Code of Silence: Living a Lie Comes With a Price

by Tim Shoemaker

  “Oh no.” Cooper groaned, covering his mouth with one hand. “Hammer is coming this way.”

  Hiro’s eyes grew wide, then instantly closed tight.

  Was she praying?

  When Hiro opened her eyes, she looked normal. Relaxed.

  Cooper hoped he looked as natural.

  “Cooper MacKinnon, right?” Hammer, still wearing the mirrored sunglasses, stopped at the table and hiked one foot on the bench. “Plum Grove School.”

  “Hello, detective.”

  “Where’s your friend?”

  “Gordy?” Cooper pointed down the street. “He went to Taco Bell instead.”

  “Any reason he would want to avoid Frank ‘n Stein’s?”

  “Uh-uh.” Cooper shook his head. “He just wanted those cinnamon twist things.”

  Hammer gave a single nod. Without seeing the cop’s eyes, Cooper couldn’t tell if he believed him or not. He started back toward Frank ‘n Stein’s. He stopped and turned just as he reached the parking lot. “Come here often?”

  Cooper nodded and raised his cup. “I love their monster shakes.”

  “Did you have one Thursday night?”

  His arm froze. “Huh?”

  One corner of Hammer’s mouth turned up. “Anything you want to tell me?”

  Cooper held his gaze. Lying was an art. To master it you had to know when to stop talking and how to divert a direct question. “Yeah. You should try the monster shakes.” He sucked on the straw and kept his focus on Hammer’s sunglasses. To look down, or anywhere else would be as good as admitting he was hiding something. He held up the shake. “The chocolate is best.”

  “Maybe I will.” Hammer smiled. “We’ll have plenty of time to talk at school Monday. Did you get that permission slip signed?”

  “Already in my backpack.”

  Hammer nodded. “Monday, then.” He turned and walked to the front door, stopping only briefly to inspect the bikes.

  “He’s on to you.”

  Cooper’s leg bounced under the table. “He was baiting me. Looking for a reaction. He doesn’t know anything.”

  “You don’t think he suspects?” Hiro shook her head. “He asked if you had a shake Thursday night.”

  She looked surprised for an instant. Like something just clicked into place. She reached up and started fingering the police star necklace.

  “Hiro?”

  “What did you do with your shake Thursday night?”

  Cooper thought for a moment. “I left it on the table.”

  “With the backpack,” Hiro said. “That means they have your DNA for sure.”

  He didn’t need Hiro to tell him what that meant. Fingerprints and DNA. All the police needed to do was get a sample from him.

  Cooper poked at his shake with the straw. He felt like he was locked back inside Frank ‘n Stein’s, unable to escape. How was he going to get out of this? The surveillance tapes were a dead end. But he had to do something. He couldn’t just sit here and hope he didn’t get caught. He had to search for the robbers as hard as they were probably searching for him. But how on earth was he supposed to do that?

  Gordy flew into the parking lot holding a Taco Bell bag along with the handle grip. He didn’t pull on the brakes until he hit the grass near the picnic table. The bike skidded one way, then the other before slowing enough to hop off. He dumped the bike on the grass and strolled over.

  “Eating outside.” He jerked his thumb toward the police car. “Good idea.” Gordy dropped his half-empty bag on the table and grabbed some of Cooper’s fries. “Wonder what that’s all about.”

  “It’s Hammer,” Hiro said. “He was asking about you. Said he’d already been to your house.”

  “W-what?” Gordy took a step back, eyes wide open. “What does he want?’

  “Nothing,” Cooper said. “Hiro’s messing with you.”

  Gordy glared at Hiro and looked over his shoulder at Frank ‘n Stein’s. “Let’s get out of here.”

  Cooper couldn’t agree more. The thought of the detective coming back with more questions made him uneasy. He stuffed the last few fries in his mouth and crumpled up the bag. He swung one leg over the bench and stopped. Hammer walked out the front door—and headed their way.

  CHAPTER 17

  There’s your friend.”

  Gordy heard Hammer’s voice behind him. Now what? He turned just as Hammer strolled up, monster shake in hand. Hammer stopped to inspect Gordy’s bike, and then walked right up to him. The cop stood close. Way beyond the comfort zone.

