Code of Silence: Living a Lie Comes With a Price (23 page)

Gordy nodded and held up his hands in a peacekeeping gesture. “You’re right. And I think you’ve covered all the bases. Especially that part about talking to the witnesses by Dunkin’ Donuts.” He nodded. “Yeah, I think it’s good.”

Cooper folded it and slipped it back in the envelope. “Now all we have to do is deliver it.”

“Where are we taking it anyway?”

Cooper looked at his cousin and held up a set of keys. “Frank ‘n Stein’s.”

W
hy
there
?”

The two boys made their way out of
The Getaway
cabin and into the cool night air.

Cooper shrugged. “Who’d suspect it? If the cops are watching the library, they may also be watching the mailboxes and who knows where else. They’d never figure I’d go back to Frank ‘n Stein’s.” Cooper stepped over the transom and hurried down the ladder.

“Are those
the
keys?” Gordy followed him down the ladder.

“Yep.”

“Wait a second.” Gordy jumped the last few steps to the ground. “We’re
not
going inside, are we?”

Cooper stuffed the keys in his pocket. “It will prove I have them. They’ll know I’m the one who was inside.”

“No way. You’re crazy,” Gordy said.

Cooper made a goofy face. “So are you. It runs in the family.”

“Gee, thanks.”

Cooper could read Gordy’s face even in the pale moonlight. He looked torn. Like he wanted to be supportive, but he was scared, too. And who wouldn’t be spooked at the thought of going back
inside Frank’n Stein’s after closing? Just thinking about it creeped Cooper out. “It will be okay. We’re doing the right thing.”

“Do we even know what the right thing is anymore?” Gordy said it quietly. Almost like he was talking to himself.

Cooper acted like he didn’t hear it. Was Hiro messing with Gordy’s head?

“Hopefully this will make everybody happy.”

“Impossible,” Gordy said. “The cops won’t be happy until they get you out of hiding, and the goons won’t be smiling until they make you disappear for good.”

“There’s a happy thought.” Cooper jogged toward his bike.

Gordy trotted alongside him. “It’s strange, you know? The good guys want to make you talk, and the bad guys want to shut your mouth permanently. It’s like both sides want to get their hands on you, but for opposite reasons. Unless, of course, the cops really are bad—then everyone wants to wring your neck.”

“Real comforting,” Cooper said. “Then I guess I want to disappoint everybody.”

Gordy glanced at him. “You got a good start with Hiro on that one.”

Coop let that sink in. Gordy definitely pegged that one right.

Gordy’s face got serious. “You think we’re making a mistake by not going to the cops? I mean, how can
all
the police be bad?”

Cooper could tell Gordy had been thinking about it pretty hard just by the way he asked. He could almost see the doubts gnawing at Gordy. Hiro really
was
getting through.

“I don’t want to take a chance,” Cooper said.

Gordy clapped Cooper on the back. “If this wasn’t so stinkin’ dangerous, it would be kind of a good adventure, you know?” Apparently Gordy wanted to change the topic, or at least the mood.

Cooper smiled and shook his head. “Let’s get rid of this letter.”

They rode side by side down the darkened streets in silence. The most direct route to Frank ‘n Stein’s was through the park,
and at this time of the night they should have it all to themselves. Kimball Hill Park didn’t have many trees, but those it did have were big and tended to be grouped together in clusters. The moon was bright enough to cast long black shadows beside them.

Cooper tried to peer into the shadows to see if anything or anyone lurked there. His imagination conjured up images of men crouching in the pools of darkness. They wore masks. Always masks. He stood on the pedals. If anything was out there, he wanted to have some good speed behind him. The rush of the crisp fall air forced his eyes to water. The wind moaned in his ears. It seemed to be alive, an unseen presence warning him to go back.

Gordy pulled ahead and took the lead over the footbridge and onto the bike path bordering the west side of the creek. Kirchoff Road lay dead ahead, and the bell tower loomed beside it.

When they neared the bell tower, Gordy skidded to a stop behind a towering maple. He laid his bike on the ground. Cooper did the same. The two boys crouched in the shadows and watched the traffic on Kirchoff Road.

