Jeremy responded with a middle-finger salute. “I’ve got more important things to do.” He stomped out of the room. Theo was fairly certain his friend didn’t have anything better to do than try not to cry. Neil met Theo’s eyes, then followed his brother.
* * *
They’d given Henry a little time to think over Holt’s words, but time was getting short. And Holt was feeling a prick of unease over not speaking to Sara or Becca directly for the past couple hours. Damian had said Becca checked in via text message to say all was quiet, but Holt would have preferred more personal contact. He took comfort in the fact that, despite the unlocked door, Henry hadn’t walked out of the SSAM facilities. His fear of Toxin kept him a prisoner.
Holt reentered the Chamber, pointedly leaving the door wide open. He took his seat across from Henry. “Why are you protecting someone who almost shot you to death and destroyed your home? SSAM and the CPD are on Toxin’s trail. Once we catch him—and we will catch him—what do you think he’s going to do? You can bet he’ll take any deal the district attorney offers, including naming accomplices. He’ll turn on you so fast you’ll think you just snorted a gram of coke. He probably hoped you would die in the shootout too.”
Henry had started nibbling his stub of a thumbnail at the mention of Toxin taking a deal. And when Holt mentioned drugs, his leg started jostling again.
On cue, Noah entered. “SSAM is done with you, Henry. It’s the CPD’s turn. We found enough evidence of drug production in your home to hold you for twenty-four hours.”
Henry sat up straighter. “But—”
“We’ve got what we need. Caught Toxin driving the vehicle—you know, the car that sped away after your house got all shot up? He’s done. Case closed.”
“That’s not Toxin.”
Holt shook his head. “Don’t act like you want to talk now. We’ve got our man.” He glanced at Noah. Getting Henry to talk depended on making this ruse work. “Except that he’s trying to bargain. Says he can give us information that you were in on it.”
“He’s not Toxin. He doesn’t know anything.”
“But he’s willing to talk, so we’ll listen.” Holt rose and headed for the door.
Noah made to remove a pair of cuffs from his pocket. He read Henry his Miranda rights, and Henry acknowledged them. He licked his lips nervously as Noah brought the cuffs toward his hands.
“Wait,” Henry said suddenly. “Brady Flaherty isn’t Toxin. He’s just a hired gun.”
Brady Flaherty had been the one to shoot at them? They’d made up the part about apprehending the driver who’d shot at them.
“I can give you Toxin’s real name,” Henry said.
“You’re aware of your rights?” Noah asked again.
Henry nodded. “But I want leniency in exchange for my cooperation.” There was no lawyer there to guarantee anything, and Henry was too muddle-headed to ask for one. “Toxin’s real name is Chad White. We were in college together. He knew Brady and paid him to try to kill Dr. Patterson today.”
“Chad White?” Holt said. Pinpricks of alarm traveled up his neck. “He works at the school. I remember his name from the personnel we did background checks on. He was clean.”
Henry smirked. “He would be. Never been arrested or anything like that.”
“Sara knows him. She’d trust him.” What he wouldn’t give for immediate proof that Theo and Sara were okay.
Noah put the cuffs back in his pocket and sat down. “What does Brady know? Where does he fit into this?”
“He only knows someone anonymous paid him to do a job...shoot at you all and then go to some school and do the same thing. He doesn’t know Chad was behind the payment. I was just supposed to be the bait to get you guys to the right place. I had no idea how this would play out.” He laced his hands together to stop their shaking and stared at his bloody thumbnail.
“Brady went to a school after shooting at me? Was it the Hills Boys’ Academy?” Holt felt his muscles bunch as if he could run to the school.
Henry looked up. “Yeah, that sounds right. Why?”
Heart pounding in his ears, Holt left Noah with Henry as he raced to Damian’s office. “Sir, we’ve got Toxin’s name—Chad White—and possible location as well as the name of today’s shooter—Brady Flaherty. Contact Becca at the school right away. Toxin has plans for them there tonight. Because of the weather, Theo and Sara are there with her.”
