Reunion Mission. Virginia Vaughan
at her house was meant to be a warning to her to keep her mouth shut. Whoever had killed Luke had obviously wanted to know what information the boy had shared with her and that made her a target.
He paced the floor, anger biting into him. One more person he cared about was in danger. He didn’t think he could stand it if something happened to her. He’d lost too many people he cared about in the ambush that took out most of his ranger team. He didn’t think he could stand losing anyone else.
* * *
Claire changed into her pajamas, then crawled into bed and pulled the covers high over her like a protective shield against the fear that threatened to overwhelm her.
Matt’s presence in the next room was comforting, and she heard him moving around until finally the light from beneath the door went out. She closed her eyes, but as she’d expected, sleep evaded her.
Her brain was a scramble of today’s events, from Luke’s murder to the drive-by shooting to the sudden reappearance of Matt Ross in her life.
Matt was a trained ranger with the skills to protect her. She’d been studying through the Old Testament recently in her quiet time with God and now the parallels of one story and her current situation came into focus. Like Joseph, Matt had been taken from those he cared about in order to prepare him for something greater, something that would ultimately protect her. God had previously prepared him for this task, and for that Claire was thankful. God was on her side. With the assurance that God had sent her a protector, Claire slipped peacefully into sleep.
* * *
The regular Monday morning staff meeting today would be a somber affair given the events of yesterday. The death of a student was a rare but tragic event, and Claire knew this morning the teachers would be formulating a plan for dealing with the aftermath, including arranging counseling for the students who needed it.
She arrived for the meeting and several faculty members asked about her. The news of her involvement had already spread, but she wondered how many of these teachers also knew about Luke’s drug connections or the involvement of Matt and the DEA. They’d soon find out, since Matt had accompanied her this morning and was preparing to speak to the group.
Principal Spencer took control of the staff meeting. “The district superintendent has called in special crisis counselors. They’ll be arriving today to meet with any of the staff and faculty who would like to speak with them. They’ll also be conducting training today about helping the students cope with the tragedy that’s occurred here. When the students return tomorrow, it’ll be our jobs to let them know that counselors are there for them to speak with if they need it. We’ll be congregating mostly in the auditorium and cafeteria today, but I have gotten word from LPD that we’ll be able to reopen the back hall for classes tomorrow.”
After outlining what would be a long and emotionally difficult day, he introduced Matt.
“This is Agent Matt Ross from the DEA. He’s going to be here helping us update our security measures while working with the police to investigate Luke’s death. He’ll be setting up in the security office, but you may see him roaming around the halls and asking questions. Please provide him any information you believe might be helpful. As always, the safety of our students is a top priority at Lakeshore High School.”
Matt stepped forward and addressed the group. “I didn’t know Luke Thompson well. I’d only spoken to him twice, but I know how his death has shattered this school and this community. But Luke alerted me and the DEA to a serious problem occurring here at Lakeshore. A dangerous drug called Trixie has been moving through this community and this school. I can’t confirm or deny whether Luke’s death had anything to do with this drug ring because that investigation is still ongoing, but I intend to find out how these drugs are getting into the hands of these kids. I grew up in Lakeshore. I went to this high school and my family still lives here. This is my home. I know that each of you are here because you, too, care about these students. Together, we can put an end to this ring that’s preying on our kids.”
Claire saw his passion and was happy to hear him proclaim this was his home after he’d confessed to her that he hadn’t even phoned his folks yet. She glanced around her and wondered how many of her fellow teachers knew their history and knew that Matt had fled Lakeshore over ten years ago. Whatever reasons he’d had for staying away for so long, he’d pushed them aside in order to get the job done.
Matt finished addressing the faculty and Principal Spencer ended the meeting and dismissed them. He called Claire to stay. “Your classroom is still a crime scene and I’ve been told we can’t go in there, so we’ll relocate your classes to the science lab for the time being.”
She wasn’t sure she wanted to return to that classroom, but she knew she would. Life had to go on. But Lakeshore had a new state-of-the-art lab that all the science classes shared. It would mean rearranging schedules so the other classes could still have lab time, but they could make it work for a while. “That will be fine.”
Principal Spencer gazed at her knowingly and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “You’ve been through an ordeal. Are you sure you’re up to being here?”
“I want to be here. I need to get my classroom set up. The students will need some kind of normalcy when they return tomorrow.”
He walked over and closed the door, giving them privacy. “I have to ask this question, Claire. Why were you here?”
“Luke sent me a text asking me to meet him here...or at least I thought it was Luke.”
“And you came? I don’t understand why you would meet a student at an empty school on the weekend.”
“I’ve been ministering to Luke for several weeks. When I got the text, I thought maybe he’d had a breakthrough.”
“And what about the drugs? Did you know he was involved in selling drugs at the school?”
“I did know. He told me he wanted out, but he was frightened his supplier wouldn’t let him go.”
“Did he tell you who his supplier was?”
“I don’t know anything about Luke’s drug supplier. I was just trying to help Luke.”
“You can imagine my shock to learn one of our own students was supplying a highly dangerous drug throughout the school. As a teacher and a faculty member, you should have let someone know when you discovered this.”
“I didn’t want to get him expelled or arrested. He wanted to turn his life around. He wanted out. He promised me he wasn’t selling them anymore.”
“Still, I wish you had come to me. Maybe if you had, things would have turned out differently.”
You killed Luke with your meddling. Those haunting words replayed in her mind no matter how often she tried to push them away. She remembered the hot breath on her neck and the bite in his threatening tone. Tears stung her eyes, but she pushed them back. She’d only wanted to help Luke, not get him killed. “I need to get my classroom set up for tomorrow.”
The principal nodded, and his face was sympathetic. “I hope you know you can come to me, Claire. Anytime you need to talk, I’m available.”
“Thank you,” she said, then walked out.
Matt was leaning against the wall in the hallway, waiting for her. His arms were folded and he gave her a lazy grin that reminded her of all the times in school that she’d seen him waiting for her. Everything about having him here seemed to remind her of the past.
“What did he have to say?”
“Same as everyone else. Am I okay? Should I be here? Do I know anything about Luke’s drug supplier?”
“And what did you tell him?”
“I told him just what I told you, Matt. I’m fine, I need to be here for my students and Luke never shared that information with me. I have no idea who Luke was working for. I wish I did. I wish I had demanded to know. Then I would know who to