spring break, two weeks before the start of the summer session, and another two weeks before the start of the fall session, Henson students went to school six days a week forty-four weeks a year. With a demanding schedule like that, Sarahbarely had time for herself, let alone a significant other. However, when Bernard Rodgers, who taught trigonometry, joined the faculty during the spring session, Sarah Lawford made sure he knew she was down-to-earth and available. A whirlwind romance developed and they were going to marry and honeymoon before the start of the fall session in Las Vegas at the Mandalay Bay Hotel.
Sarah grabbed two bags of groceries and started walking toward the white picket fence. She saw one of her students, a bright-eyed boy named Luther Pleasant, who happened to be rollerblading in her direction.
Luther was black, just eight years old and a mathematical wizard with a schoolboy crush on Miss Lawford. He skated around Sarah in a circle with ease, smiling as he showed off his incredible balance.
âHi, Mr. Pleasant,â Sarah said. Calling students by their surname was a part of the schoolâs charter. When Anthony George, the presiding principal, founded the school ten years earlier, he believed that children needed to be taught to respect themselves as well as others. One way to do that, he believed, was by having the teachers call the boys Mister and the girls Miss along with their surnames. The children were not allowed to use first names either.
âHi, Miss Lawford!â Luther beamed.
âWill you help me take my groceries into the house?â Sarah asked the youngster.
âSure, Miss Lawford.â Luther smiled.
âJust grab one bag at a time, okay?â Sarah said, sensing that the boy would try to impress her and drop everything all over the ground. âAnd make sure you take off your rollerblades before you come into the house.â
âOkay, Miss Lawford,â Luther said.
After they finished taking in the bags, Sarah offered Luther five dollars for services rendered, but he refused. Sarah then promised to let him help her make some peanut butter cookies for the class later that week and he agreed. After Luther left, Sarah turned on her stereo system and hit a couple of buttons on the CD player. A few seconds later âBrothers Hang On,â a tune on MC Hammerâs âToo Legit To Quitâ CD began. Sarah sang along.
â
My mind is poisoned from the picture that I seeâ¦The hookers or the killers always seem to look at meâ¦BLACKâ
Ding-dong! The doorbell chimed over the music. Sarah went to the door and looked through the peephole. There were two men standing on her porch wearing Capitol City Cable overalls. The Arlington area was scheduled to receive the new digital cable so she opened the door. The men were twins with short crewcut hairstyles. Zap! Terry touched her with a stun baton.
CHAPTER 24
The last thing Sarah Lawford remembered was opening her front door and being zapped by a black baton. She opened her eyes and realized that she was nude, gagged, and tied to her own bed with her legs spread eagle. Disoriented, she began to panic. To her knowledge, she hadnât done anything wrong.
Sarah had taught at Matthew Henson School for seven years. She got along famously with the other members of the faculty and all of her students liked her. She had the unique ability to make all her students feel as if they were her favorite pupils.
As Sarah struggled fruitlessly to free herself, she could hear someone moving around; someone was still in her room. She recognized the two men from Capitol City Cable. They were saying something to each other, but she couldnât understand what they were saying. One of them looked back at her and smiled. He picked up something off the floor and was walking over to the bed. As he got closer, Sarah could tell that the man had a leather whip in his hand.
He sat down on the bed and looked down into
Sarah grabbed two bags of groceries and started walking toward the white picket fence. She saw one of her students, a bright-eyed boy named Luther Pleasant, who happened to be rollerblading in her direction.
Luther was black, just eight years old and a mathematical wizard with a schoolboy crush on Miss Lawford. He skated around Sarah in a circle with ease, smiling as he showed off his incredible balance.
âHi, Mr. Pleasant,â Sarah said. Calling students by their surname was a part of the schoolâs charter. When Anthony George, the presiding principal, founded the school ten years earlier, he believed that children needed to be taught to respect themselves as well as others. One way to do that, he believed, was by having the teachers call the boys Mister and the girls Miss along with their surnames. The children were not allowed to use first names either.
âHi, Miss Lawford!â Luther beamed.
âWill you help me take my groceries into the house?â Sarah asked the youngster.
âSure, Miss Lawford.â Luther smiled.
âJust grab one bag at a time, okay?â Sarah said, sensing that the boy would try to impress her and drop everything all over the ground. âAnd make sure you take off your rollerblades before you come into the house.â
âOkay, Miss Lawford,â Luther said.
After they finished taking in the bags, Sarah offered Luther five dollars for services rendered, but he refused. Sarah then promised to let him help her make some peanut butter cookies for the class later that week and he agreed. After Luther left, Sarah turned on her stereo system and hit a couple of buttons on the CD player. A few seconds later âBrothers Hang On,â a tune on MC Hammerâs âToo Legit To Quitâ CD began. Sarah sang along.
â
My mind is poisoned from the picture that I seeâ¦The hookers or the killers always seem to look at meâ¦BLACKâ
Ding-dong! The doorbell chimed over the music. Sarah went to the door and looked through the peephole. There were two men standing on her porch wearing Capitol City Cable overalls. The Arlington area was scheduled to receive the new digital cable so she opened the door. The men were twins with short crewcut hairstyles. Zap! Terry touched her with a stun baton.
CHAPTER 24
The last thing Sarah Lawford remembered was opening her front door and being zapped by a black baton. She opened her eyes and realized that she was nude, gagged, and tied to her own bed with her legs spread eagle. Disoriented, she began to panic. To her knowledge, she hadnât done anything wrong.
Sarah had taught at Matthew Henson School for seven years. She got along famously with the other members of the faculty and all of her students liked her. She had the unique ability to make all her students feel as if they were her favorite pupils.
As Sarah struggled fruitlessly to free herself, she could hear someone moving around; someone was still in her room. She recognized the two men from Capitol City Cable. They were saying something to each other, but she couldnât understand what they were saying. One of them looked back at her and smiled. He picked up something off the floor and was walking over to the bed. As he got closer, Sarah could tell that the man had a leather whip in his hand.
He sat down on the bed and looked down into
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