Code of Silence: Living a Lie Comes With a Price (8 page)

Riley Steiner and his pack actually scanned the room, like finding the witness was a game.

Hammer looked down at the gym floor and then looked at the students again. “You’ll be helping us catch a brutal criminal, and you may just be saving your friend’s life. The man who put Frank Mustacci in a coma will want to silence an eyewitness as well.”

The student body had never paid attention like this for any assembly Cooper had ever seen. Hiro squirmed next to him.

Hammer paced along the front row of the bleachers and waved the folder in the air. “In this folder I have the names of thirty-two boys who may fit one of the key pieces of evidence we found at the crime scene, and we’ll narrow that number by at least ten before the day is over.”

A list? Cooper wanted to slip between the boards at his feet and hide under the bleachers. Was his name on that list?

“We’re talking about a witness to an attempted murder and armed robbery.” Detective Hammer paused and scanned the crowd slowly.

Stay calm, Coop. Stay calm.

“We will find our witness. But if you know something, please talk to one of us. To do anything less is really helping the suspect get away with murder … or attempted murder. Nobody wants to live with that on their conscience.”

Cooper felt a tremor pass through Hiro.

Was she buying this nice cop routine? Clown face was wearing a cop uniform. So was Elvis. If police were involved in the robbery somehow, none of them could be trusted.

“Now, we intend to interview many of you. All of you if necessary. Each of you will receive a permission slip explaining the
process. The interviews will start Monday and will be conducted by a trained juvenile officer with at least one of your parents present.”

Cooper stared at his feet. No way did he want to go through an interview. How would he bluff his way through
that?
And Gordy? He’d never make it.

“I’ll sit in on most of the interviews personally,” Hammer said. “And I’ll tell you right now,” he tapped the side of his head, “I have a built-in boloney detector.”

The cop paced back to the podium and leaned on it. “Let me say one more thing. We’ve got fingerprints right now. We’re working on DNA samples, and I’ve got one other piece of evidence that will open the door to finding our witness. It’s just a matter of time. I believe he’s right here in this gym.”

Muffled gasps escaped from groups of girls clinging together all over the bleachers. Like they thought the witness was a criminal, too.

I’m a victim.
Cooper felt like his stomach was going to turn itself inside-out. What other piece of evidence? What would open the door?
A key. My house key to be exact.

“Let me say this directly to the witness: You are holding up a criminal investigation. Not smart. Don’t wait for the interviews Monday. See me after the assembly.”

Fat chance. The truth was, the police should focus on finding the guys who nearly killed Frank. Or maybe Cooper would have to find a way to find them himself.

Hammer brought the mic closer to his mouth. “And one more thing. You
need
protection. The longer you wait to come forward, the greater the chance you’ll be found by the suspect or suspects. That’s just plain crazy. I can help you.”

The detective was using scare tactics now. Cooper was sure of it. But it was working.

Hammer paused and gave a long hard stare to the crowd as if he was watching for someone to blow their cover with a nervous
twitch. “You come see me. Time to give it up.” One corner of his mouth turned up in a crooked smile. “Either way, I gottcha, boy.”

I gottcha, boy.
The words seared Cooper’s mind like they were fresh off Frank’s grill. The same words the Clown used at the door.
God help me. He’s one of them!

H
is mind shifted into high gear, but he wasn’t gaining any ground. An elbow in his ribs brought him back to reality.

“It’s over,” Hiro said.

The assembly or their plan to keep quiet? Cooper wasn’t sure which one she meant. Students all over the bleachers stood and started filing out. He could hear snatches of excited conversations. Jake, Kelsey, and Emily were talking over each other now, each of them guessing what had happened to poor Frank. Cooper knew exactly what happened, but he didn’t dare tell a soul. Gordy sat next to him in stunned silence.

Lunk’s face had no more color than Hammer’s manila folder with the thirty-two names. Pulling a pen from the corner of his mouth, Lunk turned toward Cooper and Hiro.

“Mr. Mustacci is the nicest man I know,” he said, quietly.

And he’s alive. Thank God.
Cooper nodded. “He always treated us good. Like we were people, not just kids. Hiro’s mom used to work there.”

