Samantha Sanderson Without a Trace (18 page)

“So, um.” Tam took another drink of water. His bottle was below the halfway mark now. “It scared me, but then I remembered I was in a very safe place to ride out a tornado. I was safer than if I were at home or at school.”

“The room is designed to withstand an F-five tornado and even up to three hundred and thirty mile per hour winds,” Mr. Hopkins said, the first semblance of something akin to a smile on his face.

“So it's a storm shelter?” Sam's father asked.

Mr. Hopkins shrugged. “Of sorts. It was here when we bought the house, put in by the builder because he was paranoid of being a victim of a home invasion.”

“I remember the realtor telling us about it, but I don't remember seeing it,” Mrs. Hopkins ventured.

“It was after we closed on the house that he showed me.” But Mr. Hopkins turned as red as Tam had been earlier.

Sam was
really
glad she wouldn't be at the Hopkins home once Jared's parents were alone.

“Continue, please, Tam,” Deputy Malone said.

“I had food and water and a bathroom. I was safe. So I didn't panic at all,” Tam said. “Until the power went out.”

Sam squirmed uncomfortably in the chair she shared with her mother, just imagining what it would feel like to be trapped in a room, all alone, tornado sirens going off, and then to lose electricity. Yep, she'd freak out big time.

“It was pitch black in there and that normally wouldn't bother me, but then I realized there may not be a backup ventilation system in place in the event of a power outage. That scared me more than a possible tornado.”

Oh, yeah, Sam would be having one of those hissy fits Makayla's always talking about.

“But the power was only out for about thirty minutes or so before it came back on. When I heard the ventilation system kick back on, let me tell you, I let out a big sigh of relief on that one, that's for sure.” Tam smiled.

No one smiled back.

“So I started to get back to the computer and that's when I realized the Internet connection was gone. I figured it was probably like some of the servers at school—if the server goes down, it needs to be manually restarted.” Tam looked at Mr. Hopkins. “In case you didn't know that about your feed into that room, that's
how yours is set up. I'd recommend you get a dedicated server strictly for that room.”

Mr. Hopkins' cheeks puffed out again.

“The Internet was gone?” Deputy Malone asked.

Tam nodded. “I knew there wasn't a chance to get it back unless I could get out. So, I started searching for another way to make contact. I went through all the supply boxes in there. Plenty of food, batteries, flashlights, heat packs, and fans, but not a single emergency cell phone.” Tam looked at Mr. Hopkins again. “Something else you should consider stocking your room with.”

“There's a phone hidden in a secret panel in the floor of the room,” Mr. Hopkins snarled. “People who are authorized to be in the room know how to access the phone.”

“Well, I didn't.” Tam drained his water bottle, not looking as nervous as before. Then again, he was probably exhausted and ready to go home and get some sleep. “I pretty much realized I was stuck there until someone let me out. I figured someone would check the room when they came home and realized the power had been off. But no one did.”

Silence filled the room once again, but this time, the air felt different. Not as much animosity, but more of everyone lost in their own thoughts about being trapped with no one coming to the rescue.

Sam wouldn't have made it, not that many days. She
was sure she'd still be curled up in a little ball, probably crying for her mom.

“After a couple of days, I knew no one was going to open that room unless they had reason to. That's when I figured I had to do something.” Tam's voice shook a little. “I decided that I would find the electrical wires and cross them until a fire started. I knew the house had an alarm system, because Jared had to turn it off for me to stay there, and I'd seen the panel. There was a fire monitoring and a carbon monoxide monitoring service.”

“You tried to set my house on fire?” Jared asked, his eyes wide.

“I didn't want to, but man, I was stuck. I'd been in there two nights and three days with no way out in sight. I didn't know about the phone, so I didn't know I had a choice.”

“But if you set an electrical fire, wouldn't that have been in the room where you were?” Sam blurted out. When everyone turned to stare at her, she covered her mouth with her hand.

Tam answered anyway. “It was a calculated risk. I'd found the fire extinguisher, so I knew if it became too dangerous I could put it out. I was hoping that the fire would cause smoke to go through the house's ventilation system or something and register enough for the alarm company to get the code of a fire and send someone.”

“Most likely, that would have worked,” Deputy Malone said. “I have the same alarm system, and even electrical fires send the alarm straight to the fire department.”

“But I didn't need to do that,” Tam said. “When I traced the wiring, I found a box with exchanges. In there, I found a phone line that was hooked up. All I had to do was splice into it, find something I could use to dial, and something to use as a mouthpiece.”

Sam stared at Tam, amazed at her friend. No way would she have been able to do all that. Maybe she wasn't as smart and independent as she thought.

“It took me some time, but I found an old coax splitter and was able to—” Tam glanced around the room. “I was able to make a call. The first time, I was so excited the call actually went through that I didn't have the interface secured. I was barely able to get my name out before the wires crossed and I lost the call.”

Sam caught her mother's eye and smiled. At least she didn't have to go down the dark and scary path.

“I took my time and spliced it up better, but it took me some time because I didn't have any electrical tape. If anything touched the exposed wires, the call would be dropped. I used a bandage and the first aid tape from the first aid kit to secure it as best I could.” Tam gave a little smile. “I guess it was good enough because I was finally able to get the call out. The next thing I knew, the door opened and I was free.”

“I still can't believe it all. It's crazy,” Makayla said.

Sam adjusted her Bluetooth headset and laid back on her bed, petting Chewy who lay beside her, much to BabyKitty's great disappointment. “I know. Tam's dad was furious, even though his mother said she was proud of her son's bravery and ingenuity.”

