The chocolate Lab bounded through a wave and ran up the beach toward them, the tennis ball clamped firmly in its jaws. The dog stopped directly in front of Cooper and Hiro and shook himself happily. Water droplets sprayed over both of them.
Hiro ducked behind Cooper. “Bad puppy,” she laughed.
“Sorry!” the man down the beach shouted. He whistled, and the dog tore through the shallow water to get to him.
Cooper’s phone vibrated. He checked the screen. “It’s a text from Gordy.” Lunk and Gordy were maybe forty yards away. Both of them were squatting on the beach, looking at something.
Hiro tried reading the screen over his shoulder.
Cooper read the message out loud. “Tell Hiro I think we have something.”
Hiro’s eyes widened — and she bolted over to Gordy and Lunk. Cooper hustled to keep up.
“What is it?” Hiro rested her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath. “What did you find?”
Gordy pointed — at a child’s plastic yellow sand pail and shovel. “What do you think?”
Lunk snickered.
Hiro glared at them. “Very funny. You made me run over here for this?”
“We have no idea what we’re looking for,” Lunk said. “We didn’t want to take a chance. This might be important.”
She put her hands on her hips. “Ridiculous. I’m going to keep looking. Maybe you two can start.”
“Actually,” Lunk said, “you’ve got the best chance of finding whatever it is that we’re looking for.”
Hiro tilted her head. “Because I’m going to be a cop someday?”
A smirk betrayed Lunk’s sincerity — or lack of it. “No. Because you’re so short. You’re closer to the ground, so you’ve got a better chance of spotting something.”
Hiro slugged him in the arm. “I’m out of here.” She did a one-eighty and headed down the beach.
Cooper thought about joining her but decided she might need some space to cool off. And she’d only want to talk more about how the pickup was connected to Kryptoski. Cooper wasn’t so sure.
“There she is.” Gordy pointed toward the Walworth II cruising along the south shore. “I wish I had the binoculars.” He whipped out his phone and tapped on the stopwatch app.
The mailboat slowed as it approached the white dock in front of The Geneva Inn. The boat skimmed along the front of the pier, but didn’t stop. By the time it passed, the tourists inside the mailboat were cheering.
Gordy moaned. “From this angle, I couldn’t even see what happened.”
Cooper had missed it too. But obviously someone had delivered the mail successfully.
Gordy checked his phone. “The mail jumper has just eight seconds to hop off the boat, open the mailbox, stuff the letters inside, and get back on board. All we have to do is delay her for a few seconds.”
Honestly, pranks weren’t even on Cooper’s radar right now. Pranks could be a nice distraction — like from the more serious issues that Hiro wanted to talk about. But this one had all the signs of turning into a disaster.
“I think we should do it,” Gordy said.
Lunk looked at Cooper.
“Coop?” Gordy’s eyes were on fire.
Cooper laughed. “I haven’t changed my mind on this. Why would I want to mess with the mailboat?”
“Don’t ask yourself why,” Gordy said. “Ask yourself why not?”
But there were at least two really good reasons why not. He’d definitely learned some pranks didn’t rank so high on the ol’ smart-o-meter — like hiding dead fish on board Krypto Night. And messing with the mail jumper didn’t rank at all. What if the person got hurt?
“I’m not looking for a commitment this minute,” Gordy said. “Think about it. We’re talking about a harmless prank here. What could go wrong?”
Hiro kept searching. But for what? The boys had clearly given up. She stopped to watch the three of them romping around on the narrow strip of beach with the Frisbee.
The chocolate Lab joined them, and now they were playing keep away with the tennis ball in the shallow water. The dog ran from one boy to the other, trying to get her chompers on the ball. The boys were driving her crazy.
They were driving Hiro crazy too. None of them were taking this as seriously as they should. Not even Coop. He was on vacation; and when it came to common sense, he’d obviously packed a little light.
“Hi.”
The girl’s voice startled Hiro. She whirled around to see Kryptoski’s girlfriend approaching. Apparently he dropped her off on shore.
“Sorry, did I scare you?”
