The Super Spies and the High School Bomber (7 page)

She nudged Jackie and spoke in a low voice. “Don't forget the willow tree, around midnight.”

Jackie nodded.

“Bring a flashlight.”

 

 

Sarah rose at eleven-thirty and quickly dressed in a dark shirt and sweat pants. Biting her lip, she silently berated herself for napping longer than she intended, and she glanced at Lacey to make sure she was asleep before making her way to the willow tree. She traveled toward the window whispering a grateful prayer that the house was a tri-level and stopped. Realizing that she couldn't sneak through it like she had in the past, she crept up the stairs and out the back door.

She paused on the porch and listened to the night's sounds. Even though a catastrophe had occurred today, the night still followed its familiar rhythm.

A full moon hung in the sky and lit the way. It reminded Sarah of a snow-white Christmas ornament hanging on a tree. She turned her focus back to her journey and made her way to their meeting place. Hoping Jackie was already there, Sarah picked up her pace.

Reaching the tree, Sarah breathed in the perfume of the wild flowers that grew by the creek. This scent mixed with the nearby bog's swampy odor. These familiar aromas comforted her, much like a kitchen warmed after a day of baking would soothe her on a snowy day.

She listened to the bullfrogs as they crooned their twangy rubber band music. These notes combined with the rhythm of the water making its way to the ocean brought her peace.

“Whoo. Whoo.” Sarah whispered the secret call.

“Whoo. Whoo.” Jackie responded.

The leafy canopy swallowed her as she walked beneath the willow branches. As Sarah moved toward the trunk of the tree, the gentle touch of the willow's pliable branches reminded her of a simpler, more innocent time.

“Hey,” Sarah greeted her friend.

“Hey, girlfriend.”

“Any more news?”

Jackie nodded, sending her curls into a wild dance. “Yeah, I talked to that girl.”

“What did she say?” Sarah held her breath.

“She said that the bathroom is down the hall from the faculty lounge.”

“So…what does that mean?”

Jackie blew her curls out of her face. “Beats me.”

Sarah furrowed her brow. “I guess it all depends on where the bomb exploded.”

“Yeah, I'll listen to the police scanner tomorrow.”

“I brought some Tootsie Rolls.” Sarah dug into her pocket and pulled out her favorite candy. “Want some?”

“Absolutely.”

Sarah smiled and handed Jackie the treat. “Nothing like chocolate on a sneaking-out mission.”

“You can say that again, girlfriend.”

“Nothing like chocolate on a sneaking-out mission.”

The two girls laughed at Sarah's joke, enjoying a carefree moment after a stress-filled day.

Sarah grew silent as she chewed her candy. Her thoughts turned to the Cat Lady as they often did when Sarah was under the willow tree. She felt connected to the old woman in some mysterious way and she hoped the Cat Lady knew that her killer had been caught.

“Earth to Sarah,” Jackie whispered.

Sarah chuckled. “I'm here, just thinking.”

“About what?”

“The Cat Lady.”

“Oh,” Jackie said as she gazed toward the creek. “Yeah, I'm so glad we caught her killer.”

“Me too,” Sarah responded with a sad smile. “Looks like we've got another mystery to solve.”

“That's right! Time for the Super Spies to put on their capes.”

“
No capes
. Detectives keep a low profile,” Sarah stated with an exaggerated frown.

Jackie snickered. “It's not too late to become fashionable, you know?”

Sarah rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”

The girls laughed, and then grew silent again. Sarah gave Jackie another Tootsie Roll.

“Didn't bring Lacey, huh?”

“No way.”

“Hmmm.”

“It's just too much for her, you know?”

Jackie nodded and pulled on one of her curls. “Yeah, probably. Are you ready to go?”

“Yep.”

The girls checked to make sure their flashlights worked before starting their journey to the school.

They walked the same path they had earlier that day. This time there were no injured people running away. The scorched scent of the explosion hung in the air, and an occasional wisp of ash would float from the sky. Sarah was amazed by the stillness of the night. It was a sharp contrast from the chaotic morning.

