The Lies That Bind

26: White Picket Fence

"Is that right?"

"He never shuts up about you."

"Excuse me." Cooper glared at them from around the corner. "I can hear you."

"Good." Amelia beamed at him. "I was just telling Calla how utterly in lo—"

"Alright!" Cooper cut in, blushing as he took Calla's backpack and luggage, dragging it over to the corner with his own belongings. "Enough of that."

Calla followed him over to their bags, cognizant of Amelia Daniels as she retreated to the kitchen. "I have it," Calla told him quietly.

Cooper rubbed his index finger over one of the scuffs on her suitcase. "That sounds ominous."

"I dug up the flashdrive Steph buried."

"Yup." He started on a second, larger scuff mark. "Ominous. I love being right."

"Half-right. This is a good thing," Calla emphasized, growing more animated as she spoke. "Michaels screwed up. He—"

Cooper shot her a warning look. "Not so loud."

"He killed her," Calla whispered, looking up to make sure Amelia was still in the kitchen. "Jeannette Michaels. Bashed her over the head with a tire iron."

Cooper flipped her suitcase over, analyzing its other side. "Just when I thought I couldn't hate the guy more, let's add a dash of domestic violence to the picture." He paused his assessment of her luggage to ask, "How exactly did Steph find this information?"

"The footage came from the gas station on the edge of town." Calla waited to see his reaction. "You know the one." He nodded. "The security cameras caught everything. If I had to guess, she probably was trying to make a run for it, but he caught up to her. It looked like he was trying to talk her out of it, at first..."

Cooper grimaced. "At first."

"And when that didn't work, out came the tire iron. Looked like he was in shock, after the fact. Like he hadn't planned on hurting her."

"Jesus." Cooper straightened, suitcase forgotten. "How the hell did Stephanie get her hands on the video?"

Calla had been wondering the same. "No idea. But right before the clip cuts off, Michaels looks directly at the camera. Like he just remembered it was there. I'm guessing he had to pull some serious strings to get the evidence erased."

"Until some seventeen-year-old girl came along and hacked who knows what to dig it back up." Cooper shook his head. "The FBI should recruit her, or something. It's honestly impressive."

"Coop," Amelia called from the kitchen. They both looked up, startled. "Do you want to take this casserole back with you?"

He forced a smile. "Do you even have to ask?" 

"Well, silly me." She set the casserole aside and held up a warning finger. "Do not steal my good tupperware, young man. You'd better bring this container back next time. You hear me?"

"Yes, ma'am," Cooper mumbled. Calla watched on, thoroughly amused by the scolding. "Oh, hush," he said, taking her hand in his. He led her down the hall to his bedroom.

"Where do you think you're going?" his mother asked. 

"Forgot something in my room," he called back.

"I bet you did," she said to their retreating backs. "Keep that door open!"

Calla suppressed a laugh. "I'll keep him honest, Ms. Amelia."

Cooper dragged her into his room, impatient. "You've got jokes. I'll keep him honest," he mimicked. "As if you aren't the one who taught me how to lie."