Softly at Sunrise

Chapter 9

Rachel ate her lunch in her classroom, hoping that Jennifer would show for her retake. Glancing at the clock, she was ready to concede defeat when the door cracked open and Jennifer peeked in.

Rachel smiled broadly and motioned her inside.

“Am I too late?” Jennifer asked.

“Of course not. You have plenty of time, and I want you to not rush through it.”

Rachel picked up the paper and held it out for Jennifer to take. Jennifer smiled shyly, took the test, and then went to sit in the first row of desks.

Rachel watched from underneath her eyelashes while pretending to grade other papers. Jennifer’s brow was creased in concentration, and she nibbled at the eraser on the pencil as she carefully read through the questions.

Holding back a smile of triumph, Rachel did a mental fist pump.

When the bell rang signaling the end of lunch, Jennifer stood, a satisfied smile on her face.

“I finished,” she announced. “And I think I got them all right.”

“Very good,” Rachel said proudly. “I knew you could do it.”

“Thank you, Ms. Kelly. For giving me another shot at it. I won’t let it happen again.”

“See that you don’t,” Rachel said crisply. But she softened the statement with a genuine smile. “Go ahead and take your seat. The others will be coming in soon. Do you need a bathroom break before the next class begins?”

Jennifer shook her head. “No ma’am. I’m fine, thank you.”

The kids began to noisily file in, the roar from the hall invading the classroom as well.

Rachel stood to clean the blackboard from the previous class so she could begin anew for this period. After wiping it down and drawing up her outline, she turned and was startled to see a man standing in the back of the room.

“Sir, you can’t be in here,” she said.

He had no visitor’s badge. She’d received no call from the office to suggest a parent was arriving. Alarm bells immediately went off, and she reached underneath the desk for the panic button that had been installed the year prior.

Maybe she was jumping the gun, and maybe she was being stupid and overreacting. But when it came to the safety of her kids, she didn’t really give a damn if it turned out to be a false alarm.

The silent alarm would immediately send the school into lockdown. The local police would be notified and would converge on the campus with astonishing speed. Everyone took the safety in schools seriously here. And, well, everywhere. School shootings had become so commonplace that no leeway was given, and police were swift to stamp out any threat.

The students swung around to see whom she was addressing. Jennifer went pale.

“Dad! What are you doing here?” she hissed.

But her father didn’t look at her. He didn’t even acknowledge her. Rachel’s heart plummeted when he lifted his hand to reveal the pistol he carried. Her instincts hadn’t been wrong.

“Everyone get down!” Rachel yelled. “Under your desks!”

There was a series of screams and desks scraping across the floor as the students scrambled for cover.

“Everyone be still!” Jennifer’s father roared.

He waved the gun precariously, and Rachel’s heart nearly stopped for fear the gun would discharge and one of the children would be caught in the crossfire.

Only Jennifer remained where she was. She was terrified, completely pale, and staring at her father in utter disbelief.

“Dad, what are you doing?” Jennifer asked in a shaky voice. “Why are you here? Where did you get that gun? You’re scaring me!”

For a moment, the man’s face softened as he looked at his daughter, and then his expression hardened, and he waved the gun in Rachel’s direction.

“Everything will be just fine once she makes a call for me,” he muttered.

In the distance, sirens could be heard, and Jennifer’s father froze. Then he rushed to the window to peer out and let out a string of obscenities.

Sobs rose from several of the children, but most huddled under their desks too petrified to make a sound.

“What did you do?” he raged at Rachel. “Did you call them? How did they know so fast?”

“Someone must have seen you through the window,” Rachel said calmly. “You’ve had your eyes on me the entire time. I’ve made no phone calls.”

He glared suspiciously at her and then waved the gun in her direction.

“Close the blinds. Do it now!”

Rachel hurried to do as he asked, her heart stuttering like a jackhammer in her chest.

“Daddy, don’t hurt her,” Jennifer pleaded. “She’s nice. Please don’t hurt anyone. Let’s just go home, please .”

“Your mother won’t allow that,” he snarled. “She’s issued a restraining order. Stupid bitch is refusing to allow me to see you. Says she’s going to get full custody in the divorce. That ain’t going to happen. I aim to make sure of that.”