“I’ll get her on the phone,” Damian promised, picking up the receiver and dialing. But a moment later, he looked up, worry etched into lines on his face. “Becca’s not answering.” He dialed the outer office. “Catherine, get me Evanston PD on the line.”
Holt grabbed the phone away and tried to dial the school’s direct line. His attempt resulted in the this number has been disconnected or is out of service spiel. Sara’s cell phone went right to voicemail. So did Theo’s. He swallowed the sour taste of fear as he hung up.
“Maybe Einstein has another way to get in touch with Becca,” Holt said.
But before they could call him, Catherine’s voice came across Damian’s intercom. “Lieutenant Anderson from Evanston PD is on line one, as requested.”
“Thank you.” Damian took the receiver from Holt’s shaking hand, his concerned gray eyes remaining on Holt as he pressed line one. “Lieutenant Anderson. Thank you for taking my call. You must be battling weather emergencies left and right but we may have an emergency of our own. Have you had contact with anybody at the Hills Boys’ Academy?...Any of those accidents involve a dark blue sedan?” His brows drew together. “I assume you’re sending a cruiser around to check it out?...I realize you’re stretched thin, but send someone out there ASAP.”
As Damian hung up, Holt leaned forward. “What did he say?”
“The police have been tied up with several accidents and other emergencies but haven’t received any distress calls from the Academy, so they’re not making a school drive-by a priority. One of the car accidents involved a dark SUV. The driver was going at a high rate of speed on an icy road. Caused an accident with two other vehicles and then fled the scene on foot.”
“Could be Brady. Was it near the school?”
“A couple miles, but headed away from the Academy. There’s more. Another car was involved. The description fits Becca’s vehicle.”
“If she’s pursuing Brady, who’s with Sara and Theo?” Holt tried calling all the numbers again. Still no answer. With each failed call, the sick sense of powerlessness that had filled his gut so many times during Elizabeth’s battle with cancer flared up again. No. He wouldn’t let it suck him under again. This time he would fight. He would take control.
* * *
Something about Chad White being at the school didn’t feel right.
Sara toed off her tennis shoes, curled her legs under her, Indian style, and tried to pretend her nerves weren’t strung as tight as piano wire. She would have felt so much better if she could just touch base again with Holt, Becca or the police. She wasn’t sure whether she could trust her gut, or if the storm and being responsible for the boys had skewed her perception, increasing her anxiety so that everything was amplified. And then there was the text from Becca that said they’d already apprehended the killer. Chad had every reason, and some pretty damn good excuses, for being here.
And yet...his smile was a little too bright. His gaze was almost possessive when it fell on her. Then again, he looked at Theo that way too. Perhaps it was simply his normal demeanor and she hadn’t noticed before.
She picked up a s’more from the near-empty plate in front of her. The ham and cheese sandwiches had gone over well with the boys—especially because consuming them had been a prerequisite to dessert. The large blankets she’d retrieved from her apartment had been strung between two large tables in the library to create a cocoon of warmth and safety
, and they all sat together now in the makeshift tent. She handed Theo a napkin as marshmallow stretched down his chin. He swiped at the sticky spot, laughing when the napkin then became stuck to him and dangled like a beard.
“What’s next, scary stories?” Theo asked. As the evening grew darker, only the soft glow illuminating them, Sara switched on a couple of flashlights.
“Or maybe a sing-a-long,” Jeremy said, his tone only half snark this time.
She licked the marshmallow from her fingers. “I thought, maybe, some homework time?”
Their groans descended into laughs as she made a face and tossed a balled-up napkin at them. Even Neil grinned. His head brushed the blankets overhead, but he’d stuck close to them and made the most of the situation. For that, she was grateful. Chad sat across from her, licking chocolate from his fingers.
He was a decent-looking man. Charming, for sure. He’d definitely come out of his shell since she’d first interviewed him. He’d seemed downright shy at the time. Now, though, his smiles and direct looks were sending her a different vibe. Interested male. Was that why she was feeling uncomfortable? There was only one man who interested her.
