by Robin Caroll
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Hey,” Bella said to the group at large as she stretched before cheer practice. “I asked Luke Jensen to escort me. We’ve been friends since we were babies, since his mom and mine were college roommates.”
Just the mention of Luke’s name perked up Sam’s interest. Luke Jensen was, in Sam’s humble opinion, the cutest boy in seventh grade with his sandy blond, wavy hair and eyes that reminded Sam of dark chocolate. They’d gone to school together since kindergarten, but lately, every time she got near him, Sam’s mind refused to remember how to speak. It was like her tongue turned to stone, and she could only grunt and nod like an idiot.
“What are you talking about?” Sam asked.
“All the homecoming court girls have to have a guy escort them at the pep rally. The fathers will be the escorts onto the field homecoming night, but Mrs. Trees doesn’t want anybody to have to miss work to come to the pep rally, so we have to ask a guy at school.” Bella answered. “Most of us asked guys who are our friends so it wouldn’t be so weird.”
“I heard Lana asked Jared from newspaper staff,” Kate replied. “They’ve been friends for a long time, too.”
“Not me. I actually invited someone I like who I think is epic,” Remy said.
“Who?” Frannie asked.
“Kevin Haynes.” Remy smiled and widened her eyes. “Not only is he the quarterback and president of the student council, he’s also captain of the debate team, and leader of the Alpha gifted program.”
As if everybody didn’t know. Especially the cheerleaders, since they cheered for him every game.
Sam bit her lip. Everybody knew Aubrey had a huge crush on Kevin Haynes. She would flip out when she learned he’d be escorting Remy. Just another reason Aubrey had to be angry for not being nominated.
“I asked someone I’ve had a crush on for a while,” Lin almost whispered. “He doesn’t know, but I thought asking him might lead to an opportunity to let him know.”
“Who?” Frannie asked.
“Tam.” Lin’s cheeks went red as Rudolph’s nose.
“Get out!” Remy gave Lin a soft shove. “Y’all would totally make a cute couple. He has some serious eyes.”
“You really think so?”
Remy nodded. “Oh, yeah.”
“He’s super sweet, too,” Sam joined the conversation. “Offered to help me with lots of the anti-bullying campaigns.”
Lin smiled, still blushing. “What about you, Frannie?”
“Oh, I asked Marcus.”
“Do you like him?” Kate asked.
Frannie shrugged, but her cheeks turned a little pink, too. “Maybe. He’s really quiet, but he’s sweet once you get to know him.”
“Has anybody heard who Nikki asked?” Kate asked.
Remy nodded. “I have third period with her. She asked Thomas Murphy. I don’t think they’re lifelong buds, so maybe she likes him. He seemed pretty excited, too.”
“Oh, they’d make a cute couple, too,” Frannie said.
Sam swallowed. Felicia Adams would be royally ticked off when she saw them at the pep rally. Had Nikki unwittingly annoyed her bully even more? Maybe she should have told Nikki who some of her suspects were.
“Okay, girls, enough stretching. Five laps around the gym. Come on.” Mrs. Holt blew her whistle.
The girls groaned as they helped one another up and began to jog. The practice would be brutal since they didn’t have a game tonight. Sam always hated the away-game weeks because Mrs. Holt felt like they should practice harder since they didn’t have to cheer at a game.
Sam felt lucky she hadn’t been kicked off the squad, although that had more to do with Mom than blind luck. Mrs. Holt had mentioned to Sam that her mother called earlier and might be a few minutes late picking her up. Sam swallowed the smile. Mom wasn’t going to be late — it was just her way of contacting the cheer coach to smooth the way for Sam.
Mom was pretty amazing. If she decided to take the six-month job, Sam would miss her something terrible. For more than one reason.
Celeste hung back to trot alongside Sam. “Hey, what’s your dad say about the break-in? I can’t believe they stole three computers.”
“Dad’s not really discussing the case with me.”
“Why?”
Sam worked on evening out her breathing so she could jog and talk at the same time, but not slow enough that Mrs. Holt would get angry and think she wasn’t running hard enough. “He’s just not sharing information. He can’t really, I guess.”
“I can get that. It’s his job and all. Were you upset Aubrey gave the story to Nikki instead of you?” Celeste asked.
“Surprised more than upset.” That was the truth. Sam couldn’t help but wonder what Aubrey’s deal was. She never gave Nikki any of the headliner-type stories. For her to assign this one to Nikki . . . had Nikki told Aubrey about the email? Did she tell her about tracing it back to EAST lab? It would be just like Aubrey to assign a story to Nikki that could hurt Nikki in some way.
Aubrey was just a vile, horrid person.
“I heard the only things they took were two MacBooks and one of the older HP all-in-one desktops,” Celeste offered.
Sam slowed her pace. “There were three other MacBooks. I wonder why they’d take the old HP desktop?”
“Dunno. Just what I heard. Come on, we’re the last ones running.” Celeste gave her a shove and burst ahead.
Sam raced as well. There was no way the HP desktop would bring in near as much money as the MacBooks. Why take them?
But what if selling the computers for money wasn’t the motive for the break-in?
Dinner was another tense meal in the Sanderson home.