Lunk worked the pen between his fingers, turning it end over end. “He gave me a job three weeks ago.” Then as if he guessed their question, he went on. “I’m 15, so I can work until seven on school nights. And all day Saturday. Gives me meals, too. All I want.”

Normally Hiro wouldn’t let an opportunity like that go without a comeback, but this time she remained silent, staring at her shoes. Then again, Lunk only had good to say about Frank. How could she argue with that? Frank’s goodness was probably the only thing on Earth they both agreed on.

Lunk kept talking—almost like he was in a daze. “I filled out applications everywhere. Mom didn’t want me to take a job, but the rent went up.”

Cooper didn’t know what to say. Lunk wasn’t the type to open up.

“None of the other places even called me for an interview. Mr. Mustacci didn’t care that I had no job experience. He gave me a chance.”

Goose bumps rose on Cooper’s arms. Those were nearly the same words Frank used when the two men forced him to give them the combination to the safe. He had given
someone
a chance—someone who betrayed him and told the wrong people about the safe, and how Frank didn’t trust banks.

“How could anybody hurt him?” Lunk’s eyes narrowed to slits as dark as his hair.

Hiro finally found her tongue. “Exactly what I was thinking. They’d have to be total jerks. Morons. Scum-of-the-earth, cold-hearted bullies that deserved …”

“Hiro,” Cooper interrupted.

She set her jaw and glared at Lunk.

Lunk didn’t look offended. “If I find the person who did this, or the witness who is messing up the investigation …” He bent the pen nearly in half and tossed it between the bleacher boards.

Cooper heard the pen clatter against the steel supports on its way down. He had a feeling Lunk would do the same thing to him if he found out he was at Frank ‘n Stein’s last night.

Like the starting gun at a race, the bell signaling the end of the last period triggered Cooper into action. Leaping to his feet, he
stuffed his books in his backpack and slung it over his shoulder on the run. He’d play offense now. Rather than slinking around the halls, afraid of cops questioning him, he could finally get out of the school.

He caught up to Hiro and Gordy. Together they merged into the crowd bottlenecked at the doors leading to the parking lot—and freedom. Policemen stood at every exit handing out neon yellow sheets of paper. Great. The permission form.

Hiro nudged him. “How do we handle
that
?”

Cooper didn’t answer. A police interview would change everything. It was one thing not to go to the police—not to
offer
information. It was another thing to lie to them.

The crowd funneled into single file lines at the doors, and the police didn’t miss one student. “Have a parent read and sign this,” the cops repeated with almost every new student. “Bring it back Monday.”

Taking one of the forms, Cooper folded it in half and buried it in his backpack. The pack felt heavier for it. And exactly how was he going to bring the topic up to his parents? Hiro started reading her form as they walked.

Gordy pulled on his arm and stopped him as soon as they had cleared the doors. “Check that out.”

Cooper followed the direction of his gaze. The cops were all over the bike rack area. One of the officers held a camera and took pictures of every bicycle.

“Good call on riding the bus today,” Gordy said.

Hiro looked up at Cooper. “They’ll probably show the pictures to their witness.”

The driver that almost hit him.

She leaned in close. “You heard what Lunk said about Frank giving him a chance?”

“Kinda spooky, right?”

Hiro hugged herself and kept walking. “He’s part of this. Along with his dad. I feel it.”

“But he
likes
Frank,” Cooper said.

Hiro gave an exasperated groan. “So he’s a good actor.”

“Seemed real to me.”

When Cooper noticed Detective Hammer, he was almost on them. It was impossible to see his eyes through the mirrored lenses of his aviator-type sunglasses. No accident there.

“Got your permission slip, guys?” Hammer said. The detective still had the manila folder in one hand.

“In my backpack.”

The Detective nodded. “Good. You boys in seventh or eighth?”

Cooper felt his face grow warm. He stood taller without trying to look obvious. “Eighth.”

“Then you’re on my list.” Hammer opened the folder. “Names?”

What was going on?
“Cooper MacKinnon.”

“G-Gordon Digby. But I go by Gordy. Cooper started it, and it just stuck. Even my Mom calls me Gordy now.” He talked fast and took a step back.

