Reunion Mission

He was glad to see she was still direct and to the point. “We’ve been tracking shipments of synthesized drug chemicals throughout the Southeast. The ring we’ve been tracking has a special chemical signature. They ship to suppliers throughout the region who then mix and package the chemicals into a salable drug. Luke’s information confirmed for us that they were recruiting kids to help sell in schools.”

“I knew he wanted out of the drug business, but I had no idea he was in contact with the DEA. How did that happen?”

“I never had the opportunity to fully question him, but he apparently contacted the FBI first. They didn’t have jurisdiction, so they referred him to the DEA, where he spoke a couple of times to one of our intelligence agents. He’s the one who contacted me. I tried several times to get information out of Luke, but he was too afraid to speak more on the phone. He wanted a face-to-face meeting, so we set up the meeting at the school. I was hoping to learn the identity of Luke’s supplier. From there, we could have worked our way up the ladder and possibly taken out those behind this ring. Luke’s information was the first real break we’ve had. The DEA has been trying to infiltrate this ring for several years without success. Losing Luke will be a big hit to taking them down.”

“That’s it? A kid is dead and all you can think about is the loss to your investigation?” She looked disgusted by his attitude, but she didn’t understand the scope of what was happening.

“Kids are dying every day, Claire. This drug, Trixie, it’s deadly. So far, we’ve counted fourteen deaths related to it. One was a thirteen-year-old. These drug dealers know it’s dangerous and yet they’re still pushing it to kids. I am sorry Luke is dead, but I have to keep my focus on the bigger picture. He never got a chance to share information with me that could have toppled this ring, but maybe finding the person who killed him can do it instead.” She hung her head and he could tell she was wiped out. Ten years may have taken its toll on him, but the day had taken its toll on her. “Why don’t you get some sleep? You must be tired.”

“I’m not sure I’ll be able to sleep. So much has happened today.” She shuddered and Matt walked to her and rubbed her arms, noting the goose bumps.

“You don’t have to worry. You’re safe here, Claire. I’m right next door and I won’t let anything happen to you.”

She nodded. “Good night.” She went back into her room and closed the door between them, leaving it cracked slightly as he’d requested.

Matt was too keyed up to sleep. He wouldn’t rest easy until he knew Claire was safe. He should have made other arrangements when Luke wanted to meet at the school. But how was he to know that Luke even knew Claire? He’d had no idea she was teaching at Lakeshore. In truth, he’d had no idea what she was doing at all. He’d made a point not to know. The less he’d known about her, the easier it had been for him to go on.

But she looked good, better than he’d expected, since he hadn’t seen her since the night of the wreck.

He got out of bed and opened his laptop, typing up an official report of the day’s events, including the murder of his informant and his intention to follow up on the murder investigation in the hopes the killer would lead him to Luke’s supplier, and emailing it to his supervisor at the DEA. He’d phoned him earlier while he was at the school to update him, but the official report was needed for the file.

One thing he liked about his DEA job was the autonomy he had. He didn’t have someone always looking over his shoulder or second-guessing his decisions. He had the leeway to extend his stay in Lakeshore to follow up on the murder investigation...and to keep Claire safe in the meantime.

She’d stepped on a land mine without even realizing it. He was sure the shooting at her house was meant to be a warning to her to keep her mouth shut. Whoever had killed Luke had obviously wanted to know what information the boy had shared with her and that made her a target.

He paced the floor, anger biting into him. One more person he cared about was in danger. He didn’t think he could stand it if something happened to her. He’d lost too many people he cared about in the ambush that took out most of his ranger team. He didn’t think he could stand losing anyone else.

* * *

Claire changed into her pajamas, then crawled into bed and pulled the covers high over her like a protective shield against the fear that threatened to overwhelm her.

Matt’s presence in the next room was comforting, and she heard him moving around until finally the light from beneath the door went out. She closed her eyes, but as she’d expected, sleep evaded her.

