for questioning, they won’t need the printer to tie him to the crime scene.”

She pretty much summed it up. Not exactly a comforting reminder. They hung around
The Getaway
until just after the library closed. Cooper felt a strange mix of excitement and fear when he pulled his new bike from the shed, like he was on some kind of secret mission. The fear? He just might be dismantling part of his cover at the same time.

Gordy led the pack on the bike path through Kimball Hill Park and under Kirchoff Road. He looped around on the other side. Hiro followed next and Cooper took up the rear. Frank ‘n Stein’s sat deathly still. The neon in the windows reminded him of last Thursday night, only four days ago. It seemed way longer than that.

They approached the library from the backside. Several cars were in the employee lot, but the regular lot sat empty. The lines between the spaces gave an eerie glow in the moonlight. For some
reason it made Cooper think of a graveyard. He was glad Gordy and Hiro came along. He pedaled harder.
Let’s get this done.

Gordy coasted to a stop in front of the library and took lookout duty. Hiro dropped off far enough from the entrance to stay off to the side just in case the library had a camera mounted to monitor the area. Cooper left his bike with her, pulled up his hood, and hustled up to the glass double doors.

Lights were on, but everything looked still. He fished the envelopes from his pack.

“Give to the Rolling Meadows Police. Urgent.” Cooper whispered as he read aloud. He opened the book return night drop and hesitated for a moment.

“What are you waiting for?” Hiro motioned for him to hurry.

Cooper dropped the letter in the book return and closed the door. He heard the faint whoosh as the letter slid down the incline. No turning back now. He did the same with the envelope addressed to the Daily Herald.

“Let’s go,” he said.

Hiro nodded.