Cold and overcast. A typical Halloween in the Midwest. Cooper headed for the bus stop feeling like he hadn’t slept all night.
“What happened to you?” Gordy jogged over, barely limping at all. “Let me guess. This is your Halloween costume … and you’re a zombie.”
“Didn’t sleep so well.”
“I’m not surprised.” Gordy held up one finger. “Hammer’s looking for you.” Gordy held up a second finger. “Some very nasty goons—who probably work for some underworld kingpin, see you as a loose end.” Third finger. “You’ve got the situation with Hiro.” Fourth finger. “Lunk.” Fifth, “Miss Ferrand acted like she wanted to talk to you.”
“Gee, thanks, Gordy. That makes me feel a whole lot better.”
Not that he hadn’t been thinking of those things all night. Add to that a growing sense of guilt. That’s the only thing Cooper could call it. A feeling that all his lies, all that wrong couldn’t possibly be right. He’d begged God to bring in the robbers so this whole thing would just go away. Then maybe Hiro would forget all about it too, and things would get back to normal.
He looked down the block. “I wonder where Hiro is …” Even if she showed up now there wouldn’t be enough time to talk things out with her.
“I think she’s getting a ride from her mom.”
Which was a polite way of saying he knew she was getting a ride from her mom.
“Wants to avoid me that bad, huh?” Cooper stared down the block. He’d done this to himself. He should have talked it out with her sooner. Giving her space only seemed to be widening the gap between them.
“I wouldn’t put it like that.”
The bus turned onto Fremont. “How would you put it?”
Gordy didn’t answer for a moment. “Here comes the bus.”
The morning dragged. At 10:00 Cooper’s mind flashed to Hammer. By now the detective knew the little plan to bait him didn’t work.
When Cooper and Gordy walked into Miss Ferrand’s class, Hiro wouldn’t look at him. Not good. On the other hand, Miss Ferrand couldn’t stop looking at him. He sensed her analyzing him. Maybe she was trying to decide whether she should hold him after class for a little one-on-one chat.
When the bell rang, Miss Ferrand watched him leaving class, but never stopped him to talk. Weird. And Hiro didn’t talk to him either. Awkward.
The only one who wanted to talk was Lunk. He sat right across from Cooper and Gordy at the lunch table. Two burgers sat on his tray. Two bags of chips. Three cartons of milk. Just like Gordy.
“So, MacKinnon.” Lunk squeezed ketchup packets onto each burger and leaned forward. “You going to tell me what’s going on, or do you want me to guess?”
“What?” Cooper tried to screw a confused look on his face.
“Tuesday you were real serious about ditching Ferrand. You write I didn’t do it all over the bathroom stall. Don’t try to deny it. I know it was you.”
Cooper stared at him and didn’t say a word. He tried to put on a stone face, not showing any emotion at all. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Gordy give him a confused look.
Lunk took a bite of his burger, worked it into one cheek, and kept going. “Wednesday you play sick and don’t even come to school. So don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about. You going to tell me what’s going on?”
“Nothing’s wrong. I’m fine.”
Lunk snickered. “Right. So I’ll guess.” He took a huge bite from his burger and started chewing like he was enjoying putting Cooper on edge. “It’s about last Thursday night.”
Cooper took a bite from his sandwich and pointed at his mouth with a shrug. He made a big act of chewing. His mind raced for an answer. A lie that would come across as believable. With an exaggerated swallow, he cleared his throat.
“What are you talking about?”
A smile swept across Lunk’s face. “I thought Christians weren’t supposed to lie. You know exactly what I’m talking about.”
Cooper didn’t answer. He couldn’t think of anything to say.
“You’re the one the police are looking for.”
And the one your dad is looking for.
Lunk’s smile disappeared. “You were there.” He leaned in close. “Frank ‘n Stein’s.”
“Me?” Cooper turned to Gordy like he’d just heard something funny. Gordy looked like a kid caught shoplifting.
“You wrote the letter in the paper. I believe you didn’t hurt Frank,” Lunk said.
You know I’m telling the truth about that because your dad hurt him.
Lunk pointed at Cooper’s chest. “But you didn’t exactly help him either.”
Cooper felt his cheeks getting warm. He took a sip of his milk.
Lunk leaned his forearms on the table. “I think you need my help.”
Right. Cooper reached across the table and lifted the bun off a burger. “What’s in those burgers you’re eating?”
Lunk stood and grabbed his tray. “Wrong time and place for this discussion. I’ll catch you later.”
By the look on his face, Cooper figured he would, too.
Lunk swung a leg over the bench and sauntered away. Cooper sat stunned.
“Now what?” Gordy whispered.
“Not sure,” Cooper said. “We can’t talk here.”
Gordy nodded. “The Getaway after school?”
“After my parents leave for the circus. At 7:00.”
“Should I tell Hiro?”
“Why bother? She won’t come anyway. She did a nice job of disappearing for lunch.”
Gordy shook his head. “I’ll talk to her on the bus.”
Cooper didn’t see Lunk at school the rest of the day, but a growing uneasiness made him look over his shoulder almost as often as he looked ahead. He saw Hiro, but she avoided him like he avoided Lunk. Her mom even picked her up at the end of the day.
“I told you Hiro won’t come when we meet tonight.” Cooper pointed at Mrs. Yakimoto’s car. “She won’t even ride on the same bus as me.”
“Her mom is taking her to see Frank.” Gordy hefted his backpack over one shoulder. “She told me about it just after lunch.”
That figures. Cooper had a clear view of Hiro’s window and watched to see if she’d turn. If she’d even look their way.
Hiro sat there looking straight ahead while her mom pulled out of the lot.
She can’t even look at me. “Forget it. It doesn’t matter.”
Gordy started up the steps of the bus. “Don’t act like you don’t care. This is Gordy you’re talking to.”
Cooper followed him into the bus and plopped onto a seat next to him. His mind stayed on Hiro. She’d changed somehow. Really changed.
Cooper wished they were riding their bikes. Just to feel the wind in his face. The freedom.
“I’ll talk to Hiro,” Gordy said after they got off at their stop. “The Getaway at 7:00. Right?”
“Right.”
Gordy jogged toward his house.
Cooper needed time to think. What would he say to Lunk? If Lunk told his dad his suspicions, it was all over anyway. He pictured Lunk’s dad wearing a latex mask. Imagined him coming to Cooper’s house for a little midnight visit.
The sight of his dad’s truck in the drive helped him shake the thoughts from his head. They’d be leaving for the circus soon. It might have been a good way to forget things, but then there was the issue of the clowns. No thanks.
“Cooper.” Dad stepped out the front door. “Hop in the truck.”
“Where are we going?”
“Frank ‘n Stein’s.”