The Super Spies and the High School Bomber (24 page)

“What are you doing?” Sarah asked.

“I'm doing an Internet search on Ali Hameedi's name.”

Sarah furrowed her brow. “Okay…but there's like thirty of them on the screen.”

“I know,” he sighed and rubbed his face. “I'll check and see if he's got a social media page.”

“What's that going to tell us?” Jackie frowned and pulled on one of her curls.

“Well, maybe I can see who his friends are and see if any of them are known terrorists.” Scoop leaned back in his chair as he typed. It protested his shift in weight with a loud squeak.

“Why do you think Ali Hameedi's the target?” Jackie asked. “I mean, I'm sure they've found other survivors by now.”

Scoop sighed. “Yes, I suppose so, but based on the information that you girls have given me I think it's at least worth checking out.”

Sarah rolled her eyes at Jackie. “It's a lead, you know. Detectives always check out every lead.”

Jackie stuck her tongue out at her friend. “So, why are we checking his social media page?”

“Well, if he's a terrorist he might have friends who are known terrorists,” Scoop said.

Sarah frowned. “Do you think he'd be friends with them on there? I mean wouldn't he want to keep their relationship a secret?”

Scoop gave Sarah a rueful grin. “Probably, but have you ever heard the saying, ‘hiding in plain sight'? Plus, maybe he's got family in the Middle East who could lead us somewhere.”

“Okay.” Sarah shrugged. “Let's look for him.”

Scoop signed into his own page, then typed Ali Hameedi's name in the search field.

Sarah groaned when twenty different versions of the name filled up the screen.

Scoop blew air through his pursed lips. “Phew…this could take a while.”

Sighing, Sarah slouched in her chair. “Yeah, it could.” She glanced at her watch. “Well…I guess we'll have to take these one by one.”

Scoop leaned back in his chair. “Are you girls sure I can't get you a soda before we start?”

“I'll take one,” Sarah said.

“Me, too,” Jackie piped in.

“Two sodas coming up.” Scoop stood and walked toward the kitchen.

Sarah sighed and eyed the dining room, which had been converted into Scoop's home office. He had a large, oak roll-top desk that was so cluttered Sarah didn't think it would be possible to close it. Sitting on top of his desk was his laptop. Dozens of sticky notes surrounded the screen. Even though he was retired, Sarah could tell he still worked. To the right of the laptop sat a well-used pipe.

Sarah glanced around the room, curious about the reporter. Bright flowered wallpaper covered the walls. It surprised her that Scoop had such feminine wall coverings.
Maybe he wasn't always a bachelor
.

Jackie cleared her throat. “Do you believe this, about Ali Hameedi?”

Sarah shrugged. “I don't know…I think it's far-fetched, but we've got to check every lead.”

“So true, girlfriend.”

Scoop reappeared with two cans of soda. “Here you go.” He handed the girls their drinks, before he sat down in his chair.

The Super Spies popped the top of their cans and took big gulps.

The retired reporter turned his attention back to the computer screen and pulled up the first Ali Hameedi that was on the list. “We can rule this guy out. It says he lives in Texas.”

“What if they give false information?” Sarah asked.

Scoop chuckled. “Can't get anything by you, can we Sarah?”

“Nope.”

“Me, either,” Jackie chirped.

Scoop laughed again. “That's a good point, but you see this guy doesn't look anything like the teacher, does he?” He pointed at the photo in the upper left-hand corner.

Sarah glanced at the face of a blond teen with blue eyes. “No…I guess not.” She wrinkled her brow. “But how do
you
know what he looks like?”

“He's listed as a teacher at the high school and his picture is on their webpage. I looked at it before I started my search.”

“I get it.” Sarah winked at her friend.

Scoop worked in silence and the girls watched over his shoulder. He pulled up six more people with the name Ali Hameedi, but had to rule them out.

He pulled up the next one and sighed. “You know, this is going to take me quite a while.” He scratched his head and frowned. “Why don't I take you back up to the hospital and I'll call you when I get my research done?”

Sarah sighed. “That's probably a good idea. We can check on Uncle Walt and find out if the bombers have been caught.”

