Cooper froze.
His dad walked around to the driver’s door and pulled it open. “I feel bad I didn’t have a ticket for you tonight. The least I can do is take you out for a shake.”
Cooper took a deep breath and blew it out. “Aw, don’t worry about it, Dad. I’m fine. Really.”
“Hop in. It’ll give us a chance to catch up.”
Just about the last thing Cooper would like to do. It almost ranked up there with talking to Lunk or Miss Ferrand. He climbed into the cab and buckled up, stealing a quick glance at his dad. If he suspected something, his face didn’t show it. Cooper’s mouth went dry. Maybe this was about the hard drive.
Dad filled the short drive with talk about a couple of photo shoots he’d lined up. Cooper tried to think of something to say if his dad asked what was going on in his life.
When Frank ‘n Stein’s came into view, Cooper noticed the boarded-up window had been replaced. To other people it would look like the place was getting back to normal. Cooper wondered what normal really was.
The moment they swung open Frank ‘n Stein’s front door, the aromas of Italian beef sandwiches and Chicago-style hotdogs greeted him like old friends. The place still smelled like heaven, but his memories conjured up a scene definitely south of there.
Mr. Stein stood at the counter. His face lit up in recognition when he saw Cooper.
“There he is!” He smiled. “One of our best customers.”
People always say something like that when they can’t remember your name. Mr. Stein tried. He really did. But nobody could remember names like Frank did. Frank’s picture greeted him from the top of the donation jar. And it looked like they needed a bigger one. The jar was packed.
It didn’t feel like a typical Halloween, even after the way Mr. Stein had decked the place out with Halloween decorations. A Jack-o-lantern sat on the ordering counter, complete with a candle. The walls of the empty dining area had been covered with a stone block mural to look like a dungeon. A life-sized human skeleton hung from chains on one wall. It looked way too real for Cooper’s liking. The jaws of the skull hung aghast, like it recognized Cooper and knew his secret. Cooper imagined it was himself. In a way it was. He’d been a prisoner of this place ever since the robbery.
Black and orange crepe paper twisted together along the borders of the dining area—a hopeless tangle that couldn’t be separated without some major tearing. Webs stretched from the neon signs to the windowsills. Fist-sized plastic spiders clung to them.
The more he saw, the more keyed-up he felt. Taco Bell would have been a much better choice. He kicked himself for not suggesting it to Dad. But if he had, that might have looked suspicious. Taco Bell was okay for a change, but everybody knew Frank ‘n Stein’s was his number one.
“The place looks great, huh?” Dad pointed at the Frank ‘n Stein monster mascot grinning at them from the corner. It seemed to be in its element now. The grin somehow bigger. Creepier. Like it looked right into his jeans pocket and thought the missing house key was an inside joke between the two of them.
Mr. Stein slid a large order of fries and two shakes across the counter. Dad led the way to a table. The table. The one he normally sat at with Gordy and Hiro. The one he sat at last Thursday night before everything changed.
Cooper slid into the booth and did his best to push it out of his mind.
“So tell me what’s going on with my boy.” Dad took the lid off his monster shake and poked a straw deep in the creamy vanilla.
What could he say? Something safe. Trouble was, no safe topics existed in his life right now. Talk about school? Sure. Miss Ferrand is ready to have him psychoanalyzed. He’d just made a graffiti wall out of one of the bathroom stalls. He took a handful of fries. “I can’t think of anything to talk about right now.”
Nothing he wanted to talk about anyway. At least it was partially true.
“How’s Gordy doing?”
Cooper took a deep draw from his chocolate shake. “He’ll be jealous you didn’t invite him.”
His dad laughed. “I believe it. He can really pack it in.”
Cooper wished Gordy was here. He’d probably do some goofy thing to get the conversation going in a good direction.
“How about Hiro?”
Bingo. He’d just pressed his finger on a bruise. Like a mental version of the Battleship game, his dad just scored a hit. His eyebrows moved together slightly as if he noticed Cooper’s hesitation. If he didn’t say something quick a lot more questions would follow—and Cooper would be sunk.
“Well, I haven’t seen too much of her this week.” He poked his straw up and down through the plastic lid, making a squeaking sound. “She was sick one day. I was sick another. Today we missed each other all day. Her mom picked her up from school, so we didn’t get to talk on the bus.” All of it true, but intended to misdirect him. So that really made it all a lie, didn’t it?
“That’s too bad.”
Cooper’s tactic worked, but he didn’t exactly feel happy about it. It only intensified a sense of isolation. Like he was all alone and in a place he shouldn’t be.
“I really like that girl. And she’s a good friend.” His dad leaned back and smiled, staring up at the ceiling like he was playing back a scene from his memory. “Yeah, good friends are a gift from God.”
One he’d underappreciated. “She’s really something,” Cooper said.
