The Super Spies and the High School Bomber (32 page)

He nodded, grabbed Lacey's arm, and propelled her forward. “Let's go.”

They rushed back inside. Sarah and Jackie huddled together in front of the school. Sarah paced, and after a few minutes, Jackie walked with her. She chewed on her thumbnail as she walked.
Why in the world would Randy and Mike Ferguson bomb the high school?

“Stop chewing your fingernails. They're going to look horrible.”

Sighing, Sarah pulled her thumb from her mouth. “I know, short nails aren't fashionable, right?”

Jackie gave her a mock glare and grabbed her hand. She examined Sarah's nails. “No they're not, girlfriend. These nails are atrocious.”

“Oh, did you learn a new word today?”

“Tsk, don't change the subject. I've got my nail file in my purse. At least we can get rid of the jagged edge.”

Jackie searched her purse, while Sarah looked around. The students were ambling back inside.

“Don't we have bigger things to worry about?” Sarah asked.

“Shut up, this makes us look normal.”

Sarah sighed. There were no longer any students outside. “Can't do it now, lunch is over.”

Just as the words left her mouth, Sarah's world went dark. She screamed as strong arms picked her up and carried her. Jackie's shrill shrieking filled the air, and Sarah heard her struggling.

Sarah gasped for breath. There was a huge pain in her chest and she felt like she was suffocating. Rough fabric scratched her cheek as she struggled.
Cloth.
Some sort of rough cloth
i
s covering
my
face
.

“Washington, Adams.” She choked on the words. She swallowed the lump of fear that had lodged in her throat.

She was heaved onto a hard surface. Landing with a thud, Sarah winced. Pain radiated up her hip and down her leg. Her breath whooshed from her lungs and she gasped, trying to regain it. The sound of a thud and the vibration of the surface told Sarah that someone or something had landed next to her. “Jackie?”

“Yeah, it's me.”

“What is going on?”

The surface they were on moved forward and her heart increased its painful pounding against her ribs.

Jackie moved. Sarah reached up and pulled the dark cloth off her head. It was a burlap bag that served as a makeshift hood. Scanning the area, she gulped. “We're in the back of a truck.”

The pain in her chest eased and her breathing became less labored.

“Where are we going?” Jackie asked.

Sarah peered at her friend. Jackie had the wild-eyed look of a cornered animal.

“I don't know.” Sarah looked toward the front of the truck and her deepest fears were confirmed. In the driver's seat sat Randy Ferguson, clutching the steering wheel with white-knuckled hands. “I don't believe it,” she moaned.

“What?” Jackie asked.

“We've just been kidnapped by the bomber.” The bile rose in Sarah's throat.
What are we going to do now
? She coughed and kept from throwing up. Sitting up, she brushed the hair out of her face with trembling hands.
Think
!
Think
!
Think
!

Jackie flailed her arms. “What are we going to do?”

“Don't freak out.”

Jackie took deep breaths and fanned her face as if she were hot. “Okay, I'm not freaking out. I'm not freaking out. I'm not freaking out.”

“How did he get both of us in the truck?” Sarah asked.

“He must have had help. Probably his brother.”

“Yeah, but his brother isn't up front.”

Jackie shook her head. “I don't know, girlfriend.”

Sarah peered out of the cab window. The landscape rushed by and it dawned on her that they were headed out of town. A wave of panic coursed through her veins as she realized no one knew where they were. “We have to leave a clue.”

Jackie nodded emphatically. “That's right. Leave a clue. Leave a clue. Leave a clue.” She took several more deep breaths.

Sarah furrowed her brow and looked around her. She noticed the bright red paint. “Jackie do you still have your nail file?”

Jackie nodded and gave her friend a bug-eyed stare. “You want to file your nails now?”

Sarah almost laughed. Her lips quivered, but then the gravity of the situation overtook her. “
No!
I want you to carve our names in the bed of the truck with your nail file.”

“Oh,” Jackie's lips twitched. “I can do that. Why are we going to do that?”

“To let the police know we've been in the truck. If they find the truck…but we're not here.” Sarah avoided looking at Jackie as she made her statement.