“Sir, please listen to your daughter,” Rachel said in a soft, appeasing tone. “You’ll never be able to see her if you’re locked in a jail cell, and if someone gets hurt today, you’ll go away for a very long time.”

Her words seemed to further infuriate him. He advanced as though he’d strike her, but Jennifer flung herself in front of Rachel, spreading out her arms in an effort to protect Rachel.

Rachel hugged Jennifer to her and then thrust her behind her back. “Stay there, honey,” she whispered. “Don’t move. Just stay quiet and let me talk to him.”

Jennifer let out a whimper but did as Rachel said.

“What’s your name?” Rachel asked in an easy tone, almost as if they were exchanging ordinary conversation or that he was a parent who’d come in for a conference.

He looked befuddled and answered automatically. “Kent. Kent Winstead.”

“Mr. Winstead, you have an extremely bright daughter. She excels in all her classes. I’m sure you’re very proud of her.”

He seemed confused by the change in direction of the conversation.

“Well of course I’m proud of her. Inherited my brains. Her mother is as dumb as a brick.”

Behind her, Jennifer let out a pained gasp, and Rachel’s heart ached all the more for her.

“Work with me on a solution to this,” Rachel said calmly. “Tell me what it is you want so I can help you. The children are frightened. Your daughter is terrified. I’m sure the very last thing you want is to scare the students.”

He looked torn as he surveyed the kids all huddled under their desks, many of them with tear-ravaged faces.

“I don’t want to scare them,” he muttered. “But I have to do what I have to do.”

“And what is it you plan to do?” she asked.

His brows furrowed as if he hadn’t considered exactly what his plan was, but then it was likely he had no clear plan. He’d acted in desperation, and now he’d ruined any chance he ever had of being with his daughter. Not that she’d tell him that now. It would send him right over the edge.

“I want you to call the police,” he said firmly.

She nodded. “I can do that. Will you allow me to reach for my cell phone? I assure you I’m not armed. They don’t allow weapons in the school.”

He raised the gun, pointing it at her, and then he nodded. “Get the phone but don’t call anyone yet. I need to tell you what to say. Don’t try anything stupid. I don’t want to hurt anyone, but I will if you make me.”

“We both want the same thing, Mr. Winstead. I assure you that you have my full cooperation.”

She reached slowly for her purse, making sure he could see inside the entire time as she retrieved her cell phone. She pulled it out and simply held it so it was in clear view, and then she looked expectantly at him.

“What would you like me to tell the police?”

He rubbed his chin with his free hand, all the while holding steady aim at her. It struck fear in her heart the way his hand shook. He was running on adrenaline, and one wrong move could mean her death. The deaths of her precious babies.

She swallowed hard, refusing to give in to the rising panic. She’d withstood the very worst and survived. She would survive this. Her babies were counting on her. Ethan was counting on her. She wouldn’t put him through the hell of her dying all over again.

“Please lower the gun,” she said, allowing her voice to shake. “I can’t think when I’m terrified that you’re going to shoot me. Just lower the gun. I’ll do whatever you want.”

He was wracked by clear indecision. Jennifer started to move, but Rachel put her hand out, pulling her closer to her back to shield her.

Finally he lowered the gun, but he still kept it away from his body. He trained it on the far wall and then settled his hard stare on her.

“You tell them that I want that restraining order lifted and that I want to be able to have access to my daughter. I want that bitch of my wife up here so she can see how serious I am. If she’s not here quickly, I start shooting.”

Rachel hastily punched her contacts button and hurriedly scrolled to Sean’s number, praying he was on duty. She was taking a huge risk in not dialing 911, but she trusted Sean, and he’d let Ethan and his brothers know the situation.

When it started dialing, she put the phone to her ear and kept eye contact with Jennifer’s father so she could be prepared for any sudden mood swing or movement on his part.

“Rachel, fancy hearing from you. How are you, girl?”

Sean’s cheerful voice immediately calmed some of her stark terror.

“This is Rachel Kelly,” she began as if she didn’t know Sean and as though she were calling a regular dispatcher. “Kent Winstead is here in my classroom with a gun, and he has some demands. If his demands aren’t met, he said he’ll start shooting the children.”

