Cooper didn’t want to get her going again. What he really needed was to get going on another plan. He stood and studied the satellite photos of the abduction area. Except for the houses that were for sale and empty, the area had been covered pretty well. Especially with all of Officer Syke’s efforts.
“Where are you, Gordy?” Cooper whispered it, forgetting for a moment that Lunk and Hiro were in the cabin, close enough to hear. He turned. Lunk suddenly got interested in the wood deck at his feet. Hiro held his gaze with sad eyes.
He turned back to the views of Rolling Meadows. Cooper felt a lump massing in his throat. Burning. He tried swallowing it down. The burning reached to his eyes. His vision blurred. Stein’s had been his big hope. His last one. He turned to study the aerial view again. “We’re missing something. We just need to figure it out.”
“Coop.”
He didn’t turn to look at her. He couldn’t. He tried to blink back the tears. If he wiped his eyes she’d know he was losing it. And he couldn’t lose it. Not now. Gordy needed him. This wasn’t a time to feel sorry for himself.
But everything Cooper tried to do to find Gordy had failed. Gordy was still gone, and that was all that mattered.
“Coop?”
He blinked a couple times to clear his vision and turned.
Hiro looked at him, but it was different this time. “You okay?”
He nodded. But that wasn’t what he felt. Why did he cover up? Hide his feelings? No. He wasn’t okay. Because Gordy wasn’t okay.
“We did everything we could.” Hiro spoke with such finality. Obviously the search was over for Hiro. A closed case. Cooper looked at Lunk. He still had his eyes locked on the planking below his feet. They were in agreement.
Cooper shook his head. Kept shaking it.
“He’s gone,” Hiro whispered. Tears welled up in her eyes and escaped down her cheeks. “I’m so sorry.”
Cooper stepped away, his back now pressed against the inside of the hull. “Do you have a feeling about that?” Was this just her guess—or was it that sense of intuition she had? Coop didn’t understand it—but she was usually right.
Hiro shook her head. “Not a feeling feeling. Just the pure logic of it. Something I just know.” She tapped her head. “In here.”
“Well, in here”—Cooper thumped his chest—”I think he’s alive. So I can’t give up.”
She smiled at him with an expression that looked more like pity than anything. Like he was just a naïve kid. “Forty-eight hours. No ransom. No minivan.” She ticked them off on her fingers. “No—”
“No way am I giving up.” He blurted it out. Said it too fast. Too strong.
Hiro blinked twice.
Cooper tried to soften his tone. “Quit if you want to, but I’m still in.”
“Quit?” Hiro’s back stiffened. “I’ve gone along with all your crazy ideas. And it’s over. We don’t have any more ideas. We’re done.”
“You’re done.” Cooper shook his head. “Not me.”
Lunk looked up but didn’t say a word. Like he knew he shouldn’t.
“You’re right.” Hiro stood. “I’m done. And you’re saying you’re not? What else is left to check? We’ve canvassed the neighborhood with flyers. We’ve searched parking lots. We’ve checked registered sex offenders. We broke into Joseph Stein’s.” The words flew out of her mouth.
Hiro took a step closer. “And as if that wasn’t enough, we’ve slowed down the police investigation by making them raid VanHorton’s house and chase us all over Rolling Meadows. Am I missing something?”
“Yes.” Cooper almost shouted it. “We all are.” He turned to the bird’s eye view of Rolling Meadows. “We’re all missing something.”
“And what would that be?”
“I don’t know.” Cooper traced the minivan’s escape route down School Drive. “You’re the one who wants to be a cop, Hiro. You tell me. What are we missing here?”
Hiro pointed at the pages taped together like giant map. “We’ve done everything we possibly can.” She glanced at him. “And more.”
Cooper wanted to scream. He wanted to escape. Hop on his bike and ride and ride and ride until he couldn’t ride anymore. But there was no escaping from himself.
What to do next? That was the question. Cooper peered at the map again.
“Stop beating yourself up.” She put her hand on his arm. “You couldn’t have stopped that abduction.”
Cooper swallowed. He knew where this was going.