Cars were sparse, and in the next five minutes they never saw a police car prowl by. Except for Mr. Stein’s car, the parking lot at Frank ‘n Stein’s stood empty. Nothing looked out of place. Still, the police could be watching the place through a set of binoculars.

“If the police come, just get out of there. Don’t wait for me. Tell my Dad everything. Tell him I’m sorry about all the lies.”

Gordy nodded.

“And tell Hiro,” Cooper paused. What would he want to tell her if he could? “Aw, forget it.”

Gordy grabbed his arm and pointed. “Look.”

The lights went out in Frank ‘n Stein’s kitchen. Mr. Stein plodded into view, shrugging on his jacket while he walked.

The bell tower chimed out the half hour like a giant grandfather clock. Cooper checked his watch. Half past nine. Mr. Stein stepped outside, locked the door, and trudged to his car.

“Poor guy looks beat,” Gordy said.

Gordy was right. The co-owner was probably covering Frank’s hours and his own. Trying to hold it all together without his partner and friend. He looked more stooped over than Cooper remembered, like he carried an extra weight on his shoulders. Maybe this next note would lead the police to the burglars, and things would lighten up for all of them.

“Think Frank will make it?” Gordy said it so quietly, Cooper barely heard. “I mean, there’s always hope. Right?”

“Yeah,” Cooper said. “There’s always hope.” Gordy didn’t need to know what he really thought.

By the time Mr. Stein pulled out of the lot and drove down Kirchoff Road, Cooper’s heart was beating like the bell tower. He hated to leave the cover of the shadows, but it was time to move.

“Let’s just get this done. On the way back we’ll grab the phone.”

Gordy nodded.

Cooper walked the bike out of the shadows, straddled it, and bumped his way along the grass. The two of them followed the bike path through the tunnel under Kirchoff Road and out the other side.

Frank ‘n Stein’s stood on the rise across the creek. Except for the neon lights, all the other lights were off. Just like last week. Cooper shuddered and felt for the envelopes in his back pocket.

Cooper coasted for twenty yards then turned into the parking lot. He stopped next to the front door and hopped off his bike. Gordy stopped right behind him. He didn’t get off his bike, but held Cooper’s in place for a fast getaway if needed.

Pressing his face up against the glass, Cooper peered inside. To a casual person driving by, or even a cop, it would look like he’d tried to get there before they closed but missed it by a few minutes.

The dining room was as still as a graveyard, with all the creepiness of one too. Halloween decorations were out in force. A skeleton hung against a dark backdrop. Somehow it seemed totally wrong to put the decorations up after the robbery.

The donation jar for Frank’s hospital expenses was on the
counter again and over half full with dollar bills and change. Cooper wondered if the lottery tickets Mr. Stein bought paid off. It looked like he’d be ready to buy more soon. The picture over the counter of the two partners had an addition now too. A handmade sign hung below the smiling image of Frank.
Please pray for my partner and friend!

Cooper felt a twinge of guilt. He’d barely prayed for Frank at all. The only prayers he’d spoken lately had to do with getting himself out of a jam. Somehow the Code of Silence had kept him from talking to God, too.

Frankenstein himself stood where he always did, guarding the ordering counter. Some guard. He didn’t do so well the other night. The eight-foot mascot seemed to be looking right at Cooper, smiling, like they shared a secret. He was part of their Code of Silence, and right now Cooper had a whole lot more confidence in the green-faced monster staying quiet than he did Hiro.

“Are you going to leave the letters or what?” Gordy whispered.

“In a second.” Maybe he shouldn’t take the time to open the door. With one more glance toward the road, he whipped the letters out of his pocket and tried sliding one end under the door. The words
Give to Rolling Meadows Police
stood out like the neon lights in the windows. The other was addressed to the Daily Herald. The envelopes jammed and bent. He tried another spot. No luck.

“Hurry.”

Cooper fished the keys out of his pocket. His hand shook.
Get a chest, Cooper. Get a chest.
He took a deep breath, held it, and slid the key in the lock.

“Good thing Hiro
isn’t
here,” Gordy whispered. “Breaking and entering. You’re really busting the law now.”

Terrific.
Cooper turned the key, and the latch clunked open. He pulled open the door, and a burglar alarm pierced the silence. Shrill and pulsing, the siren screamed loud enough to wake the dead—or get them killed.

