Below the Surface

by Tim Shoemaker

  “Okay, I don’t believe some guy was stalking us. It makes no sense. Why would he do that?”

  “Agreed,” Lunk said.

  “But,” Coop said, “if someone were watching us, he’d be watching our bikes. If we see the guy still hanging around when we come back, Hiro may be onto something.”

  Gordy leaned against one of the posts. “No matter how stupid it sounds?”

  Cooper shrugged.

  But Hiro looked satisfied. “At least one of you is willing to take this seriously.”

  They took their time walking to the end of the pier. Cooper sat on the edge and dangled his feet over the side. Everyone followed his lead except Lunk, who sat cross-legged behind them, right in the middle of the dock.

  Hiro scooted closer to Cooper. “There’s room here, Lunk.”

  Lunk shook his head. “I’m okay.”

  She moved a couple inches more. “C’mon.”

  Lunk’s face looked pale. “I’d rather stay here.”

  Cooper nudged Hiro, hoping she’d get the message to drop it. Cooper was pretty sure Lunk didn’t even want to be on the dock. Either Lunk didn’t know how to swim, or he couldn’t swim well.

  “Beautiful, isn’t it?” Hiro pointed at the still water. “The reflections of the lights from town are so inviting. I’d love to go for a swim.”

  At one time, Cooper would’ve agreed. But not now. Not tonight. The lights on the surface were fine. The darkness below the surface was what bothered him.

  Cooper looked down. The water was black here — like there was no bottom. Suddenly he felt like there was some kind of magnetic pull . . . drawing him to it.

  “Coop, you okay?” Hiro touched his arm. “You’re shaking.”

  “Am I?” What was it with his nightmarish thoughts? Cooper kept his eyes off the water and scooted away from the edge of the dock.

  “It’s the ice cream,” Gordy said. “Does that to me sometimes. The chill zips right through me.”

  Hiro didn’t take her focus off Cooper. “Coop?”

  Cooper stood. “We’d better get you back to the condo, Hiro.”

  Hiro didn’t look happy, but Lunk was already on his feet and walking down the center of the pier toward shore.

  Gordy jogged ahead. “Maybe I’ll get a refill.” He held up his empty ice cream cup.

  “They aren’t refillable,” Hiro said. “You do know that, right?”

  Gordy grinned. “So I’ll order another one.”

  Cooper could have guessed that. “What flavor are you getting this time?”

  “Yippee Skippee.”

  Hiro shook her head. “Isn’t that what you got the last time?”

  Gordy nodded. “You should try it. Sure beats Chocolate Raspberry Duffle.”

  “It’s Chocolate Raspberry Truffle, Gordy,” Hiro said. “Truffle.”

  Gordy turned around and continued walking in front of them backward. “Trouble?”

  Hiro held up a fist. “That’s what you’ll get if you keep this up.”

  Gordy laughed as he turned and jogged toward Scoops. Lunk joined him. Hiro fell in alongside Cooper.

  “So, Coop, you were going to talk to me, remember?”

  Cooper wasn’t so sure he wanted to talk. Not anymore. He wanted to forget it. “No time now.” He shrugged. “They’ll be back in a couple minutes.”

  Hiro was silent for a few steps. “Tomorrow,” she said firmly, like the whole thing was settled.

  But it was far from settled in Cooper’s mind. Talking about it would make it official, wouldn’t it? She’d think there was something wrong with him. He imagined the way her face would look if he told her. Maybe she’d think he needed a shrink. She’d look at him different for sure. Was he running from reality? Maybe. He just wanted the feeling to go away — wanted to get it out of his mind. Bury it.

  The fiasco with the police and Tommy Kryptoski turned out to be a nice distraction. It had kept his mind busy thinking about something other than what was wrong with him. He glanced up and down Broad Street as he crossed, looking for any sign of the pickup. Part of him wished he would see it. That might stop Hiro from thinking about his problem too.

  “There.” Cooper pointed to a dark blue pickup parked at an angle across the street, just past Main. If someone were sitting inside it, he’d have a perfect view of their bikes. “Is that it?”

  Hiro shook her head. “It was black. And it was a Ford, not a Chevy.”

