Code of Silence: Living a Lie Comes With a Price

by Tim Shoemaker

  Hiro gave a little snort.

  Gordy’s back slumped a little more. He took a bite.

  Wiping her mouth with a napkin, Hiro gave Cooper a sideways glance. “And then there’s the DNA evidence.”

  By the look on his face, he hadn’t thought of that.

  “Your sweatshirt. One piece of hair in that hood and you’re pinned to the crime scene. It’s probably at the crime lab right now,” Hiro said.

  Swallowing, Gordy looked from Cooper to Hiro. “But still, they’d have to get a DNA sample from Cooper to match it. Right?”

  Hiro reached across the table and plucked a hair from Gordy’s head.

  “Hey,” Gordy said, batting her hand away. “What’s that all about?”

  “Do you honestly think the police can’t get a DNA sample if they really want it?” She looked at Cooper, wishing he’d understand, hoping he’d rethink the whole strategy of staying silent. “You’re in danger, Cooper. We all are, but you especially. Our Code of Silence isn’t going to keep the things you left behind from telling them everything they need to know.”

  CHAPTER 10

  Ten minutes later Hiro threw up what little of the lunch she ate. Right there at the table. Mertz, Bowens, and Barbour leapt from the adjoining table screaming and pointing, drawing more attention to Hiro. Students clapped and cheered. Hiro hung her head and cried.

  Cooper glared at Mertz—huddled together with her two clones. Like they’d never seen someone sick before. They made Cooper queasy just looking at them.

  “Let’s get you some fresh air, Hiro,” Cooper said, holding one of her arms and helping her to her feet. Gordy grabbed all three of their backpacks, stuffed the last of his sandwich in his mouth, and walked on the other side of her. Five minutes outside made all the difference. Even her voice sounded stronger.

  “I’m sorry, Coop,” she said. “I’m just so scared.”

  He totally understood the feeling.

  Halfway through sixth period, Principal Shull’s voice crackled over the PA system. All students were directed to proceed to the auditorium immediately. Any reason to cut class short should have been cause for celebration. Instead, Cooper shuffled along with the herd, keeping his head low.

  Climbing to the top row of the bleachers, Cooper sat between Hiro and Gordy. Cops milled around everywhere on the maple gym floor below. Like sentinels at each door, they stood in their blue uniforms, ready to grab their eyewitness, if they could only figure out who it was.

  “I don’t like it,” Gordy whispered. “Do they know something?”

  “Yeah,” Cooper said. “But not enough.” He stuffed his backpack at his feet.

  Jake sat two rows down, next to Kelsey and Eliza. It seemed they hadn’t stopped talking since they’d started at his locker.

  Riley Steiner, Trevor Tellshow, and Walker Demel sat in the front row, which was totally weird for them. For any other assembly they’d be sitting in the back, having their own little party. After the visit from Principal Shull and the cops in Miss Ferrand’s class, they obviously knew they were in the clear. They seemed intensely interested in knowing the trouble somebody else was in.

  Hiro leaned close to Cooper. “If a violent crime isn’t solved in the first 72 hours, the chances of it ever being solved go way down.”

  Great. Only fifty-five hours to go.

  Cooper saw Lunk mount the stairs and head their way. The kid was big enough to be in high school. Actually he should be in high school. For some unkown reason he’d been held back before he moved to Rolling Meadows. And it could stay a mystery for all Cooper cared. It wasn’t the kind of thing he’d want to ask Lunk about. Being held back didn’t have anything to do with smarts, though. The guy was sharp. Like always, he walked alone and wore a black t-shirt and faded camouflage pants.

  Lunk kept coming, like he deliberately intended to sit close to them. Cooper felt Hiro tense next to him. When Lunk made eye contact, Cooper nodded and managed a smile.

  Sitting on the wooden bench directly in front of them, Lunk turned just far enough to see them. “Hey, Coop.” He nodded at Gordy. “Gordo.”

