Below the Surface

by Tim Shoemaker

  What did he really bring to the group, anyway? Coop was the leader. That was easy. Hiro was the heart. The conscience. She kept all of them in line. Gordy was the court jester, maybe. But he was also a peacemaker. He always wanted to keep them together.

  But where was Lunk’s place? What was his contribution? If a person doesn’t bring some sort of value to the table, pretty soon he won’t be invited to eat there anymore. Was he just a guest? Somebody they were reaching out to? Like some kind of Christian service project? Hey, let’s be nice to the kid whose dad walked out on him.

  So was Lunk just a charity case to the others? Did they need him — really need him — for anything? He wanted to be a protector here too, just like he was at home. And the truth was, they needed some protection. But he hadn’t done so well last night. Coop could have been killed, and Lunk was powerless to stop it. Instead, he’d run for cover and plowed his bike right into that hedge. Nice contribution to the team, Lunk.

  Did Lunk bring anything to the group? No. The answer was just as obvious, just as overwhelming as the water that surrounded him. It was only a matter of time until the others figured it out.

  He’d parked Beauty a couple of blocks away from the library. It was still early, but there was no sense in taking any chances. A public library was a wonderful place where a guy could find just about any information he needed. And the little Google search he’d been doing had proven to be even more successful than he’d hoped.

  He drummed his fingers on the desk and looked at the diagrams on the computer screen. All the specs he needed on The Getaway were right here. And it looked like he wouldn’t have to spend a dime for tools or supplies. He already had everything he’d need to do the job.

  He studied the line drawings of the stern of the boat. At the bottom of the transom, just below the waterline, there was a threaded plug. It was designed to drain all the water from under the floorboards when the boat was up on a hoist. But it would be just as effective for letting water in. It would be silent. Quick. Clean.

  He scrolled and looked at more detailed drawings. The hatch going into the cabin interested him — and one more component of his plan clicked into place.

  Just to be safe, he’d need to get on board. He had to be absolutely certain Plan A would work before he launched it. When the big moment came, he wouldn’t have time to figure out a Plan B.

  And checking the boat would provide another opportunity to spread a little fear. He could kill two birds with one stone. But he’d need to get on board today — without cover of darkness. He had to be ready to put his master plan into action if this whole thing with Kryptoski imploded. And the way he saw it . . . that could happen sooner than anyone thought.

  Hiro stood on the balcony and looked at the lake sparkling in the sunlight. What were the guys doing? She resisted the urge to text them; she didn’t want to be annoying. What she really wanted was for Cooper to text her. Start things rolling. She checked her phone again. Nothing.

  She loved being with the women. She really did. It was a nice change of pace to have a mature conversation. But she wanted to be back with the guys even more. Coop’s mom had talked to him earlier and relayed a good report. Coop had slept okay. He was sore but not as bad as he figured he’d be.

  But Coop also had a way of hiding what was really bothering him. Or he’d downplay it so others wouldn’t feel bad. Well, Hiro would feel better when she saw him for herself.

  The women were going to the outlet malls in Kenosha. Any other morning, that might have sounded fun. But not when the guys would be having adventures at the lake.

  Would the incident last night change the vacation for them? Would the guys do everything they really wanted to do — or would Coop be in too much pain? Then again, what did Coop really want from this vacation?

  Gordy was easy to figure out — he was all about the fun. And Coop almost seemed to be riding the same rails. He acted like he wanted to have fun just like Gordy. Or was the fun just a way of keeping himself distracted?

  And then there was Lunk. He was a complete mystery. What did he really want? She’d have to think on that one a bit. It would be a challenge.

  And what do you want, Hiro? She hated it when she asked herself tough questions. Before this vacation, the answer would have been easy. She wanted to hang out with her best friends. Have fun. Slip her mind into neutral and coast for two weeks before school started.

