Back Before Dark (15 page)

C
ooper could feel his face heating up as he straddled his bike and pushed off. VanHorton was a sick, demented jerk. Cooper didn’t look back. He didn’t want to see that guy again. Ever. And yet he knew that wasn’t possible. Cooper couldn’t fight back the feeling that VanHorton knew exactly where Gordy was.

Hiro rode beside him, and Lunk close behind. None of them said a word, but Cooper figured they were all thinking the same thing. He could feel VanHorton watching them, so there was no way they’d be stopping nearby to stake out the place. Not yet, anyway.

Cooper took the corner at the end of the block and forced himself not to check to see if VanHorton was still looking.

“Nice sword work back there, Hiro,” Lunk said. “I told you your tongue was a weapon.”

Hiro didn’t comment.

“VanHorton is the one,” Cooper said.

Lunk pulled up alongside. “The guy is bad, right?”

“He’s bad, but he’s not our guy,” Hiro said.

Cooper looked at her. She was serious. “What about the taser?”

Hiro shrugged. “My mom carries pepper spray in her purse. Lots of people carry things like that to protect themselves.”

“The guy is built like the Hulk,” Cooper said. “He doesn’t need a taser to protect himself. So why does he own one?”

“Maybe he’s afraid of dogs, like Lunk.”

“I’m not afraid of anything,” Lunk said. “But VanHorton is.”

“I still don’t think he had anything to do with it,” Hiro said. “He wouldn’t have mentioned the taser if he kidnapped Gordy.”

Maybe it was her cop blood, or maybe it was something else, but Hiro had an ability to sense things about people that Cooper totally missed. But this time she was missing the obvious. “You saw how Fudge reacted. How do you explain that?”

“Fudge had a bad feeling about VanHorton. So did I. But I don’t think it has to do with Gordy. He’s just bad. He’s a bully. The kind of guy you don’t try to push. He’ll shove back. Harder.”

“Like my dad,” Lunk said.

Cooper gave him a quick glance. Lunk almost
never
talked about his dad.

Lunk’s face was dead serious. “The only thing guys like that understand—and respect—is pushback that’s stronger than they are.”

“I’m sure you’re right,” Hiro said. “But that doesn’t mean he took Gordy.”

“What if Fudge picked up Gordy’s scent on VanHorton?” Cooper said.

“She would have been sniffing his pants, not barking at him like that,” Hiro said. “Maybe Fudge didn’t like the way he looked at her when we were riding up. Maybe she was trying to warn us to stay away from him.”

“Or tell us that VanHorton
took
Gordy,” Cooper said. “We need to tell Hammer about this.”

“I’m with Coop,” Lunk said.

Hiro coasted. “The police need evidence, Coop. Evidence. What are you going to do? Tell Detective Hammer that your dog barked at some guy—and the guy happens to own a taser? They’ll need more than that for a warrant.”

She had a way of making Cooper’s arguments sound ridiculous. “All Hammer needs to do is look at VanHorton’s eyes.”

“That isn’t evidence,” Hiro said. “Look, VanHorton was pressing your buttons. Egging you on.”

Getting his blood boiling was more like it.

“He referred to us as ‘kiddies’ and you two as ‘boys.’ He was trying to show you who was boss. Trying to taunt you into doing something stupid.” She nodded at the bat strapped to his bike. “Like using that.” She stood on the pedals and pumped hard.

Lunk had to stand for a few pumps to keep up. “So now what?”

The thought of a monster like that taking Gordy made him sick. And the thought of going back made Cooper’s stomach tighten even more. “We have to go back. I think he’s got Gordy.”

Hiro shook her head and pulled ahead. “He’s playing a game. He’s toying with you.”

Toying with him? Playing a game? “I’d like to play a game with him.”

Hiro eyed him.

“A game of wiffle-ball.” Cooper tapped the yellow bat strapped to his bike frame.

“Now you’re talking,” Lunk said.

Hiro slammed on her brakes. “Talking
stupid.
”

She skidded to a stop, causing both Lunk and Cooper to veer off to avoid hitting her bike. Cooper let go of Fudge’s leash so she didn’t get tangled in the process.

“I say we do something that has a chance to pull up a solid lead.”

Cooper shook his head. “Like what?”

“Like go door-to-door with flyers,” Hiro said. “If we find someone who saw the van heading toward Route 53, we’ll know he left the area.”