“There you are.” He made a notation in his folder. “I like putting names with faces.” He looked directly at Cooper.

For a second Cooper couldn’t talk—couldn’t breathe. He stared at Hammer’s mirrored lenses. All he saw was his own face in each lens looking back at him.
Does he recognize me? He couldn’t. It was the guy with the raspy voice that really saw me. Mr. Clown.

The detective tapped the folder. “Get that permission slip signed.”

He turned to Gordy. “You okay Mr. Digby? You seem a bit nervous.”

Gordy swallowed. “Perfect.” His voice cracked.

Hammer cocked his head to one side. “Trying to test my baloney detector?”

“No sir,” Gordy stammered. “I’d never do that.”

A smile parted the detective’s lips slightly. “Something tells me you could slice up enough baloney to feed half your school.”

Hiro slid between Cooper and Gordy and hooked their arms.
“And I’m the lucky girl who has these phony baloneys for best friends.” She rolled her eyes and tugged the boys toward the curb. “And if they make me miss the bus, I’m really going to turn them into dead meat.”

Hammer’s head rocked back with a burst of laughter. “Better get going, guys.” He motioned them toward the line of buses along the edge of the parking lot. “She’s tough.”

Still holding them by the arms, Hiro whisked them away toward the buses.

“Nice save, Hiro,” Cooper said.

“You’re welcome. But we need to talk. This isn’t over—you know that, right?”

Cooper stopped outside their bus. “Yeah. We’re on the list.” He glanced back toward the school entrance. Hammer was still standing where they’d left him—watching them.

“And after the way Gordy acted so nervous,” Hiro said, “I think you two just moved to the top.”

C
ooper didn’t dare say a word about it on the bus ride home. What if somebody else overheard him? Thanks to Hammer’s little speech in the gym, kids were on high alert, suspicious of anybody but their closest friends. Kids on the bus huddled close together and talked, sometimes pointing to other riders.

He had to think. The situation had heated up a lot faster than he expected it would. He’d convinced himself that all he really had to do was keep quiet. Stick to the Code. But that wouldn’t be enough anymore.

Cooper tried to push that thought out of his head. The important thing was that they made it. They got through day one. And Frank was alive.

The three of them left the bus together and stood watching it pull away down Fremont Street.

“We need to talk about this,” Hiro said.

Cooper started walking toward his house. “There’s nothing to talk about.”

Hiro caught up to him. “Really? Well, maybe I have one of those baloney detectors now, because I can tell you’re full of it.”

Gordy jogged a few steps ahead, turned around and walked
backwards. “Look, let’s just forget about it all for awhile. This is Friday. Tomorrow is Saturday. And then we have Sunday.”

Hiro put her hands on the sides of her head and shook it in obvious frustration. “And what comes after Sunday, Mr. Calendar?”

Gordy fell in step alongside them. “Monday?”

“Right. And your own personal interrogation by a juvenile officer.”

Gordy groaned. “Did you have to bring that up?”

“We need a plan,” Hiro said. She picked at her braid. “We have to
do
something.”

For a second Cooper had that feeling they were being watched. He glanced up and down the street, but didn’t notice anyone. Not even a car. “Look,” he said. “You’re right. Meeting one-on-one with the police could be disastrous.”

“
Could
be?” Hiro cocked her head to one side.

“Maybe we could call in sick Monday,” Gordy said.

“You’re smarter than that.” Hiro tapped Gordy’s forehead. “And that won’t look suspicious?”

Gordy mumbled something, but Cooper couldn’t quite make out what he said. It wouldn’t be hard to guess.

Cooper sat on the curb. Hiro and Gordy sat beside him. For a minute nobody said a word. He figured they were both waiting for him to speak. He felt their eyes on him.

“What if …” he tried to focus his thoughts, “What if we try to figure out who the robbers are ourselves?”

Hiro looked at him. “And how would we do that?”

“The back-up hard drive.”

“You mean look at the surveillance tape?”

“Why not? If there’s a camera in the office we may get a look at Mr. Lucky’s face.”

Hiro stood. She fingered her necklace like it was a source of investigative inspiration. “Or maybe the other two had their masks off while they worked on the safe.”