Her brain was a scramble of today’s events, from Luke’s murder to the drive-by shooting to the sudden reappearance of Matt Ross in her life.

Matt was a trained ranger with the skills to protect her. She’d been studying through the Old Testament recently in her quiet time with God and now the parallels of one story and her current situation came into focus. Like Joseph, Matt had been taken from those he cared about in order to prepare him for something greater, something that would ultimately protect her. God had previously prepared him for this task, and for that Claire was thankful. God was on her side. With the assurance that God had sent her a protector, Claire slipped peacefully into sleep.

* * *

The regular Monday morning staff meeting today would be a somber affair given the events of yesterday. The death of a student was a rare but tragic event, and Claire knew this morning the teachers would be formulating a plan for dealing with the aftermath, including arranging counseling for the students who needed it.

She arrived for the meeting and several faculty members asked about her. The news of her involvement had already spread, but she wondered how many of these teachers also knew about Luke’s drug connections or the involvement of Matt and the DEA. They’d soon find out, since Matt had accompanied her this morning and was preparing to speak to the group.

Principal Spencer took control of the staff meeting. “The district superintendent has called in special crisis counselors. They’ll be arriving today to meet with any of the staff and faculty who would like to speak with them. They’ll also be conducting training today about helping the students cope with the tragedy that’s occurred here. When the students return tomorrow, it’ll be our jobs to let them know that counselors are there for them to speak with if they need it. We’ll be congregating mostly in the auditorium and cafeteria today, but I have gotten word from LPD that we’ll be able to reopen the back hall for classes tomorrow.”

After outlining what would be a long and emotionally difficult day, he introduced Matt.

“This is Agent Matt Ross from the DEA. He’s going to be here helping us update our security measures while working with the police to investigate Luke’s death. He’ll be setting up in the security office, but you may see him roaming around the halls and asking questions. Please provide him any information you believe might be helpful. As always, the safety of our students is a top priority at Lakeshore High School.”

Matt stepped forward and addressed the group. “I didn’t know Luke Thompson well. I’d only spoken to him twice, but I know how his death has shattered this school and this community. But Luke alerted me and the DEA to a serious problem occurring here at Lakeshore. A dangerous drug called Trixie has been moving through this community and this school. I can’t confirm or deny whether Luke’s death had anything to do with this drug ring because that investigation is still ongoing, but I intend to find out how these drugs are getting into the hands of these kids. I grew up in Lakeshore. I went to this high school and my family still lives here. This is my home. I know that each of you are here because you, too, care about these students. Together, we can put an end to this ring that’s preying on our kids.”

Claire saw his passion and was happy to hear him proclaim this was his home after he’d confessed to her that he hadn’t even phoned his folks yet. She glanced around her and wondered how many of her fellow teachers knew their history and knew that Matt had fled Lakeshore over ten years ago. Whatever reasons he’d had for staying away for so long, he’d pushed them aside in order to get the job done.

Matt finished addressing the faculty and Principal Spencer ended the meeting and dismissed them. He called Claire to stay. “Your classroom is still a crime scene and I’ve been told we can’t go in there, so we’ll relocate your classes to the science lab for the time being.”

She wasn’t sure she wanted to return to that classroom, but she knew she would. Life had to go on. But Lakeshore had a new state-of-the-art lab that all the science classes shared. It would mean rearranging schedules so the other classes could still have lab time, but they could make it work for a while. “That will be fine.”

Principal Spencer gazed at her knowingly and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “You’ve been through an ordeal. Are you sure you’re up to being here?”

“I want to be here. I need to get my classroom set up. The students will need some kind of normalcy when they return tomorrow.”

He walked over and closed the door, giving them privacy. “I have to ask this question, Claire. Why were you here?”

“Luke sent me a text asking me to meet him here...or at least I thought it was Luke.”

“And you came? I don’t understand why you would meet a student at an empty school on the weekend.”