“Which means we quit searching?”

Hiro hesitated. “We could also learn the van turned the opposite way. Then we’d know for sure he stayed local.”

“In which case,” Lunk said, “the first place we’d check is VanHorton’s.”

“That’s exactly the way I see it,” Cooper said. “We’re just shortcutting things a bit. VanHorton took Gordy. I can feel it.”

“And I didn’t get that feeling at all,” Hiro shouted. “But I did get the feeling that there was something desperately wicked about the man.”

A chill crept up Cooper’s back. He agreed with her—on one level at least. All the more reason he could be the one who tasered Gordy and took him away.

“He could definitely be the guy,” Lunk said.

Hiro shrugged. “The
type
of guy who would do it, sure. But not the guy.”

Cooper kept his mouth shut. How could she be so positive? But they weren’t getting anywhere. He needed time to think. Even if she agreed to go back to stake out VanHorton’s, her heart wouldn’t exactly be in it.

“I’m starved,” Lunk said. “I could use a little brain food.”

Just the thing Gordy would have said. Cooper ached inside. But Lunk was right. They needed a recharge. They’d still be in school if Dr. McElhinney hadn’t gotten them out early, but Cooper had already burned off enough adrenalin to warrant a fuel stop. “Frank’n Stein’s. We’re close. We’ll sort out our next step there.”

Hiro didn’t look happy, but she nodded.

“I’ll meet you there,” Cooper said. “I think I’ll run Fudge home on the way.” Cooper wasn’t sure what their next step was going to be, but he wasn’t so sure it was a good idea to have Fudge along. Then again, nothing about the next step sounded like a good idea at all.

G
ordy lay on the mattress on the floor alongside the furnace, curled up on his side. Just the idea of being close to a furnace helped. Was the room getting colder? He’d spent most of his time pacing, trying to stay warm, which meant he’d burned off more fuel. And nothing to replace it with. His stomach cramps weren’t helping him get his mind off things.

The floor was completely wet now. Even the mattress felt damp. Water was seeping in—which could only mean it was still raining.

What day was it? Night or day? How long had he been locked down here? It had to be more than two days. Way more. He ran through the list of things he
did
know.

Taser-man hadn’t been back since he’d locked him in here Tuesday night. Not that Gordy wanted to see the kidnapper, but the fact that he hadn’t returned brought a short list of possibilities to mind—and none of them very good.

The basement was soundproof. His shouts and screams for help never got farther than the insulation.

The electricity was turned off, which meant there was no chance for any light source other than the flashlight.

The flashlight was getting dim. He kept turning it off to conserve
battery power. Whenever he did, he never let go of the flashlight. He had this crazy fear of losing it in the darkness.

The darkness dredged up all kinds of nasty things. He felt bugs—or rodents—crawling up his legs. His back. He twitched and scratched and slapped at the spots, but he never actually found anything. Even when he flicked on the flashlight, he never saw a bug, spider, or mouse anywhere.

Somehow they only came when he turned off the flashlight. He would wait. Sometimes it took minutes, but they always came when it was dark. Was he going crazy?

He hated going to sleep. He fought it. Yet he’d dozed off countless times. And every time he woke up, there was a brief moment of confusion.
Why is it so dark? Why am I so cold? Where am I
? When his head cleared, reality hit him hard. The fear. The panic.

But the idea of being asleep—in the dark—totally creeped him out. He wouldn’t hear if something was sneaking up on him. Or if the man was returning. He wanted to be ready. To fight for his life.

His life. How much longer did he really have? Gordy shifted his position. The chain shackled to his foot hissed and clinked. The type of sound you’d expect to hear in a haunted house. And he was a prisoner in one right now.

“Help me.” His voice sounded oddly hoarse. And weak. Nobody could hear it outside. He was calling out to God now. But somehow the insulation kept God from hearing him.

Was anybody still looking for him? They had to be. His parents wouldn’t stop. Coop would never give up. He was sure of it. But would they find him in time?

C
ooper saw Lunk and Hiro sitting at the back corner table the moment he entered Frank’n Stein’s. The usual booth. The one he’d always grabbed with Gordy, even before Hiro moved into the area. With only Lunk and Hiro there, the booth seemed empty. Gordy had a way of filling a place.

Cooper ordered fries and a monster shake, just like he would if Gordy were there. And with the size of the lump in his throat, he wondered how he was going to get any of it down.

