I ran from the school with my heart pounding in my throat. I was afraid the building was about to blow up behind me. When I turned the corner of the school, I ran right into Fire Chief Wallis.
“Whoa there, Claire!” he said, holding my shoulders to stop me from falling. “What the hell were you doing in the school?”
I struggled to catch my breath. “That boy I ran after. I think he may have set the bomb. Why else would I dream about him?”
“But the cops haven’t found a bomb. They’re about to let the kids back in the school.”
“I know. I just talked to Officer Banks. Chief, for god’s sake, don’t let them send the kids back in that building!”
Jim eyed me, puzzled. “What’s going on, Claire? I’ve never seen you like this.”
“The building is going to blow. I know it is.”
To my surprise, Jim didn’t try to talk me out of the idea, as both my editor and Matt had—at least, not right away. “And you think you know who’s responsible?” he asked. “That kid you chased into the building?”
“Yes. Chief, I know he was up to something.”
“Maybe he really had to use the washroom.” Jim grinned, trying to joke me out of my panic.
“Jim, in my dream the school exploded right after that kid ran into the building.”
“So it should have blown by now, right? Come on, Claire. You’re making yourself crazy. The bomb threat was just some stupid kid’s prank.”
The chief looked past me as his attention was drawn to someone approaching. I turned to see a girl in her mid teens walking toward us from the back of the fire truck. She was pretty and blond and wore a stylish fake-fur coat and pink beanie. Her family obviously had money.
“Excuse me,” she said to the chief. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I heard you talking.” Then she turned to me. “You’re right about Tyler.”
“So you know who the bomber is? Is that his name? Tyler?”
She nodded. “He’s the kid you chased into the school. I’m sure he made the bomb threat.” She paused. “I don’t know anything about a bomb though. I mean, a real bomb. Is there a bomb?”
Jim stepped in. “The police used the sniffer dog to sweep the school. The building is clean.” He squeezed my arm, warning me to be quiet. “There is no bomb,” he assured the girl.
“When you chased Tyler into the school, I figured you already knew he made that threat, or I would have said something earlier.” She turned back to the chief. “I overheard Tyler in the hallway talking about a bomb scare at another school, something he saw online. He thought the bomb squad and the fire trucks were cool. He was trying to talk the other kid into pulling off something like that here.”
I took out my notepad and scribbled a few notes. “Is Tyler a friend of yours?” I asked.
“My science teacher forced me to be his lab partner. But I never talk to him outside of class. He doesn’t talk much to anyone, really. At noon he just hangs out in the basement with his dad.”
“His dad?”
“The janitor.”
I felt that chill run through me again. The kid was the janitor’s son. I had dreamed of both Tyler and his dad.
“You’ll let the cops know?” the girl asked.
“Stay here,” Jim said. “I’ll tell Officer Banks your story. I’m sure he’ll want to talk to you.”
“I may have more questions for you myself,” I said. “What’s your name? How can I reach you?”
“Ashley,” she said. I added her name and cell number to the contact list on my phone.
Ashley stepped back to wait by the fire truck, her hands in her jeans pockets. I started to follow Jim to the school, but he held out a hand. “I think it’s best if you wait here as well,” he said.
“Because you don’t think the cops will listen to me.”
The chief held my gaze for a moment, then nodded. “Let me do the talking for you.”
He headed toward the school, and I called after him. “Jim, what if I’m right?” I glanced back at Ashley. I didn’t want to alarm her by mentioning the bomb again, but I couldn’t let this go. “What if there really is a bomb?”
“I’ll make sure the cops do another sweep,” the chief said. “We won’t let the kids in until we’re sure it’s safe. Okay?”
I nodded. “Okay.” Yet his words didn’t calm me. I was getting that sick feeling that always meant something was about to go terribly wrong.