The Super Spies and the High School Bomber (11 page)

“I overheard them talking at Hinkle's.”

Jackie shook her head in disbelief. “We've got to do something.”

Sarah chewed on her thumbnail. “You got that right. We've got to find out who they were trying to get with that bomb.”

“How are we going to find that out?” Lacey placed her hands on her hips.

“We need to talk to Scott,” Sarah said.

“I'll give him a call.” Lacey pulled her phone out of her pocket and punched numbers. She walked out of the hospital to get better reception.

Jackie watched her go then faced Sarah. “How's your uncle?”

“He's out of surgery, but we won't know anything until he wakes up.”

Jackie put her arm around Sarah and gave her a squeeze. “He's alive, Sarah.”

Tears welled in Sarah's eyes. She wiped them away and nodded. “That's right.” She drew a shuddering breath and gave Jackie a grateful smile. “We have to find these guys before they set off another bomb.”

“No doubt.”

“I wonder who the target is.” Sarah's lips pressed into an angry line.

“I have no clue.”

“It had to be one of the teachers. The bomb exploded during a faculty meeting.”

“That's right,” Jackie said, with an emphatic nod. “There weren't very many students in the school when the bomb went off.”

Lacey strode back into the hospital. She closed her phone and weaved between people until she reached the other two girls. “Scott will be here in fifteen minutes.”

“Great,” Sarah said. “Let's go up and see if there's any change in Uncle Walt's condition.”

“Okay,” Lacey said.

The girls traveled toward the stairs. Moving between people in the hallway, Sarah welcomed the isolation of the stairwell. Most people took the elevators so the foyer was quiet. As she climbed, Sarah's mind wandered back to the two men she had overheard earlier. She chewed her thumbnail. A spark of anger started in her belly.
Why would these men bomb the high school?
Frustrated and angry, Sarah reached the second floor and pulled open the door. She strode into the lobby, the other two girls trailed behind her.

When she reached the waiting room, Sarah rushed inside and found her aunt sitting in a chair, paging through a magazine. Sarah could tell she wasn't reading the words. The crease between her brows seemed more pronounced and she wore a worried frown.

“Hey, any news?” Sarah asked with a hesitant smile. She sat down in the chair next to her aunt and leaned on her knees with her hands.

“No, he hasn't woken up yet.” She gave Sarah a tired smile.

Lacey and Jackie stood by her side. The group huddled together in an awkward silence. Sarah grew restless and sighed as she and tried to think of a plan.

She cleared her throat. “Aunt June?”

“Yeah?” She continued flipping through her magazine.

“What should we do?”

Aunt June glanced up. “What?”

“Well…ah…what should we do?”

“There really isn't anything you can do.” She smiled at Sarah and stroked her hair, then turned back to her magazine.

Sarah, Lacey, and Jackie all exchanged a look. Sarah chewed on her thumbnail as she gazed around the room. She took in the uncomfortable furniture and the outdated magazines.

Thinking about the two men and their plan, Sarah fidgeted. She pulled her thumb out of her mouth and stood abruptly. As she paced the room, she tried to figure out what the Super Spies next step should be.

“You're getting antsy, aren't you?” Aunt June glanced up from her magazine and frowned.

“Yeah, I am.” Sarah nodded.

“Why don't you girls go to the library? Meet me back here in about an hour. Sitting here worrying isn't going to do your uncle any good.”

Sarah almost clapped. “Okay, we'll be back in an hour.”

Lacey and Jackie followed Sarah out into the corridor. They hurried down the hall and back out into the stairwell. The girls rushed down the stairs and made it back to the main lobby just in time to meet Scott.

Scott walked in the door wearing a nervous smile. He spied the girls and hustled over to them. He greeted them with a quick nod.

“Hey,” Sarah said, brushing her hair away from her face. “We have to talk.”

“Let's go outside.” Scott gestured toward the door.

They walked out and the sun hit Sarah full force with its brilliance. Hesitating, she blinked and waited for her eyes to adjust.
This is what deer must feel like when they're blinded by headlights.

“Let's go back to Hinkle's,” Lacey said.