He piled ketchup high on an extra plastic lid for the fries. Gordy had discovered that little trick. It beat filling the marsh-mallow-sized paper cups.

Lunk was downing a Chicago-style dog when Cooper slid in the booth. Hiro’s “fuel” consisted of a cup of ice water.

Hiro lifted one of Cooper’s fries before he could grab one for himself.

“Okay,” she said, sliding the fry into her mouth. “I think Officer Sykes would be thrilled at the idea of us going door-to-door with flyers.”

Cooper glanced at her.
“Thrilled?”

Hiro looked annoyed. “Excited. Happy. Appreciative. Do I need a thesaurus here?”

“Sorry.” Cooper didn’t know why he had a problem with
thrilled.
It had nothing to do with her word choice. The idea of a door-to-door shotgun approach to find information about Gordy bothered him. He wanted something more direct. A sniper rifle with a scope. And the crosshairs would be focused on VanHorton’s house.

“I think door-to-door is a shot in the dark,” Cooper said. “We need to stake out VanHorton’s.”

Hiro stole another fry. “And you think going back to Michael VanHorton’s will be
effective
?”

“All we need is something suspicious enough to get the police to check him out,” Cooper said. “So, yeah. I think it’s effective.

“Only one way we can find out,” Lunk said.

Hiro pulled her braid in front of her and fiddled with it. “Oh, that’s brilliant, Lunk. Even if VanHorton’s name wasn’t on that predator list, one look at his eyes tells you to stay clear. There’s something at work in him that is way beyond creepy.”

Cooper swallowed a mouthful of the shake. “Which is what makes him a high priority to check”.

Lunk nodded. “I hear you.”

“Well, so do I—but you’re not listening,” Hiro said. “I’m sure he isn’t involved. I can’t explain it, but I feel it.”

“Well, I feel he is,” Cooper said. “And until I’m sure he didn’t take Gordy, I need to check him out.”

“Excuse me if I don’t break out the pom-poms and cheer you on.” Hiro gave an exasperated sigh. “Look. Michael VanHorton isn’t our man—but he’s bad. And dangerous. It’s time to use our heads. We’ve already lost Gordy.”

Cooper’s arm froze with a fry halfway to his mouth. “Lost Gordy?
Lost
? You think we’re not going to find him?” He looked from Hiro to Lunk, then back.

She didn’t have to answer. Neither of them did. “Am I the only one who thinks Gordy is still alive—that he’s close and needs our help?”

Hiro shook her head. “I’m just saying that going back to VanHorton’s is really, really risky.”

Risk. Was that what this all came down to? Gordy was in trouble. Real trouble. And Hiro wanted Cooper to think about the
risk
of looking for him?

Frank Mustacci shuffled out of the kitchen with two large orders of fries and added them to Cooper’s tray. “How’s the search going, gang?”

His usual smile was gone. Today, he was all business.

Nobody answered his question, which seemed to be all the answer he needed. He unfolded a paper napkin and slid it toward Hiro. “This is going up on the sign.” He nodded toward the large Frank’n Stein’s sign near the street.

Hiro read it aloud. “$25,000 reward for information leading to the safe return of Gordon Digby.” She looked up at him. “Twenty-five thousand? Are you
serious
?”

Frank looked concerned. “You think I should up it to $30,000?”

“No.” Hiro shook her head. “The amount is amazing. Can you afford it?”

Frank’s eyes glistened. He nodded and swallowed a couple times like he was trying to swallow a lump in his throat. “Somebody out there knows something,” Frank said. “I may not be able to help in the search, but I’m sure going to help the search along.”

Cooper read the message written on the napkin.
Safe return.
He used the word
safe.
Cooper wasn’t the only one who thought Gordy was still alive. Cooper stood and grabbed him in a bear hug. “When are you putting this up?”

“Right now. Just have to pull together the letters and numbers.”

Hiro smiled. “It’s a great idea.”

“But you’re right, Hiro,” Frank said. “I should make it thirty.”

He crossed the number twenty-five off the napkin.

“I never said twenty-five wasn’t enough, I only meant—” Lunk looked stunned. “Thirty thousand. What if a cop finds him? Does he get the reward?”

“Absolutely.” Frank headed toward the kitchen. “And if you three find him, you’ll split it.”

Lunk opened his mouth slightly but stopped short of saying anything. It was obvious his mind was racing. Immediately, he stood and hustled after Frank. “I’ll help you post it to the message marquis.”