  And there were deeper things, weren’t there? Like the fear that high school was going to change things between them. What if they drifted apart? They’d be in different classes. Meet new friends. Coop had reached out to her when they’d moved to Rolling Meadows after her dad died. He and Gordy had been the best friends she could ever hope for. Then Coop pulled Lunk into their circle. Even though Hiro hadn’t liked the idea at first, now she couldn’t imagine the group without him.

  But what if Coop got sucked into a different world of friends — one that made Hiro feel like an outsider? Ridiculous. It made no sense to worry about the future. The important thing was to just enjoy her friends now, like she’d intended to do all along.

  But after last night, something had changed. If she had witnessed a murder, she might be the only one who could stop the killer. How could she have a good time and ignore the fact that something awful might have happened to that girl? Wasn’t finding the truth more important than any vacation plans? The boys seemed content with Lynn’s story. Hiro wasn’t ready to buy into it. Not yet.

  Hiro’s mom joined her on the balcony. “Are you sure you want to hang out with the guys today?”

  Hiro nodded. “You won’t feel like I’m ditching you, will you?”

  Mom put her hands on Hiro’s shoulders. “Not at all. I want you to have a good time.” She handed Hiro some money. “For lunch.” Hiro gave her a hug.

  She kissed Hiro on the forehead. “I’ll give you a ride to the beach after I finish getting ready.”

  It seemed to take her mom forever. At least the delay would give her time to process yesterday’s events. Day one of their vacation had started with a bang. There was Coop’s bizarre behavior in the water. And then the whole thing with Tommy Kryptoski and Pom-Pom Girl.

  Did they simply witness an argument — or was it a murder? Was the guy outside the ice cream shop the same guy who talked to Kryptoski at the park entrance? And if there was a connection there, what did it all mean? What about Cooper’s accident? Was it a drunk driver or someone trying to scare them? And why would somebody want to do that?

  Every time Hiro reviewed what she knew, she felt a nagging doubt that there were any connections at all. She was playing a dangerous game, at least when it came to being a good investigator. She was trying to connect too many dots when there wasn’t nearly enough evidence. She was trying to take unrelated pieces of fabric and make something out of them. A prison uniform, to be exact. And she wanted to see Tommy Kryptoski wearing it.

  Cooper hadn’t gotten a moment’s rest since Hiro got on the boat. She kept watching him like she thought he was hiding something. He deliberately took the binoculars up to the bow of the boat, just to see if she’d follow him.

  He focused on a dark blue-and-white wakeboard boat cruising along the shoreline. A man stood smiling in the open bow, coiling a rope. The boat had nice lines. The name Axis was written on the side. Cooper wasn’t sure if that was the name of the boat or a brand name. Two young families were inside. He spotted two toddlers wearing lifejackets and one set of happy-looking grandparents. A little girl was helping grandpa drive the boat. Nice. Safe.

  Hiro sat beside him. “Feel like talking?”

  “Aha,” he said. “I was right.”

  Hiro looked confused. “About what?”

  Cooper shook his head and smiled. “It doesn’t matter. What do you want to talk about?”

  “Actually, you wanted to talk to me. Last night on the way to the beach, remember?”

  How could he forget? “I’m doing better now. I’m okay.”

 
“Coop.” She paused like she was trying to pick her words carefully. “Something happened to you in the water after you planted those fish on Krypto Night. Something terrified you when you went underwater.”

  There was no denying it.

  “What did you see?”

  Did she think he’d seen the creature from the Black Lagoon or something? Cooper took a deep breath and let out a sigh. “Nothing. Just darkness. I couldn’t see the bottom.”

  She stared at the water. “So you sensed something? Maybe something in the water?”

  Cooper shrugged. “I thought I was going to die. I can’t explain it — but I’ve never felt anything like it before. I don’t even know how I got back into the inflatable boat.”

  Hiro picked at her braid. Processing, no doubt.

  “But whatever it was, it’s gone now,” Cooper said. “A towrope got caught under the boat this morning. Gordy and I had to free it from the prop.”

  She just looked at him.

  “I went underwater and I was okay. Just like normal.”

  “No feeling like you were going to die?”

  Cooper shook his head. “Not a hint.”

