Katie nodded. “A lot of people are decent to others. They’re nice. But they hang out with bad influences and end up making lousy choices. When you mix it all together like that, it just turns out bad.”
Hiro processed that for a moment. Katie used few words, but she was actually saying a lot. “Who did Wendy hang out with?”
“She had time for anybody,” Katie said. “Always smiled and talked when she came in here.”
Not exactly the kind of specifics Hiro was looking for. “Did she ever hang with Tommy Kryptoski?”
Katie eyed her. “I see you didn’t care for the scoop of advice I gave you this afternoon.”
“I’m staying away from him,” Hiro said. “Believe me. It’s just that . . .” She stopped, wishing she could fill Katie in on everything. Krypto’s date. The argument. Whether Wendy had been the girl on the boat instead of Lynn. Fat Elvis conveniently showing up at Scoops. The supposed drunk driver who clipped Coop. Somebody snooping around on The Getaway. The stalker by the river.
Katie was still watching her. “It’s just what?”
Gordy stepped up beside Hiro. “It’s just that this Halley’s Comet is out of this world.” He waved the sample spoon and grinned. “Get it? Comet? Out of this world?”
“We get it, Gordy,” Hiro said.
“It’s not as good as Yippee Skippee,” Gordy said, “but it almost put me into orbit.”
Hiro held her hands over her ears. “Please, no more.”
Gordy grinned. “Halley’s Comet,” he shouted, “is the brightest star in my day!”
Katie laughed. “I hope it filled the space in your stomach.”
Gordy nodded and moved his hand in an arc high above his head. “If not, I’ll be like a meteor streaking on over here for more.” He shuffled back to the table.
“You can thank your lucky stars we’ve got plenty.” Katie smiled and shook her head and refocused on Hiro, “Now, you were saying?”
Hiro looked over at the guys. Coop had his eye on her. He was warming up to her way of thinking, but none of them were ready for her theories. They still saw them as coincidences. What Hiro needed to do was to prove the connections.
No, this wouldn’t be the best time to talk to Katie, not where the skeptics could overhear. “Maybe after the boys go back to the boat, I’ll come back here so we can talk.”
Katie raised one eyebrow as if she understood. “Sounds ominous.”
Hiro glanced at the boys. “I believe it is.”
The way Cooper saw it, Hiro was back to being her normal self. She’d been having girl time with Katie at the counter. Talking in whispers. Laughing. Glancing at the boys’ table.
“Look at her,” Cooper said. “It’s like nothing ever happened.”
Lunk seemed to be weighing that out. “Technically, nothing did. She got spooked, that’s all.”
Gordy leaned in. “What about the guy stalking her?”
“What guy?” Lunk took a spoonful of vanilla. “It could have been a deer. A squirrel. Or her overactive cop imagination. She didn’t actually see anyone.”
“Thank you for not pointing that out to her,” Cooper said. “That wouldn’t have gone over real big.”
Lunk shrugged. “It was the boogeyman.”
Gordy reloaded his spoon. “There’s no such thing as a boogeyman.”
“Exactly,” Lunk said. “Hiro didn’t see anyone. None of us did. I say nobody was there.”
Cooper watched Hiro talking at the counter. Could that whole thing have been her imagination? He wasn’t sure the explanation was that simple. “But I felt like something dark was at the river too.”
Lunk waved it off. “The power of suggestion. One person feels it, and pretty soon everybody does. Now she sees someone behind every shadow. She’s got herself all worked up.”
“I don’t know,” Cooper said. “When she gets those feelings, I’ve learned to pay attention.”
Gordy wiped a drip of Yippee Skippee off his chin. “She sure seemed happy on the way to the river.”
“She was fine until we left her,” Lunk said. “Like a kid home alone, every sound seems scary. It was all in her head.”
Cooper thought back to her phone call. “The fear in her voice was real enough.”
“True.” Lunk said. “I’m not saying she wasn’t scared. But there was nothing to be afraid of.”
The bell above the door jingled, and Hiro’s smile faltered for a moment.
Cooper followed her gaze. Lynn Tutek walked through the door and strolled right over to the counter.