The events of the day paraded through Sarah's mind as she traveled toward the school. Focusing on the image of the lone fireman who had run away created a sense of urgency inside her.
Where had he been going
? She was sure he had been running toward a destination. Sarah picked up her pace and hurried toward the institution. Jackie matched her stride for stride.

Reaching the high school, Sarah was surprised to find it ablaze with lights. Emergency crews worked through the night in search of more victims from the blast. A shiver of hope tingled down her spine. Her uncle could still be found.

“I wasn't expecting this,” Jackie whispered.

“I know. I figured they'd only have a few people up here guarding the area.” Sarah chewed on her thumbnail.

“What should we do?”

Sarah pulled her thumb out of her mouth and wiped it on her sweatpants. “Let's follow Scott's trail. Maybe there won't be so many people in back.”

“Cool beans.”

The girls retraced their steps and were soon behind the building. Much to Sarah's dismay, the back parking lot crawled with emergency personnel.

“Bummer. There are firemen everywhere,” Sarah whispered.

“What do you think?”

Sarah thought for a moment. “We can still do it. We'll just walk along the path.”

“You don't think we'll be seen?”

Sarah shook her head. “No way.”

“Are you sure?” Jackie's expression reflected her doubt.

“They're too busy. They aren't even looking this way.”

“You've got a point,” Jackie said, her eyes on the emergency workers.

“We'll have to keep our flashlights off until we're in the woods,” Sarah said.

“I figured.” Jackie still hesitated.

“We'll walk along the edge of the field until we've gone past the rubble.”

“I like that plan better.”

Sarah cracked a smile. “I knew you would.”

The two girls crept down the hill until they were on level ground. Sarah veered off to the left and Jackie trailed behind her. They skirted the parking lot, carefully staying in the shadows.

Reaching the baseball field, Sarah paused and waited for Jackie to catch up. The girls turned on their flashlights and then crept until they came to the spot where the fireman had left his coat.

“Are you ready?” Sarah whispered.

“As ready as I'll ever be.”

“Let's do it.”

Sarah entered the woods, the beam of her light cast an eerie shadow. She was in unfamiliar territory and she knew she was out of her element. Her pulse raced.

The trees stood tall and silent. Their leaves were starting to change color. If she had been here for any other reason, she would have stopped and admired their beauty. Sarah shivered in the stillness and peered around her. It seemed like the hardwoods watched her, and a chill ran down her spine. Taking a deep breath, Sarah forged ahead.

“It's spooky,” Jackie whispered.

“You got that right.”

Jackie grabbed the back of Sarah's shirt. “Hey, do you know where we're going?”

Sarah stopped and faced Jackie. “No, I'm just kind of walking into the woods, hoping I find something.”

“I don't know about you…” Jackie turned her beam away from the path and toward the woods. “But I'm worried about getting lost.”

“We won't get lost.”

“It's not like we're down by the creek.”

“I know, but my gut's telling me we won't have to go very far.”

“I feel so much better now. I mean, it's your gut…we don't have to worry now.” Jackie held her hands out to her sides with the palms up.

Sarah laughed at Jackie's sarcasm. “Hey, I've always gotten us out of bad situations.”

“Yeah, but you're usually the one getting us
into
those situations.”

“A minor detail.”

“For you, maybe,” Jackie muttered.

“I heard that.”

“What?” Jackie feigned innocence.

The girls grew silent as they crept forward.It was darker in the forest than out on the street. Sarah glanced around her and realized that the leaves from the trees blocked most of the brilliant moonlight. An occasional ray burst through to illuminate their path for a brief moment, but those moments were few and far between.

Sarah stopped suddenly and shone her flashlight deeper into the forest. “Hey, I found a path.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I think we should see where it leads.”

“Okay. I'm right behind you.”

Sarah grew silent and walked the trail, listening for any sounds that were out of the ordinary. Shining her light on the sides of the path, she searched for signs that the lone fireman had come this way. All she could see were rows of trees, growing in a haphazard fashion. When her light hit them, they threw obscure shadows everywhere.