Jackie paused as Sarah's words sunk in. “What are you going to do?”

“I've got my cell phone and I'm calling everyone I can think of.” Sarah pulled out her phone and started punching in numbers. She called Scott first.

“Hello?” Scott said.

His voice was the most beautiful sound Sarah had ever heard and in that second she believed everything was going to be all right.

“Scott. It's Sarah. We've been kidnapped by the bombers.”

“Hello?”

Sarah cringed. “Scott?”

“Hello.” His voice was more insistent this time and he sounded irritated.

“Scott?”

The click of the phone as Scott disconnected the call sent a tidal wave of dread through Sarah. Sweat broke out under her arms and her throat seemed to close. She clenched her hands and let out a moan. “Oh, no.”

“What is it?” Jackie looked up.

“Scott couldn't hear me.”

“Keep trying.”

Sarah punched in his number again. This time her phone informed her that the number was out of the service area. Groaning, she dropped the phone. Her fingers curled into fists and she pounded her thighs.
What am I going to do now
?

Sarah stopped pummeling her thighs. “I'll call 9-1-1!” With shaking hands, she punched the three numbers. She fumbled and dropped the phone. Taking a deep breath, Sarah picked it up and punched in the numbers.

“9-1-1. What is your emergency?”

Sarah sobbed as she told the operator what was happening.

The operator immediately
t
ook action and informed Sarah she was sending troopers her way.

“You need to keep me on the line,” she informed her.

“Okay.” Sarah gripped the phone and breathed deep. Her heart pounded her chest with a ferocious beat. She could hear the operator typing on her keyboard. The clicking sound comforted Sarah.

“I'm almost done,” Jackie said.

Sarah looked up. “What?”

“I'm almost done. You know, with our names?”

“Oh, yeah, right.”

Sarah slumped down. Without warning, the truck lurched and Jackie and Sarah were heaved to the side.

Holding on to her friend, Sarah said, “That was one crazy turn.”

“True.”

“Where is he taking us?” Sarah stared out the window and saw trees flashing past. “We're in the woods somewhere.” She continued to clutch the phone, but was no longer listening to the operator.

The truck lurched again and bumped around a corner. Sarah bounced to the other side of the truck and lost her grip on her phone. It sailed through the air and rebounded off the bed of the truck, then it hit the roof and disappeared from view.

“Oh no!” she cried.

The pickup jerked to a stop and the driver slammed it into park.

The Super Spies scurried toward the cab of the vehicle. They huddled together and watched as the bomber got out and walked away.

“He's leaving us here?” Jackie whispered.

“I don't know.” Sarah looked around her. “We're in the woods somewhere.” Remembering her phone, she searched for it. “Look for my phone.”

The two girls looked for the missing cell phone. Finally, Jackie found it wedged in a space around the wheel well.

“Found it!”

“Great. Let me see it.”

Jackie handed the phone to her friend. Sarah quickly punched in 9-1-1.

She groaned. “Out of service area.” Tears welled in her eyes.

“Now what are we going to do?” Jackie demanded.

“Shhh. Let me think.” Sarah tapped the phone against her chin. “Is the cap door locked?”

“I don't know.”

They rushed toward the back of the truck. Sarah tried to open the door. “Crap, it's locked.” She furrowed her brow and scanned the bed of the vehicle. “Hey, where's your nail file?”

“Why?”

“Maybe we can pick the lock.”

Without another word, the two girls scrambled, searching the bed of the vehicle. Sarah found the file toward the front of the truck.

Grabbing it, she scurried to the back door. She handed Jackie the cell phone. “Keep trying 9-1-1. I'm going to work on this lock.”

The girls focused on their tasks. Jackie pushed buttons and Sarah tried to pop the lock on the truck. They worked like that for several minutes. Frustrated, Sarah pounded the back window of the cap.

She glanced up and screamed. Randy Ferguson was watching her, his glaring eyes inches from the window. He hammered on the window, sending the girls screaming back toward the cab. The ‘roid rage' burned in the bomber's eyes; Sarah cringed and turned away. Leaning on Jackie for support, she watched the monster as he unlocked the cap.