  “I still think you should talk it out more,” Hiro said slowly, “Something triggered that . . . attack.”

  That was a good word for it. It had been a surprise attack — hard and sudden. No warning. “Maybe there was a full moon last night or something.” Cooper tried to laugh, but it sounded hollow, even to him.

  “You bring up an excellent point,” she said. “It was nearly night then — at least, the water was dark. Maybe that’s why it didn’t happen again today.”

  “Because I could see?”

  Hiro shrugged.

  That wasn’t exactly what he’d wanted to hear. Whatever the problem was, he wanted it to be gone. History. He didn’t want it affecting him day or night. But Hiro’s words struck a chord. He knew he hadn’t seen the end of it.

  “Hey, guys,” Gordy stepped around the narrow walkway to the bow. “Krypto and his girlfriend are back.” He pointed toward the shore.

  Cooper welcomed the interruption. He didn’t want to talk about his water phobias anymore. He followed Gordy to the stern of the boat. Tommy Kryptoski was walking along the beach hand-in-hand with Lynn, the girl he’d argued with. “Looks like they’re back together.”

  Hiro joined the boys, her arms folded across her chest. “I’m still not sure she’s the same girl.”

  “Give it up, Hiro,” Lunk said. “She fits the description — perfectly.”

  “Not to me. Something was off.”

  Lunk snickered. “Now you’ve got a photographic memory?”

  Hiro gave a single nod. “Maybe I do. Which can be annoying at times.” She gave Lunk a sideways glance. “I keep seeing your face in my head.”

  Cooper smiled. He loved to see the two of them spar with each other. It kept her off his case.

  “This is their second time down the beach,” Gordy said. “What are they doing?”

  “Communicating,” Lunk said. “Probably talking it out.”

  Hiro reached for the binoculars in Coop’s hand and trained them toward the beach. “They’re not talking at all. They’re searching for something.” She kept the binoculars up to her eyes. “Kryptoski hasn’t turned her way once. He’s looking down at the beach.”

  Cooper lost interest. He scanned the lake behind him. “What would they be looking for?”

  Hiro didn’t answer. “He just kicked a clump of seaweed. What does that tell you?”

  “That maybe he doesn’t like seaweed on the beach,” Lunk said.

  Hiro sighed. “Maybe he lost something last night while he was talking to Officer Tarpy.”

  “A set of keys. His wallet. Driver’s license.” Lunk shrugged. “What difference does it make? I’m thinking we should go to town and get some ice cream or something.”

  Hiro lowered the binoculars. “You mean we should go to Scoops and see Katie.”

  Lunk’s face grew red. “I just feel like having some ice cream.”

  “Yippee Skippee.” Hiro smiled.

  “Don’t start, Hiro.” Lunk picked up a docking line and coiled it. “Hey, Hiro,” Gordy said.

  She turned toward him, but Gordy looked like he had no idea what he wanted to say. Maybe he was just trying to keep the peace again.

  “Many years ago,” Gordy said, “two high school kids were walking along that very beach at midnight. They saw this thing step out of the shadows and run right for them.”

  “Puh-lease,” Hiro said. “You’re not going to tell us another ghost story.”

  “Not ghost,” Gordy said. “Sasquatch.”

  “What?” Hiro laughed. “The big hairy ape-thing? Ridiculous. There’s never been a sasquatch sighting in this area.”

  “Really?” Gordy said. “How do you think Big Foot Beach got its name?”

  “This area used to be inhabited by Native Americans.” Hiro laughed. “And Big Foot was the name of a Potawatomi chief.”

  Gordy pasted on a look of mock confusion. “Was he really tall — and hairy?”

  “Ridiculous,” Hiro said.

  Gordy shrugged. “They never did find that couple.”

  Hiro shook her head. “Save your stories for bedtime.”

  Cooper stood at the rail and watched the beachcombers climb into a rowboat.

  “Hey,” Gordy said. “They must have found it.”

  Hiro raised the binoculars again. “Did you see them pick up something?”

  “Not exactly. Or maybe they’re giving up.”

