Back Before Dark (17 page)

C
ooper took the phone from Lunk the moment he disconnected—just as Tonya Aiello came outside with the bag of ice. “Sorry that took so long.” She handed Lunk the ice.

“Thank-you, ma’am.”

Lunk came across as an angel. A big, loveable one. Cooper wished Hiro could have seen Lunk’s performance. The guy could act. Cooper handed Mrs. Aiello the phone.

She turned to Lunk. “Did you get your mom?”

Lunk smiled. “Help is on the way.”

Yeah, and the place would likely be crawling with cops in minutes. Cooper would have a front row seat from the porch, but it was a little too close. He definitely didn’t want VanHorton to spot them.

Lunk struggled to get on his feet, while holding his leg in the air. “We’re going to meet her at the corner.” He pointed halfway down the block.

Apparently he was thinking the same thing.

The woman looked concerned. “Maybe you should wait here.”

Lunk shrugged. “I’ll be all right. Thank you for your help.”

He threw his arm around Cooper’s shoulder and hopped across the front lawn to the bikes.

Cooper glanced down the street. No cops yet. But they were totally exposed out in the open like this. He definitely wanted to be out of here before they came. “Can you go any faster?”

Lunk grunted. “Not without looking suspicious.”

He was right, and probably no more than a minute had passed since Lunk hung up his 9-1-1 call. They were doing well—but he’d feel a lot better after they had put more distance between them and VanHorton’s house.

Cooper lifted Lunk’s bike off the ground for him. Still holding the bag of ice, Lunk carefully swung one leg over the seat. He kept the foot with the injured ankle off the pedal, and used his other leg to scoot himself forward down the sidewalk. He wasn’t moving fast, but he was moving.

The boy went back to whacking dandelions with his bat like nothing had happened. Brae stood next to her mom, hugging her at the waist. Cooper and Lunk both waved.

“Thanks again,” Cooper called.

“It was nothing.” Mrs. Aiello waved back. “Take care of that ankle,” she said.

Lunk smiled. “It’s feeling better already.”

“I’ll bet it is,” Cooper whispered. His heart was doing the mambo inside his chest. He had to keep moving. Had to get away, but he had to see what happened next. He pedaled ahead to the corner and waited for Lunk to catch up. He wished Hiro were here. Though he could only imagine what she would have thought about Lunk’s little plan. Lunk grinned as he wheeled up. “What do you think?”

“
That
was genius.” Cooper shook his head. “I’m speechless.”

A police car squealed around the corner behind them. Two more approached from the far end of the block. Cooper and Lunk sat on their bikes, close enough to see everything—but far enough away so they wouldn’t appear to have been involved in the call in any way.

Cooper whistled quietly. It was working. It was happening. “This is beautiful,” he whispered.

Lunk laughed, a little hysterically. “I think VanHorton’s place is going to get the search you want—compliments of the RMPD.”

Cooper had never fully seen this side of Lunk. Gordy would love it.

The police cars stopped on the street in front of the registered predator. The Aiello boy stopped swinging at dandelions and started for the police cars. Mrs. Aiello called him back to the porch.

Cooper slipped the phone out of his pocket and sent a quick text to Hiro—hating to take his eyes off VanHorton’s for even a second. But he had to tell Hiro. Had to get her over here.

Three officers met and approached the VanHorton house together. One of them bent down to pick up Gordy’s T-shirt on the porch. He held it up as if noting the way it was torn—just like it had been described on the 9-1-1 call.

“That ought to clinch it,” Lunk said.

Another officer turned toward his shoulder mike and made a call.

Cooper smiled. “That would be a call for backup.”

The policemen talked for a moment. One circled around the side of the house toward the backyard.

The other two officers drew their weapons—and rang the bell.

C
ooper glanced down the block, hoping to see Hiro. Nothing yet. “This is perfect, Lunk.
Perfect.
”

Lunk snickered.
“Now
let’s see how tough Michael VanHorton is.” The man answered the door, and the police motioned him out onto the porch. The man hesitated.