Sam avoided the subject of the break-in at school. She talked about cheer and the new fan lift pyramid they were working on and hoped to perform next week. Mom asked all the interested parent questions, but Sam could tell she was preoccupied.
Dad, on the other hand, didn’t even bother to ask questions. He ate in silence, his gulps of tea the only sound they heard from him.
They’d just finished eating when Mom’s cell rang. She glanced at the caller ID. “I have to take this. It’s my editor.” She headed toward the living room. “Hi, Emily.”
As she cleared the table, Sam figured she had nothing to lose. “How’s the investigation going, Dad?”
The wet paper towel he had been using to wipe the counters froze. “I can’t discuss the case with you, Sam.”
“I’m not even assigned the break-in with the paper, Dad. I’m just trying to help.”
He didn’t answer, just went back to wiping the counters.
“Were you able to find anything on the email?”
Dad sighed. “I’m sure you know the email account was created, the email sent, then the account deleted.”
“That’s what we thought.”
“You could have told me everything last night, Sam.” He threw the paper towels in the trash. “You could have given me the content of the email and the sender’s address last night. Why didn’t you?”
Sam shrugged. “I didn’t think about it. I’m sorry. It didn’t occur to me.”
Dad leaned against the counter. “I know I sometimes come across as the cop and not your dad, but you know how important my job is and when it’s connected to your school in some way . . . well, my concern for you and the other students can make me seem a little harsh. I don’t mean to, but I hope you understand.”
“I do. It’s just hard for me sometimes, too.”
He pulled her into a hug. “I love you, Pumpkin.” He kissed the top of her head.
“I love you, too, Daddy.”
Stepping back, he cleared his throat. “I’m sorry you didn’t get the story for the paper. Because of your principal?”
“I think so, but it’s okay. I have some great information for the anti-bullying articles. I’m just a little bummed my article won’t be on the blog tomorrow morning. The break-in will be featured instead.”
He nodded.
“Dad, something’s been bugging me all afternoon. I understand if you can’t talk to me about it, but I wanted to share my thoughts on it with you.” She dropped onto one of the barstools.
He leaned against the counter. “Go ahead, shoot.”
“Do you know how the lab was broken into? I mean, I’m pretty sure they got into the room by the window, but do you have an idea how they got on campus?”
Dad pointed at her. “This is strictly off the record, right? Just a father talking with his daughter, and only her, right?”
She nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“The front gates were locked, as were the gates to the entrances.”
She nodded. “So they had to get in another way?”
“Either they drove around the gates, but there are no tire tracks in the grass, or they came through by way of the high school.” Since the schools were side-by-side and shared the football field and gym, kids were always walking the path between them.
Sam chewed her bottom lip. “Can I give you my theory?”
He nodded. “I’d love to hear it.”
She let out a long breath. “Okay. I figured it had to be a kid who broke in to send the email. I mean, if it was an adult, surely they could’ve found another computer. And why would an adult send such an email to a kid, right?”
“I’m with you.”
She smiled and continued. “So I reasoned that the kid goes to our school because they had to have a passcode to get into the computers to send the email. That being the case, the kid wouldn’t have a driver’s license, so couldn’t very well drive to the school, break in to send an email, then drive off.”
“Sound reasoning,” Dad said.
“So there has to be a way someone who doesn’t drive can get onto the property and into the school. With the gates locked, no one can get in from the front.”
Dad nodded.
“So, now I have to consider the computers taken. Two MacBooks and one HP. There were other MacBooks in there. Even some older PC laptops which would have been much easier to steal than a desktop, which makes me think that stealing them wasn’t to sell them and make money.”
Dad stood up straight. “What’s your theory about why the computers were stolen?”
“I think when my article ran about someone having used one of the lab computers to send a bullying email, it made the bully nervous. This person never thought someone would figure that much out. They got so worried that they might have left some kind of evidence of who they were on the computer, so they broke in again, this time to steal the computer they sent the email from.” She ran her finger along the edge of the counter. “But they didn’t think anyone would figure it out, so they thought by stealing the two MacBooks, the police wouldn’t connect the two break-ins.”
“What does that tell you about the person?”
Sam grinned. “That they aren’t all that bright?”
“Well, there is that.” Dad chuckled. “So, back to how did they get in?”
“The two MacBooks, they could shove in their backpack, but not the desktop. That would be bulkier and pretty awkward to carry, so I’m pretty sure they either had someone along to help, which would give them another loose end, or they needed a way to cart it off.”
“That’s logical. What’s your theory on how they got the three computers off campus? Without being seen. Remember, the school has lights on in the dark on the school property itself, by the gym and around the football field.”
“I think they would be too nervous to have someone with them. I think they rode a bike or scooter, not a four-wheeler because that would be too loud, with a basket for the HP desktop. They shoved the MacBooks in the backpack that they wore, and put the HP all-inone monitor/CPU into the bike or scooter’s basket, then rode out the way they came in — behind the baseball diamond.”
Dad narrowed his eyes. “Behind the baseball diamond?”