“I’ve been ministering to Luke for several weeks. When I got the text, I thought maybe he’d had a breakthrough.”

“And what about the drugs? Did you know he was involved in selling drugs at the school?”

“I did know. He told me he wanted out, but he was frightened his supplier wouldn’t let him go.”

“Did he tell you who his supplier was?”

“I don’t know anything about Luke’s drug supplier. I was just trying to help Luke.”

“You can imagine my shock to learn one of our own students was supplying a highly dangerous drug throughout the school. As a teacher and a faculty member, you should have let someone know when you discovered this.”

“I didn’t want to get him expelled or arrested. He wanted to turn his life around. He wanted out. He promised me he wasn’t selling them anymore.”

“Still, I wish you had come to me. Maybe if you had, things would have turned out differently.”

You killed Luke with your meddling. Those haunting words replayed in her mind no matter how often she tried to push them away. She remembered the hot breath on her neck and the bite in his threatening tone. Tears stung her eyes, but she pushed them back. She’d only wanted to help Luke, not get him killed. “I need to get my classroom set up for tomorrow.”

The principal nodded, and his face was sympathetic. “I hope you know you can come to me, Claire. Anytime you need to talk, I’m available.”

“Thank you,” she said, then walked out.

Matt was leaning against the wall in the hallway, waiting for her. His arms were folded and he gave her a lazy grin that reminded her of all the times in school that she’d seen him waiting for her. Everything about having him here seemed to remind her of the past.

“What did he have to say?”

“Same as everyone else. Am I okay? Should I be here? Do I know anything about Luke’s drug supplier?”

“And what did you tell him?”

“I told him just what I told you, Matt. I’m fine, I need to be here for my students and Luke never shared that information with me. I have no idea who Luke was working for. I wish I did. I wish I had demanded to know. Then I would know who to blame for all of this.”

She felt her voice quiver as she spoke and she was nearing hysterics. It had already been a difficult morning and it was still early. How would she ever make it through the day?

Matt reached out and hugged her in a comforting manner. “We’ll figure it out. We’ll find out who is behind this drug ring and who killed Luke. I won’t let his death be in vain. I won’t let them win. That’s a promise, Claire.”

She felt calmer with her face pressed against his chest, but she knew she shouldn’t. He’d broken more than her heart when he’d left her. He’d shattered her life. She couldn’t forgive that and she could never forget. She pushed away from him and stared up into his hazel eyes, seeing determination and that hardheaded stubbornness she remembered so well, and she believed him. He could keep her safe and he could find out who was preying on these kids.

* * *

While Claire joined the other faculty members in workshops given by trained counselors on ways to help bereaved students, Matt worked with the school’s three security guards on staff to secure the campus for the returning students. He recognized right away that they’d been undertrained for the job they’d been given, but he armed them with directives for simple security measures such as making sure all the outside doors locked properly and that they were regularly patrolling the hallways. Such measures would make trafficking drugs into the school more difficult, but it might also help draw out Luke’s supplier, who would be hustling to make different arrangements now that Luke was dead and the police and DEA were investigating. Common sense should have told the supplier now was the time to put a hold on business, but Matt knew from experience that arrogance combined with greed rarely had anyone using common sense.

He set himself up in the security office and thumbed through reports the local police had delivered to him about interviews from the day before. He’d left the grunt work to the locals, asking only that he be alerted if they uncovered any relevant information during their interviews. Preston had sent over a stack of flagged files, but as Matt scoured through them he could find few reasons that would account for them being flagged. He wondered if this was another of Preston’s ways of asserting his dominance over Matt or if the local police were just worried about having the DEA peering over their shoulders as they investigated.

He set those files aside and opened the one with the crime scene photos, hoping they would provide more answers than he’d seen at the scene. Initial toxicology reports confirmed no drugs in Luke’s system, which strengthened Claire’s claim that the kid was no longer using. But so many questions still remained unanswered.