  Gordy felt as stiff as the Frankenstein mascot himself.

  “How was Taco Bell?” The detective’s face showed no emotion. The mirrored lenses didn’t give anything away either. Gordy imagined a cold stare behind those glasses. Dark eyes. Elvis eyes.

  “Mucho bueno.” He held up the bag of twists. “I think that’s Spanish for very good.”

  And it would be mucho bueno to get away from Hammer. He should have just stayed at Taco Bell.

  “I tried the monster shake.” Hammer stirred it with the straw. “Cooper here was telling me how much he likes them.”

  “Gets one every time we come in,” Gordy said.

  “Comes here a lot, does he?” He took a sip and waited for his answer, probably enjoying the way he could make people sweat.

  “Well, yeah, sometimes. We all do.” Gordy glanced at Coop. Did he just say too much? “It’s been awhile though.”

  “Couple days, maybe?”

  Gordy took a step back. He could use a little help here.

  “Detective Hammer.” Hiro held onto her necklace as she spoke. “Would it help if I bike to Gordy’s house and bring back his signed permission form for you? I mean, then you could question him legally.”

  A slight smile creased the officer’s face. He took a long draw from his shake. “I can’t wait until Monday. You boys are officially at the top of my list. Congratulations.”

  “Look,” Coop said, pulling a pen from his pocket and writing his phone number on his napkin. “Here’s my phone number. Call my parents right now if you want. Then you can ask me anything you want. I have nothing to hide. None of us do.” He handed Hammer the napkin. “Frank Mustacci was good to us, and I want to see whoever did this to him caught and put away for good.”

  Hammer took the napkin, looked at it for a moment, then folded it and slid it in his pocket. “I think I can wait until Monday.” He held up the monster shake and saluted with it. “Thanks for the tip on the shake.”

  Gordy wanted to give him a couple tips of his own.

  Hammer headed back to his car, climbed inside, and started the engine. Gordy didn’t want to stare. He turned his back on the parking lot and listened for him to back out, but he didn’t leave. Maybe he was on the radio or something. Or maybe Hammer was just trying to rattle him.

  “We all should have gone to Taco Bell,” Gordy whispered. He’d tried to keep them all clear of Frank’s. He stuck to his guns, even though it killed him that Hiro and Coop didn’t change their mind and follow him. He’d been so sure they would. They had to stick together—even in little things like this. “Thanks for bailing me out. That guy could make a dummy sweat.”

  Hiro looked at him and raised her eyebrows. A smile surfaced and it looked like she was about to dish out a zinger.

  Gordy knew what she was thinking—and what she was probably about to say. He held up his hands to stop her. “A dummy—you know, a mannequin—like our friendly greeter at Frank’s.”

  “Ohhh.” She gave a slow nod. “You’re not sweating, though, are you?”

  He fished a handful of the twisty cinnamon things out of the bag. “You just love yanking my chain, don’t you?”

  She nodded and smiled. “Every bit as much as you love yanking mine.”

  Coop gave another slurp on his shake, obviously hitting bottom. “Let’s not talk here—just in case the detective can read lips. Let’s meet at The Getaway.” He started toward the garbage can.

  “Coop, do
n’t,” Hiro said.

  “Don’t what?”

  “Don’t toss your cup in the garbage. Bring it with you and throw it out at home.” She nodded toward the police car but kept her head down. “What if he’s waiting for you to drop that in the garbage can so he can get another DNA sample?”

  Cooper stopped and his eyes got wide.

  “Whoa,” Gordy said. “They’d match it to the one you left on the table.” Gordy didn’t know if he could take this much longer.

  Cooper nodded.

  Gordy’s legs felt shaky. Yeah. What if? Hammer would have all the evidence he’d need to make an arrest—or a surprise appearance as Elvis. How could they hold up this charade? Gordy wanted to stick with the Code, stick with Cooper, but Hiro was obviously wavering. And Gordy felt like he’d accidently spill everything if Hammer so much as turned his head toward him. How would he ever get through Monday? Even Cooper would have messed up royally if Hiro hadn’t stopped him.