Hiro shook her head. The girl didn’t scare her. It was her boyfriend. Kryptoski was still in his boat, watching them. The way he just stood there with his arms folded across his chest was really creepy.
“Lynn Tutek.” The blonde held out her hand and flashed an expensive-looking smile. Perfect teeth. “We met last night. Remember?”
Like Hiro could forget. She shook Lynn’s hand. “Hiroko.” Hiro didn’t trust the girl enough to give her more info than that.
“That’s an unusual name. Is it Asian?”
Hiro stared at her. Did she really just ask such a stupid question? “Norwegian.”
“Really!” The girl look surprised.
Not as surprised as Hiro felt for even saying it. She wanted to take it back and tell the girl she was just kidding. But it was a little late for that.
“So, I noticed you’ve been walking up and down the beach,” Lynn said. “Find anything interesting?”
Hiro’s pulse spiked. She was right. They had lost something. Hiro couldn’t let her excitement show. “Just doing a little beachcombing.”
Lynn nodded in a casual way, but her eyes darted to Hiro’s hands. She’s looking to see if I found it. But what?
Hiro had to know. “Did you lose something?”
Lynn hesitated. Clearly, she hadn’t planned on Hiro asking any follow-up questions.
“I could help you look for it,” Hiro said. “Or if I find it, I could make sure you get it.”
Maybe Lynn was weighing it out and wondering what her boyfriend would say. She glanced toward his boat. “Well, actually, yes.” She flashed her perfect teeth again. “My boyfriend’s camera is missing. It was pretty expensive — totally waterproof.”
Of course. That made complete sense.
“It has an extra-long lanyard on it.” Lynn held her hands two feet apart.
“I remember it,” Hiro said. “I noticed it when your boat passed by ours last night.”
Lynn’s smile remained in place, but the blank look in her eyes said she didn’t remember. Maybe that’s because it was a different girl in the boat last night.
“Your boyfriend took a picture of our boat, remember?” Hiro pointed at The Getaway bobbing from the buoy.
“Oh, that’s right,” Lynn said quickly. “How could I forget?”
Easy. You weren’t there. Hiro needed something more. Something to help prove this wasn’t the same girl on board the Krypto Night. “So how many pictures did he take of our boat anyway?” Hiro tried to make it sound casual. Like she was just making conversation, not building a case.
Lynn met her eyes for an instant — but long enough for Hiro to see that the girl was calculating. Determining how to answer in a way that wouldn’t appear suspicious.
“Who knows?” Lynn waved her hand in a dismissive way. “But the camera floats. So we’re hoping it will drift onto the beach. If you find it, I’d really appreciate it if you returned it to me.”
“I’ll definitely be looking for it.” The girl had no idea just how badly Hiro wanted to find that camera.
Lynn angled her head to one side. Suddenly Hiro was sure this girl was a lot smarter than the blonde act she was putting on, and she knew exactly what Hiro was doing.
“If I’m not around,” Lynn said, “I suppose you could just put it in my boyfriend’s boat.” She pointed at the green Krypto Night.
“Okay,” Hiro s
aid. Or I could take it to the police. Right after I scroll through the pictures.
Cooper kept an eye on Hiro from a distance. Her body language looked okay, like she was just having a casual conversation with the girl. But if Kryptoski stepped one foot on shore, Cooper would hustle over there.
“Think we should join her?” Lunk waded over beside him.
Lynn walked away from Hiro and headed toward the docks across from the park entrance.
Hiro looked toward the boys and made the slightest movement with her hand, motioning them over.
“I think she just answered our question,” Cooper said.
Lunk and Gordy joined Cooper, wading through the shallow water. Hiro started walking toward them.
“She definitely looks happy,” Lunk said. “I wonder what improved her mood.”
Hiro looked like she couldn’t wait to tell them. She walked faster.
“They are looking for something,” she said the moment she got close. “The camera. They lost the camera.”
That made sense. The way Kryptoski was whipping around in the boat last night, Lynn probably dropped it just to get out of his way.
“And there’s more,” Hiro said. “I’m positive she isn’t the same girl who went out in the boat with that moron.”
