The Super Spies and the High School Bomber (18 page)

“Bill, can you escort these girls home?”

The officer smiled. “Yes, absolutely.”

He was a burly man with bushy black hair and a wide, disarming smile. The officer ambled down the hall toward the girls, pulling keys out of his pocket. “Come with me, girls. We'll get you home.” He strode past them and motioned to the girls.

As she walked behind him, Sarah yawned—suddenly she was bone tired. The energy just seemed to have drained from her body. Trudging outside, she felt the chill in the air. Her sweatshirt was no longer doing the trick.

When the girls reached the cruiser, they slipped into the back seat. The officer started the vehicle and gunned the engine a few times before he put the cruiser into gear. With a spastic lurch forward the girls were on their way home. As they drove through the streets, Sarah realized there was very little traffic. The tiny burg had shut down for the night.

Sarah leaned back against the seat and sighed. She closed her eyes and images of Uncle Walt flitted through her mind.

He had taken everyone to the beach the previous summer, before they'd realized her parents had disappeared. The corners of her mouth twitched at the memory.

It had been hot that day, and a dry wind blew the sweltering air around. Uncle Walt suggested the trip to Lake Michigan to escape the stifling heat. Reaching the beach, Sarah and Lacey had run to the water. The waves had been huge and the girls leapt into them, enjoying the briskness.

He taught the girls how to body surf that day. Sarah remembered laughing at her first attempts. The image of Uncle Walt at the beach came to her mind. His wet, snow-white hair pasted against his skull, giving him the appearance of a loveable, scraggly mutt.

A smile spread over her face and then quickly disappeared as tears welled in her eyes. Sarah swung her head away so Lacey wouldn't notice and wiped her eyes. She took a deep breath and stared out the window.

The cruiser pulled up in front of their house and the girls climbed out of the car. Shivering in the cold air, Sarah pulled her hands inside her shirtsleeves and hurried toward the back door. Lacey traveled behind her.

Out of the corner of her eye, Sarah saw the police cruiser trailing them from the road. He turned the corner and waited for them to go inside the house.

Sarah pulled the screen door open and winced when it let out a rusty squeak. She sighed. “I hope Aunt June is still asleep.”

“Me, too.”

Sarah took a deep breath and opened the screen door wider. Holding the door open with one hand, she turned the knob of the storm door with the other.

“Oh, no,” Sarah groaned.

“What's wrong?”

“It's locked.”

“What? It can't be.” Lacey pushed Sarah aside and tried the door herself. “I know we didn't lock it when we left.”

Sarah's spirits sank. “That means Aunt June must have gotten up and locked it.”

“Bummer…how are we going to get in?”

“That's a very good question…I don't think Aunt June knows we're gone, though.”

“How do you know? Are you psychic or something?”

“Yeah…that's it, I'm psychic.” Sarah rolled her eyes. “I know, because if she knew we were gone, she'd be freaking out. The house would be lit up and cop cars would be everywhere.”

“Oh…I guess you're right.”

“So, we just have to figure out a way back inside without waking her up.”

“How are we going to do that?”

“I don't know. I haven't gotten that far yet.”

“Well, hurry up. It's freezing out here.” Lacey shivered and pulled her hands up into the sleeves of her sweatshirt and then hugged herself.

“Are you girls going to be able to get in?” the officer asked from the cruiser.

Sarah jogged toward the car. When she reached it she said, “Yeah, we just have to get the spare key out of the garage. You don't need to wait.”

“Are you sure?” the officer asked.

“Yeah, I'm sure.”

The officer's radio squawked and he spoke into the receiver. Sarah heard someone requesting backup.

After a short conversation, he looked at Sarah. “Are you sure you'll be able to get in?”

“Absolutely.”

“Well…if you don't need me to wait. There's something I need to handle.”

“We'll be fine.”

The officer sped off into the night with his lights flashing. He didn't turn his siren on until he was down the block.

Sarah jogged back to her sister. “Let's check our windows.”

The girls scurried to their bedroom window on the north side of the house.

Sarah groaned and turned around. “I forgot they're all boarded up.”

