Page 83 of Return of the Spider

“So do I. But let’s try to speed things up.”

Before we drove back to DC, Sampson called Tommy French, an old army buddy of his who was now an investigator for the Pennsylvania police.

“Can you have someone run a Pennsylvania license plate search for us?” Sampson asked after greeting his friend.

“Sure, what do you got, John?” French said.

“PennsylvaniaTNZorTNSand either a three or an eight after it. That’s all we can see.”

“Vehicle make and color?”

“White Ford Econoline van. Older. Rough shape.”

“And urgency?”

“We think the driver may have killed four people, attempted to murder another two, and potentially kidnapped or killed a seventh.”

“I’ll see what our records team can find and get back to you,” French said, and hung up.

CHAPTER

68

Gary soneji smiled andnodded to many of the students in his seventh-and eighth-grade computer science class as they filed into his room for the last course of the day. But he intentionally avoided eye contact with young Cheryl Lynn Wise when she entered and walked to her seat.

Not that Cheryl Lynn paid much attention to Soneji anyway, and that’s how he liked it. Especially when Secret Service agent Jezzie Flanagan was around, as she was that day.

Tall, fit, late twenties, attractive but with an imposing presence, Agent Flanagan had paid more attention to Soneji than he wanted. But at least she had stopped sitting in the back of his classroom whenever Cheryl Lynn was there, scrutinizing his every move.

Flanagan actually stopped in the hall outside his doorway thatafternoon, let Cheryl Lynn enter, and then motioned to him. Soneji strolled over without hesitation and greeted her politely.

“Agent Flanagan,” he said. “Nice to see you.”

“You as well, Mr. Soneji,” Flanagan said quietly. “What’s the initial report on Cheryl? Her dad asked.”

“Academically? Cheryl Lynn is very bright and seems to fully grasp the binary system underlying computer coding.”

“Starting to fit in?”

“She strikes me as a little shy, but yes.”

“She’ll come out of her shell eventually. It will help that a friend of hers is transferring here next week.”

“I heard that,” Soneji said. “You’ll be overseeing her security as well?”

“Her grandma’s a sitting cabinet member,” Flanagan said.

“That will do it.”

At first, he had not understood exactly why a Secret Service agent was in the school. But Flanagan had explained that so many children of politicians attended Washington Day, an interdepartmental decision had been made several years before to put the Secret Service in charge of overall security. Flanagan and two other agents rotated in and out of the school on a monthly basis.

“I’ll let you know how she’s doing every week?” Soneji asked.

“I think her dad would like that. See you at the end of the day.”

He forced a smile. “Enjoy your coffee, Agent Flanagan.”

“Believe me, I will,” Flanagan said, and strode away.