by Lisa Orchard
“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.
Aunt June stopped in front of room two hundred seventy-five. Sarah stared at the door protecting her uncle. She sighed, suddenly weary.
Uncle Walt’s room was right next to the nurses’ station. Noticing an orderly sitting there, Sarah studied him. He watched the group with a dispassionate eye. She took in his close-cropped hair and thin build. All at once, it dawned on her; he was one of the undercover FBI agents. The discreet earpiece was a dead giveaway, invisible to the untrained eye. Sarah smirked—I’m a great detective. Just knowing that there was an agent nearby made her feel safe and she relaxed.
Aunt June faced the girls. “Okay, who wants to go first?”
“I will,” Lacey blurted out and then looked at her sister.
Sarah rolled her eyes and sighed. “Go ahead.”
“Thanks.” Lacey gave her arm a squeeze before walking toward his room.
“Remember, only five minutes,” Aunt June warned.
Lacey nodded then disappeared inside the room.
It seemed like only seconds before Lacey was back outside. She sniffled and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.
A new wave of anxiety washed over Sarah as she looked at Uncle Walt’s door.
“Go ahead, sweetheart.” Aunt June gave her a gentle nudge.
Sarah took a deep breath and stepped toward the door. Once inside, she noticed the shades were drawn. The only light came from the monitors beeping and flashing beside the bed.
He lay there, motionless. Sarah gulped; her throat was suddenly parched and scratchy. Taking a step closer, she gasped when she saw how frail her uncle seemed. A sob caught in her throat as she stared at him. His head was heavily bandaged and it appeared as if a tube was growing out of his scalp. She studied the tube and realized that it led to a monitor that beeped every few minutes.
Tears welled in her eyes as she stared at her uncle. He seemed so small and fragile lying there, lifeless. She took a few more steps and found herself next to his bed.
Touching his hand, her tears spilled down her cheeks. He was cold, so she adjusted the blankets around him.
“Uncle Walt, we’re going to catch the guys who did this,” she whispered as she stroked his hand. “You just work on getting better.”
She stared into his face, hoping for a reaction. There was none.
More tears spilled down her cheeks and she dropped his hand to wipe her face on her sleeve. “Uncle Walt, we need you to get better.”
Sarah stroked his hand and sniffed. Staring at her uncle, she willed him to open his eyes. A movement caught her attention. She wasn’t sure what it was, just a shift or something, but there it was again. It was a flutter, she was sure of it—a flutter of his eyelids.
Leaning in, Sarah gazed at her uncle’s face. His eyes flashed open and just as quickly closed. For the briefest of seconds, Sarah made eye contact with him. Her heart soared. I’m sure he recognized me!
She raced out of the room and collided with Lacey, almost knocking her down. “He opened his eyes! He opened his eyes!”
Aunt June stared at Sarah then ran into the room. Seconds later, she was back out, dashing toward the nurses’ station.
“Please, call the doctor! He opened his eyes!”
The nurse grabbed the phone and paged the doctor. He called back in seconds and she relayed the information to him. She hung up the phone and faced the group. “He’s on his way.”
Aunt June smoothed her hair away from her face and adjusted her ponytail. “I’m going back inside. ”
“Okay.” Sarah paced in front of Uncle Walt’s door unable to sit still. If he’s awake, maybe he can come home. Her fingers tingled as she walked.
Jackie strolled with her. A wave of gratitude overwhelmed Sarah and she reached out and squeezed her friend’s arm.
Jackie winked at her. “This is awesome news, girlfriend.”
“Yes it is,” Sarah said with a smile. “Now, all we have to do is catch those guys.”
Jackie pulled on her curls. “I hope Scott can get us that list.”
A doctor came striding down the hall. He nodded briskly at the girls, before he walked into Uncle Walt’s room.
Gazing at the doctor as he rushed by, Sarah noted his piercing blue eyes and thinning dark hair. He towered above the teenagers and had a quiet air of authority about him. She was comforted by this and knew instinctively that Uncle Walt was in good hands.
Sarah and Jackie stopped pacing and huddled together in the hall. Lacey was quick to join them.
Sarah glanced at her sister. “Can you ask Scott about that list?”
“Yeah, I’ll give him a call.” Lacey pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and walked down the hall, punching numbers as she went. Sarah followed her sister with her eyes, chewing on her thumbnail.
She turned to Jackie. “Once we get that list, we can find out if they have any connection to Randy Ferguson.”
“So true, girlfriend.”