“Okay.” Sarah moved forward and the rest of the Super Spies fell into step with her. “We have so much to tell you.” Sarah peered at Scott.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“I've got a lot to tell you guys, too.”

After a fifteen minute walk, the Super Spies ambled inside the restaurant. The breakfast rush was over. A few stragglers loitered over their coffee cups or read the local paper; otherwise the restaurant was empty. The waitress appeared carrying menus and motioned for them to follow her. After being seated, Sarah ordered a soda and the rest of the teens followed suit. The server hurried away to fill the order.

Sarah watched her walk away and then turned to Scott and filled him in on the midnight adventure. She finished with the morning events while the waitress came back with their sodas.

“So…” Sarah dug into her pocket for the napkin with the license plate number scrawled on it. “Can you find out who this plate belongs to?” She slid it across the table toward Scott, avoiding the rings of moisture left by their glasses.

Scott picked it up and studied the license number. “Yeah, I'll stop by the station and see if I can get Wilson to run it for me.” He stuffed the napkin into his pocket. “By the way, the Fibbies are up at the high school now.”

“Fibbies?” Sarah asked.

“The FBI.”

“What does that mean?” Jackie blew a wayward curl out of her eyes.

Scott leaned forward and whispered. “It means that it was definitely a bomb that destroyed the school. And it means that you guys probably shouldn't be running around there looking for clues.” He gave Sarah a measured look.

“What?” she asked.

“You don't want to mess with the Fibbies.”

“I'm not. I'm just going to find out who did this to Uncle Walt,” Sarah retorted. She looked away from Scott and flicked her hair with an impatient hand.

“I know, but I'm telling you, don't mess with the FBI.” Scott tapped the table with his index finger for emphasis. “They're a lot tougher than my dad.”

Sarah sighed and stared at Scott. “Thanks for the warning. So what about the cabin we found last night?”

“It sounds like they kept the bomb materials there,” Scott said with a frown.

“Are you telling me that the things we saw were ingredients for a bomb?” Sarah asked.

Scott nodded.

“Are you kidding me?” Lacey clutched Scott's arm. “What does all this mean?”

“It means that we found the bomber's hideout,” Jackie said.

Sarah pursed her lips. “That's right, but I'm wondering what was in the barrels?”

“Probably fuel oil,” Scott said.

“How do you know all this?” Sarah asked.

“I did some research last night on the Internet.”

“It's on the Internet?”

“Yeah.” Scott nodded. “Anybody can look it up anytime.”

“Why is the FBI here?” Sarah demanded.

“They come whenever there's been a bomb.”

Jackie leaned forward. “Why?”

“It's a Homeland Security thing. You know, just in case the bombers are terrorists.”

Scott's words hit Sarah like a punch in the stomach. Her belly tightened into a hard knot, and her breath left her body as if she had physically been walloped.
Terrorists
?

 

 

Sarah struggled to breathe. She sucked in short, shallow gasps of air.

Terrorists
? She couldn't wrap her mind around the concept.
Terrorists in Harrisburg? What is going on?
Sarah took another breath, deeper than the last one, and her chest loosened. Relief flooded through her body. Hearing a clamor, she glanced around the restaurant and witnessed the regulars from local businesses coming in for their mid-morning break.

“What do you mean, terrorists?” She swung around and faced Scott, waiting for his answer.

Scott must have seen the fear in Sarah's eyes. He cleared his throat. “Yeah, whenever there's a bomb like this, the FBI and Homeland Security automatically become involved.”

“Homeland Security is here too?” Sarah's stomach clenched even tighter. She shook her head. “Yeah, but terrorists in hicksville Harrisburg?”

“I know it doesn't make sense, but this same type of bomb has been used in terrorist attacks. They're not going to rule anything out until they get a look at the evidence.”

Lacey blanched at the news. “I don't believe it.”

“Yeah, this is totally out there.” Jackie frowned and pulled on a curl.

Sarah and Jackie exchanged a look. Fear along with questions lurked in her friend's dark eyes.

“What do we do next?” Jackie asked.

Sarah shook her head. “I'm not sure.” Sarah slouched in the booth and sighed, as the enormity of the situation settled in.