Scoop stood again and picked up his jacket. “Let's go, girls.”

The Super Spies followed him toward the door, grabbing their jackets on the way. Climbing into his car, they fastened their seatbelts. He started the engine and then accelerated out of the driveway.

Sarah leaned back against the seat and closed her eyes.
It has been one crazy day.

 

 

“Do you think it's safe for us to be here?” Jackie asked as Scoop guided his car into the hospital parking lot.

Sarah furrowed her brow. “I think so. I bet the FBI has the bomber in handcuffs, right now.”

“I hope so.” Jackie shuddered.

“Even if they don't, he won't show his mug here. Now that he knows the police know his face,” Scoop said.

“True,” Jackie responded.

Scoop pulled up to the Emergency Room door and stopped the car. He put it in
park
and faced the girls. “Okay, girls, if you see anything suspicious call the police.”

Sarah leaned forward and made eye contact with Scoop. “Will you call us when you find something?”

“Absolutely.” Scoop patted her hand and compassion shone in his eyes.

Sarah climbed out of the car, followed by her friend. She took a deep breath and hurried inside, anxious to see if there were any changes in her uncle's condition. Once in the building, she slowed to a walk and made her way to the stairwell leading to the second floor.

Jackie moved beside her. “Let's talk to Scott. Maybe he has some new info.”

“Good idea.”

Jackie nodded, and the girls made their way to the second floor.

Sarah sighed as she used the banister to pull herself up the stairs. Her head whirled from the events since the bombing. She couldn't make heads or tails of any of it.
Are the bombers in jail? Are they terrorists?
Why would they bomb the high
school? Are they after my family
? The thoughts paraded through her mind, making her dizzy. Sarah couldn't wait to find out if the FBI had caught the bomber, then she would have answers to all these nagging questions.

Reaching the top of the stairs, Sarah stopped and took a couple of deep breaths. Visions of Uncle Walt in a hospital bed flashed through her brain, filling her with dread. She took a few unsteady steps and pulled open the door that led to the second floor.

They found Aunt June and Lacey in the same waiting room they had been in the day before. Sarah glanced at her aunt. She had dark circles under her eyes and her face was pale. Worry over Uncle Walt was taking its toll.

“Hi guys,” Sarah greeted.

Aunt June gave Sarah a tired smile. “Hello, sweetheart.”

“Hey,” Lacey said.

“Any news?” Sarah brushed a wayward hair out of her eyes.

“Not since he opened his eyes,” Aunt June said.

“But they still say everything is positive, right?”

Aunt June nodded quickly. “Absolutely. Very positive.”

“Can we see him?”

“I'll ask the doctor the next time I see him. They've only let me see him a few times, and I could only stay a few minutes.”

Sarah cast her sister a sideways glance. “So, Lace, what's up with Scott?”

Lacey glanced up at her sister. “Oh, not much. He had to leave.”

Jackie exchanged a long look with Sarah. “Any news from his dad?”

“No.” Lacey shook her head and a shadow darkened her face.

Sarah noticed her expression. “Hey, let's go get a soda. Aunt June do you want one?”

“No thanks, honey.”

The girls left the waiting room and ambled down the hall. The glare from the bright lights made Sarah squint. The girls stepped into the alcove that housed the vending machines and huddled together in a circle. Every few minutes one of them would pop her head up to make sure no one was listening.

“So,” Sarah whispered. “Did they catch the bomber?”

“No,” Lacey said in a low voice. She twirled her hair around her finger and bit her lip. “According to Scott, he lost the agents on some two-track that went back into some woods.”

Sarah's heart plummeted and her stomach sank to the floor. She felt dizzy and nauseous. Her legs wobbled and she clutched Jackie's arm.
The bomber
's
still at large and
now
he knows what I look like.

“Sarah, are you all right?” Jackie asked.

Sarah could hear her friend, but her voice sounded far away, as if Sarah was in a deep sleep. She could hear, but couldn't respond.

Jackie grabbed her arm and shook it. “Sarah?”

“Sarah?” Lacey asked.