“For your own sake,” Hiro said. “You need to stop.”
No. No. That was wrong. He needed to get some air. “I gotta let Fudge out,” Cooper said. It was lame, and he knew it. But he had to get out of there. Hiro had already made him promise not to ask her to do any more. Now she was going to try to make him promise not to do any more searching himself.
It was one thing for her to feel she was done checking. That was her choice. It was another thing for her to tell him to stop. That was his choice.
CHAPTER 53
Lunk almost wished he’d joined Coop to let Fudge outside. Not that he’d become a dog-lover all of a sudden, but he suddenly felt very awkward sitting in the cabin cruiser with Hiro. She was in another world and hadn’t said a word since Coop left. And that was fine with him. Lunk had a pretty good idea what was going on in her head anyway. He stared at the floor. Stared at his hands. Actually, he didn’t know what to do with his hands.
“Thanks for helping me get away tonight,” Hiro said. “I probably sounded pretty ungrateful earlier.”
So she was going to talk. “You’re welcome.” He decided to leave it at that.
“Did you think Gordy was in Joseph Stein’s house?” Hiro asked. “Before we went there, I mean, did you think it was a possibility?”
“Honestly?”
Hiro gave him an annoyed look.
She was asking him for the truth. So he’d give it to her. “Nope.”
Hiro raised her eyebrows. “Then why did you agree to breaking in?”
How could he explain that to her? “Because Coop is my friend.”
“And he isn’t my friend?” Hiro’s eyes flashed. “A real friend helps keep his friend from walking into trouble.”
“Sometimes.” Lunk nodded. “Or is willing to walk through the trouble with his friend, if he has to.”
Hiro looked at him like she was processing that. “But he doesn’t have to do this. Gordy is—”
“Gone?” Lunk finished the sentence.
Hiro nodded, her eyes filling with tears.
“You and I know that, but Coop doesn’t.”
She swiped at her tears like she had no intention of caving to grief. “He doesn’t want to see it. He won’t listen.”
“And who could blame him?” Lunk jammed his hands in his pockets. “He’ll figure it out soon enough. And checking Stein’s was all part of it.”
“He’s on the edge,” Hiro said. “I’ve never seen him like this.”
Apparently, she had her worries too.
She stared out the porthole. “Pulling you over the fence to free you from police custody? Strapping a knife to his leg? And now this. Breaking into the home of a man wanted for robbery and several counts of attempted murder? It’s beyond dangerous.”
Lunk heard Coop climbing the ladder against the transom.
“It will stop,” Lunk said, lowering his voice. “When he has some answers about Gordy, or accepts the fact that he’s probably dead.”
Hiro nodded like she already knew that. “But how do we keep him from getting killed in the meantime?”
CHAPTER 54
After locking Fudge back in the house, Cooper climbed back aboard The Getaway and ducked inside the cabin door. Lunk and Hiro were strangely quiet—like they’d just stopped talking about Cooper—which they probably did.
Hiro looked down at the floor, like suddenly the planking interested her. Cooper couldn’t blame her for feeling that anybody missing for over forty-eight hours was never coming back. Her re
asoning made sense. But this was Gordy they were talking about. Gordy. He wasn’t going to give up, no matter how ridiculous it seemed.
Hiro was done. He got that. But he couldn’t have Hiro interfering with his own efforts. So he needed to back off. The more desperate he appeared, the more she’d try to stop him “for his own good.”
Cooper checked the time on his phone. “I think we should hang it up. Nothing more we can do tonight anyway.”
Hiro looked relieved.
Lunk stood. “I should check on my mom, anyway.” That sounded kind of weird at first, but it made sense. Lunk had been watching out for her for years.
Cooper doused the light, and they climbed out of The Getaway together.
With a wave, Lunk hustled for his bike. “See you in school tomorrow.” He slid his bat into the makeshift rack, pushed off, and was gone.
Cooper walked Hiro through the backyard, around the house, and to the front driveway where she’d left her bike.
“Hang on, I’ll get my bike,” Cooper said. No way was he going to let her bike alone. Not even a few blocks.
Hiro shook her head. “I’m a big girl. I don’t need an escort.”