Aunt June and the doctor came out of Uncle Walt’s room. The doctor nodded to Aunt June and then hurried down the hall.
Sarah’s aunt walked up. “Okay, girls. Let’s go home and get some dinner.”
“What about Uncle Walt?”
Aunt June smiled at her niece. “The doctor is very encouraged by this new development.”
“And?” Sarah gestured with her hands.
Aunt June cracked a wide grin. “Your uncle didn’t say anything, he went right back to sleep. But the doctor thinks it would be best if I stay the night in case your uncle wakes back up.”
“What about me and Lacey?”
“Sorry, only one family member can spend the night.” Aunt June gave Sarah a quick hug. “I thought maybe Jackie could spend the night at our house?” She glanced at Jackie and raised her eyebrows. “I’ll call your mother and see if it’s okay.”
“Awesome.” Jackie gave Aunt June an innocent smile and winked at Sarah.
Lacey closed her phone and sauntered up to the group. “So what’s the scoop?”
“Aunt June is spending the night at the hospital with Uncle Walt, and hopefully Jackie is spending the night with us.” Sarah glanced at her friend and cracked a smile.
“Cool,” Lacey said.
“So,” Aunt June said as she clapped her hands together. “Let’s get some food. How about Chinese tonight?”
“Sweet and sour chicken,” Lacey blurted out.
“Mongolian beef,” Sarah chimed in.
Aunt June laughed. “How about you, Jackie?”
“I’ll have cashew chicken.”
Aunt June laughed again and a feeling of peace flowed through Sarah’s body. She knew things were looking up if her aunt was relaxed enough to laugh.
Aunt June gathered her purse and planner and motioned for the girls to follow her. “I’m calling Jackie’s mom now, then I’ll call Wongs and order the food.”
Aunt June led the way down the hall. Trailing a few paces behind her aunt, Sarah whispered to Lacey. “Okay, Lace, what’d you find out?”
“Scott’s going to try and find a list of the victims. He thinks he saw his dad with one.”
“Awesome, then all we have to do is find the connection between them and Randy Ferguson.”
Sarah clenched her hands. We’re so close, I can feel it. “When Aunt June comes back to spend the night, we’ll call Scoop and see what he found out about Ali Hameedi.”
“Cool beans.”
Aunt June stopped when she reached the stairwell and faced the girls. “I just got off the phone with Jackie’s mom. She’s okay with her spending the night.”
The Super Spies exchanged mischievous glances and giggled.
“This is going to be an awesome Saturday night, girl
friend,” Jackie said as she gave Sarah a quick squeeze.
“You got that right.”
“Can we stop by my house so I can pick up a few things?” Jackie asked Aunt June.
“Sure.”
“Don’t forget we have to get our bikes from the rack,” Lacey called from behind.
“Thanks for the reminder, Lace,” Aunt June said over her shoulder.
The group proceeded down the stairs. A chill of anticipation ran down Sarah’s spine. She shivered. I can’t wait to put the bombers behind bars.
Upon reaching the landing, Sarah weaved her way between people. She wanted to get to work right away. It shocked her that Randy Ferguson had eluded the FBI not once but twice. Just who is Randy Ferguson? Is he a career terrorist? She frowned and wrinkled her brow as she moved forward, her hands clenched into tight balls. I’m going to get some answers.
Chapter Seventeen
After they ate their Chinese food, the Super Spies waited for Aunt June to pack an overnight bag and head back to the hospital. They waved goodbye at the door, and then scurried back to the kitchen.
Sarah rubbed her forehead. “Okay, I’m going to call Scoop and see if he found anything today. Lace, you check with Scott, and don’t talk forever, okay?”
Lacey stuck her tongue out at her. “Shut up.” She grabbed her cell phone and raced down to the bedroom.
Sarah punched Scoop’s number into her phone. “It’s ringing.”
“Cool beans.”
“Hello?” Scoop’s voice boomed through the phone.
“Hi, it’s Sarah.”
“I bet you’re calling to get the scoop.”
Sarah cracked up laughing. “You got that right.”
He chuckled. “Well, let’s see. Ali Hameedi does have relatives back in Afghanistan, but that’s all I found out.”
“So, do you think he could be the target?”
“At this point, I just don’t know. Anything is possible.”
Sarah frowned and sighed. “Okay, Scoop, keep digging and let me know if you find anything.”
“Okay.”
“Guess what we found out,” Sarah teased.
“What?”
“The bomber’s name is Randy Ferguson. Do you know him?”
“Hmmm, that name rings a bell. Let me look into it and I’ll call you back.”