Cooper waited until Frank and Lunk were gone. “If we find him—”

“I know,” Hiro said. “You won’t keep a penny of the reward. It wouldn’t seem right.”

Cooper stared at her. Either she knew him really, really well, or she
could
read his mind.

She took a handful of his fries. “And I won’t either. But I don’t think Lunk shares the same feeling.”

Cooper didn’t care what Lunk wanted to do with the reward. He just wanted to be sure Frank had the opportunity to pay it out. He glanced at Hiro, who was already looking at him.
Studying
him was more like it.

Hiro didn’t take her eyes off him. “What are you thinking?”

Cooper gave her a half-smile. “You tell me.”

She fingered her necklace. “You’re going back to VanHorton’s.”

He drew a cool couple of gulps of his shake through the straw and nodded. Yeah, he was going back.

“I’m not going to talk you out of it, am I?”

Cooper shook his head.

“There’s a word for that.” Her lips formed into a tight, straight line.

“For what?”

“For the way you’re acting, Cooper MacKinnon. And you know what the word is?” She paused. “Stubborn.”

Her chin trembled. He was sure of it.

Cooper shrugged. “That’s not the word I had in mind.”

“We’re back to the thesaurus again?” She leaned forward. “How about
foolish
? Or stupid. Reckless. Dangerous. Impossible. Take your pick.”

That was fear talking. Not Hiro. He didn’t want to argue. There was no point to it.

“You still feel guilty. And it’s driving you to do crazy things. Stop trying to be a hero.”

He felt his cheeks burning. He was trying to fix a mistake. She just didn’t get it.

“Talk to me, Coop. I want to know what you’re thinking.” She swiped yet another fry from his tray. “You’re headed down a dark path. We don’t even know if—”

“Don’t say it,” Cooper said. “I know he’s alive.”

Hiro looked down. And immediately her phone rang. She jumped, then grabbed the phone. “Hi, Mom.”

Cooper stood. His stomach didn’t feel good enough to eat more. Besides, he’d spent too much time away from the search. He should be crouched in some bushes right now, staking out VanHorton’s house.

Hiro slid her phone back in her jeans pocket. “My mom wants me home to help her with something.” She looked stressed. “I know she’s just checking up on me. Wants me to be safe.”

For a moment Cooper felt some relief. Without Hiro along, he might have more options. “Don’t worry about it,” Cooper said. “I’ll ride home with you. I should probably pick up my binoculars anyway.”

“Wait for me,” Hiro said. Her eyes were pleading. “My mom said it wouldn’t be long. Then we can decide what to do next.”

Cooper shook his head. “Lunk and I will stake out VanHorton’s. We’ll connect later.”

She looked at him, tears welling up in her eyes. Like she knew what he was really saying. He didn’t want her along.

But it was true. He didn’t want her with him. Not anymore. They weren’t exactly on the same page. They weren’t even in the same
book.

“Promise me you won’t try to talk to him.” Hiro stood. “Promise me you won’t take one step into his house even if he invites you in
to inspect it for yourself. If you find any real evidence—which I’m sure you won’t—promise me you’ll let the police do the checking.” She still held her phone—as if he actually needed the reminder.

She didn’t have to say more. If he didn’t promise, she was going to make that call to his dad. Which would be the end of his search efforts for Gordy.

He avoided her eyes. He didn’t want to see the hurt there. She was trying to help. He knew that. But she was putting him in a no-win situation. He didn’t need her slowing him down.

“Promise,” she whispered.

He had no choice. “I promise.”

Her shoulders relaxed and she smiled slightly. “Thanks.”

She acted like everything was okay between them now. But it wasn’t. Not nearly. She’d cornered him on this one. Limited his options—which he wasn’t exactly thrilled about. And one way or another Michael VanHorton’s house needed to be searched.

Maybe she sensed what he was thinking. Her face turned dead serious. “He’s dangerous, Coop. If we go near him, one of us is going to get hurt.”

Cooper nodded. “I’ll wait for you outside.” Hiro was right about VanHorton being dangerous. If they got too close to the man, it wasn’t hard to imagine how one of them could get hurt. Maybe it was best she wouldn’t be on the stakeout. Cooper had already messed up with one friend, and he wasn’t about to do that again. If something happened to Hiro, he’d have
two
reasons never to forgive himself.