Opening the door, he sneered at the girls. “Get out of there.”

Sarah shuddered—his voice was low and angry. Jamming the nail file in her back pocket, she glanced at Jackie. Her friend shoved the cell phone in the back of her jeans and pulled her shirt over the bulge.

“We're not coming out,” Sarah said in a flat voice. She clenched her hands to stop the shaking.

The bomber's lip curled into a cold smile. “Get out here, right now!”

Sarah held her ground. “No.”

“If you don't come out here now, I'm coming in to get you.” His voice was the growl of an angry bear.

Sarah glared at the criminal.
Think! Think! Think
! “No way.” She sat down and crossed her arms over her chest. “Before I do anything, I want to know why you bombed the high school and hurt my Uncle Walt.”

He seemed taken aback by this statement. “Your uncle's a teacher?”

“Yes.” Sarah glared at the man, willing him to answer her questions. “I'm waiting.”

“Yeah, we're waiting,” Jackie piped up, crossing her arms over her chest.

Keep him talking
. Sarah rubbed her forehead. “So, why did you do it?”

“I didn't do anything.” He dismissed her with a wave of his hand. “Now get out of the truck.”

“Yes you did,” Sarah pushed.

“I didn't do anything.
Now get out of the truck
.”

Sirens filled the air. Sarah's heart leapt at the sound.
The police are coming
! She smirked at the criminal. “Now you're in big trouble.”

The bomber blanched at the sound of the sirens. He glared at the girls. Sarah could tell he was trying to decide what to do.

“Get out of the truck now!” he bellowed.

“
No!
” Sarah and Jackie said together.

The criminal's face turned red and he clenched his lips so tight they almost disappeared in his face. He pulled open the door and started climbing inside.

Sarah's heart jumped in her chest and the hair on the back of her neck prickled. She made eye contact with Jackie and saw the fear in her friend's eyes.
Think! Think! Think
!

“Stay away from us!” Jackie screamed and pressed herself against the cab.

Randy Ferguson glared at the girls. He didn't respond, but kept inching closer. His huge body was contorted as he tried to fit into the back of the truck. His knees were in his chest and he could only take small, shuffling steps forward. He looked like a giant trying to fit inside a small house.

Sarah racked her brain for a way out of this mess. Her stomach clenched and her whole body went rigid. “Jackie, divide and conquer.”

“What?” Jackie shot Sarah a crazed look.

Sarah motioned with her hand for Jackie to move closer to the bomber by inching along the side of the truck. Sarah crept along the opposite side.

“Rush him!” Sarah cried.

The two girls rushed forward and ran into Randy.

Sarah hoped to topple him. If he lost his balance, he wouldn't be able to take them prisoner. Randy took each girl in each of his strong arms and pulled them close to his chest.

“Let go!” Sarah sputtered. She kicked and screamed as she bit his arm.

Bellowing with pain, the bomber pulled the girls tighter, and then rolled onto his back. He propelled everyone forward and pushed them out of the truck.

Sarah landed with a thud. Gasping for breath, she sat up and searched for Jackie.

Jackie had dropped a few feet away. She scrambled to a standing position and scanned the area with a wild-eyed stare.

“Run!” Sarah grabbed Jackie's arm. They took off through the woods. Sucking in air, Sarah ran. The leaves on the ground were still wet from the rain the other day, making the ground slippery. Sarah's heart pummeled her chest. She glanced over her shoulder and spotted the criminal. He was hot on their trail. A sob burst through her lips.

Jackie stumbled and fell. Sarah rushed to her side and pulled her up, but it was too late.

Randy grabbed the girls by their arms, and shook both of them roughly. “Don't try that again.”

Sarah glared at the criminal, but kept her mouth shut.

The sirens grew louder.
The police are closer
! Sarah tried to wrench her arm out of Randy's grip. He held tighter and searched for a hiding place.

“You're going to have to let us go, if you want to get away,” Sarah yelled.

“Shut up!” He continued his frantic search.