“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.