Read Online Chain Reaction by Diane Fanning - Free Book Online

laptop or there was sinister intent behind the two written messages she’d found, the room contained absolutely nothing that pointed to David as the bomber – not even one clue to why he was at the high school on a Sunday morning. She had hoped for a solid clue leading to the people she needed to question. All she had were two notes of unknown provenance. She could only hope that talking to David’s friends would lead to some usable information but there was no guarantee of that.
    A dead teenager, two grieving parents and soon a school full of shocked friends and acquaintances. What could she tell them? How could she comfort them when she had no answers and no idea of where to find them?
    ‘David,’ she said to the empty room. ‘Please, David, point me in the right direction. I need some help here. Who is “E”? And why did she turn to you for help? What was her problem? Who was Kev? What was your involvement? Why are you dead, David? What went wrong?’
    Caught up in the moment, Lucinda had not heard the doorbell ring and was unaware of Ted’s presence until he spoke. ‘Glad I got here as quickly as I did. You must be desperate if you’re talking to yourself.’
    Lucinda laughed and said, ‘Good to see you, Ted.’ They hugged briefly – and platonically, Lucinda hoped. She then explained all that had ensued up to that point.
    Ted collected the laptop, its cord, a few flash drives and a stack of CDs and DVDs. Then they headed downstairs.
    ‘Yes, he did have a cell phone,’ Sarah said, an exasperated look on her face.
    ‘You didn’t want him to have one?’ Lucinda asked.
    ‘I knew it was best that he did,’ Sarah said with a sigh. ‘But it was a constant source of conflict. Every night at dinner, we had to tell him to put it on the table and turn it off.’
    ‘And if we wanted to talk to him,’ Chuck added, ‘we had to take possession of the phone first or he’d never stop texting.’
    ‘He texted a lot?’ Lucinda asked.
    ‘He texted more than he talked,’ Chuck said. ‘Are you saying that his cell wasn’t with him?’
    Lucinda winced. ‘If it was, it didn’t survive the explosion. It would help a lot to have a copy of his bill to see whom he called and texted. I can apply for a search warrant to get his records from the phone company but that will take time. Would you, by any chance, have a copy of his bills?’
    ‘His bills? His bills?’ Sarah asked.
    Chuck interjected, ‘We have a family plan. His records are on our bill.’
    ‘Did you just toss them after you paid them or would you keep it on file?’ Lucinda asked.
    ‘We hold on to everything for at least a year, right, Sarah?’ Chuck said.
    ‘Oh, yes, of course,’ Sarah said. ‘I can get those for you.’
    ‘That would be a big help, Mrs Baynes. Thank you. When did your last billing cycle end?’
    ‘Oh, my, I don’t know. I …’
    ‘Well, when do you usually pay the bill each month?’
    Sarah shook her head and tears formed in her eyes. ‘I can’t remember. I know I should. I’m sorry.’
    ‘No apologies are necessary. I can figure that out from the bills and file a search warrant for the most recent records.’
    ‘Wait a minute. Sarah, didn’t you tell me you could get those records online now?’ Chuck said.
    ‘Oh yes, yes. What was I thinking? I can print that out.’ Sarah wiped away tears with the back of her hand. ‘I’ll go do that right away.’
    After Sarah left the room, Chuck stood and walked over to an antique oak washstand, pulled open a deep drawer and removed a photo album. He sat back down with the closed album resting on his knees and stared into space.
    Lucinda gave him some time and then asked, ‘Is there something you wanted to show me in that album, Mr Baynes?’
    Chuck sighed and, without looking at Lucinda, said, ‘I thought I did. I wanted to show you his pictures growing up. But now – but now – I just don’t know if I can bear to look at them.’ Chuck’s head jerked upward.