  Obviously she was checking it out too. She stood at the corner and looked both ways, as if she expected the Ford to materialize.

  Hiro had gotten herself spooked with the incident at the beach, and that was messing with her head. Not that Cooper planned to mention it to her. And he couldn’t blame her. Not really. He’d been pretty creeped out himself — until the girl showed up at the beach.

  The guy outside the ice cream shop hadn’t been keeping an eye on them. And he certainly wasn’t watching them now. He probably wasn’t within two miles. Obviously Lunk and Gordy felt the same way.

  “He’s close,” Hiro said. “Really close.” She raised her chin in the air as if she were sniffing him out.

  Cooper checked up and down the street. No Ford pickup. He looked at the shop doorways for a bearded guy. Nothing. Hiro had to face the facts.

  Gordy was exiting Scoops just as Hiro and Cooper reached the bikes. He had another cup of ice cream in his hand. Lunk was still inside, standing at the counter.

  “Yippee Skippee,” Gordy said. He took a bite. “Great stuff.”

  Cooper bent over to unlock the bikes. “What’s Lunk getting?”

  Hiro peered through the window. “His heart broken.”

  “What?” Cooper followed her gaze.

  “Look at the way he’s talking to Katie,” she said.

  Katie was chatting about something, smiling, waving the scooper around as she talked.

  Lunk stood there, mesmerized.

  “You’re totally wrong.” Gordy snickered. “She’s way older than him.”

  Hiro kept watching. “Doesn’t mean he can’t like her.”

  “Lunk?” Cooper said. “Maybe he wishes he had a big sister.”

  “What about me?” Hiro said. “I’m like a sister to him.”

  Gordy laughed. “Coop said big sister.”

  Lunk looked over his shoulder at them. His face turned red, and he backed away from the counter. Cooper turned away from the shop window and had Lunk’s bike ready for him when he came through the door.

  The bike was used — but new to Lunk. And sized just right for him. It was a nice change from the one he’d been riding for who knows how many years. But Lunk still had the concrete-filled bat strapped to his bike — just like it had been on his old bike. It had come in pretty handy last May when Gordy was taken. Cooper shuddered. He hoped Lunk would never have to use it again.

  Lunk took the bike without a word, his face still glowing.

  “Couldn’t find anything you liked, Lunk?” Hiro’s eyes danced.

  He didn’t answer.

  “Or was she too old?”

  Great, Coop thought. Hiro just couldn’t let it be.

  Lunk glared at her. “Your problem is, you think you’re right about everything — even when you’re dead wrong.”

  Hiro shrugged. “We’ll see.”

  Coop smiled. No matter what they threw at Hiro, she had a way of catching it and zinging something right back.

  Lunk rolled his eyes at Coop in frustration. He turned back to Hiro. “Aren’t you supposed to be at the condo?”

  Hiro laughed. “Something tells me we’ll be coming to Scoops a lot during this vacation.” She waved to Katie through the window. “Yippee Skippee.”

  Lunk swung a leg over his bike. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “Nobody does,” Gordy said. “Ninety percent of the time, Hiro makes no sense. The other half of the time isn’t much better.”

  Hiro gave him a sideways glance. “That’s one hundred and forty per
cent, Gordy.”

  Gordy took a bite. “There she goes again.”

  Hiro slapped her thighs. “I give up.”

  “Finally.” Lunk pushed off and pedaled hard for the condo. Gordy’s comment had taken the spotlight off Lunk, and Lunk probably wanted to get moving before Hiro could bring up the topic again. Cooper gave him a little space.

  They crossed the bridge by LeatherLips watercraft rentals. Cooper glanced over the railing and down at the jet skis docked in the tiny cove below. They looked like fun.

  Hiro was quiet during the short ride to the condo. Was she thinking about the bearded guy in the pickup truck or the murdered girl who turned out to be alive? Or maybe it had something to do with the talk she wanted to have with him. He didn’t want to ask.

  Lunk cut through Flatiron Park and zoomed up the drive to The Cove. Leaving Hiro at the condo wasn’t as easy as Cooper had expected. There were last-minute instructions from his mom, Gordy’s mom, and Lunk’s mom. Be careful biking back to the boat. Don’t leave the boat once you get out there. Keep your phone on. Only Hiro’s mom didn’t add to the advice.