“Hey!” Lynn smiled, snapped her fingers, and pointed at Hiro. “My friend from the beach.”
Hiro smiled back. “Any luck finding your camera?”
“Actually,” Lynn said, “I was about to ask you the same thing.”
That pretty well answered Hiro’s question.
Hiro shrugged. “I haven’t seen it. You’re sure it floats?”
What was she doing? Cooper glanced at Lunk, who seemed to be wondering the same thing.
“Like a beach ball. That’s what Tommy said.”
Hiro rubbed her police star necklace. “I hope this doesn’t sound bad, but if Tommy can afford that sweet boat, why all the effort to find the camera? Why not just buy a new one?”
Was Hiro trying to get the girl to mess up?
Lynn smiled. “The memories. All the pictures. You can’t replace those.”
“That’s true,” Hiro said. “But I bet he’d like to replace at least some of them.”
Cooper couldn’t believe he’d just heard that. Was Hiro baiting her?
Lunk leaned closer and circled his ear with his finger. “The cherry just slipped off Hiro’s sundae, if you know what I mean.”
Lynn’s smile faded.
“I mean, hey,” Hiro said, “the way you two were snapping pictures during your argument, I can see why your boyfriend would like to make those disappear. Probably not the type of photos he’d want posted online.”
Cooper walked to the counter.
“I was angry,” Lynn said. “So was he. Nothing unusual about that.”
Hiro shook her head like she’d just heard something insane. “Seriously? There was nothing normal about the way he thrashed around in that boat of his.”
Cooper took Hiro’s arm and squeezed it lightly.
Lynn took a step toward Hiro. “What are you suggesting?”
“Nothing,” Cooper said. “She wasn’t suggesting anything. In fact, we were just leaving.” He prodded Hiro forward. “Let’s go, Hiro.”
She squirmed to get free. “I’m suggesting you weren’t the one in the water.”
Lunk grabbed her other arm. She jerked and pulled, but couldn’t break their grip.
Lynn stood there with her jaw hanging open. “I was soaking wet. You saw that.”
Hiro twisted back to face her. “But I didn’t buy it. Because if you were the one in the water, you wouldn’t go near him now — no matter how much he sweet-talked you. You’d be too afraid that he’d hurt you if he got angry again.”
Lynn glared at her. “He would never hurt me. He loves me.”
“Better hope so,” Hiro said. “And pray it never changes. Because if you weren’t the girl in his boat Sunday night and you just covered for him — that means you’re the only one besides him that knows the truth. And if something were to happen to you — his secret would be safe.”
Lynn sucked in her breath.
“Hiro,” Cooper said. “Stop it.” He helped Lunk muscle Hiro to the exit.
Gordy held the door open.
Lynn took a step closer. “You don’t actually believe that Tommy is capable of hurting someone.”
“And how could you possibly know that?”
Lynn smiled. “Because if you did” — her voice was as cold as ice cream now — “you’d be afraid to say something that might make him angry at you.”
Cooper and Lunk got Hiro out the door and away before she could answer Lynn. But the damage was don
e. They walked her across the street and sat on a bench.
“Are you completely loose?” Cooper said. “I mean, you totally must have something loose up here.” He tapped her head. “That was insane.”
Hiro raised her chin like she was proud of what she’d done.
Lunk snickered. “I was impressed. Wow, Hiro, you really gave it to her.”
“But it made no sense,” Cooper said. “You always fly under the radar. Get the opposition to relax their guard. That’s your style. If Lynn isn’t the girl Kryptoski took on the boat — and I’m not saying she isn’t — then the last thing you want to do is let them know you suspect them.”
Hiro was quiet, but she didn’t look like she regretted what she’d done. Not one bit. And yet her outburst had destroyed any chance of proving her theory. If she was right and Lynn was covering for Kryptoski, wouldn’t they be more careful than ever?
“I didn’t give them anything they didn’t already have,” Hiro said. “They already knew I suspected something. You think it was a coincidence that Lynn walked into Scoops while we there? She’d been sent.”
“By who?”
