the floor.
Lucinda and Jake glared at Connelly and jumped to their feet, hurrying over to the fallen woman. By the time they reached her, Chuck was kneeling by her side, holding one hand and gently patting her cheek.
‘Sarah, Sarah,’ Chuck said.
Sarah’s eyes blinked open. ‘No, Chuck, no. Please tell me it’s not true.’ She struggled to sit up.
‘Easy, easy,’ Chuck said as he slid an arm behind her back to support her.
Her eyes darted back and forth between the faces of Lucinda and Jake. ‘I need to get up, Chuck. This is embarrassing.’
Jake stretched out a hand to help her and said, ‘Ma’am, you’ve had quite a shock. Your reaction was normal.’
Sarah grabbed Jake’s hand as Chuck wrapped an arm around her waist. Once she was up on her feet, Chuck walked her over to a chair and eased her down.
‘Now that we’ve gotten past your hysterics, tell me what you know about your son building a bomb,’ Connelly said.
‘What?’ Chuck and Sarah said together.
‘You heard me. Don’t play dumb. You had to know what he was up to—’
‘Enough, Connelly,’ Lucinda interrupted.
‘I want answers, Lieutenant, and I want them now. And you,’ Connelly said, pointing a finger at Sarah, then Chuck, ‘you people need to give us some answers.’
‘Agent Connelly, can we please step outside for a moment?’
‘Not unless you’re putting those two conspirators in cuffs first.’ Connelly pulled his pair out of his waistband.
Jake stood and stepped between Connelly and the shocked parents. ‘Cut it out, Connelly.’
‘What’s wrong with you people?’ Connelly said, glaring at Lucinda and Jake. ‘There’s no way that boy could have built that bomb without his parents’ knowledge and possibly their blessing. Don’t tell me a few crocodile tears and a phony fainting spell have blinded you to reality here?’
Lucinda put her hand on the butt of her gun. ‘Agent Connelly, you are out of line. Step outside and wait for us until our conversation here is over.’
‘Are you threatening me, woman?’ Connelly snapped.
‘Come on,’ Jake said, pushing against his back with a shoulder. ‘Let’s go. Let’s go now.’
Connelly tried to brush him off, but Jake pressed harder. ‘She’s not going to draw a gun on a federal agent.’
‘Don’t press your luck, Connelly,’ Jake said as he manhandled the other agent outside.
Once the door shut, the loud exchange was muffled and indistinct but still audible. ‘I’m sorry for the agent’s behavior,’ Lucinda said.
‘But is that what you all think? That we helped him build a bomb?’ Chuck asked.
‘No, sir, I do not.’
‘But you think he was responsible for what happened?’ Sarah said.
‘I don’t know, ma’am,’ Lucinda admitted. ‘I am trying to figure out exactly what happened. And the first questions are: what was he doing at the high school Sunday morning? And how did he gain access to the building? Why was he there? Once I have those answers, I can determine if he was in the wrong place at the wrong time or if he was responsible for what happened. And, of course, there is the possibility that he did play a role in the explosion but had no awareness of what he was doing.’
‘You mean someone used him without his knowledge?’ Chuck asked.
‘Possibly. But at this point, I can’t assume anything. We will need to search his room and see if we can find any leads there.’
‘You’ll probably want his computer, too,’ Sarah offered.
‘Yes, ma’am.’
‘Don’t waste your time getting a search warrant. We’ll sign anything you need to authorize your access. Won’t we, Chuck?’ Sarah said, turning to her husband who nodded his agreement.
Lucinda had the form documents ready. She pulled them out, filled in the blanks and handed them over to the couple to sign. ‘Take your time. Feel free to read them over and discuss as much as you need.’
‘No need to read it. I don’t care what it says. I want you to find out
Lucinda and Jake glared at Connelly and jumped to their feet, hurrying over to the fallen woman. By the time they reached her, Chuck was kneeling by her side, holding one hand and gently patting her cheek.
‘Sarah, Sarah,’ Chuck said.
Sarah’s eyes blinked open. ‘No, Chuck, no. Please tell me it’s not true.’ She struggled to sit up.
‘Easy, easy,’ Chuck said as he slid an arm behind her back to support her.
Her eyes darted back and forth between the faces of Lucinda and Jake. ‘I need to get up, Chuck. This is embarrassing.’
Jake stretched out a hand to help her and said, ‘Ma’am, you’ve had quite a shock. Your reaction was normal.’
Sarah grabbed Jake’s hand as Chuck wrapped an arm around her waist. Once she was up on her feet, Chuck walked her over to a chair and eased her down.
‘Now that we’ve gotten past your hysterics, tell me what you know about your son building a bomb,’ Connelly said.
‘What?’ Chuck and Sarah said together.
‘You heard me. Don’t play dumb. You had to know what he was up to—’
‘Enough, Connelly,’ Lucinda interrupted.
‘I want answers, Lieutenant, and I want them now. And you,’ Connelly said, pointing a finger at Sarah, then Chuck, ‘you people need to give us some answers.’
‘Agent Connelly, can we please step outside for a moment?’
‘Not unless you’re putting those two conspirators in cuffs first.’ Connelly pulled his pair out of his waistband.
Jake stood and stepped between Connelly and the shocked parents. ‘Cut it out, Connelly.’
‘What’s wrong with you people?’ Connelly said, glaring at Lucinda and Jake. ‘There’s no way that boy could have built that bomb without his parents’ knowledge and possibly their blessing. Don’t tell me a few crocodile tears and a phony fainting spell have blinded you to reality here?’
Lucinda put her hand on the butt of her gun. ‘Agent Connelly, you are out of line. Step outside and wait for us until our conversation here is over.’
‘Are you threatening me, woman?’ Connelly snapped.
‘Come on,’ Jake said, pushing against his back with a shoulder. ‘Let’s go. Let’s go now.’
Connelly tried to brush him off, but Jake pressed harder. ‘She’s not going to draw a gun on a federal agent.’
‘Don’t press your luck, Connelly,’ Jake said as he manhandled the other agent outside.
Once the door shut, the loud exchange was muffled and indistinct but still audible. ‘I’m sorry for the agent’s behavior,’ Lucinda said.
‘But is that what you all think? That we helped him build a bomb?’ Chuck asked.
‘No, sir, I do not.’
‘But you think he was responsible for what happened?’ Sarah said.
‘I don’t know, ma’am,’ Lucinda admitted. ‘I am trying to figure out exactly what happened. And the first questions are: what was he doing at the high school Sunday morning? And how did he gain access to the building? Why was he there? Once I have those answers, I can determine if he was in the wrong place at the wrong time or if he was responsible for what happened. And, of course, there is the possibility that he did play a role in the explosion but had no awareness of what he was doing.’
‘You mean someone used him without his knowledge?’ Chuck asked.
‘Possibly. But at this point, I can’t assume anything. We will need to search his room and see if we can find any leads there.’
‘You’ll probably want his computer, too,’ Sarah offered.
‘Yes, ma’am.’
‘Don’t waste your time getting a search warrant. We’ll sign anything you need to authorize your access. Won’t we, Chuck?’ Sarah said, turning to her husband who nodded his agreement.
Lucinda had the form documents ready. She pulled them out, filled in the blanks and handed them over to the couple to sign. ‘Take your time. Feel free to read them over and discuss as much as you need.’
‘No need to read it. I don’t care what it says. I want you to find out
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