“Big?”
Hiro gave him a mock glare. “Big enough to take care of myself.”
Which made him smile. “Be right back.” He jogged over to his bike, mounted, and followed Hiro down the drive.
Riding past Gordy’s house melted the smile from his face, and he rode the rest of the way to Hiro’s without saying a word. He didn’t want to talk. Not even to Hiro. Because deep down she felt Gordy was gone, and Cooper couldn’t think that way. Never.
She obviously figured that Joseph Stein, or whoever did this to Gordy, was long gone. Probably lived far away—maybe another state. Otherwise she wouldn’t have been so casual about riding home on her own. She felt Rolling Meadows was the same safe place it had always been. Cooper wasn’t convinced.
They pulled up to Hiro’s drive. The lights inside looked inviting. Normal. The way things should be.
“Thanks, Coop.”
Hiro’s voice pulled him from his thoughts. For a second, he had no idea why she was thanking him.
“For the escort.”
It was amazing the way she seemed to guess what he was thinking sometimes. Was he that easy to read? And it looked like she was trying to read him right now.
“Where are you, Coop? Honestly.”
He wished he knew. Cooper shrugged. “Lost.” And unless Gordy was found, he feared he always would be.
CHAPTER 55
When Cooper rounded the corner onto Fremont, he saw Dad’s F-150 parked on the driveway. So was a police car. Great.
Cooper’s mind raced. Should he take off? Hide out until the cop left? This had to be about what happened at VanHorton’s house.
Or Stein’s. Lava formed in his stomach. Run or stay. Run or stay?
He stopped pedaling and coasted toward the house. Dad was talking to the officer—and he wasn’t in cuffs or anything. That was a good sign. He hoped Uncle Jim was as lucky. The cop turned slightly. Detective Hammer. Cooper started pedaling again.
Both men watched him wheel up. Dad looked more beat than Cooper had ever seen. No need to ask if there was any positive news on Gordy.
Hammer looked the same. All business. Tough. But there was something about him that made Cooper feel a little encouraged. Not enough to cool the molten lava churning in his stomach, but it was something.
“Hey.” That was all Cooper could think of saying. He braked and put a foot down.
Dad glanced at Hammer. “Can I tell him?”
The lava lurched. Cooper swallowed hard to keep it from erupting.
Hammer kept his eyes on Cooper and didn’t say anything.
“We might have caught a break tonight,” Dad said. “We’re just not sure.” He quickly explained about the 9-1-1 call, finding the T-shirt, and Michael VanHorton’s repeated denials of abducting Gordy in some pretty intense-sounding questioning that followed at the police station.
Cooper had to stop them. They were following a bad lead. Hiro was right. They’d all be wasting their time—and Gordy may not have much more of that left. But if he told them the truth, then what? He’d really be in trouble. Deep.
“Cooper?”
Dad studied him. “You okay?”
Cooper swallowed again. There was no holding back this eruption. He took three fast steps to the lawn, dropped on all four, and let the volcano erupt.
A regular Mt. Saint Helens, the burning vomit spewed out his mouth and nose.
He felt Dad’s hand on his back. “It’s going to be okay. That’s all right.”
Cooper’s stomach squeezed out the last of it. His throat and nose felt raw. His stomach felt weak. He spit on the ground several times, then backed away and tried to stand. Dad grabbed Cooper’s arm and helped him to his feet.
“It makes me sick too,” Dad said.
Cooper did not want to tell them what he’d done, but one thing was for sure. If he didn’t tell them he planted the T-shirt, he’d be letting them believe a lie to protect himself. Keeping this a secret might actually hurt Gordy.
Cooper had made enough mistakes already. He took a deep, shaky breath and cleared his throat. “I planted the T-shirt at Michael VanHorton’s. And we made the 9-1-1 call.”
Dad looked confused. “What?”
“Somehow I had to make sure that guy’s house got searched. We figured if the police got a report that a neighbor had seen Gordy—” He didn’t finish. Didn’t have to.
Dad put his arm around him and pulled him close. “Cooper—no, oh, Cooper.”
