Cooper 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.
Biking back seemed shorter. They cut over to the post office to drop the other police letter in the mail box, then biked through the park like three ghosts. The wind felt cool and clean against Cooper’s face. The wind rushing in his ears soothed him in its own way. Adrenalin still pumping, he felt like he could ride all night, but he knew he’d better get back before his parents started asking questions.
“Great night, Coop.” Gordy rode up alongside him. “I gotta get back.” Gordy gave a quick wave and peeled off toward his house.
He was right. It felt good to fight back, even if it was in a small way.
Cooper rode alongside Hiro to her house and coasted to a stop. He put a foot down and looked at Hiro. “Are you okay with me?”
“Getting there.” She smiled.
“Getting there?” Cooper had expected something more. Like a little more gratitude. He took a risk for all of them. The letter may not have been a huge thing, but at least it was a step in the right direction.
Her smile changed. A sad smile. “I hope this works. I really do. But even if they catch those scumbags, I don’t think I can be truly happy until we come clean. To actually go, like in person, to the police, or our parents, or somebody.”
The good feeling he’d enjoyed melted away. “Look. I’m doing what I can. I want those guys caught too. But I’m not going to risk you or Gordy or my family to do it.”
“Or you. You left yourself out of it,” Hiro said. “A lot of this has to do with protecting you.”
“Okay. Yeah. But I’m the one they saw. It’s my house key they have.”
Hiro nodded—like she agreed but not totally. “If you’re wrong about police being involved—what then?”
“You seem to have all the answers. Why don’t you tell me?”
Hiro paused. “You’re risking all of us to protect you.”
“What?” He felt his face heat up instantly. “That’s crazy. I’m trying to protect all of us.”
“But you can’t. Don’t you see that? We need police protection. We need our parents involved. You may think you’re some kind of protector here, but you’re putting all of us in danger—and that’s the truth.”
“The truth?”
“Yeah,” Hiro said. “There was a time that meant something to you.”
He didn’t want to hear any more of this. Not another word. Cooper pushed off and started pedaling. “G’nite, Hiro.” After the effort he’d just made, he didn’t want to be told that it wasn’t enough—or that it was all about protecting him.
“Coop!”
He didn’t turn around.
“C’mon. Don’t be mad. Friends are supposed to be able to talk.”
Friends. Right. He pedaled harder. He wanted to get away from her. From everyone. But the faster he went the more miserable he felt. Riding off like this had to hurt her. Something he never wanted to do. He turned the corner and slowed his pace. Her words echoed in his head. He couldn’t stand the thought of being around her right now. Couldn’t stand the way she looked at him—like he wasn’t doing enough. But the thought of not being with her was worse.
The adrenaline high he’d gotten from delivering the letter was long gone. He felt drained. Empty. He pedaled and coasted. Pedaled and coasted. The darkness surrounded him. Went through him. Suddenly, in his world of lies, the truth came to him. It wasn’t Hiro he’d wanted to get away from. It was himself.