Sarah's stomach fluttered. She crept forward—her steps rustled the leaves, which sent a signal to the wildlife that something was coming through. The crickets and katydids were silent. Sweat trickled down her back as Sarah advanced. The sound of Jackie behind her seemed loud and the numbing fear of being heard gripped her. Ducking down, she motioned for Jackie to follow her lead.

“Hey, what's up?” Jackie whispered.

“I don't know. I've got a funny feeling.” Sarah shone her light ahead, searching the dark.

“A funny feeling?”

“Yeah, we're close to something.” She crept forward on all fours, holding her flashlight in her mouth and pointing it in front of her. Jackie imitated her and the girls crawled along the path.

Sarah stopped and shone her light ahead. She had no idea how far they had gone into the woods. The hair on the back of her neck stood up. Something was in front of them. Turning toward Jackie, she put her finger to her lips.

Sarah's light reflected a structure in the darkness. The flutter in her stomach turned into a hard knot as she scrambled to turn off her flashlight. Jackie extinguished her light as well. Sarah listened to her heart thunder in her chest as she waited for her eyes to adjust to the darkness.

She peered in front of her and spied a cabin nestled between two large trees twenty feet ahead of them. Its weather-worn wood betrayed its age. The glow from a grime-covered window captured Sarah's attention.

“There's a cabin up ahead,” she whispered.

Jackie inched forward until she was right behind Sarah. “Do you think it's the fireman's hideout?”

“There's only one way to find out,” Sarah whispered as she studied the cabin, in search of signs of life.

“I was afraid you were going to say that.”

“We'll just peek in the window.”

“Sure, that's what they all say…we'll just peek in the window,” Jackie groused.

Sarah smirked. “You're in rare form tonight.”

“Yes I am.” Jackie fluffed her curls and gave Sarah a smug look.

“Okay, let's sneak up and be really quiet.”

“Ri-i-ight.”

As Sarah moved forward on all fours, she felt the moist earth beneath her hands. It soaked through the knees of her sweatpants, chilling her. She shivered as she crawled along the trail. The scent of the damp soil assaulted her nostrils, a fetid smell that reminded her of rotten foliage.

She grimaced as she continued her progression— Jackie crawled behind her. Sarah snickered when she thought about Jackie in the dirt. Getting dirty was the last thing her friend wanted to do.

When they reached the side of the cabin, the girls stopped. Sarah took a deep breath. Her stomach twisted into an even tighter knot. Beads of sweat rolled down her face.

“Okay, we'll just peek in the window,” she whispered.

“You didn't tell me we'd be crawling through muck,” Jackie grumbled in a low voice.

“Hey, Jack, we'll be crawling through muck.”

“Thanks for the heads up.”

“Don't worry, the fashion police aren't going to come and arrest you.”

“Sure make jokes…just remember my love for fashion saved us from the Cat Lady killer.”

“I remember. How could I forget? You remind me every two seconds.”

“Just making sure credit goes where credit's due.”

“While you're doing that, I'll look in the window.”

Sarah inched forward, trying not to make any noise. The crackle of the dry leaves underneath her seemed loud. She hoped the night noises stifled the sound. Her heart pounded her chest. She was sure it was going to burst through any moment.
What will I find when I look in the window
?

Reaching the side of the cabin, Sarah stood and groaned. The window was just inches above her head.
I need something to stand on
. She hesitated for a moment, before turning her light back on. Shining it around, she searched for a log or a stump that would give her the height she needed. Her light flashed on Jackie crouched on the forest floor.

“Hey,” she whispered.

Jackie looked in her direction. Sarah motioned for her friend to follow her. Within seconds, Jackie was at her side.

“I need you to give me a boost.”

“What?”

“I need a boost.”

Jackie cupped her hands together and motioned for Sarah to put her foot in her cupped hands. Sarah did and tried to stand, but she wobbled as her friend struggled to keep her upright. Within minutes, both girls crashed to the ground.