The way he said it—not like he was angry. More like he understood what Cooper was feeling, but agonizing over Cooper’s way of dealing with it.
“I’m sorry, Dad. I didn’t think things would get so messed up.” He glanced at Hammer.
He didn’t look surprised. Had he known all along?
“I’m sorry I caused all that trouble,” Cooper said. “I had no idea you and Uncle Jim would come.” He looked directly at Hammer and squared his shoulders. “But honestly? Except for that, I’m glad I did it.”
“Me too,” Hammer said. “Off the record, of course. I enjoyed the sight of your uncle rearranging VanHorton’s smirky face. I’d be lying if I told you otherwise. But what you did was wrong—and stupid.”
Dad squeezed him tighter. Cooper could hardly breathe.
Hammer raised his chin slightly in a nod. “Anything else you want to tell me?”
Cooper’s heart raced again. Did he know about Stein’s? Of course he did. He was a cop. And a good one. “Nothing I want to tell you,” he said. “But, ah, there’s something I probably should tell you.”
Cooper glanced up at Hammer. Again, no surprise registered on his face.
Dad squeezed his shoulder. “Tell him, Son.”
Cooper nodded. And spilled. It all gushed out like the volcano on the lawn. And when he was done, he felt better. Way better. Except for the little detail of what was going to happen next. Cooper pictured Hammer reaching for his cuffs—and Dad putting Cooper on a leash.
Hammer didn’t say anything for what seemed like a long minute. “Going into Stein’s house was not smart. You know that, right?”
Cooper nodded. “After VanHorton’s, we couldn’t exactly try the 9-1-1 tactic again. But I had to make sure.”
Another long pause on Hammer’s part.
“So,” Hammer said. “Any more houses on your list to visit?”
Cooper shook his head. “No ideas. I don’t know what to try next.”
“Try letting the police handle this,” Hammer said.
Hammer didn’t look mad. And neither did Dad, for that matter. Just tired and really disappointed.
Cooper stood taller. Whatever was going to happen to him now—the leash or the handcuffs—he just wanted to get it over with. “So what are you going to do? With me, that is.”
Hammer cocked his head back and to the si
de slightly. “What I ought to do is bring you to the station.” He paused. “But your dad doesn’t need this on his plate, too. So, officially, we never had this conversation. I never heard your confession. I’ll just make this whole thing disappear.”
Relief washed over Cooper. He reached out his hand. “Thanks, Detective Hammer.”
Hammer shook his hand with a firm grip. “The 9-1-1 call. Clever—but not very smart. There’s a difference.”
Cooper nodded.
Dad shook Detective Hammer’s hand, too. No words came, although it looked like he tried to say something.
“But that’s it,” Hammer said, focusing back on Cooper. “No more calls to 9-1-1—or breaking into empty houses. Understood?”
“Absolutely.”
“If something else happens,” Hammer said, “I’ll be talking to you again—but at the station. Got it?”
Cooper nodded again.
“He’ll pay for the broken windows,” Dad said. “And,” he looked directly at Cooper, “the two of us have some serious talking to do.”
“And for whatever it’s worth,” Cooper said. “Stein’s basement is flooding. Maybe the realtor should get a heads up.”
“If we get any more rain, all the basements along Salt Creek will fill right up to the top like giant toilets,” Hammer said. “And if the city loses power, a lot more basements will flood.”
Dad looked toward the house. “Ours will be among them. The sump pump is running constantly as it is.”
“Thanks again, Detective Hammer. I’ll pay for the windows.”
Hammer waved it off. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He wore a hint of a smile. “You’ve got guts, Cooper. I like that.” He tapped the side of his head. “And you didn’t make me use my baloney detector. Truth builds trust.”
Dad looked across the street at Gordy’s house. “I’d better explain to Jim what happened.” He shook Detective Hammer’s hand again and trotted across the street.
Cooper was happy Dad didn’t ask him to come with. He would not want to see Uncle Jim’s face when he heard the news. On the one hand it was good news, VanHorton didn’t kidnap Gordy. But then that was bad news, too. Now they were back to zero leads.
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