Chapter 8 - THE FIRE ALARM
The darkness in the electrical room was absolute. It was a suffocating, heavy black that smelled of ozone and dust.
Emma whimpered, her grip on my shirt tightening.
“It’s okay, honey,” I promised softly. “I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.”
I pulled out my phone. The flashlight beam cut through the dark, illuminating the massive gray electrical panels covering the walls.
I checked the signal. Zero bars. The thick concrete walls of the basement were blocking everything.
Coleman was gone. If he made it to the airport, he could disappear completely. And if nobody knew we were down here, we could be trapped for days before the school opened on Monday.
I walked over to the heavy steel door and kicked it. It didn't budge. The deadbolt was industrial strength.
“Daddy, I’m scared,” Emma whispered.
I knelt down in front of her. “I know, sweetie. But we’re going to get out of here. Do you remember what I told you when we got lost hiking last summer?”
She sniffled. “Look for the markers.”
“Exactly. Look for the tools we have.”
I shined the flashlight around the room. It was mostly empty. Just panels, thick black cables, and a metal grate on the ceiling covering an air vent. Too small to crawl through.
Then, the beam hit a red metal box mounted on the wall near the door.
A fire alarm pull station.
But it wasn't a modern electronic one. It was an old-school, glass-break system tied directly into the city’s emergency grid.
“Emma, cover your ears,” I said.
I took off my heavy leather shoe. I gripped it by the toe and slammed the hard rubber heel directly into the glass panel of the alarm.
The glass shattered.
I reached in and pulled the white lever down.
Instantly, a deafening, piercing siren erupted throughout the entire school. It was so loud it vibrated in my teeth. The strobe lights in the hallway outside began flashing, sending strobes of white light through the wire-mesh window of our door.
“Will they come?” Emma yelled over the noise.
“They have to!” I yelled back. “A fire alarm at a school automatically dispatches the fire department and police!”
We waited. Ten minutes felt like ten hours.
Then, heavy footsteps pounded down the stairs.
Flashlights cut through the strobe lights in the hallway.
“Fire Department! Is anyone down here?” a muffled voice shouted.
“In here!” I slammed my fists against the door. “We’re locked in!”
A heavy axe bit into the doorframe. Sparks flew. Two minutes later, the deadbolt was destroyed, and the door was pried open by a massive firefighter.
“Are you hurt?” he asked, shining a light on us.
“We’re fine,” I said, picking Emma up in my arms. “But the man who locked us in here is trying to flee the country. Principal Coleman.”
We emerged into the rainy night. The front of the school was a sea of flashing red and blue lights. Three fire engines and a half-dozen police cruisers were parked on the lawn.
David, my lawyer, was standing near an ambulance. When he saw us, he ran over.
“Thank God,” David breathed.
“Did he get away?” I asked, holding Emma tightly.
David smiled grimly. “No. The fire alarm locked down the automatic gates in the parking lot. Coleman rammed his car into the fence trying to get out. The police pulled him through the window three minutes ago.”
I looked across the parking lot.
Principal Coleman was sitting on the wet pavement, handcuffed, his expensive suit ruined, surrounded by officers.
I walked over to him, carrying my daughter.
He looked up at me, his eyes full of venom.
“You think you won?” he spat. “You have no proof I orchestrated any of it. It’s my word against yours.”
I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone.
I hit play.
The audio recording of our conversation in his office played loudly over the phone speaker.
“...I manage a decaying building with no budget. Marcus offered me a way out. All I had to do was make sure the books disappeared and point the finger at you.”
Coleman’s face went entirely white.
May you like
“I believe that’s what the police call a confession,” I said quietly.
I turned my back on him and walked away as the officers pulled him to his feet.