“What about Jared?”

Sam grinned even though her best friend couldn't see it over the phone. “I imagine things are quite strained at the Hopkins household, but Jared might be saved. It was pretty clear Mr. Hopkins had the room and neither Jared nor his mother knew anything about it. They moved in a couple of years ago. From what I heard—”

“You mean eavesdropped?”

“Whatever. Mr. Hopkins said he'd practically forgotten about the room. I don't know about that, because the room was part of the alarm system and was fully stocked, but I think their being at odds helps Jared stay out of the hot seat.”

“I can't imagine having a room like that in my house and not telling my husband,” Makayla said.

“Oh, when did you go get married and not tell me?”

“Stop.” Makayla laughed. “Seriously, do you think your dad would have a secret room that your mom didn't know about?”

“Nope, but just to be safe, I asked them both if we have a panic room in our house. They assured me we don't, which is kind of a bummer because it's really cool.”

“Have you written up your last article yet?” Makayla asked.

“No. I just don't know what to write yet.” She sat up on the bed. “And guess what?”

“What?”

“Dad told me they caught
tutorcool
. One of the kids he tried to kidnap picked him out of a lineup. Dad said he should plead guilty and will be going to jail for a long time.” That made Sam feel much safer somehow.

“That's great news.”

“Yeah. And because of Mr. Kelly's report, two area senators are talking with Tam about his project goal to get mandatory safety education programs in the public schools.”

“That's pretty awesome,” Mac said.

“Yeah, so something else I'll add to my article.”

“Okay, my turn. Guess what?” asked Makayla.

“What?” Sam rolled onto her side and propped her head on her hand.

“I talked to my mom about the whole lawyer thing.”

“How'd that go?”

“She said that it's okay if I don't know what I want to be right now.”

“See,” Sam said. “I told you.”

“She said she would rather I wait and see what God's plan is for me rather than just jumping ahead with my own ideas.”

“Cool. So hey, I'm gonna go and get my article written so I can get Mom to help me start laying out stuff to pack,” Sam said.

“I'm still so jelly. Are you still coming to my karate tournament tomorrow?”

“Of course. Mom's bringing her camera too.”

“Oh, man. Okay, later.”

Sam tossed the headset onto the desk and moved to sit in front of her computer. She opened the program to write the post. Her fingers sat still on the keyboard for a handful of minutes, until she thought through everything she'd learned again. Most importantly, to do what is necessary to learn how to keep safe. Yes, God was always in control, but learning how to be safe was just smart.

—While the staff of the
Senator Speak
is very happy to have our own Tam Lee back safe and accounted for, it is this reporter's opinion that we should all make the effort to take care. Take care to be aware of our surroundings. Take care to abide by rules set by our parents. (Yes, even the ones we think are lame.) Take care to tell the people who matter to us that they do. And to take care to put people first . . . not just a project or a promotion or a story. Because in the end, it's the connections you have in your brief time on earth that matter. Sound Off, Senators, and take care. ~Sam Sanderson, reporting

EPILOGUE

W
elcome back to Galveston, Texas,” Sam's dad said, the hint of sunburn from a few days ago already turned to a nice tan.

“Oh, I don't want to get off the ship,” Sam's mother replied. “Can we just pretend we're back in the Caribbean? Please.”

“I want to be back in Dolphin Cove, swimming with Darwin.” Sam would never, ever forget how amazing it was to swim with the rescued dolphin. She couldn't wait to show Makayla all the pictures she'd taken of the cruise.

Grand Cayman and Cozumel . . . it'd been wonderful. Sam decided she loved cruising. The ship itself was amazing, with the coolest restaurants, twenty-four hour pizza and ice cream, and two giant waterslides. They'd been on the second deck in a balcony room, where she could sit outside every night and listen to the waves. Some nights, she could even feel the spray of the water on her face when she stood at the rail.

Speaking of Makayla . . .

“Are we docked yet?”

“Yep. As of about fifteen or twenty minutes ago,” Dad answered.

“So we aren't in international waters anymore? I can use my cell?” She'd been quite upset when she learned she wouldn't be able to use her phone because of the outrageous charges. Mom had locked all their phones in the in-cabin safe until that morning.

Her mother sighed and laid her head back in the chair. “We're officially back home. The child is ready to be on her phone.”

Dad laughed, leaned over, and kissed Mom. Right on the mouth. Eww. “I bet I know someone else whose fingers are itching to check her email and see what assignments she has lined up,” he teased.

“So, can I?” Sam pushed.

“Yes. Go ahead,” Dad said.

She quickly turned her phone off airplane mode. The phone acted like it was possessed. It vibrated and dinged for a good three minutes solid. Sam began scrolling through her messages. Her breath caught as she read the last one from her best friend.

Sam, call as soon as you get this message. Felicia called, and Aubrey Damas has quit the paper. Felicia says she's pretty sure Ms. Pape is going to give the editor's job to you. CALL ME.

Sam sat in stunned silence.

A minute passed.

Two.

Three.

A slow smile made its way across her face.

So this is what it felt like to have a dream come true.

FINALLY!

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Sam uses her talents as a writer and reporter and her natural God-given ability to evaluate situations to help people whenever she can. Describe how she helped in this situation? Are there times when trying to be helpful can also be a hindrance? Explain how that could happen.

2. The disappearance of a child is a very serious situation and never to be taken lightly. Do you think the law enforcement officers tried to dissuade Sam because they didn't think she could possibly be of help? Why were they hesitant to take her seriously in their investigation?