Cooper tried to concentrate as Hiro detailed her theory — which all seemed to come back to her feelings, not any real facts. His mind kept going back to the way Kryptoski whipped the boat around in such a reckless way.
“So she’s telling me she can’t remember how many pictures Kryptoski took of our boat.”
Lunk shrugged. “What’s the problem with that?”
Cooper agreed. If this is what she was building her case on, it was a really weak foundation.
“I noticed him take one picture. Just one!” Hiro paused to swallow. “How could she possibly forget that?”
“She’s blonde?” Lunk said.
Gordy and Cooper both laughed.
Hiro glared at them.
“I’m not saying you’re ditzy,” Lunk said. “Your hair is black.”
“Any time a guy makes a joke about a blonde, he’s making a joke about all women,” she said.
“Oh, here we go,” Lunk said.
“Don’t worry,” Hiro said. “I won’t go there. This time. But you guys are totally discounting what I’m telling you.”
Maybe she was right. But Cooper didn’t want to believe that Kryptoski had pulled off some kind of a switch. Because that would mean they’d witnessed something truly horrible. “Look, Hiro, let’s imagine for a moment that you’re right.”
“Imagine?”
Lunk and Gordy laughed.
“All right. Let’s say you’re right. Let’s say this Lynn has a stunt double out there somewhere.”
“Pom-Pom,” Hiro said.
“Okay,” Cooper said. “Pom-Pom. And let’s say Kryptoski got angry with her, she jumped out of the boat, and he tried to scare her.”
“Hit her,” Hiro said. “He was trying to hit her with the boat.”
Cooper waved her off. “Doesn’t this whole thing sound a little farfetched?”
“Yes,” Hiro said. “It does. But only because you’re thinking like you.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
Hiro folded her arms across her chest. “We live in a dark world, Coop. People do very bad things.”
“Like murder.”
Hiro nodded.
“But the guy pulled up to our boat afterward,” Gordy said. “Don’t you think he would have looked — I don’t know — shaken up or something?”
“I thought about that,” Hiro said. “He’s a sociopath.”
“You’ve watched too many detective shows, Hiro.” Gordy shook his head. “You’re unbelievable.”
That didn’t faze Hiro. “Sociopaths can be outgoing, friendly, charming even. But they lack one important thing.” Hiro paused to be sure they were all listening. “A conscience. They can do awful things without feeling one ounce of guilt. They’re totally selfish. Totally self-absorbed. They don’t think about the needs or rights of others. Oh, they pretend to — and they put on a good act. But deep down, it’s all about them. It’s all about getting what they want. They use people. The way they see it, others exist only to serve their needs. Beyond that, other people are irrelevant.”
“Whoa, Hiro,” Lunk said. “Stop to take a breath.”
She folded her arms across her chest. “I’m serious. Sociopaths are dangerous. And they’re tough to live with, at best. And at worst . . .” She let her statement hang there.
“What?” Gordy said.
She leaned close. “They’re impossible to live with.”
“Meaning?”
“They’re dangerous. If you cross a sociopath, you may not live to do it again.”
“Hiro,” Lunk said. “Really? Get a sociopath upset and he may kill you? C’mon.”
Hiro raised her eyebrows. It was that look Cooper had seen so many times before whenever Hiro wanted to drill home a point. “Road rage. School shootings. Nasty things people say and do on social media. There are all kinds of degrees — but it’s real.”
Okay, even Cooper had to admit she had a point. But to say Kryptoski was a sociopath was a bold step.
Lunk looked at her like he thought she was funny.
Hiro looked like she was getting frustrated. “Look, who knows how many people in our society have sociopathic tendencies. But I bet you rub shoulders with sociopaths every day.”
“I had a teacher who was a sociopath,” Gordy said. “She gave pop quizzes with no warning at all. No conscience. No regrets.”
“I’m not joking, Gordy,” Hiro said. “Sociopaths are dangerous. And they’re everywhere.”
Lunk snorted. “How come I’ve never met one?”
Hiro’s face turned red. “Really? You’ve never met one? You’re blind.”