Scott studied Sarah. “Why don't I run this plate and then we'll go from there.”

Sarah perked up. “Yeah, how long does something like that take?”

“I don't know. It depends on how busy it is at the station.”

“Why don't I go with Scott?” Lacey suggested.

“Yeah,” Sarah said with a nod. “Jackie and I'll go check on Uncle Walt. Let's meet at the willow tree in a couple of hours.”

The Super Spies finished their sodas and then paid for them. Sarah's heart felt heavy as she left the restaurant.
What if there are terrorists in Harrisburg
? She chewed on her thumbnail. This thought added a whole new dimension to the mystery. Her intuition told her if she found the target, then she would find the bombers.

The teens split at the corner of Main and Elm. Scott and Lacey walked toward the police station. Sarah and Jackie turned toward the hospital. Anxious to check on Uncle Walt, Sarah quickened her pace. Maybe if he were awake, he'd be able to answer some questions.

A slight breeze wafted through the trees, blowing the leaves and cooling Sarah's face. She smiled, and for a brief moment it seemed like she was a normal teenager enjoying the fall day. Then reality crashed down on her like a tidal wave. Grief overwhelmed her as she thought about how the bombing had changed so many lives in the blink of an eye. Sarah swallowed her emotions and turned her attention to her journey.

The trees that lined the sidewalk along Main Street were Japanese Maples. Their leaves were a deep crimson color and Sarah loved their petite beauty. They were perfect for lining the sidewalk on a busy street.

Sarah sighed. “Maybe Uncle Walt's awake.”

“That would be really cool beans.”

The two girls reached the hospital and rushed inside. It seemed like a huge weight landed on Sarah's shoulders as she entered the doors. The hair on the back of her neck prickled. She slowed her pace as she walked through the lobby. Her radar was sending alarm signals to her brain. She looked around, searching for the cause of her anxiety. Stopping abruptly, she stared. Shock ran through her body like a bolt of lightning.

Two men sat in the first floor waiting area. A muscular man appeared to be wedged into one of the plastic hospital chairs. He seemed uncomfortable and sat at an angle as he leafed through a magazine. As he turned the pages, he glanced at the clock on the wall. The bright hospital lights bounced off his bald head.
He looks kind of like
that actor who played
the
corrupt boxer in that movie I watched with Uncle Walt.

A younger man sat next to him. He was also well developed and he appeared to be texting on his phone. His blond hair was cropped short and he had some sort of scar on his forearm. Sarah's heart leapt to her throat when she spied the large scar. It appeared to be a recent injury and still painful.

She grabbed Jackie's arm. “Hey.”

“What?” Jackie asked, startled by Sarah's strong grip on her arm.

“Look.” Sarah motioned to the men with her head, trying to be inconspicuous.

“Oh crap.” Jackie grabbed Sarah's arm and pulled her out of sight. “What are they doing here?”

“That's a good question.” Sarah peered around the corner, before swinging back toward Jackie. “Are they checking to see how their target is doing?”

“I don't know.”

“What if their target is Uncle Walt?” Sarah's throat constricted and the question came out high-pitched and unnatural.

Jackie grabbed her arm and her eyes darkened with intensity as she stared at Sarah. “Does that mean they're going to bomb the hospital?”

Jackie's words hit Sarah like a freight train. Her heart lurched in her chest and sweat broke out under her arms. “We have to find out who the target is once and for all.”

“I hear you, girlfriend. How are we going to do that?”

“I have no idea.” Sarah shook her head. She peeked around the corner again. After a few seconds, she pulled her head back. “Let's go sit behind them and maybe they'll say something.”

Jackie nodded and bit her lip.

Sarah took a deep breath and strolled toward the lobby. She tried to maintain a casual air, but she knew she was faking it badly.
I'm too keyed
up.
Hoping the men didn't notice, she grabbed a seat directly behind them. Jackie walked behind her, fluffing her curls.

The two girls sat behind the men and both of them grabbed for the same magazine. There was a good-natured tussle with Sarah winning out. Jackie grumbled and walked to another table and grabbed a different one. All the magazines were outdated but Sarah didn't care; she didn't think she'd be able to read one word of any article.