  The two were already seated in the rowboat. Kryptoski was pulling on the oars, heading for Krypto Night.

  “You couldn’t pay me to get into a boat with that man,” Hiro said. “That girl is a fool.” Hiro lowered the binoculars.

  “Done spying on them so soon, Hiro?” Lunk said.

  “No, Mr. Lunquist, I am not. But I’m not going to be obvious about it either.”

  Kryptoski removed the tarp from the green boat, tied the rowboat to the buoy, and fired up the engine. They idled toward the south shore. He kept his eyes on the water as they crept closer and closer to the shoreline.

  Hiro raised the binoculars again. “They’re still looking for something.” She sounded excited.

  “Which means they didn’t find whatever they were looking for on the beach,” Cooper said.

  “Exactly. It also means the missing object can’t be something that was dropped on the beach when he was talking to the police. It might be something he lost from the boat.”

  Which made sense, really.

  Hiro scanned the shoreline with the binoculars. “I wish we knew what it was.”

  Gordy hiked himself up and sat on the rail. “Why don’t we do a little beachcombing ourselves? Maybe we’ll find it.”

  Hiro smiled. “Gordy . . . that’s a brilliant idea. I am truly impressed.”

  Gordy looked proud of himself. “We’ll have no idea what we’re looking for though.”

  Hiro kept her eyes on the beach. “I have a feeling we’ll know it when we see it.”

  With Krypto Night still prowling the bay area, Cooper didn’t want their little scouting expedition to look obvious. They’d already stuck their noses a little too far into Tommy Kryptoski’s business.

  They split up. Lunk and Gordy threw a Frisbee back and forth while they worked their way down the beach. Hiro and Cooper walked the beach, but tried to keep it looking casual. Hiro kept her eyes focused on the waterline, while Cooper picked up flat rocks from the shallow water and skipped them across the surface. The throwing motion seemed to loosen up his shoulder, and he kept his eyes peeled for anything unusual.

  A flip-flop. An empty sunscreen bottle. A few dead fish and plenty of seaweed. But there was nothing that looked like it held any value to Kryptoski and his girlfriend.

  A man and his chocolate Lab were playing on the far end of the beach. He threw a tennis ball into the water for the dog to retrieve.

 
; “That dog is sure having fun,” Hiro said. “Do you miss Fudge?”

  Cooper nodded. From this distance the dog looked a lot like Fudge. Dad would bring her up with him this weekend. “She’ll love the water.”

  “A lot more than Lunk does,” Hiro said. “Poor guy. But he puts up a good front.”

  Cooper agreed.

  Hiro poked his shoulder lightly. “Does it hurt?”

  Cooper pulled away and laughed. “When you do that, it does.”

  “Do you think the driver of that pickup was drunk?”

  Cooper had asked himself the same question a dozen times. “Seemed like it. Up until he took off afterward.”

  They walked in silence for a while.

  “What if it was the same guy Kryptoski was talking to in the pickup? What if he’s the guy who was watching us at Scoops?” It didn’t seem like she was looking to him for the answer. More like she was trying to come up with one of her own. “What if the driver wasn’t drunk, but this was some kind of warning?”

  Cooper glanced at her. “Like a shot over the bow?”

  “A what?”

  “When the Coast Guard is trying to get a suspicious boat to stop, they shoot a warning shot over the bow of the boat — just to let them know they’re serious.”

  Hiro nodded. “That’s exactly what I think it was. A shot over the bow.”

  “But it makes no sense. Except for that stupid prank with the dead fish, we haven’t done anything wrong.”

  “We meddled,” Hiro said. “We got involved. You blew the air horn when things went berserk on Krypto Night. I called 9 – 1 – 1.”

  Cooper thought about that for a moment. “And you’re saying the pickup that ran me into the wall was warning me to back off before something worse happens?”

  “Exactly,” Hiro said.

  Cooper scanned the water. Krypto Night was still creeping along the south shoreline. He had no problem leaving this mystery alone. He never wanted to be involved in the first place.