Finally finding her voice, Sarah said, “I'm all right. I just thought for sure the bomber had been caught.”

Lacey nodded. “I know.” She sighed and continued to fidget with her hair. “I guess the FBI is planning a stakeout now.”

“A stakeout?” Jackie asked.

“Yeah, I guess they found out who this guy is and they're staking out his house.”

“Are they going to stake out the hospital, too?” Sarah asked.

“Why would they do that?” Lacey frowned.

Sarah rolled her eyes. “Because the bomber works here.”

“Do you think he'd come back to work?” Jackie asked.

“Yeah, is he really that stupid?” Lacey glared at her sister.

“I don't know.” Sarah shrugged. “I just can't believe he got away.” She sighed and turned away from the girls. Fishing some coins out of her pocket, she put them in the vending machine and then selected a soda. “Did Scott tell you his name?”

“Yeah, his name is Randy Ferguson.”

Sarah looked at Jackie. “Jack, do you know that name?”

Jackie frowned and pulled on a curl. “No, it doesn't ring any bells.”

Sarah stepped out of the way and motioned for the other girls to select their sodas. Jackie and Lacey made their choices and the Super Spies strolled back to the waiting room.

“Sarah, the bomber knows what we look like.” Jackie glanced at her friend.

“I know. I was just thinking about that but, if he's hiding out, we don't have anything to worry about.”

Lacey grabbed her sister's arm. “You don't think he'll still try and get his target do you?”

A chill ran down Sarah's spine making her shiver. “I have no idea. I don't even know why they're after whoever they're after.” She groaned and took a drink of her soda. “Are there more survivors besides Ali Hameedi and Uncle Walt?”

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

“Well, we know that one of the survivors is a target. So, all we have to do is get a list of people who are here in the hospital who were involved with the bombing. Maybe we could get a list from Scott.” Sarah glanced at Lacey.

“Is the FBI guarding the hospital now?” Jackie frowned and fidgeted with her curls.

Lacey bit her lip. “Yeah, they're here now.” She glanced down the hall, before she stepped closer to Jackie and whispered. “But they're undercover.”

“Good.” A wave of relief washed over Sarah and she took a deep breath. “Now we just need to find out who the target is.”

“Even if we have a list of the possibilities, we still won't know,” Jackie said.

“True, but we could have Scoop research each one and maybe find a relationship between the bomber and the victim.” Sarah took another drink of her soda. She stopped in the middle of the hall. “Maybe the bomber has a social media page.”

Jackie grabbed her arm. “Yeah, we should check.”

The girls rounded the corner and made their way back to the waiting room. Aunt June was busy gathering the files and books together that she had brought with her.

Spying the girls, she said, “I think we should head home. There's nothing more we can do tonight.”

“When am I going to get to see Uncle Walt?” Sarah asked.

Aunt June sighed. “Let me ask the doctor if you can step in for just a few minutes.” She walked toward the nurses' station.

When her aunt was out of sight, Sarah faced her companions. “Okay, we need to do some research tonight. Do you remember the bomber's name?”

Jackie smirked at her friend. “Duh…yeah, Randy Ferguson.”

“Okay, Jackie, you find out everything you can on the bomber. Lacey, you have to keep Aunt June busy and see if you can get a list of the survivors from Scott.”

“What are you going to do?” Lacey asked.

“I'm going to talk to Scoop and see if he found out anything about Ali Hameedi, then I'm going to fill him in on the bomber.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Jackie nodded.

“Let's touch base later tonight,” Sarah said.

Aunt June walked back into the waiting room. “Okay, girls, the doctor said you could each see your uncle for five minutes.” She motioned for them to follow her and walked back the way she had just come.

The Super Spies traveled behind Aunt June. Sarah's stomach clenched as she thought about her uncle.
What will he be like when I see him? What will I say if he suddenly wakes up? What if he wakes up and doesn't recognize me?
She shuddered as the last question flashed through her mind.

The halls seemed to blur together and become a huge maze with endless corners. Anxiety tightened Sarah's stomach into painful knots, and her breath was coming in short gasps.