Cooper couldn’t hear what the man was saying, but he clearly wasn’t happy. “Not smart, mister. Better do what the cops say.”

One of the officers held up Gordy’s T-shirt. VanHorton shook his head like he’d never seen it before. And of course, he hadn’t. Not that
exact
one, at least.

Again they motioned him out onto the porch. This time he reluctantly stepped out of the doorway.

Two more police cars rolled up, lights flashing. Officers hustled up VanHorton’s lawn and joined the group on the porch. They inspected the T-shirt, and cuffed VanHorton’s hands behind his back. This was turning into a regular Fourth-of-July.

Another siren wailed in the distance—coming their way. Still no sign of Hiro though.

Mrs. Aiello stood on her porch, keeping her kids close. Obviously, she had no idea that Lunk’s call from her phone triggered
everything—and added all the validity to the 9-1-1 call that the authorities needed.

Two police officers went inside VanHorton’s house leaving the others to guard the handcuffed man.

“Oh, yeah,” Lunk said. “Here we go.”

Cooper didn’t blink. Didn’t breathe. He kept his eyes on the doorway, hoping to see the cops come back out with Gordy.

Two more police cars pulled up. A cop escorted VanHorton to one of them. VanHorton didn’t get in the squad car, but stood there arguing. The veins popped out on his neck, and his face got red. Curious neighbors seeped out of their homes and drew closer, drawn to the flashing lights like bugs on a dark night. The block was turning into a carnival.

“Coop!” Hiro called to him, riding hard. She skidded to a stop.

Cooper stepped over to meet her. “You made it!”

She nodded, gulping for air. “Got here as fast”—she took a breath—”as I could.” She looked past him. “What’s happening? Did they find him?”

Cooper walked with her and stood beside Lunk. “Nothing yet. Two cops are already inside.”

Another car roared up. Detective Hammer got out and walked directly to the policemen holding VanHorton.

Hiro pulled her single black braid over her shoulder and worked it with both hands. “How did this
happen
?” She glanced up at Cooper. “The police already talked to him. What made them come back—and in such force?”

Cooper didn’t answer. She definitely wouldn’t like what she heard. No way did he expect this big of a reaction to Lunk’s call. What if the cops walked across the street to question the woman? She’d tell them all about the two boys on bikes—and could probably give a pretty decent description of both of them. How long would it take Hammer to put it together? A minute? Less?

Lunk’s whole face smiled. His head bobbed like he had invisible
ear buds pounding out a favorite song in his head. “This is good. This is good. This is really good.”

Hiro looked from Cooper to Lunk. “Will somebody
please
tell me what’s going on?”

Lunk grinned. “I made a little call to 9-1-1 from that nice lady’s phone.” He pointed down the block to Tonya Aiello.

Hiro eyed him for a moment. “You fed them a fake lead?”

Lunk smiled. “Well, technically—”

“Yes,” Cooper interrupted.

Hiro’s lips parted slightly, but she didn’t say anything. She looked over toward VanHorton’s house.

Lunk paced, the limp totally gone. His grin hadn’t faded. “That’s one way to get the police to inspect his house.”

“Yeah,” Hiro said. “But look what you’ve done.”

Two more policemen hurried inside VanHorton’s house.

“Think they found him?” Hiro’s voice wasn’t much louder than a whisper.

An ambulance wheeled around the corner. Cooper’s stomach twisted. Had they found Gordy—or his body? Hiro glanced at him, biting her lower lip. Like she had the same thought.

Cooper’s stomach dropped into an abyss. If they found Gordy, and he was okay, why wasn’t he outside yet? And if they hadn’t found him, why did somebody call for an ambulance?

The smile left Lunk’s face too. Apparently reality had hit him as well.

Lunk took a deep breath, his chest expanding noticeably as he did. It was as if he were bracing himself for the bad news.

A cop came out the front door holding a clear plastic bag with something inside, slightly bigger than a TV remote. He held it up so Hammer could see it.

“The taser,” Lunk said. “VanHorton is toast now.”