Cold chills seeped through him as he realized he might just have easily been looking at images of Claire dead beside Luke. He dropped the photo he held. He didn’t usually let his emotions get the better of him, but at the thought of her being killed, a black ball of dread filled him. Had he not arrived at the school, she could have been. Had he not been with her at the house, she might have been killed.

He wasn’t a praying man, not anymore, not for a long time, but he was thankful anyway. Thankful that he’d found his way back to Lakeshore just in the nick of time.

* * *

After the counseling workshop, Claire concentrated on setting up her new classroom in the science lab. Because it was a newer addition to the school, the lab was on the other side of campus from the science hall, but it was a fully updated, well-equipped lab mostly funded by parent donations. This district was home to many prominent medical professionals who insisted on a top-notch science program at the high school with the aim of making certain their offspring were well prepared for college science curriculums. In fact, nearly half of the last graduating class had gone on to major in premed in college.

She raided the supply closet, loading a box with paper, pens and whiteboard markers as well as various other supplies she might need, then hurried across campus. She wanted to have her new classroom area ready before the students returned tomorrow.

When her desk was fully set up, she turned her attention to prepping lab experiments. She had ordered three one-pound packages of sodium metal. She took them out and began cutting them up into smaller pieces.

Matt arrived at her door and smiled at her in that lazy, way-too-attractive manner he had. “Busy?”

Her pulse quickened as he walked in and she struggled to keep her voice level as she answered. “Just prepping for an experiment.”

He glanced around at the lab. “I seem to recall we first met in chemistry class.”

“Yes, my family had just moved to town and I walked into class and you were the only one who didn’t have a lab partner.” She’d discovered not only her love for science, but her love for Matt Ross. “And so it began.” But the memory of the beginning of their romance also reminded her of how it ended and she shifted her weight self-consciously off her bad hip. “That was a long time ago.”

“Yes, it was.”

Was that regret she saw in his eyes? But she rationalized he was only feeling the pull of nostalgia. Being back in your old high school after so long could bring back a slew of memories. Claire was used to them; she’d worked through them and managed to put them out of her mind most of the time. She had new memories at Lakeshore High, memories that included different kids from the ones she used to know and herself as teacher.

“How are things in the security office?” she asked, trying to keep both of them from following the path down memory lane. It was a route filled with too many land mines.

“Chaotic. I don’t know who hired these guys, but they obviously haven’t had the proper training or experience to be handling security for a school of this size. I worked up a list of some issues that needed to be addressed—starting with securing that door by the cafeteria—then sent them to handle it.”

“We’ve never had much need for security.”

“There’s always a need for good security. Besides, given the massive drug ring operating out of Lakeshore, I’d have to disagree with you about that.”

She cringed at that reminder. “How could this be happening right under our noses and no one knew it?”

“Criminal minds are used to operating around the norms so as not to raise suspicions. And the kids aren’t going to talk because they don’t want to lose their supplier. They have no idea how dangerous Trixie is.”

“I wish I could do something.”

“You did, Claire. You reached Luke. And he’s the reason I’m here. It’s because of you that we might have our first crack in this drug ring.”

Although she appreciated him saying so, she knew it wasn’t true. “All I wanted to do was to help Luke. Instead, I got him killed.”

“His death isn’t your fault. There are people who are responsible for his death and for the dangerous substances flowing through this school, but I’ll find out who they are and bring them to justice. Trust me. You keep doing your job and I’ll do mine. And speaking of your job, what is this stuff you’re cutting up?” He changed tracks so quickly that it took her a moment to catch up.

He pulled up a stool. “Tell me about it.”

She held out the soft material. “It’s called sodium metal. It’s soft enough to cut with a knife.” She filled a beaker full of water, then put on her safety glasses and handed a pair to Matt. “But when it comes in contact with water, it combusts.” She dropped a small piece in the water and it bubbled and popped and smoked, giving about the same explosive reaction as a small firecracker. “I do this experiment every year. The kids seem to like it. I even have a video showing a university team that tossed a much larger quantity of sodium metal into a lake, then watched as it exploded, sending water spewing.”

