Time Bomb(46)
Cas took a step toward Frankie, but Diana stepped into her path. When Cas tried to go around her, Diana put a hand out to stop her.
“What?” Cas asked as the sound of static from the radio filled the air. “Don’t you want to hear what’s happening out there?”
“It might also be helpful to figure out what’s happening in here.”
“What does that mean?” Cas pulled her bag up onto her shoulder and held it tight.
“You tell me. School doesn’t start until next week.” Diana looked hard at Cas. “You said you didn’t have to be here and that you hate this place. So I was wondering why you came to school today.”
Cas racked her brain for what to say. A second passed. Two.
Sweat snaked down her chest while Diana looked at her as if she already knew why Cas was here. A voice floated through the static.
On the other side of the room, guys fought over the dials as Cas thought about a lie to tell. Like the lies she told her father and her mother and the shrink every time they asked how she was feeling. But today was the day she’d decided to stop lying. She found herself looking at the girl she knew was the kind of daughter her own parents actually wanted, and when Diana asked again, “Why did you come here today, Cas? You must have had a reason,” the truth just tumbled out.
“I came here to die.”
1:00 p.m.
Diana
— Chapter 37 —
DIANA STARED AT THE GIRL standing with her turquoise bag pulled against her, her chin raised as if waiting for Diana to act horrified that she’d ever consider what she had just admitted to.
“Quiet!” Frankie yelled as the static cleared. A nasal female voice filled the room.
“. . . uncertain as to the location of the bomber, and after the last explosion, which we are told was detonated remotely, there is debate about how to proceed with the rescue mission. From what we have learned, the person behind the bombing is in communication with the police, and they are working hard to identify both the individual or individuals behind the attack and the location of any other explosive devices. Firefighters continue to fight the blaze from a distance while the three first responders caught in the last blast are being rushed to the hospital—”
Three firefighters could die or were already dead.
“God, this blows!” Z shoved one of the chemistry tables toward the wall.
“Shut up,” Tad snapped. He leaned toward the radio, and Z caught his arm and jerked him back.
“Don’t you tell me to shut up. You think you can—”
“How about you both shut up so the rest of us can listen?” Frankie said, getting in between the two guys and pushing them apart. “Some of us would like to know if we’re going to live or die.”
“Frankie’s right,” said Cas, still clutching her bag against her side. “We have problems enough without fighting among ourselves.”
“Or maybe you guys just want to go along with Miss Princess here, because that’s what you always do.” Z started at Diana. “And that’s what you expect people to do, because your father is some big-shot senator with a lot of money, and that makes you important.” Z crossed his arms over his chest. “You ain’t jack to me, and in case you didn’t notice, you’re still stuck in here the way we all are, so you aren’t all that.”
“. . . confirmed that his daughter, Diana Sanford, is trapped inside.”
Z’s jaw clenched, and Diana gave the guy a satisfied smile.
“FBI and Homeland Security believe this to be an act of domestic terrorism, since no international group has thus far taken credit, but they are investigating all leads and working with local authorities to determine if it is safe for first responders to enter the building or if the threat of additional explosive devices is still credible.”
“Which means Kaitlin is screwed if I don’t get her out of here,” Z said. “Did anyone find anything yet that looks like it will help?” When no one immediately said yes, Z threw up his hands and stalked back to the storage locker.
It was only then that Diana realized there was one person not huddled around the radio or looking for something to help them get out of the building: Rashid. His eyes were fixed on Kaitlin, but Diana wasn’t sure he was actually seeing the dying girl in front of him. His mind seemed to be on something else.
Diana looked at Cas, who hadn’t moved while the woman on the radio interviewed someone about first-responder procedure and how difficult it was to navigate this kind of situation when firefighters had already been injured by one device and no one knew if there were more. A bomb robot had been brought in and was entering the building now, and everyone was waiting to see what would happen next. The first responders were battling the blaze from a distance, but the fire was still burning. The people on the radio made it sound a lot like a game of chess where any move was one play from checkmate.
Once again, Diana looked out the window to see what was happening. She wondered whether Tim was there with her father, trying to move the pieces on the board.
Seven people were trapped in this room. Odds were that there were still more people in other parts of the building. Diana glanced at Kaitlin and had to wonder how many were like this girl whose eyes stared at the ceiling as she gasped for air. Most everyone should have been out of the building when the first bomb went off. But people had still died, and the three firefighters caught in the last blast might not live.