  Hiro was definitely super perceptive. She had sensed danger at Frank’s the other night before either one of them. In a flash, Gordy heard her voice in his mind. “Let’s go. Please! I have a bad feeling!” Gordy wondered if Hiro was getting a bad vibe right now.

  Cooper stuffed the empty cup in his backpack. “How did you even think of that?”

  Hiro smiled. “It’s what I’d do if I were him.”

  Cooper mounted his bike. “You’re going to make a good cop someday, you know that?”

  “Better believe it.”

  CHAPTER 18

  The three of them rode back to Cooper’s house in relative silence. Hiro’s mood seemed to shift on the ride. By the time they climbed up the ladder and over the stern, she turned quiet.

  Instead of going inside the cabin, Cooper led them to the bow. He sat at the very front and let his legs dangle over the side.

  “We need to talk about that surveillance hard drive.” He could hear the raspy voice in his ear. Sunday night. Or else. He rubbed the back of his neck. He could almost feel the man squeezing.

  Gordy eyed him. “You’re not thinking of delivering it to the bell tower tomorrow night, are you?”

  “No. But I’ve got another idea. I just need to process it a little. We won’t be able to talk at church. Wanna meet here after lunch?”

  Gordy shrugged. “Works for me.”

  Hiro seemed off in another world. Cooper waved his hand in front of her eyes. “Hiro?”

  “I’ll be busy in the afternoon. But I can make it here after dinner, I guess.”

  “Okay. What’s wrong?” He hated to ask the question—because he wasn’t sure he wanted to hear the answer.

  “Twenty minutes ago I threatened a police detective.” Hiro fidgeted with her braid. “I’m supposed to be a policewoman someday, and I confronted the man on his police ethics. We’re the ones who are wrong here.”

  Cooper didn’t know what to say. She’d just bailed them out of a jam—at her own expense. In some other situation that may have made him proud or especially grateful. Right now it made him feel dirty. Like he’d stepped in the mud and wiped his shoe on her jacket.

  She rubbed the necklace. “Maybe you should have said something.”

  “Like what? Oh, by the way, we were here the other night. Saw the whole thing. Elvis and his clown pounded Frank and robbed his place. Honest. Oh, and by the way, are you Elvis?”

  Gordy snickered, but he looked a little spooked.

  “I mean, come on, Hiro. What if Hammer is one of the guys? If I say something to him, I could be playing right into his hands.”

  Her eyes filled with tears. Great.

  “My Dad would be ashamed of what I just did. Of what I’m doing. I’ve dishonored him.”

  Ouch. “What do you expect me to do?” Cooper asked.

  “Fight for the truth. Like you always used to do.” Hiro crossed her arms across her chest. “Can’t you see this is going to backfire on us? They’re going to find out, and when they do, we’ll look a lot worse than if we’d just come forward with it.”

  “But we didn’t do anything wrong,” Gordy said. “Right, Coop?”

  Cooper nodded. “You make us sound like we’re criminals or something.”

  “We’re lying to the police. We’re holding back evidence with that surveillance hard drive. That does make us criminals.”

  “C’mon, Hiro. You’re looking at this all wrong.”

  “Am I?” She stood and took a step toward him. “Your only concern is protecting yourself.”

  “What?”

  “You don’t care about anyone else.”

  Her words knocked the wind out of him just as if she’d caught him off guard with a fist to the stomach. Didn’t she get it? The Code of Silence was about protection—for all of them. Why did she think he went all the way to the back of Frank ‘n Stein’s kitchen to grab the keys? To protect them. If he didn’t they’d likely have been caught.

  “That’s not true.” He wanted to explain it to her. To show her how wrong she really was. But he stopped. He wasn’t so sure she’d hear him if he tried. And if she didn’t, the wall between them would get a little higher. The wall. Sometimes it did seem like this thing was turning into a wall.

  Then again, maybe she was just thinking about herself. How lying to the cops might mess up her chances of becoming one someday. Cooper could feel his own steam rising at that thought.

  “When are we going to visit Frank?” she asked.

  Where did that come from? Cooper wanted to say something about “lying low” again, but she looked dead serious. “I’d like to,” Coop said.