Lacey whined. “Major bummer.” She twisted the hem of her sweatshirt in her hands. “Now what're we going to do?”

Sarah shivered and blew on her hands. “I don't know.” She peered around the back yard. Dancing to keep warm, she looked at the house again. She cracked a smile. “Hey, I think I can get the board off of the office window. I loosened it when I was in there earlier.”

“The office is above us,” Lacey pointed out sourly.

“True…but we can get the ladder out of the garage.”

“Can we do that without waking Aunt June?”

“I don't know, but it's the best plan I've got.” Sarah stepped toward the garage.

Lacey hesitated and then followed her sister. “I'll help you.”

When she reached the garage, Sarah peered through the window in the back door. Looming darkness was all she saw. She opened the door. It let out a shuddering squeak. Sarah stepped inside and waited for her eyes to adjust to the darkness.

She blew on her hands as she peered around the garage looking for the ladder. Spying it, she moved forward. Lacey was right behind her.

Sarah tripped over the leg of a sawhorse. She stumbled and grabbed it, catching herself before she fell. As she pushed the sawhorse out of the way, she sent a hubcap clamoring to the cement floor. It sounded like a percussionist banging on a cymbal.

“Smooth move.” Lacey snickered.

“Shut up.”

“Why don't we just turn on the light?”

“I didn't want the neighbors to see it.”

“I'm sure they're still asleep,” Lacey said.

Sarah bristled at her sister's sarcasm and glared at her. “You know, you're not helping.”

The whirring of the garage door stopped the girls in their tracks. Sarah let out a low moan. Aunt June must have woken up and come out the front door of the house, while the girls were sneaking in the back door of the garage.

“Hide! It's Aunt June!” Sarah whispered.

The two girls ducked down behind the front end of the car as the garage door opened and let in the chilly night air. Light illuminated the interior and Sarah blinked against the glare.

“Hello?” Aunt June called out.

Sarah put her finger to her lips, warning Lacey to be quiet. Her heart thundered in her chest. She knew if they were discovered Aunt June would ground them for months, especially after the Cat Lady incident.

Aunt June walked into the garage. Sarah could hear her hesitant steps as she moved around the bikes and tools scattered inside.

“Hello?”

Sarah shook her head at Lacey and crouched behind the front end of the car. She stifled a groan as she tried to think of a plan to get out of the garage without being seen.

Aunt June moved toward them. Sarah could tell because she was watching her aunt's feet. Thinking fast, Sarah inched her way away from her aunt closer to Lacey.

She motioned for Lacey to move ahead. Sarah followed her while Aunt June moved toward the front of the car. The girls were now across from their aunt with the car separating them.
Maybe we can get outside and sneak in the front door before Aunt June.

Her sister stopped moving, so Sarah gently pushed on her back. Lacey glanced behind her and caught Sarah's eye. Sarah pointed forward—Lacey nodded and continued creeping toward the open garage door.

Sarah strained to hear her aunt. She seemed to be in the far corner of the garage, which meant she would be coming around to the front end of the car. Her heart leapt in her chest, and she pushed her sister forward again.
This is our chance to make it outside without being seen
.

Lacey seemed to understand what Sarah was communicating because she crawled faster.

Within seconds, the girls had moved from the side of the car to outside the garage. The cold air was sharp on Sarah's face as she leapt ahead of Lacey and raced for the front door. Her sister followed her.

Once inside, they dashed down to their room. Both girls scrambled out of their clothes and into their nightwear. Sarah tousled her hair and headed back toward the stairs.

“What are you doing?” Lacey whispered.

“Checking on Aunt June.”

“I'll go with you.”

Sarah and Lacey met their aunt just as she walked into the front door. The jarring sound of the garage door closing sent a chill down Sarah's spine and she shuddered.

“Aunt June, what are you doing?” she asked.

Startled, her aunt looked up. “Oh, sorry to wake you girls. I thought I heard something in the garage.”

“Oh, did you see anything?”