A Ford F-150 pickup roared around the corner at the far end of the block. Black. A dead-ringer for Dad’s.

Hiro pointed. “That’s your dad.”

For a second, fear stabbed at Cooper. How did he know to come here? Had the police found Gordy and called Uncle Jim’s phone?

“My brother lent them a police scanner,” Hiro said. “They must have heard the whole thing.”

Including the call for an ambulance. Not good.

Uncle Jim swung open the passenger door and bolted out before Dad had the truck to a full stop.

No Fourth-of-July celebration was complete without the fireworks, and by the look on Uncle Jim’s face, he was ready to explode. Shoulders forward, head low, he ran toward VanHorton like a linebacker zeroing in on a fullback with the ball.

“Uh-oh,” Hiro said.

Several policemen moved in to intercept him. But Uncle Jim had the momentum on his side. He stiff-armed one, bowled another over, and ripped free from the grasp of a young officer who tried to hold him back.

Dad was already running for him. “Jim, no!”

“Dad?” Cooper stared in disbelief.

Uncle Jim slammed into VanHorton with enough force to ram the man against the side of the police car.

“Where is he?” Uncle Jim’s voice was hoarse and filled with rage. In a blur of motion Uncle Jim hammered the handcuffed man in the face with an angry right fist. VanHorton’s head jerked back and his knees buckled from a blow that vented all the pent up fury of the last two days. VanHorton struggled to keep his legs under him. Uncle Jim slugged the man in his unprotected ribs.

If Uncle Jim intended to hit him again, Cooper couldn’t tell. The police he’d blown through were on him now, and they meant business. They took Uncle Jim down on VanHorton’s lawn in what looked like a wrestle-mania gone berserk.

“This is a train wreck,” Hiro said.

Dad struggled against two other cops who stepped in to intercept him.

“Dad!” Cooper yelled, starting toward him. This was insane.
Out of control. And they’d started the whole thing with the bogus

9-1-1 call.

Midway across the street, somebody grabbed Cooper’s T-shirt and pulled him to a stop.

“Hold up, Coop.” Lunk’s voice.

Cooper tried to pull free, but Lunk had an iron grip on his T-shirt.

“You don’t want to go over there. Not a good idea.” Lunk grabbed Cooper’s shoulder with his free hand and turned him around. “Look at me.”

His eyes were intense. Not angry, just—focused. “Come back to the corner. We need to talk.”

Cooper twisted to see the scene behind him. Uncle Jim was on his feet now, his hands cuffed behind his back. Dad stood no more than ten feet from Uncle Jim. His hands were up in the air, and the cops had relaxed their grip on him.

“Back to the corner, Cooper.”

Cooper looked at Lunk. “That’s my Dad. And my Uncle Jim.” Sudden tears blurred Lunk’s face. He was breathing hard. He couldn’t get enough air.

Lunk nodded. “Everything is under control there. You can see that. Nothing you can do. C’mon. Walk with me.”

Lunk took a step backward, toward the corner, but didn’t release the grip on Cooper’s shirt. “You don’t want to call any attention to yourself. They find out we made a bogus 9-1-1 call and they’ll stop the search—and we’ll both be in a lot more hot water than your dad and uncle are in right now.”

He was right. Cooper’s head started to clear. He and Lunk were standing in the middle of the street.

“Let’s go.” Lunk took another step backward, tugging on Cooper’s T-shirt.

Cooper followed this time.

Hiro met him at the curb, worry all over her face. “What were you thinking?”

Cooper wasn’t sure if she meant when he and Lunk pulled the 9-1-1 stunt or when he ran to help Dad.

Lunk walked him all the way over to his bike. “Are we good?” He looked Cooper in the eyes.

Cooper nodded, and Lunk released his grip and smoothed out wrinkles in the T-shirt.

Several officers filed out of VanHorton’s house. No Gordy.

One of them shrugged and shook his head. What did that mean? They couldn’t find him—or it was too late?