“Wow. That sounds amazing.”

“It is fun. I hope it helps turn the students’ attentions, even if briefly, from the tragedy of Luke’s death.”

He picked up a piece of the soft, malleable metal. “It’s hard to believe this little piece of goop could cause such a reaction.”

“Things aren’t always what they seem. That’s why I like chemistry. Something doesn’t have to be big and bold to be strong. A chemical reaction isn’t about strength and bulkiness. It’s about what’s on the inside. It’s kind of like faith. You never know the true strength of someone until you mix it with something that causes a reaction.”

He smiled at her, his hazel eyes shining. Being here with him seemed familiar and comfortable, and she felt her attraction to him flare into an unhealthy area—the memory of his whisper-soft touch and the sound of his heartbeat as she’d pressed her face into his chest. She pushed those kinds of thoughts away. She couldn’t think of him that way anymore. Yes, he’d made her feel safe and protected, but the past was the past. He wasn’t that same boy from high school any more than she was the same girl.

Instead, she turned her attention to the present. “I’ll be glad to have the kids back in class tomorrow. Of course, I’ll be operating out of a makeshift classroom, which isn’t ideal, but I’m anxious to evaluate how they’re coping with Luke’s death.”

“You really care about those kids, don’t you?”

“It’s why I became a teacher. These kids need someone to look after them, to nurture them. To see their potential and help develop it.”

“That’s nice, Claire.”

Truly, teaching had been her lifeline when she was trying to rebuild her life after the accident. After the months and years of rehab and forcing herself to get up every day to acquire her degree. She’d had to fight for each and every accomplishment.

But Matt had not stuck around for that part. He’d left her broken emotionally and physically. He’d not been interested in a less-than-perfect girlfriend. Sure she’d forgiven him for not wanting her then and for not sticking around, but with him back she knew she had to guard her heart. She wouldn’t let herself fall for him again. She’d worked too hard to rebuild her life only to have it shattered once more by his rejection.

She stood and rubbed her hip. It was stiff and painful after the past few days, and she knew her limp would be more pronounced than usual. Others might not notice, but Matt would. She felt the way his eyes looked at her, examining her, curious to discover how well she’d healed from her injuries. Perhaps he was looking to ease his guilt, but he needn’t have worried. That was the past and this was the present and Claire knew there was no future for them together. She knew it... Now she just had to keep reminding herself of it until he was gone from her life again.

He must have sensed the change in her determination, or maybe it was the reminder of her injury, because he put down the metal and stood. “Well, I should get back. I’m working on background checks on all the faculty and staff, starting with Luke’s teachers and those he had regular contact with.”

“You really believe someone at the school killed Luke? I still find that hard to believe.”

“I’m only going by what Luke told me. Someone inside this school is involved with this drug ring and I won’t stop until I find out who.”

She was touched by his determination to wipe out evil lurking in the hallways. They were both in the business of protecting kids, and she liked that. Again she felt that dizzying chemistry between them, bubbling and popping, readying for an explosion. She was glad he was leaving her classroom. She simply didn’t trust herself with her own emotions when he was around.

She was so focused on Matt that she didn’t even notice Principal Spencer standing in the doorway until he cleared his throat and both Matt and Claire turned to him. She felt her face redden at being caught in what, to her, seemed like an intimate moment. There was no denying the attraction between them and she was certain even Principal Spencer could sense it.

Thankfully, he didn’t mention it as he entered. “I’ve spoken with the superintendent and we’ve decided to hold a school meeting tonight as a way for parents to come and express their feelings about what’s happened as well as for us as school officials to reassure parents that their children are safe here.”

“That sounds like a good idea,” Claire said. She knew the community was overwhelmed with worry and grief for their children. This forum would give parents the opportunity to voice their concerns and receive reassurances before sending their kids back to school tomorrow.