She nodded. “There’s something just beyond the trees behind the diamond. It looked like a pole. I’m thinking there’s a road or house or something just beyond those trees. And if it’s a road, that’s an easy way for them to get home on a bike or scooter.”
“Have you seen what’s on the other side?” Dad asked, his interest evident in his expression.
She shook her head. “No, but I know something’s there. I meant to look it up on the internet using Google Earth©, but I didn’t have time.”
“Let’s look it up together now.” Dad led the way into the living room where the family computer sat on its lonely desk.
Dad was really the only one who used the computer since Sam and her mom used their own MacBooks. He sat down and turned the computer on. Sam sat on the arm of the chair, her heart kicking up her pulse. This was the first time she and Dad had worked on an investigation together, side-by-side. She smiled. It felt pretty good.
Once he’d opened the program, he maneuvered until he had the middle school in sight. He zoomed in, until he saw the new baseball diamond and the trees behind it. Sliding his reading glasses on, he leaned closer to the monitor. “Looks like it might be Chalamont Drive backed up on the other side of those trees.” He manipulated the angle until a swimming pool came into focus. “I think that’s Chalamont Park.”
“You know where this is?” Sam’s chest tightened.
“I do.” Dad turned off the computer and stood. “Let’s go check it out.”
Sam widened her eyes. “I can go with you?”
“Of course. It’s your theory, right?”
She smiled and nodded. “Lead on.”
“Let me tell your mom where we’re going. You go ahead and get in the truck.”
Sam raced off toward the garage, excitement thrumming through every vein. It felt brilliant to be physically following up a lead.
It felt even better to be doing it with Dad.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Dad turned the truck west onto Northfield Drive opposite Wal-Mart. A few miles and a roundabout later, the road turned into Chalamont Drive. At another roundabout, right across from Challain, sat the Chalamont Park with its swimming pool. Dad whipped the truck into the parking lot even though the sign read: Private: for Residents Only.
“Those look like the poles I saw,” Sam said, pointing at the tall, white poles on the back of the swimming pool.
Even though it was after Labor Day, as hot as it had been in central Arkansas, the private pool was still open. Several kids jumped into the water, splashing the ladies lying poolside, soaking up summer’s last rays.
Sam beat Dad out of the truck. She moved toward the little blacktop behind the parking lot, the one blocked by cement pillars. Beyond that was a double row of trees. Sam headed in that direction, Dad on her heels.
“Be careful of snakes.”
That stopped her in her tracks. She could deal with a snarling dog. A hissing cat. Even a spitting ferret like her cousin Chris had, but she had the biggest fear of snakes. It didn’t matter if it was a grass snake or a supposedly good snake that ate poisonous snakes. In Sam’s opinion, the only good snake was a dead snake. Dead and chopped up into little, itty, bitty pieces.
Dad laughed and moved in front of her. “Want me to scare the slimies away?”
Sam smiled at the old word she’d invented for snakes when she was a child. Mom had tried to explain that snakes weren’t slimy, but that they were, in fact, scaly and rough. But even as a child, Sam had shuddered and dubbed them all slimies. “Yeah, scare them off.”
Dad took a few steps off the blacktop, then squatted.
“What are you doing?” Sam asked.
“Look.” He pointed.
Closer to the bottom of the pine trees, there wasn’t much foliage. From a lower position, there was a clear visual into the area past the trees.
The baseball diamond.
“We were right!” Sam moved toward the trees.
Dad grabbed her arm to stop her. “Hold up.”
“A snake?” Sam froze.
> “No. Evidence.”
“What?”
“Your theory looks to be right. This is a direct way to the school without entering through the front gates. And it looks easy enough to ride either a scooter or a bike through.”
“Then why aren’t we checking it out?”
“Because there might be evidence we could destroy if we went barging in. Like tire tracks that would help us identify a certain model scooter or bike. Or a footprint if someone got off, that might help us determine the type of shoe, which could help us identify a particular brand and size. Or a myriad of other things.”
She nodded.
He pointed again. “And looks like there’s a little path there.”
“So what do we do?”
“I call in a crime scene unit to come check it out.”
Sam groaned. She hated giving up her lead. Her evidence. “How long will that take?”
Dad chuckled. “Patience is a virtue, Sam.”
“Yeah, well, I missed out on it.”
“It shouldn’t take more than a few hours for them to make it.”
“Hours? It’ll be dark by then.”
Dad laughed again. “Sam, it’s been dark several times since the first time someone broke in. Evidence isn’t scared of the dark.”
“Isn’t it harder to find?”
“Not with the lights we use.” He grabbed his cell phone from its holder on his hip and called in the information.
“Well?” Sam asked when he hung up.
“They’ll actually be out here first thing in the morning.”
“The morning? But what about tonight? Isn’t it supposed to rain? What if evidence like prints and stuff is washed away?” How could he wait until morning? That was crazy!
Dad shook his head. “Sam, I’ve got the info logged into the system. If the skies even get a big cloud, the crime scene unit will be dispatched to secure the area to protect any potential evidence.”
“But what if it rains before they make it? Can’t they just come now and set up, then have a cop guard it until the unit can come back out tomorrow?”
“Considering this is a mild break-in on our case roster, we can’t secure the area and station security.”