  “Hey.” Gordy hardly looked up.

  Lunk grinned at Hiro. “Thanks for the entertainment at lunch. Eat a bad egg roll or something?”

  Hiro glared. “No actually, but I saved one for you.”

  A smile spread across his beefy face. “The lunch lady must have had some too ‘cause she heaved all over the table while she was trying to clean up your mess.”

  Gordy’s eyes brightened. “Really?”

  “Yeah. She came out with a bucket and a pair of gloves, but before she could even—”

  “Stop,” Hiro interrupted, covering her ears. She took shallow breaths and squeezed her eyes shut. For a moment Cooper thought she was going to lose it again. Gordy slid a couple of feet away from her.

  Lunk’s face registered a clear victory. “Did I mention Candy Mertz wasn’t looking so good either?”

  Hiro pressed her hands tighter against her ears. “No more.”

  Principal Shull stepped up to the podium. “All right, students, quiet down.” He raised his hands in the air.

  Within seconds the entire auditorium went silent and still, like they’d been unplugged. It seemed everybody wanted to know why the police were there.

  “Thank you.” The principal lowered his hands. “This afternoon we have a very serious matter to talk to you about.” He paused and scanned the crowd. “I’m going to ask Rolling Meadows Police Detective Hammer to explain. Please give him your full attention.”

  Hammer marched across the maple wood floor to the podium, his footsteps echoing from bleacher to bleacher. “I’m going to get right to the point,” he said, waving a folder in one hand.

  Cooper tried to analyze his voice. Did it sound like a DJ? Anybody’s would with a microphone like that.

  Hammer lowered the folder and scanned the crowd. “Last night a violent robbery took place at Frank ‘n Stein’s, right in town. One of the owners was brutally beaten. He’s in a coma in the ICU at Northwest Community Hospital.”

  The crowd broke into hushed whispers. Cooper didn’t have to fake a look of surprise. Frank was alive? He glanced at Hiro. She stared straight ahead, her mouth slightly open. Lunk didn’t turn around, but his shoulders slumped.

  “We have at least one eyewitness who saw a male, possibly twelve to thirteen years old, fleeing the crime scene on a bike. The boy nearly got hit by a car and admitted to witnessing the robbery.”

  Cooper held his breath. Could anyone hear his heartbeat?. It thundered in his ears, and his stomach clenched. Gordy put a hand on his leg and squeezed.

  Hammer took the cordless mike out of the podium stand and walked toward the bleachers. “Between the description from our eyewitness and evidence found at the scene, we are convinced the person who fled the diner is a student at Plum Grove Junior High.”

  A gasp escaped from the student body, and immediately the bleachers were alive with talk.

  Cooper couldn’t speak, even if he wanted to.

  “Hold on.” Hammer raised the file folder with one hand until the wave of talk receded. “The police are looking for your cooperation here. If you know anything, if you suspect anyone, I need you to have the guts to talk to one of us. We’re looking for a male. We believe he is in the eighth grade. He carries a black backpack. He owns a dark gray zip-up hoodie from Old Navy. He’s missing his English book. He may have some fresh scrapes and bruises. This boy rides a mountain bike—the color may be brown or orange.”

  Again the crowd erupted in excited talk. Kelsey Seals and Eliza Miller huddled close to each other, looking around like they may get attacked.

  Cooper’s head reeled. They would find him. How could they not? But his bike was silver. That would help. The orange glow from the parking lot lights must have—

  “There’s something you need to know.” Hammer stood with one hand on his hip until the room was silent as a tomb. “The boy who witnessed this is probably
scared. And for good reason. He’s in real danger.” Hammer paused, letting those words sink in. “Maybe it’s a friend of yours. You need to help him. Maybe you noticed someone acting strange, out-of-character, or nervous this morning. You come see one of us.”

  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!

  CHAPTER 11

  His 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 hi
s 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.