“We don’t have homework over the holidays.” Jeremy’s words were without attitude this time. Progress.
She gave him a look of mock shock. “No homework? But you have a whole week until school resumes. Your brains will turn to mush.”
He frowned and looked down at his lap. “We’ve got a funeral instead.”
She immediately sobered. Her stomach ached for him, the sugar she’d ingested churning. “That must be very difficult. I know how hard it is when a parent dies.”
“You do?”
“Your parents died a couple years ago, right?” Neil looked sheepish. “Sorry, a classmate was digging up information on you. He thought you were hot.”
Her jaw dropped but she promptly recovered. “Well, aren’t you guys industrious students, doing all that research. Kind of like you did on the Army, huh?” At her teasing, Neil’s glance shot to Chad.
“I think I’ll head out for a bathroom break,” Chad said. “Be right back.” He exited through a gap in the blankets.
What had that brief, shared look been about? Had Chad not told Neil the truth about having helped her locate him?
She brushed a blanket aside and glanced around the library. “Surely, there’s a math book around here. Or history. Something we can work on.” She laughed as a pillow hit her squarely in the chest, then shook a finger at Theo. “Don’t start a mutiny.”
“You’re just kidding about the homework,” he said. He was in need of a haircut. But that wasn’t her job. Holt would surely notice over the next week.
“Yep, just kidding.”
The lights flickered. The boys looked at each other, then at her. Then the lights went completely out, leaving them with only a couple of flashlights. From one floor above, where Sara had left Roscoe napping earlier, they heard frightened howls.
“I forgot he’s afraid of the dark, especially when he’s alone,” Theo said. “Mrs. Mendelson always brought him in at night, and during storms. He’s not used to being by himself.”
They crawled from the tent. Sara pointed a flashlight at the door, so they could see potential obstacles. The beam fell across a face in the doorway and she clutched at her chest. She bit back her scream as she realized it was Chad.
“Don’t worry,” Chad said. “I’ll go check out the fuse box, just in case this is fixable. If not, there’s a generator in the computer room. Boys, why don’t you come with me?”
“Maybe they should stay here where it’s warm,” Sara suggested.
“Nonsense. They’ll learn something useful about survival. Besides, they’ve got coats if we have to go outside for a moment. We’ll be back, after we’ve saved the day. Don’t go anywhere.”
“Just to check on Roscoe,” Sara said.
“Maybe I’d better stay with her,” Neil said. “I don’t think she should be alone.”
Chad’s mouth thinned before he nodded, but perhaps she’d imagined it in the dim light and shadows.
Jeremy and Theo pulled on their coats and followed Chad out into the hallway. As their footsteps faded, Roscoe howled again. Neil followed her up the flight of stairs to her apartment. The beam of her flashlight bounced off the steps as they climbed.
“There’s something odd about Mr. White,” Neil whispered, as if someone might overhear.
Both relieved and worried that someone felt the same way, Sara tread cautiously. Chad was, after all, Neil’s teacher. Her imagination was running wild, but his reputation shouldn’t have to suffer for it. She’d done the necessary background checks before hiring him, so there was definitely no reason to be suspicious. “Maybe he’s anxious about being stuck in a storm too.”
She opened her unlocked apartment door and Roscoe nearly bolted down the dark stairs. He stopped as she called to him. “Here, baby. Come here. It’s okay.” Sitting on the landing in front of her door with the flashlight cutting through the darkness, she patted Roscoe’s back and stroked his neck until his quivering stopped. The light she’d left on in her apartment suddenly came on. “See, we’re okay.” She looked at Neil. “Mr. White has been very helpful.”
Neil sat down next to her and absently petted Roscoe. “That’s just it. Mr. White was the one who helped me search for Army recruiters.”
“I know. He gave you the password.”
“It was more than that. He helped me search for information too. He told me not to tell anyone. I can understand him not wanting Dad to know, and he thought he might lose his job if I told someone he let me use the school computers to search the internet when it wasn’t for a school project. Still...”