“Fat Elvis. Kryptoski. Maybe even his dad. Take your pick.”
“For what reason? To see if we found the camera?”
Hiro shook her head. “I think we’re being watched. The boat is being watched. And if that’s true — they know we haven’t found the camera.”
“Being watched?” Lunk said. “You are soooo paranoid.”
“I’m serious,” Hiro said.
“Yeah,” Lunk said. “Seriously paranoid.”
Hiro acted like she didn’t hear him. “Maybe there’s a snitch in the police department who told them we suspect them. Maybe that’s why somebody was following me by the river.”
“Now you’re really stretching it,” Lunk said.
“Stretching?” Hiro said. “How can you think all of this is stretching it? We have a missing person. A missing camera.”
Lunk tapped his head. “And I think you’re missing a few screws up here.”
Hiro sighed and shook her head. “Did you hear what Lynn said? If she had nothing to hide, why threaten me about staying quiet?”
Cooper studied her face. “You didn’t lose control in there at all. That was an act.” Cooper felt his face getting warm. “You made sure they know that you suspect Lynn is covering for Kryptoski.”
“Why would Hiro do that?” Gordy said.
“So they send us another warning,” Hiro said. “Something to scare us into dropping this whole thing. Something so clear that even you guys won’t miss it.”
“You did it so we’ll buy into your theory,” Lunk said.
Hiro nodded. She was almost smiling. “Yes. And then we’ll have something new to take to Officer Tarpy.”
“But if you’re right about all of these things being connected,” Cooper said, “we’ve already been given some warnings.”
Hiro stared at him.
“Kryptoski blasted his horns right back at us last night,” Cooper said. “He was sending a message. He wanted us to butt out of his business, right? Even when he drove past our boat and asked us to let him know if we saw the girl — he was warning us that he knew where to find us.”
“And if your theory is right,” Lunk said, “and the guy in the pickup was Fat Elvis and not some random drunk, then that was a warning too.”
“Okay, good.” Hiro said. “Maybe you guys are finally starting to believe me. Something bad happened last night. Every one of these things has been a warning for us to stay away — including what just happened at the river.”
“So after your little outburst in Scoops,” Cooper said, “you figure they’ll warn us again — proving that they’re guilty.”
Hiro nodded. “Exactly.”
“But if we haven’t backed off after all of these warnings,” Cooper said, “what makes you think these guys will warn us again?”
Hiro didn’t say anything.
“They’ll think warnings don’t work on us,” Lunk said. “Why keep doing something that doesn’t work?”
Gordy’s eyes got wide. “If they don’t think the warnings will shut us up, then maybe they’ll try something else. Something more permanent.”
Cooper kept looking over his shoulder — probably as much as Hiro did. But nothing even slightly sinister happened on Monday night. There was no sign of Lynn or Kryptoski. No Fat Elvis or black pickups prowling around. Even Cooper’s shoulder didn’t bruise as badly as they’d expected it to. It was stiff, sure. But it loosened up pretty quickly. He didn’t even need any more of the pain meds.
When they got back to the boat, The Getaway was just the way they’d left it. Hiro’s little plan was supposed to prove Kryptoski’s guilt. But no warning had come yet. Krypto Night bobbed at its anchor like every other boat in the bay.
Hiro had been dead certain that her little outburst at Scoops would prove Kryptoski was guilty and Lynn was helping him cover up the crime. But when no warning came, it looked more and more like maybe Lunk and Gordy were right. There was no connection between Kryptoski and the missing girl. Hiro’s fears had overshadowed her intuition and logic.
Nothing unusual happened on Tuesday morning either — until Cooper’s dad showed up right after lunch with a new bike helmet for Cooper. His photo shoot had been delayed, so he’d hotfooted it to Wisconsin to spend the afternoon with his family. Actually, he spent the whole day on The Getaway with the guys.
Cooper water-skied for about ten minutes before his arm felt like it was going to fall off, and his shoulder throbbed for an hour afterward. Gordy acted like he could ski forever. No surprise there.