  Cooper was afraid the list would keep growing. He looked for his little sister. “Where’s Mattie?”

  “Already asleep.” Mom pointed at the bedroom door. “And remember, if this doesn’t work out tonight, we’ll have to make some kind of change.”

  They’d be doing that anyway when Cooper and Gordy’s dads joined them for the weekend. Dad was bringing the tent, and they’d camp in the state park. There wouldn’t be room on The Getaway for all of them.

  “We’ll be fine,” Cooper said. It was time to get out of there before the moms thought up some more warnings. “G’night, everybody.” Cooper kissed his mom on the cheek.

  Hiro mouthed the words: Text me.

  Cooper nodded and waved. Minutes later, the three guys were back outside unlocking their bikes.

  “Coop!” It was Hiro’s voice.

  He spotted her standing at the railing of a second-floor balcony.

  “You three be careful,” she said.

  And exactly what were they supposed to be careful about? Cooper waved and started pedaling with Lunk and Gordy beside him.

  “Don’t worry, Hiro!” Gordy called back to her. “We’re on vacation!”

  Hiro cupped her hands on either side of her mouth. “Just don’t take a vacation from your brains!”

  But that’s exactly what Cooper wanted to do.

  Hiro watched the boys pedal out of the parking lot and onto Center Street, where they headed for Wrigley Drive. She wanted to be with them. Really wanted it. Oh, sure, she complained about the guys. It was all part of the game. But there was nobody else she’d rather be with. She couldn’t imagine how much fun they were going to have on the boat together. Just the idea of sitting on the bow and looking up at the stars sounded wonderful.

  And she’d have a chance to talk to Coop. Get him to open up and tell her what was going on. She’d never seen Coop act the way he had when he surfaced.

  If she was on the boat, they’d likely talk about Tommy Kryptoski too. And then there was the whole topic of Pom-Pom. Maybe Hiro was taking things a bit far and letting her imagination — or her desire to be a cop — influence her thinking too much.

  She leaned against the railing and heard her mom laughing inside the condo. It was time to join the group. She knew that. But she wanted to stay on the balcony a little longer. But why? It’s not like the boys would be coming back for her.

  She heard an engine start up somewhere in the parking lot. Deep. Rumbling. A pickup pulled out of a spot and headed for the exit. It was black. It was a Ford. And the driver hadn’t turned on his lights yet. Hiro strained to see the license plate. No luck. And from this angle, the truck’s roof blocked the driver’s face from view.

  Was it a coincidence? Or was this the same guy who’d met Kryptoski by the beach? And the same guy outside Scoops?

  The truck paused at the parking lot exit.

  She worked her phone from her pocket. Should she call Coop? They already thought she was acting paranoid. If she called him now and it turned out to be nothing — she’d never hear the end of it.

  But what if the guy really was following the boys? She needed to warn them. Then again, why would anyone be following them? They hadn’t done anything wrong.

  The truck sat there. No blinker. Make a decision, Hiro. She bounced her phone in her palm and let her mind spin through her options. If the driver turned away from the lake, she wouldn’t make the call. But if he turned toward the lake. . .

  The brake lights blinked off. The truck rolled forward and started its turn. The headlights flicked on, and a switch turned on inside her gut. The driver was following the guys. Hands shaking, she dialed Coop.

  Cooper hugged the shoulder along Lake Shore Drive as they rode out of town. It was too dark for the lakeshore path now. Occasional streetlights marked the way on what was otherwise a dark stretch. Massive estates lined the road, all with tall hedges, stone walls, and iron fences. The owners were sending a message that they wanted their privacy.

  Gordy lagged behind, still working on his ice cream. Lunk rode halfway between them. Keeping up was no longer an issue since Lunk had bought a bigger bike.

  “Hiro can get under a guy’s skin sometimes,” Lunk said. “You know that?”

  “Firsthand,” Cooper said. When she got something into her head, she couldn’t seem to let it go. “She’s like a tick that burrows in deep.”

  Lunk laughed. “Got that right.”

  Cooper’s phone rang, and he checked the number on the screen. “And here she is.”

