The Super Spies and the High School Bomber (6 page)

“I think I should go in first.” Aunt June put a firm hand on Sarah's shoulder and squeezed.

“No way,” Sarah argued. “I want to find out what happened to Uncle Walt.”

“I said wait here. I'll be back in a second.”

Sarah groaned. More waiting, the one thing she wasn't good at. She paced while Jackie and Lacey trailed behind her. After what seemed like hours, Aunt June stepped back into the hall wearing a somber expression.

“Well?” Sarah demanded.

“He's asleep. I waited, but he didn't wake up.” Aunt June sighed and bit her lip.

“Come on.” Sarah grabbed her aunt's arm and led her down the hall. “I think I saw a waiting room this way.”

Her aunt allowed herself to be led to the waiting area. Fortunately, there were some empty chairs and Aunt June sat down. Lacey took the seat next to her.

“Why don't I get you something cold to drink?” Sarah offered.

“I'll go with you,” Jackie piped up.

Aunt June gave Sarah a grateful smile and nodded her head.

“I saw some vending machines this way.” Sarah pointed down the hall in the direction of room four-twelve.

Sarah and Jackie exchanged a conspiratorial look before taking off down the hall.

“What are you going to say?”

“I don't know. I'll make it up as I go along.” Sarah stopped in front of the door of Ali Hameedi's room, hoping this man could give her some answers. “You be the look out.”

“You got it,” Jackie whispered and stood arrow straight in the hall with her arms at her side, scanning the area for signs of trouble.

Sarah took a deep breath before pushing the door open. She was surprised at how still the room was. The door didn't squeak, giving her away. She almost wished it had. It would make introducing herself that much easier.

“Mr. Hameedi?”

Silence. Sarah walked closer to the bed. Lying there was a man. His right side was bundled in bandages. A low hum invaded Sarah's consciousness—it was some sort of pump, connected to a tube in his chest.

The yellowish liquid inside the tube made Sarah squeamish and she took an involuntary step back. She averted her gaze and looked at his face. He was dark-skinned, with a hook-nose, and long, thick lashes below black, bushy eyebrows. There were a variety of cuts on his face and the right side seemed swollen.

“Mr. Hameedi?” Sarah asked again. She spoke louder this time, still no response.

Sarah took a deep breath and walked to the side of the bed, reached over, and shook his uninjured shoulder slightly. His eyelids fluttered and then he was still. Sighing, Sarah shook his shoulder again, harder this time. His eyes flickered open and he looked at her.

Sarah cleared her throat. “Mr. Hameedi.”

He closed his eyes. She shook him for a third time. His eyes opened lazily like he was in that state between sleep and wakefulness.
It's like he's on drugs.
Sarah then realized he probably was on pain medication. With a deep sigh, he closed his eyes again. Sarah pursed her lips and exhaled a deep breath.

She shook his shoulder again and said, “Mr. Hameedi, sir?”

His eyes fluttered open and Sarah could tell he was trying to focus on her.

“My name is Sarah.”

The injured teacher groaned in response.

“My Uncle Walt was in the same meeting as you.”

Ali Hameedi just stared and lifted his left arm off the bed and slowly pointed at his ear.

“What?”

He continued to stare and moved his hand like he was writing on an imaginary piece of paper.

“You can't hear?” Sarah peered at him as he stared at her. She could tell he was trying to read her lips. “You can't hear?”

He groaned and shook his head.

Sarah held up her finger, telling him she would be back in a minute. She quickly exited the door.

“Jackie,” she whispered.

Jackie whirled around. “What?”

“I need a pen and paper, quick.”

Jackie rushed down the hall, toward the nurses' station. She was back in seconds with the requested items in hand. “Hurry, Sarah.”

“You got it.”

Sarah went back inside and stood beside Ali Hameedi's bed. She wrote down these words as she said them. “My uncle is Walt Bennett. Was he in the meeting with you this morning?”

Mr. Hameedi shook his head.

Sarah wrote:
He wasn't in the meeting?

He shook his head again.

Sarah scribbled:
He was supposed to be there, do you know where he was?

He motioned for the paper and he scribbled with his left hand the word
toilet
.