The real surprise was Lunk. Cooper’s dad convinced him to give it a try, and after a handful of attempts, he actually stayed up on his water skis. Cooper had never seen Lunk grin so big — until the moment when Dad invited Lunk to drive the boat. At first Lunk hesitated like he wasn’t sure if Cooper’s dad was serious. But Dad clearly was. Lunk glanced at Cooper to make sure Cooper was okay with it.
Cooper grinned. “Go for it.”
Lunk hustled over to the wheel.
Cooper’s dad went over some of the operations of the controls and pointed toward the northwest.
Lunk squared his shoulders and took the wheel.
After a minute Cooper’s dad threw his arm around Lunk’s shoulders. “You’ve got it. Have fun.”
Lunk glanced up and grinned. Somehow he looked both younger and older at the same time. Like a kid who wanted to please his dad but who also wanted to be seen as a man. Cooper’s dad could bring that out in a guy. Maybe that’s why Lunk kept trying until he finally got up on the skis. It wasn’t like he was trying to prove anything, but more like he was looking for approval. If that was what he’d been looking for, he definitely got it.
Dad stepped up beside Cooper.
“Thanks for that,” Cooper said.
Dad nodded. “He needs it.” He walked to the stern and stared at the water shooting from underneath the boat. “So tell me about what’s happening with my boy.”
“Did Mom talk to you?”
He nodded. “I want to hear it from you.”
Where to start? Cooper took a deep breath. He told Dad about Kryptoski — and Hiro’s suspicions.
Dad listened. He asked questions to be sure he understood. Nodded. Concern showed on his face but not in his words.
Cooper told him about Fat Elvis, the drunk driver, and slamming into the stone wall. He also told how someone had supposedly been watching Hiro by the river.
Dad glanced at him. “You think she was right — that somebody was watching her?”
“I don’t know.” Cooper shrugged. “Sometimes I think so. But right now it seems pretty out-there.” Maybe it was because he was with his dad now, but the darkness of the river, the danger of it all, seemed to fade. Maybe they’d just gotten spooked.
“I wish I could stay here the rest of the week,” Dad said. “But I’ll be back Saturday and al
l next week. You guys be careful, okay?”
Be careful. Dad’s way of reminding him to stay on guard. Be alert. And Cooper wanted to. He really did. But how was he supposed to do that?
“If anything weird happens . . . ”— Dad held up his phone — “ call me.”
If the week kept going the way it had started, he’d be on the phone with his dad a lot.
“I’ll bring Fudge up on Saturday.”
Cooper nodded. The chocolate Lab loved camping and loved the water. This place would be like heaven for her.
Dad slung his arm around Cooper’s shoulders and gave him a light squeeze, being extra careful of his sore shoulder. “I think I’ll check on Lunk.”
Dad walked toward Lunk with the swagger of a sailor as The Getaway rolled with the swells. “How’s it going, Skipper?”
Lunk grinned.
“You’re cutting a nice straight course.” Cooper’s dad pointed at the wake behind them. “Nice job.”
Lunk followed Dad’s gaze and then focused on the lake in front of him. He stood tall. Straight. He drove the boat the rest of the time until they stopped in Williams Bay for a mid-afternoon snack.
An hour later, they’d had their fill at Skip’s and were headed back to their buoy. Just off Black Point, Gordy convinced Cooper to take another turn skiing with him. Lunk was at the wheel again, and he’d never looked happier.
Black Point. Even the water looked black. Not that there was anything different about the water in this spot. It was the deepest part of the lake. It was a hundred and fifty-two feet deep here, according to Dad’s old dive chart. Cooper tried not to imagine what the bottom would look like that far down. It would be barren. Dead. Weeds don’t even grow at that depth. Cooper eased into the water. The chill felt good on his sore shoulder.
He thought about Hiro’s theory. What if there really were two different girls? What if Kryptoski clipped Pom-Pom with the boat? Is this where a body in the lake would eventually settle? He slid his feet into the skis and kept his legs hiked up, wanting to stay as close to the surface as possible.
Cooper and Gordy got up on the first try, which was good. Cooper wanted to get away from this part of the lake.
Below the Surface Page 16
