“The target was right across the street.” Louise pointed toward the art gallery, which was still full of artwork from Elfhome. None of the teachers had left mysteriously, so if Tristan was right, the person was still here and possibly waiting for another chance.
“There’s like a million people within range of the remote control.”
Nikola had been prancing around them singing “Fireworks! Boom, boom, fireworks bloom.” He paused and said “Actually it’s estimated at three million during the daytime.”
Jillian pointed to Nikola as if that totally proved her point.
“What do Sparrow, Yves, and Ambassador Feng want?” Louise said.
“What do those three have to do with the bomber?” Jillian cried.
“They want the zone expanded,” Louise said. “How could they make sure that happens? By convincing a bunch of racist idiots that setting off a bomb in Manhattan would be a good idea.”
“Wouldn’t that mean they know who the bombers are? Tristan wouldn’t have to be digging for a name.”
“Spy cells work by no one knowing all the other people in the network. There’s one point of contact and that’s it. Yves’ contact could have been Roycroft, who is dead now, and all he knows is that the trigger man was at Perelman.”
“What does he want with the bomber?” Nikola asked. “Is he going to arrest him?”
Louise glanced to Jillian. Her twin shrugged.
“I don’t think so,” Louise said.
Jillian ticked off possibilities on her finger. “Either they’re afraid that the bomber can identify them and they’re going to kill him or her. Or they want to supply them with another bomb.”
Louise didn’t think it was possible that Tristan’s presence could get more frightening but it just did. Fear was skittering around in her, urging her to run someplace to hide. They couldn’t go back home, not without having to confess more to their parents and putting Nikola at risk. “I think if he was here to supply a bomb to a mad man, Tristan wouldn’t be following us around. Anyone could do the research and deal with the bomber. Tristan is here because he can be with us all the time. Even Miss Hamilton isn’t constantly watching us. I think he may be protecting us?”
“Protecting us?” Jillian sneered at the idea.
“Anna wanted Mom to pull us out of school. Since Mom wouldn’t do that, Anna sent Tristan here to protect us.” That didn’t feel right. “Or Ming did, to stop Anna from worrying about us.” That felt more possible.
Jillian took it to its logical end. “So Tristan is looking for the bomber to kill him or her.”
The homeroom bell rang, ending their war session. Reluctantly they left the safety of the restroom. Louise wished she could find comfort in the fact that Tristan probably didn’t mean them harm, but it meant that one of the teachers or other students had already killed several innocent bystanders and might do it again.
* * *
Nikola gave the locker a dejected look and then gazed pleadingly at them. “You’ll answer our texts?”
“Yes.” Louise patted him on the head and then nudged him toward the tight dark hole. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “But you’ll be safer this way.”
With a whimper, Nikola backed into the space and let them close the door on him. Louise felt horrible doing it. People went to jail for doing it to children. If the twins weren’t fifth graders, they wouldn’t have to be doing this to Nikola. If they were adults like other parents—because they were Nikola’s parents—they could be working at home or work different shifts or arrange for a nanny. With time they might be able to think of better options but there hadn’t been time.
* * *
It had been over a month since the bombing. The FBI tip line gave the official profile of the suspected terrorists.
Earth for Humans’ most vocal members were the people living in the affected zone, who stood to lose their homes and workplaces. While they would be compensated for the loss of their houses, they’d receive less than fair market price and most likely wouldn’t be able to relocate close to their work—if their job remained afterwards. There were violent debates also going on as to how wide the expansion would need to be to be effective and how uniform it could be without taking out basic support structures like major roadways, power stations, and utility right-of-ways.
Those members, though, tended to be the most levelheaded ones as they’d spent years dealing with having a hole into another universe in their backyard.
The FBI pinpointed that the subversive members were the ones who had been forced to move from Pittsburgh during the Shutdown. The treaty had specified that the elves would not have to deal with insane, criminal, or orphaned humans. The terms had been extended out to the more general definitions. People who had received treatment for mild depression, eating disorders and controllable bipolar were lumped in with dangerous psychotics. Drunk drivers were exiled with murderers. Shamed and driven out, they held a great deal of resentment against the elves.