“Uncle Walt went to the bathroom?” Sarah leaned forward, speaking the words that she wrote.

Mr. Hameedi nodded slowly. Sarah could tell it was painful for him to do this.

The door opened wide and a nurse came into view, her rotund rump leading the way. She was overweight and breathed heavily as she pulled a cart of medication with her. Turning the cart around, she let out a squeak of surprise when she laid eyes on Sarah.

“How are we doing today?” she asked in an overly solicitous tone.

“Ah…ah,” Sarah stammered.

“Are you family?” she asked. She studied Sarah, her expression changing from friendly curiosity to suspicion. “You don't look like family.”

“Um…um…”

“What are you doing here?” Her eyes narrowed into suspicious slits.

“Just asking a few questions.” Sarah tried to make a quick dash for the door.

“Not so fast, young lady.” The nurse placed her body between Sarah and the door. “This man has been in a terrible accident. He's in horrendous pain.” She spoke through clenched teeth as though she herself were in horrendous pain. She looked Sarah up and down. “You teenagers, you're all alike. No respect for your elders.” She shook her head and glared at Sarah.

“I'll just be leaving.” Sarah tried to squeeze past the nurse and the wall on her way to the door.

Stepping toward the wall, the nurse blocked Sarah's way. “I should call security.”

Sarah stepped back and placed her hands on her hips. “Go ahead. I haven't done anything wrong.”

“You teenagers,” the nurse sneered again. “You think you can get away with anything.”

Sarah opened her mouth to speak, but a loud moan from Mr. Hameedi sent the nurse scurrying to his side. She adjusted his pillow and spoke to him in soothing tones. Meanwhile, Sarah made a beeline for the door.

“Jackie, let's book,” Sarah whispered.

Jackie matched Sarah's fast pace. “Did that nurse give you a hard time?”

The girls walked rapidly down the hall. After a few seconds, Sarah glanced over her shoulder to make sure the nurse wasn't behind them. “Why didn't you warn me?”

“I didn't have time. She's pretty fast.”

“No biggie.” Sarah gave Jackie's hand a squeeze and snickered at the image of her friend trying to outfox the nurse. “It's kind of funny now.”

“No doubt.”

“Quick, we've got to get a soda for Aunt June.” Sarah grabbed Jackie's arm and pulled her into an alcove that housed some vending machines.

“Did you get any info?”

Sarah frowned. “Just that Uncle Walt wasn't in the room when the explosion happened.”

“Where was he?”

“In the bathroom.”

Jackie's face brightened. “That could mean he wasn't hurt.”

Sarah nodded. “It could. Do you have any idea where that is?”

“Nope. Maybe we can talk to someone who's been going to the school longer?”

Sarah bit her lip. “Yeah, do you know anyone?”

“Yeah. I can ask my neighbor. She's a junior.”

“Awesome.” Sarah peered down the hall. “We better get back to Aunt June.”

“Yeah.”

As the girls hurried down the bright corridor, their tennis shoes sent out high pitched squeaks each time they connected with the waxed floor. People still roamed the halls, their faces marked with anxiety.

The girls weaved their way through the crowd until they found Aunt June. Sarah saw the familiar crease between her brows—so much like her mother's that a lump rose in her throat. She stopped for a moment to collect herself.

Aunt June caught Sarah's eye and gave her a wan smile. “There you are.”

“Yes, we had a hard time finding a vending machine,” Sarah lied as she handed her aunt the soda.

“Sarah got a chan—” Jackie started, but was stopped by a quick kick to her shin from Sarah.

“What?” Aunt June asked.

“Nothing,” Sarah said. “Drink your soda, you'll feel better.” She looked over at Jackie, giving her the ‘shut your mouth or you're dog meat' look.

Jackie clamped her lips tightly closed. She seemed to get the message.

“Sarah, what have you been up to?” Aunt June gave Sarah a warning look.

Sarah shrugged. “Nothing.”

“Sarah…”

“For real…nothing.”

Aunt June sighed and gave Sarah a reproachful look and then drank some of the soda. “Let's get you girls home. I should be taking care of you.”

“Don't you think we should stay here?” Sarah asked.

Aunt June shook her head. “There's nothing we can do here.”

