what happened to our son. Honestly, I can’t believe that he had anything to do with the explosion but I want to know why he was in that building at that time.’ His pen, however, still hovered over the signature line. ‘I do have one condition, though.’
Lucinda tensed. Oh dear. There were a lot of things a father in this situation could ask and a lot she couldn’t promise. ‘What is that, Mr Baynes?’
‘That man does not enter my son’s bedroom,’ he said, pointing toward the front of his home.
‘Just for clarity, Mr Baynes, exactly which one of the two agents do you want to be kept out of David’s room?’
‘I’m surprised you have to ask,’ Chuck said. ‘But for clarity’s sake, I will answer: Agent Connelly with the ATF.’
‘Hand me the document,’ Lucinda said. On the bottom, she wrote, ‘This agreement is automatically null and void if ATF Agent in Charge Clarence Connelly sets foot inside of the Bayneses’ home.’ She handed the piece of paper back to Chuck. ‘Does that satisfy you, Mr Baynes?’
Chuck grunted. ‘Yes indeed, Ma’am.’ He signed and passed it over to his wife.
Sarah added her signature, handed the form back to Lucinda and said, ‘The son I knew would not build or place a bomb anywhere. But we have to accept the possibility that he is not the person we believed him to be. I want the truth, no matter how painful it is.’ Tears rolled down both of her cheeks as she spoke.
Lucinda swallowed hard to keep her own empathetic emotions from slipping out of control. ‘If one of you could show me to his room, I’ll get started.’
Chuck led her upstairs and into David’s room. ‘Well, I’ll go downstairs with Sarah. Feel free to do what you need to do. I just ask that you try not to mess things up too much. Sarah would feel the need to put everything back in its proper place and I don’t think she’s up to that yet.’
Once Lucinda heard Chuck’s descending footsteps and knew she was alone on the second floor, she called Jake. ‘They’ve given me permission to search their son’s room and to confiscate the computer. I’m going to call the Regional Computer Forensic Center and see if Ted Branson can get down here to take direct possession of David’s laptop. Please get Connelly out of here before he causes any further complications. I’ll get a ride from Ted or whoever he sends down from Charlottesville.’
‘Are you sure? I could help you in there.’
‘I know you could but my greater need is to get Connelly out of here before he causes any additional turmoil.’
‘You think he could cause them to revoke the permission.’
‘They said as much, Jake. In order to get them to sign the release, I had to add that as an automatic response if he walks through their door again. So get that insensitive jerk off of their property before that happens.’
‘Oh jeez …’
‘What?’
‘The blinds on one of the windows: someone has pulled up a slat and is looking our way.’
‘Get that man out of here now, Jake. They were very emphatic about that.’
‘That’s not going to be an easy job.’
‘Cuff him or do whatever is necessary. Just get him out of here now.’
‘I will not draw a gun on him.’
‘I did not draw my weapon,’ Lucinda objected. ‘I simply rested my hand on the butt of my gun.’
‘Technicality, Lucy. I think you really stepped in it.’
‘Won’t be the first time, Jake.’
TWELVE
L ucinda was pleased with the results of her call to Ted. He promised to be there in two hours to take the computer to his lab for forensic analysis. Even more pleasing was Ted’s eagerness to take time when he got there to update her on how his kids and wife were doing. It sounded as if his marital situation was now on a firmer footing. She hoped that was true because it would mean he wouldn’t be attempting to make her feel guilty for pushing him away from the possibility of renewing their high school romance.
She opened up the lid of David’s
Lucinda tensed. Oh dear. There were a lot of things a father in this situation could ask and a lot she couldn’t promise. ‘What is that, Mr Baynes?’
‘That man does not enter my son’s bedroom,’ he said, pointing toward the front of his home.
‘Just for clarity, Mr Baynes, exactly which one of the two agents do you want to be kept out of David’s room?’
‘I’m surprised you have to ask,’ Chuck said. ‘But for clarity’s sake, I will answer: Agent Connelly with the ATF.’
‘Hand me the document,’ Lucinda said. On the bottom, she wrote, ‘This agreement is automatically null and void if ATF Agent in Charge Clarence Connelly sets foot inside of the Bayneses’ home.’ She handed the piece of paper back to Chuck. ‘Does that satisfy you, Mr Baynes?’
Chuck grunted. ‘Yes indeed, Ma’am.’ He signed and passed it over to his wife.
Sarah added her signature, handed the form back to Lucinda and said, ‘The son I knew would not build or place a bomb anywhere. But we have to accept the possibility that he is not the person we believed him to be. I want the truth, no matter how painful it is.’ Tears rolled down both of her cheeks as she spoke.
Lucinda swallowed hard to keep her own empathetic emotions from slipping out of control. ‘If one of you could show me to his room, I’ll get started.’
Chuck led her upstairs and into David’s room. ‘Well, I’ll go downstairs with Sarah. Feel free to do what you need to do. I just ask that you try not to mess things up too much. Sarah would feel the need to put everything back in its proper place and I don’t think she’s up to that yet.’
Once Lucinda heard Chuck’s descending footsteps and knew she was alone on the second floor, she called Jake. ‘They’ve given me permission to search their son’s room and to confiscate the computer. I’m going to call the Regional Computer Forensic Center and see if Ted Branson can get down here to take direct possession of David’s laptop. Please get Connelly out of here before he causes any further complications. I’ll get a ride from Ted or whoever he sends down from Charlottesville.’
‘Are you sure? I could help you in there.’
‘I know you could but my greater need is to get Connelly out of here before he causes any additional turmoil.’
‘You think he could cause them to revoke the permission.’
‘They said as much, Jake. In order to get them to sign the release, I had to add that as an automatic response if he walks through their door again. So get that insensitive jerk off of their property before that happens.’
‘Oh jeez …’
‘What?’
‘The blinds on one of the windows: someone has pulled up a slat and is looking our way.’
‘Get that man out of here now, Jake. They were very emphatic about that.’
‘That’s not going to be an easy job.’
‘Cuff him or do whatever is necessary. Just get him out of here now.’
‘I will not draw a gun on him.’
‘I did not draw my weapon,’ Lucinda objected. ‘I simply rested my hand on the butt of my gun.’
‘Technicality, Lucy. I think you really stepped in it.’
‘Won’t be the first time, Jake.’
TWELVE
L ucinda was pleased with the results of her call to Ted. He promised to be there in two hours to take the computer to his lab for forensic analysis. Even more pleasing was Ted’s eagerness to take time when he got there to update her on how his kids and wife were doing. It sounded as if his marital situation was now on a firmer footing. She hoped that was true because it would mean he wouldn’t be attempting to make her feel guilty for pushing him away from the possibility of renewing their high school romance.
She opened up the lid of David’s
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