  “But you won’t.” Her voice had an edge to it.

  “I just think it might be a little risky.”

  She shook her head. “Like we’ll look suspicious somehow if we visit?”

  “Well, yeah, something like that.”

  “I’m with Cooper,” Gordy said. “Visiting Frank is crazy.”

  “Crazy?” Hiro raised her chin just a bit. “Frank is a friend. And friends visit. You don’t think it looks crazy if we don’t?”

  Gordy looked as uncomfortable as Cooper felt. “Maybe we could just send a card. We could all sign it, and, uh …”

  Always trying to keep the peace. Cooper loved that about his cousin. But the card idea wasn’t going to fly with Hiro.

  A quiet settled over them. Cooper needed options. Trouble was he didn’t have any. He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly.

  “Okay.” Cooper finally broke the silence. “The way I see it, we’re running out of road here. But I still say we wait until the last second to tell what we saw.”

  Neither of the other two spoke for a moment.

  Cooper felt they were waiting for him to say something. “We’ll come clean before any one of us goes into Detective Hammer’s interrogation.”

  Gordy thumped his fist on his chest. “I can bluff my way through with Hammer. I’m for sticking with the Code.”

  “And what about his baloney detector?” Hiro said.

  “I’ll be like a rock. Nobody will get anything out of me.”

  Cooper held up his hands. “Hold on, Gordy. We can’t take a chance with the interrogation, no matter how sure we are about sticking to the Code.”

  Hiro nodded. Gordy looked like he was ready to say something, but Cooper held up his hand to stop him. He had to finish this thought. “But we can’t just go to school Monday morning and spill to Hammer either. Not alone.”

  Gordy nodded. “Exactly. If he really is Elvis, we’re toast.”

  “Sooo,” Hiro’s eyes narrowed. “What are you saying?”

  “If we don’t hear they’ve caught the robbers by the evening news on Sunday night, I’ll tell my parents everything. We can go to the police together if you want.”

  “If we go as a group,” Hiro said, “we’ll be safe. I’ll bring my brother too.”

  Cooper shrugged. “Why not? The more of us that go to the police station, the better. They can’t get all of us.”


  Hiro smiled. It was just a quick one. A flash of teeth and then gone again. But it was enough for Cooper to know the old Hiro was still there. Still loyal. He didn’t know what he’d do if that ever changed.

  “Why wait until Sunday night?” Hiro pleaded. “Let’s get this over with.”

  “Because I’m praying the robbers will be caught before then and we won’t have to get involved at all.” Praying? Why did he even use that word? He’d been worrying plenty, but praying was a different story.

  Hiro looked like she was wrestling with something. Like how to convince Cooper they should turn themselves in right now.

  “Okay. I’ll wait.” She folded her arms across her chest.

  Gordy shot her a suspicious look. “Why the sudden change of heart?”

  “We’re only talking twenty-four hours.” She nodded. “It will be here before we know it.”

  That’s what Cooper was afraid of.

  CHAPTER 19

  Just talk to him, Hiroko. Like you would at the diner.”

  Hiro looked at her mom, and then back at Frank Mustacci. Oxygen tubes in his nose. IV’s trailing into his arm. Wires running to monitors with printers graphing his vitals. It was a little hard to imagine talking to him like this at Frank ‘n Stein’s. He needed to be wearing his white apron instead of the hospital gown. And his hands needed to be doing something. Loading relish on a dog. Piling beef on a bun. Something. She’d never seen his hands so still. Now that she was here, she had no idea what to say.

  Maybe her mom sensed it. She had a way of knowing what people were thinking. Mom also had a way of not pushing. She cradled one of Frank’s hands in her own and stroked it gently.

  Hiro wanted to do the same. But she couldn’t. She pictured him laying on the floor of the diner. When she thought he was dead. He didn’t look any more alive than he did that night.

  “Do you remember how confused I was when I first worked for you?” Her mom’s voice was soft. Soothing. “I mixed up orders. Gave customers fries when they ordered onion rings. Put hot peppers on their beef when they ordered sweet. But you knew it was the grief, didn’t you? Remember what you told me?”