“All right.” Sarah sighed and walked out of the waiting room.

The rest of the group followed her. Bright lights shining in the hall blinded Sarah for a moment and her steps faltered. A shrill voice in the midst of all the people caught Sarah's attention and she looked toward the sound.

“Stop that girl!”

Sarah gasped when she spied the nurse who had been in Ali Hameedi's room. She shot an alarmed look in Jackie's direction as the nurse tottered down the hall toward them.

Sarah looked at Aunt June. “I'm feeling claustrophobic—why don't I meet you guys down by the car?”

Aunt June frowned. “You go ahead. I don't want you to have another panic attack.”

“I'll go with you,” Jackie said.

“Stop!”

Aunt June shot Sarah an accusing look. “Sa-rah.”

“We've got to go,” Sarah said, avoiding eye contact with her aunt. She grabbed Jackie's arm and pulled her down the hall. Sarah picked up her pace, and Jackie matched her stride for stride. Their shoes squeaked into the thick atmosphere.

“Stop those girls!” The nurse shouted with an angry screech.

Sarah glanced back and witnessed the nurse gaining on them, her face reddened from the exertion of the chase. Facing forward, Sarah's heart leapt in her chest and pounded against her rib cage. People in the hallway watched the commotion with curiosity. Some of them even wondered aloud what was going on.

“Stop!” the nurse shrieked.

Sarah cringed at the sound of the nurse's scream. She would have never thought that in a million years the nurse could catch them. Her pulse raced as she cast another quick glance back.

The nurse shouted again and her expression turned angry when she made eye contact with Sarah. She moved faster; her wheezing growing more pronounced with every step. Just as she reached out to grab Sarah's shirt, an orderly stepped out of a patient's room carrying a dinner tray. He collided with the woman, sending dishes and mashed potatoes flying. As they sprawled on the floor, the nurse screamed bloody murder.

Sarah realized this was their chance to escape. The two girls quickened their pace, weaving their way through the crowded corridor. They rushed around the corner and, without thinking, ran toward the congested elevator. Just as the doors were about to close, Jackie stuck her arm between them and they opened.

Sarah grabbed Jackie's arm and pulled her toward the stairwell. “Let's take the stairs.”

“Right.”

The two girls dashed down the stairs to the main floor and ran out into another busy hallway. They slowed their pace and ducked through the crowd, until they made it outside. Taking a deep breath, Sarah glanced over her shoulder and breathed a sigh of relief. She squeezed Jackie's arm and the girls giggled at their close call.

“That nurse almost caught us,” Jackie sputtered.

“You got that right,” Sarah said as she stole another look behind her. “Did you see how close she came?”

Jackie nodded, and the two girls burst into giggles again as they made their way to the vehicle.

Sarah leaned against the car while she waited for her aunt and sister. Weariness invaded her body and she could no longer fight it off.

Jackie put her arm around her. “Hey, you look pooped.”

“I am. I just want to get home and sleep.”

“Do you still want to sneak out?” Jackie asked as she played with her curls.

“Yeah, I'll just take a quick nap.”

“Cool beans.”

Sarah glanced up and witnessed Aunt June and Lacey walking toward them. The chirp from the remote, as her aunt unlocked the car doors, made Sarah jump. Her nerves were still on edge from her narrow escape. Opening the door, she waited for Jackie to slide to the other side, then she climbed in beside her. As she leaned her head back, Sarah closed her eyes and let out a weary sigh. Jackie gave her arm a squeeze.

Aunt June buckled her seatbelt and looked back at Sarah. “What was that nurse's problem?”

Sarah sighed and shrugged. “Beats me.”

“Sarah…”

Peeking from beneath her eyelids, Sarah said, “I have no idea…for real.”

“Umm hmm,” Aunt June said with a knowing look. “You're not fooling me, Sarah.”

Sarah was silent. She crossed her fingers and kept her eyes closed, hoping her blank expression would discourage any further conversation. Aunt June exhaled heavily, and Sarah heard the jingle of car keys, then the engine roared to life. Sinking into the seat, she sighed again.
Another argument avoided
.

On the ride home, Sarah thought about the events of the day.
Who is the lone fireman and is he involved in the bombing
?