H
e dropped the envelopes inside and grabbed the keys, not bothering to lock the door.

“Move!” Cooper hopped on his bike.

They pedaled hard out of the parking lot. In a moment they scooted out of sight in the tunnel below Kirchoff Road. It would be a great place to hide, but it was way too close to Frank ‘n Stein’s.

“Keep going!” Cooper’s voice echoed against the cement and steel of the tunnel. Even the alarm sounded louder under the road.

Gordy stood on the pedals and whipped out of the tunnel on the other side of Kirchoff.

With each turn of the crank Cooper’s mind hurled accusations at him.
You’ve blown it this time. You’re going to get caught.
Even the wind rushing against his face seemed bent on holding him back. He pulled alongside his cousin, making Gordy hunch over and drive harder, taking the lead again. In moments the two of them raced into the shadows of Kimball Hill Park.

His original plan called for a roundabout, casual ride from Frank ‘n Stein’s, one that wouldn’t look suspicious. Maybe they were being watched right now. He needed to think. Map a safe route home. Making a beeline for the house may lead the cops right to him.

“Hold up, Gordy!”

His cousin shot him a questioning look. Only when Cooper hit the brakes near the giant maple tree did Gordy react. He skidded to a stop next to him.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Cooper dumped his bike. “Just want to be sure we haven’t been spotted.” The spot gave a perfect view in all directions, including a clear shot of Frank ‘n Stein’s. He crouched down to rethink.

“Lousy alarm,” Gordy said, breathing heavily.

Cooper could still hear it, even at this distance. It was like the diner had a life of its own. It was calling out to the police, telling them where he and Gordy hid.

“Well, Hiro really missed it,” Gordy said.

And Cooper missed Hiro. In a way, the letters started out as a way to show Hiro they could help with the investigation without revealing their identity, without compromising their safety.

“Coop.” Gordy nudged him and pointed just beyond Frank ‘n Stein’s.

Two police cars raced with their lights flashing, sirens off. They squealed onto the road and headed west for Frank ‘n Stein’s. Two more squad cars roared in from the opposite direction. All four cars converged on the diner. The policemen scurried out of their cars like ants from a damaged anthill.

“Somebody heard the alarm,” Gordy said.

“Or maybe it’s wired directly to the police station.”

Cooper’s plan didn’t include his letter being discovered so soon. Not until the next morning when Mr. Stein opened up. He watched two officers approach the door. Another pair split up and ran along each side of the building toward the drive-thru menu sign in the back. Two more fanned out in the parking lot of the apartment building next door, walking between the cars and even dropping down to check underneath them.

“They came quickly,” Gordy said.

Too quickly. And two of them from the direction of the library. They
were
scoping the place out. If he’d dropped the letter at the library, they’d both be sitting in the back of a squad car right now.

“We got out of there just in time,” Cooper said.

Four more cars pulled up with blue and red lights flashing madly. The parking lot looked like some crazed light show gone bad. Two officers ran down the embankment where the creek passed the diner.

“Weird.” Gordy crouched down on the bridge. “Here we are watching them while they’re looking for us. It’s like attending your own funeral.”

“Which is exactly what we’ll have if we don’t get out of here,” Cooper said. “We’ll forget picking up the phone tonight. They’ll widen the search zone quick.”

After a quick scan in all directions, the boys crept out of the cover of darkness and mounted their bikes. In a moment they crossed the footbridge and sailed along the creek path toward Campbell Street at the other end of the park.

Fifty yards from Campbell Street a police car cruised into view. The boys pulled into the cover of some trees, dropped their bikes, and waited. The cruiser combed the sides of the road with its searchlight.

It looked like something out of an old science fiction movie. The beam reached far into the park, exposing every bench and rock in its path. It was an alien, searching for them. Sniffing them out.

Cooper and Gordy hid their bikes behind some brush and pressed themselves against the trunk of an ancient oak. The light inched their way. Cooper looked back toward Frank ‘n Stein’s. Several cars peeled out of the lot, joining the search. “Here they come.”

“We gotta get out of here,” Gordy said.

“Right.” Cooper watched the cop car inching down Campbell. “As soon as he’s out of sight, we’re gone.” The police had a net in place, and they intended to pull Cooper in. He couldn’t let that happen.