More terrified sobs rose from the children crouched under their desks.

Sean was immediately all business. “Simple yes or no, Rachel, are you on speaker phone?”

“No.”

“Okay. I’m going to patch this in to the local and state police. Do you know if any police are already on scene?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, stay with me here. Tell me what his demands are. Let’s keep him appeased. We’ll get you out of this, sweetheart.”

Kent was already growing impatient, and a scowl had darkened his features. His grip on the gun tightened, so she hastily relayed the demands he’d given her. Kent relaxed some when she began to list all he’d asked for.

“I’m being patched in to the person in charge on scene,” Sean said. “I’ve relayed everything you’ve just told me. I need you to keep him talking. Throw him a bone and ask him for his wife’s number so we can call her.”

Rachel let the phone slide slightly from her mouth as she looked at Kent. “They need your wife’s number so they can call her. They’ll do it now.”

“That’s good. That’s real fucking good,” Kent said, nodding his head adamantly. “Let the bitch know what she’s done. She’ll come crawling back, but I don’t want her sorry ass anymore.”

“The number,” Rachel prompted softly.

As he recited the number, Rachel relayed it to Sean.

“Okay, stall for me, sweetheart. Try to keep him calm. A S.W.A.T. team is getting into position even as we speak. My dispatcher has called Sam and has apprised him of the situation. Let him know we’re calling his wife now.”

“They’re calling right now,” Rachel said to Kent.

He nodded his satisfaction, and then he stared toward the windows with a frown. As if deciding he was putting himself at a huge risk, he crossed the room and positioned himself in a corner where there was no clear shot through the window. He wedged himself between two bookcases but kept the gun trained in Rachel’s direction.

“Daddy, please don’t do this,” Jennifer pleaded. “I don’t want you to have to go away. They’ll put you in jail, and I’ll never see you again.”

Rachel squeezed Jennifer, hoping she got the message to remain quiet. Reminding Kent of the huge mistake he’d made would only heighten his agitation, and it could make him do a very stupid thing.

Desperate people did desperate things.

Kent’s expression hardened. “I’m not going anywhere except home with you. It’s your stupid mother who’s going away.”

Jennifer began to quietly sob and buried her face in Rachel’s back.

“What’s taking so long?” Kent demanded. “What are they doing? You need to let them know that if I even think they’re jacking me around, I’ll start shooting. If they don’t think I mean it, just try me.”

Without warning, he pointed the gun upward and shot.

The room exploded and reverberated with the retort. Plaster flew everywhere. Screams rose and utter panic ensued.

“Rachel! Rachel! Goddamn it, Rachel, are you there? Talk to me. Are you all right? Give me the situation.”

Rachel had immediately squatted, covering Jennifer’s body with her own. They huddled together beside the desk, and Rachel put out her hand to try to calm the other children.

“Stay where you are,” she whispered urgently. “Don’t move. And be quiet. Don’t say a word. Don’t do anything to draw attention to yourself.”

“Rachel!” Sean roared.

She put the phone back to her ear. “I’m h-here.”

“Are you all right?” he demanded. “What the hell just happened?”

“It was just a warning,” Rachel stammered out. “He wants to know what’s going on and why it’s taking so long.”

“Damn right,” Kent snarled. “You tell those bastards they better not screw around and piss me off.”

“Hurry, Sean,” she whispered. “He’s very unstable.”

“Tell him we have his wife on the phone and that she’s agreed to drive right over. It’ll take her at least twenty minutes.”

When she relayed the information to Kent, his lip curled.

“I know damn well it only takes fifteen to get here, and she better be here in that time.”

“Fifteen minutes,” Rachel said faintly. “He’ll give her fifteen.”

“Get off the phone,” Kent snapped. “You’ve been on there long enough. You told him what I wanted. Now we’ll see if they deliver.”

Wordlessly she ended the call, not wanting to risk angering him by saying anything further. By now, Sean would have a very good idea of the threat they were dealing with. She just had to pray that the police would be able to bring about a peaceful end to the standoff and that none of the students would be hurt in the process.