  “Probably checking to see if we went back to Scoops,” Lunk said. “I was just talking to the girl. I don’t know why Hiro made such a big deal of it.”

  “Because she’s Hiro.” Cooper connected and swung the phone up to his ear.

  “Coop.” Hiro’s voice sounded rushed. “A black pickup just left the condo parking lot and is headed your way.”

  The girl was truly taking this too far. Cooper glanced behind him. Gordy was done with his ice cream and finally catching up. No headlights followed them. “The guy from Scoops?”

  “It could be. But I couldn’t see the driver.”

  “Hiro . . .” How could he tell her how ridiculous she sounded without hurting her feelings?

  “I know you think this is really stupid; but if he drives by, just get his license plate number. Would you do that?”

  Cooper’s mind jumped back to May when he’d tried to remember the minivan plate number after Gordy was kidnapped. Trusting his memory might not be the smartest thing to do.

  “Coop?”

  He tucked the phone between his shoulder and ear and reached into his pocket. “Just looking for a pen,” he said. “I’ll write it on my hand.”

  “Thanks,” she said. “That way if he shows up again, we’ll know it. I’ll prove to you guys that the bearded man is tailing us.”

  Cooper laughed. “Okay.”

  “Anything yet?”

  Cooper did another shoulder check right as a set of headlights swung around the bend from Baker Street — headed their way.

  “Okay, there’s a vehicle coming.”

  The lights crossed the double-striped center line before jerking back into the right lane. Was the driver tired? Texting? The passenger tire dropped off the pavement and rumbled on the gravel for a moment before the driver corrected himself and got the vehicle back where it belonged.

  “Coop? What’s going on?” Hiro said.

  “I think he’s drunk,” Cooper said. “Call you back.”

  “Coop, be care — ”

  Cooper disconnected and checked once more over his shoulder. “Gordy, get off the road! We’ve got a drunk behind us!”

  They all had lights on their bikes, but they wouldn’t be much help if the driver was plastered. The vehicle passed under a streetlight. A pickup. Black. And it had the extended mounts on the side mirrors — the type guys u
se for towing stuff behind the truck.

  The truck’s right tires dropped onto the gravel shoulder — heading directly for Gordy. “Hit the ditch!”

  The driver hit the gas.

  “Gordy, move!” Lunk shouted.

  Eyes wide, Gordy cut sharply off the road, into the ditch, and up the other side. The pickup barreled past them, swung onto the pavement, and then veered back onto the shoulder again, closing the gap on Lunk.

  Standing on the pedals of his bike and pumping hard, Lunk tore through the ditch and plowed into a hedge just as the pickup skinned by him.

  Cooper rode through the shallow ditch, but a stone wall blocked him from getting farther out of the truck’s way.

  The engine roared.

  He was trapped.

  “Coop!” Lunk shouted. “He’s gonna hit you!”

  Cooper hugged the stone wall and just missed the rock at every turn of the pedals. The world reeled into slow motion. He saw everything. Heard everything. The gravel churning under the pickup’s tires. Close. So very close. Coop’s body tensed for the impact that would surely slam him into the ground or crush him against the stone wall.

  “Coooooooop!” Lunk’s voice sounded distant.

  The truck was there — close enough for Coop to touch and moving fast.

  An explosion of pain erupted in his left shoulder. Must have been the side view mirror. The impact rocketed him against the stone wall. His bike hit at a sharp angle. Going down . . .

  His mind raced at the speed of light, yet his body still moved in slow-mo. The truck was passing fast, and the ground was coming up to meet Cooper while the wall tore at him along the way.

  Cooper saw the truck’s tire roll by, mere inches from his head. He hit the ground hard and couldn’t breathe. He bounced. Rolled. The truck roared past. He saw the back end for only an instant. The license plate was covered with something. Mud?

  As the world returned to warp speed, Cooper rolled over and over before ending up on his side. He saw the taillights of the pickup. Everything was spinning.

  “Stupid idiot!” Lunk yelled. He sprinted past Cooper with his concrete-filled Wiffle ball bat in hand and flung the bat at the retreating pickup. It flew end-over-end at a speed that seemed absolutely superhuman. Still, the bat fell short, pitchpoling down the pavement. The driver must have sobered up fast, because he was driving straight as a lance now.