“No, it must've been an animal.” Aunt June frowned and scratched her head. She looked like a teenager with her tousled hair and pink pajamas. “Let's go back to bed. I want to get to the hospital early tomorrow morning.”

“Okay, night,” Sarah said.

“Night, Aunt June.” Lacey stepped forward and gave her aunt a hug.

Sarah started down the stairs and then stopped, waiting for her sister.

Following Sarah into the bedroom, Lacey said, “Boy, we got lucky that time.”

“No kidding.”

Sarah scrambled beneath her covers, enjoying the feeling of her sheets warming from her body heat. “I think it's so awesome that they can find the bombers from their cell phone.”

“I know.” Lacey turned out the light and rushed toward her bed.

Lacey's bedclothes rustled as she got comfortable.

Sarah rolled over and faced her sister. She could make out her bundled form in the glow from the nightlight plugged into the far wall.

“Who knows, by tomorrow morning they could be in jail.”

“Wouldn't that be awesome?” Lacey whispered in a sleepy voice.

“Yes it would.” Sarah closed her eyes and sighed.

She relaxed and suddenly felt like a wet noodle, all limp and wiggly. Her eyelids drooped and her breathing slowed into that rhythmic sleep mode.

Lacey popped her head up. “Night, Sarah.”

“Night,” Sarah mumbled.

As she lay in bed exhausted, Sarah's mind wandered as it often did to her parents. She missed them beyond belief and she wished they were there to help her make sense of this terrible tragedy. She closed her eyes and was about to drift off when a lightning bolt of a thought struck her brain.

Sarah sat straight up in bed. “Lace, wake up!”

“What is it?” Lacey grumbled.

“I know how we can find Mom and Dad.” Sarah's heart raced and her fingertips tingled. “I know it will work.”

“How?” Lacey asked, her voice edged with cautious hope.

“By
pinging
their cell phone!”

“You're right!” Lacey squealed.

“We'll go down and talk to the FBI tomorrow, and ask them to ping their phone.”

“Do you really think it'll work?” Lacey sat up and stared at Sarah.

“Why wouldn't it? If it'll work to catch the bombers, it'll work to find Mom and Dad.”

“That is so awesome!”

“Isn't modern technology wonderful?”

“Totally.”

The girls stared at each other for a few more minutes, and Sarah could see tears of hope shining in Lacey's eyes. Her own heart swelled with it and she was sure it would burst through her chest at any moment.

“We should go down to the police station right now.” Sarah swung her legs out from beneath her covers.

“Let's do it in the morning.”

“Why?” Sarah grumbled.

“Because, we won't be so lucky not getting caught a second time.”

Sarah sighed and pulled her legs back under her covers. “All right, but right after breakfast.”

“All right.”

“Night, Lace.”

“Night.”

 

 

Sarah woke to rain pelting the boards where her windows used to be. She glanced at Lacey's bed, and found it empty. She swung her feet to the floor. Peering at the clock on the bedside table, she was surprised to see it was already nine o'clock.

Sarah stretched and yawned, then jumped out of bed.
We're going to get the FBI to ping Mom and Dad's phone today.

She rushed out the door and called out. “Lacey!”

Lacey appeared at the top of the stairs. “What? What is it?”
“We've got to get moving and talk to the FBI.”

“Why do you need to talk to the FBI?” Aunt June asked walking up behind Lacey.

“Because we think they can ping Mom and Dad's cell phone and find out where they are.” Sarah climbed the stairs and met her sister and aunt in the hallway.

Aunt June turned toward the kitchen. “What does ping their cell phone mean?” she asked as she sat down at the table.

Sarah sat next to her aunt and explained pinging. Her aunt listened intently and Sarah saw a glimmer of hope flicker in her eyes.

Aunt June brushed a strand of hair out of her face. “Talking to them would be a good idea. It'll give you girls something to do while I'm up at the hospital.”

“We can meet you at the hospital afterwards,” Sarah said.

“That works for me.” Aunt June picked up her coffee cup and took a sip.

“You look tired.” Sarah studied her aunt. Her aunt's face was pale and she had dark smudges under her eyes.

“I didn't sleep well.”