“A real sweetheart.” Dad nodded as he spoke the words. Like he’d just realized the truth of what he said. “But she’s tough, too. Doesn’t take guff from anyone.”
Don’t I know it. Loneliness knifed through him. Next to Gordy, she was his best friend. Was. He’d messed that up good.
He’d messed everything up. He’d twisted the truth and lies together like the crepe paper crisscrossing the room. And he didn’t think he could untangle it by himself.
For a moment Cooper felt an urge to spill the whole thing. Just tell Dad and let him help sort this mess out.
Tell him. A lump swelled in his throat. Why not? Tell him now. Deep down, he knew he needed help. For the first time in a week he cracked open a door he’d never planned to open. The one that he’d hidden the truth behind. Dad would know what to do. He’d understand and forgive him. He’d been fooling himself to think it was his job to protect the family—or that he could. Dad was the one who needed to do it. But how could he if he didn’t even know the family was in danger?
The thought gave him a rush of something. Adrenaline? His breathing came in quick, shallow breaths. Not adrenaline. Hope. TELL HIM. He gripped the edge of the table as if to steady himself. Okay. He’d do it.
Remember the Code. The words struck him just as hard as if they’d been delivered with a fist. What was he thinking? How would he even start? His dad would be so disappointed in him. Plus, talking here didn’t seem right.
The side door swung open from the kitchen and Mr. Stein walked into the dining area. “Well.” He walked toward their table and wiped his hands on a white apron stretched around his waist. “Thanks for coming in.” He swung a chair around from one of the other tables and sat down. “Kind of a quiet day.”
“Carson MacKinnon.” Cooper’s dad extended his hand. “And you know my son, Cooper, I imagine.”
“Cooper.” Stein smacked his forehead with his palm. “The face I know. The names?” he shrugged. “Frank is the great one with names.”
“How is he?” Cooper’s dad settled back in the seat.
Cooper squirmed.
“Better. Stronger every day.”
Yeah, and Mr. Stein was overly optimistic.
Carson MacKinnon raised his eyebrows and glanced at Cooper. “What a relief, huh? Still in a coma?”
Mr. Stein squeezed his eyes shut and nodded.
Cooper’s dad hesitated. Like he was giving a moment of silence in honor of the co-owner of Frank ‘n Stein’s. “Police have any more leads?”
“Aw,” Stein slapped at the air. “They’re chasing ghosts. Kids, actually. Got themselves tied up in a legal skirmish at the school so they can interrogate the kids. It’s nuts. I think they’ve spent more time looking for the mystery witness than looking for the robbers themselves. Sometimes I wonder if they think the mystery witness was actually involved in some way. Like a gang initiation or something.”
Cooper put the straw in his mouth and sucked hard on it. He needed to look busy so they wouldn’t guess how shaky he felt inside.
“You don’t think kids were involved?”
“Absolutely not. Not in a bad way, anyway. And the police haven’t actually said kids were, but the way everything came down … it just made me wonder.”
Cooper’s dad had that look he got sometimes when he was trying to word a question just right. “So what’s your take on it—if you don’t mind me asking?”
Stein leaned forward. “I believe it happened just like the letter in the paper. Some kid witnessed a robbery by professionals. The kid wasn’t part of some gang. If he was he wouldn’t write the letter. And no kid could take Frank down like that.” He looked at the floor. “No kid would.” He looked at Cooper. “Everybody loved him. Right?”
Cooper nodded, but no words came.
“The police can’t get that through their heads. They’re so hell-bent on finding that kid—oh, excuse my language,” Mr. Stein put a hand to his mouth. “Truth is, some boy out there is scared to death while some real bad guys are probably halfway across the country, spending Frank’s money.”
“If the witness is innocent, why doesn’t he just turn himself in and prove he didn’t do it?”
“Like the letter said, he thinks at least one of the robbers is a cop. He doesn’t dare go to the police.” Stein shrugged. “How can he? He doesn’t know who to trust.”
Dad swirled his shake with his straw. “I guess I see what you mean.”
“The kid needs some protection. Some help. The police are trying to chase him down like he’s a fugitive or something.” He balanced his chair on the back two legs. “If there is a dirty cop, this kid can’t go to the police by himself. I wouldn’t either if I were him. It could be a trap.” He looked at Cooper again. “Does that make sense?”
“Totally.” Finally someone who really understood.
“Well, I wish the police would understand. They’re going about this all wrong. This kid needs a friend. Not threats. All they’re doing is scaring the kid into hiding.” He waved an arm toward the window. “I’d like to put a banner in my windows. ‘“Come on in, kid. I believe you. Talk to me and I’ll march right into the police station with you and the hard drive and show them myself.”‘ He shrugged. “Well, enjoy the shakes. I’d better get back to work.” He smiled. “Time for me to shake a leg, and all that.”
Cooper smiled back. What he really wanted to do is shake his hand.