“What?”
Neil paused in petting Roscoe. “You know when someone is trying too hard and it comes across desperate? That’s what it felt like with Mr. White. Like he was trying to impress me, or become my best bud or something.”
Sara digested Neil’s information. Had Chad’s goal been simply to make a connection with a struggling student? Or were his motives less noble? Before she could ask more questions, though, they heard Chad and the boys coming up the stairs.
Theo’s voice was excited. “The way you repaired that wire was so cool. I should tell Dad to add that tool to his toolbox.”
“Just because you have the tools doesn’t mean you know how to use them,” Chad said. “I’ve been working with wires and stuff like that all my life.” As they appeared on the landing, Chad patted Theo’s shoulder. Under her hand, a rumble began in Roscoe’s chest and then emerged as a growl. Chad frowned at the dog. He reached out a hand to soothe Roscoe but jumped back when Roscoe snapped at him.
Shocked by the easygoing dog’s aggressive behavior, Sara stood and brushed off the seat of her pants. “I should take him back inside my apartment. He’s probably shaken from the storm.” She took Roscoe’s collar and tugged until he went with her. She led him to the dog bed she’d gotten for him—a circular pillow on the floor at the foot of her bed.
“Power should stay on now.” She jumped at the sound of Chad’s voice behind her. He’d followed her into her bedroom and seemed to fill the doorway. He looked at a snarling Roscoe and set his toolbox down by the bedroom door. “Maybe he’s afraid of a guy with a big, heavy metal box.”
“Or guys in general,” Sara offered, still trying to make sense of things. “He was used to a sweet old lady. It was just the two of them. She died recently.” Steeling her nerves, she made herself meet Chad’s gaze.
His brown eyes didn’t flicker. “That’s a shame. But I bet he’ll be happy here with you.”
How had she not noticed how tall Chad was before? And wide through the shoulders. To leave, she’d have to move past him. She shifted her weight, trying to decide whether to bolt, but that would b
e ridiculous. He was one of her teachers. She’d liked him enough to hire him. In the months since then, he hadn’t done anything malicious.
Roscoe snarled again, as if sensing her uneasiness.
“May I?” Chad held out a hand toward Roscoe. “Maybe he’ll feel better if he knows me.” Sara knew that was true for her. He squatted at the dog’s level and continued to hold out a hand.
“Theo wanted to check in with his dad,” Chad said. “His phone isn’t working. I checked the landlines earlier, but they seem to be out too. Want to check your apartment phone?”
“I hadn’t thought of that. That’s a good idea.” Sara turned away to check the phone on her bedside table and found it dead. She took her cell phone out. Sure enough, still no bars. “Nothing.” She tucked it back into her pocket and turned to him. “Where are the boys?” She moved toward the door, and Chad didn’t make any move to stop her. He was stroking Roscoe now, and the dog was definitely looking more relaxed, which calmed her a bit.
Chad looked up, a sheepish expression on his face. “I introduced them to my lair.”
“Lair?”
“It’s probably against the school rules, but...” He grinned. “I’ve got a little getaway here at the school. Every superhero needs one—along with a secret, boy-next-door identity and a passion for making the world a better place.” Roscoe leaned against him, his lids growing heavy. “Whoa, looks like bedtime. Poor guy got all stressed out by the storm. Now that the lights are on, and things aren’t so scary, maybe he can sleep.” Chad gently hoisted the dog and carried him to the dog bed. He settled him in and petted him for a moment. Roscoe immediately closed his eyes, his breaths smoothing out as he drifted off to doggy dreamland.
Well, if Roscoe trusted Chad, maybe he wasn’t all bad. Maybe Chad was simply socially awkward and his earnestness came across wrong. He’d probably just been trying to help Neil with that internet search. After all, there was nothing devious about encouraging someone to consider joining the Army. Ultimately, it was Neil’s choice.
“What were you saying about a lair?” she asked.
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