“Blind?” And you’re going to help me see, is that it?” He shook his head. “More like the blind leading the blind.”
Hiro didn’t seem to hear Lunk — or she chose to ignore him. “All I’m saying is, if you think you’ve never met a sociopath, then you’re overlooking someone.”
Cooper’s mind went to Joseph Stein.
Lunk shook his head. “Can’t think of one. So tell me, who is the sociopath that I supposedly know?”
“Forget it,” Hiro said.
Lunk laughed. “Oh, that’s convenient. You can’t name one, can you?”
“I’d rather not.”
Lunk looked a little annoyed. “C’mon, Hiro. Who?”
Hiro’s eyes flashed with frustration. “Your dad.”
Lunk’s mouth opened slightly and his face paled. He took a step back.
Cooper stared at Hiro.
She clamped her hand over her mouth.
“Hey, I’m starving!” Gordy’s voice sounded higher than usual, like it did whenever he got nervous. “Let’s get some lunch!”
Lunk’s jaw muscles twitched, and he clenched his hands into fists.
“Lunk,” Cooper said. “Gordy’s right. Let’s go get some lunch.”
Lunk stared at the sand and nodded. Without another word, he headed up the beach and across the street where the bikes where chained to a tree. Gordy hustled to walk alongside him.
“Hiro,” Cooper whispered. “Why?”
He could see she was torturing herself already.
Hiro started to cross the street. “I know I blew it.” She looked at Cooper. “I hurt him bad, didn’t I?”
Cooper watched Lunk walking ahead of them. He had his old swagger back, covering up the hurt like he used to do behind a tough-guy façade. “Yeah, I think that one cut him pretty deep.”
She sighed. “I feel awful.”
“Good,” Cooper said.
She gave him a questioning look.
“At least I know you aren’t a sociopath.”
Lunk pedaled toward town without waiting for the others. Hiro’s comment had proved so
mething, hadn’t it? What he’d feared all along. He’d been wondering what he brought to the table, and he hadn’t come up with much. So maybe he wasn’t as much a part of this group as he thought. As he wanted to be.
But what Hiro just said about his old man gave him a whole new perspective. Lunk was different from them. Really different. All three of them had decent dads. Coop’s dad was everything Lunk could want in a father, and Gordy’s dad was nothing short of heroic. When Gordy had been kidnapped, his dad searched for days with little or no rest. He nearly ripped Michael VanHorton apart when he suspected the man had taken his son.
Lunk had never met Hiro’s dad, but the guy had been killed in the line of duty. He was a bona fide hero. But Lunk’s old man was a different story. He was a biological dad — but not a real dad. He was a lying, scheming cheat who beat his wife and took all her money. A guy who took advantage of anyone who was weaker than himself. A user. A boozer. A certified loser.
Lunk kept a fast pace. By the time he crested the hill on the far side of Big Foot Beach, he felt sweat pouring down the middle of his back.
“Lunk, wait up!” Gordy’s voice. That figured.
Lunk kept pedaling. He didn’t need a peacemaker right now. He just wanted a little peace and quiet. He heard Gordy tearing through the gravel behind him.
Lunk had never been in the lead before. Not when it came to biking. But now that he had a bigger bike, he easily kept up with Gordy and Coop. But that’s where the lead ended. When it came to life, he’d always been behind, hadn’t he? Would that ever change? Would he ever measure up?
Lunk’s mom was an angel straight out of heaven. But his old man? He was no angel. And he definitely didn’t come from heaven. More likely from that place straight south of there.
“She didn’t mean it, you know.” Gordy pulled up alongside Lunk. “Sometimes she says things she doesn’t mean.”
Lunk gave him a sideways glance. “She meant it. And you know it.”
His old man believed he was always right. Lunk couldn’t remember a time when his dad had ever admitted that he was wrong. Even after he’d hit Mom. Lunk had never heard his dad say he was sorry, either.
Lunk always figured it was his old man’s pride. His monster ego wouldn’t allow him to apologize. But what if it was more than that?
Below the Surface Page 10