“He’s not there,” Hiro said. Her shoulders slumped. “If he was still inside they’d have brought the paramedics in.”

She was right. The paramedics stood talking on the front lawn.

Lunk actually looked proud of himself. “You gotta admit … Coop and I know how to get a house searched.”

Cooper figured Hiro was going to use that tongue of hers to give Lunk the “somebody could have gotten hurt” lecture. But when she didn’t answer, he glanced her way.

Tears started down her cheeks. “It didn’t work,” she whispered. “Gordy’s not there.”

Lunk waved her off. “But now we know VanHorton isn’t our man.”

She swiped her cheeks and put her hands on her hips like she was ready to deck Lunk. “All we know for sure is that Gordy isn’t at the house. VanHorton still could have taken him—but has him in another spot.”

She had a point there—although Cooper was sure she didn’t believe it herself. She’d already made her opinion clear that VanHorton wasn’t their man.

Hiro kept her eyes on the scene at VanHorton’s. “And in the meantime they’ll probably take Gordy’s dad in, and that means less people out looking for Gordy.”

“They’ll let him go,” Lunk said. “After they’re sure he’s cooled down.”

A man’s wail rose from VanHorton’s yard. An agonizing cry.

Uncle Jim struggled against the cuffs. “That’s my son’s shirt!” A policeman holding the shirt quickly stuffed it into an evidence bag.

“What did you do with him?” Uncle Jim was screaming now.

“Where is he?”

Police officers flanked Uncle Jim on both sides, grabbing his arms, backing him away. He fought against them, swinging his shoulders, his face tortured.

Hiro covered her mouth with her hands. “That
definitely
looked like Gordy’s shirt.”

“Don’t worry,” Lunk said. “We planted it.”

Hiro whirled to face him. “You
what
?”

“It was the crowning touch,” Lunk said. “That’s why the cops took it so serious.”

Hiro looked up in the sky. “They planted evidence.
Planted
evidence!”

“I need to go over there,” Cooper said. “I have to tell my Uncle Jim.”

Lunk blocked his path. “I know you want to make this right. And you will. But if you go over there now, you’ll make things worse. It will be the end of your searching for Gordy. Sometimes you just have to walk away.”

His words hit him hard. Lunk was right. No way would his parents give him any leash after that stunt. And without it he’d have no chance to help find Gordy. He’d have to square things up with Dad and Uncle Jim, but not yet.

His uncle knelt on the front lawn, sobbing. Cooper couldn’t stand to watch, but couldn’t seem to turn away either. Two officers walked Michael VanHorton over to the paramedic’s truck. His pretty face looked like he’d just been run over by one.

“Time to go,” Lunk said. “Before the police start asking questions and somebody figures out who made the 9-1-1 call.”

Hiro eyed Lunk. “You gave the 9-1-1 dispatcher the woman’s address, right?”

Lunk nodded. “But not my full name. Mrs. Aiello never got our names, either. And we used her phone. That’s what made the whole thing look so believable. So we’re safe. The trail will end right there.”

Hiro shook her head with a look of disbelief. “The trail will
start
there. And it will end at your front door if you don’t get out of here. The woman will give your descriptions and the cops will cruise around the neighborhood. They’ll find you.”

Cooper knew Hiro was right. But he didn’t feel right about leaving. Not one bit. On the other hand, the thought of being kept from searching for Gordy was unacceptable. Which really left him no choice at all.

“Okay, let’s go.” Cooper said.

A couple of officers crossed the street toward Mrs. Aiello’s home.

“Better make it quick,” Hiro said.

Cooper picked up his bike, still keeping an eye on the policemen. “Coming with us?”

Hiro nodded. “Look what happens when I don’t.” Lunk rolled his eyes. “Puh-lease.”

Cooper swung a leg over his bike. “Thanks, Lunk. I lost my head for a minute there.”

Hiro huffed. “For a
minute
?”

Cooper didn’t regret it. At all. What really bothered him was that the police didn’t find Gordy in Michael VanHorton’s house—and Cooper had no idea where to look next.