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  ZONDERKIDZ

  Samantha Sanderson At the Movies

  Copyright © 2014 by Robin Caroll Miller

  Requests for information should be addressed to:

  Zonderkidz, 3900 Sparks Drive, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546

  ePub Edition © March 2014: ISBN 978-0-310-74246-3

  All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

  Any Internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers in this book are offered as a resource. They are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement by Zondervan, nor does Zondervan vouch for the content of these sites and numbers for the life of this book.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means — electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other — except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

  Zonderkidz is a trademark of Zondervan.

  Editor: Kim Childress

  Art direction: Deborah Washburn

  Cover design: Cindy Davis

  Cover illustration: Jake Parker

  Interior design: Ben Fetterley

  Printed in the United States of America

  14 15 16 17 18 19 /DCI/ 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  For Remington . . .

  Because you’re smart and funny and beautiful and you inspire me.

  Every.

  Single.

  Day.

  I love you. ~ Mom

  CONTENTS

  CHAPTER 1: SATURDAY NIGHT AT THE MOVIES

  CHAPTER 2: THINGS THAT GO BOOM!

  CHAPTER 3: SUNDAY SECRETS

  CHAPTER 4: BLOGGING ABOUT

  CHAPTER 5: A REPORTER’S GUT INSTINCT

  CHAPTER 6: THE TROUBLE WITH RESEARCH

  CHAPTER 7: THE CALL TO ACTION

  CHAPTER 8: IMPLICATIONS AND ASSUMPTIONS

  CHAPTER 9: UNBURYING THE PAST

  CHAPTER 10: A MATTER OF PRIDE

  CHAPTER 11: WINDOW-WAY IN

  CHAPTER 12: CUTTING TO THE HEART

  CHAPTER 13: TO WRITE A WRONG

  CHAPTER 14: FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME

  CHAPTER 15: MUM’S THE WORD

  CHAPTER 16: MOVING AHEAD

  CHAPTER 17: THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE DARK

  CHAPTER 18: THE TRUTH, THE WHOLE TRUTH, AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH

  CHAPTER 19: RULES AREN’T MEANT TO BE BROKEN

  CHAPTER 20: MONDAY MADNESS

  CHAPTER 21: BENCHED

  CHAPTER 22: AND THEN THERE IS TOMORROW

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  SAMANTHA SANDERSON ON THE SCENE: BOOK TWO

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER 1

  SATURDAY NIGHT AT THE MOVIES

  There was just something right about popcorn so covered in butter that you had to lick your fingers.

  Samantha “Sam” Sanderson swiped her hands over her jeans and reached for her drink in the dark theater.

  Her best friend sitting beside her did the same. Makayla shoved the straw in her mouth.

  Slurp!

  Sam and Makayla stared at one another by the light from the movie, then giggled before they shushed themselves.

  “I need more to drink,” whispered Makayla.

  “You think?” Sam whispered back.

  “Let’s go to the concession stand.”

  Sam stared at the big screen where the hero fought the villain to have justice prevail. Problem was, she’d figured out who the bad guy was well before the movie revealed him as the killer.

  “Come on.” Makayla stood and inched down the row.

  Sam stood and followed. Not that there were a lot of people to scoot by. To celebrate the start of the school year, Sam’s dad had agreed to take the girls to see the late movie. There weren’t many people in attendance. Could be because of the recent controversy about the theater closing to the public tomorrow for a special, private viewing of the new faith-based movie, Faithfully HIS. Area churches had come together to rent the entire theater. Pretty cool, in Sam’s opinion. Others didn’t agree.

  They made their way to the center stairs and headed down. Sam stopped at the last row and ducked her head next to the man sitting in the aisle seat. “Dad, we’re running to the concession stand to get a refill. Be right back.”

  “Okay,” he whispered back with a nod.

  She shook her head as she followed Makayla toward the exit. If the place had been as busy as it usually was on a Saturday night, she’d have texted her father about where they were going. No way would he have let her and Makayla go into the lobby alone if the theater was packed. Guess it was all a blessing.

  “I have to go to the bathroom first,” Makayla said as they stepped into the hall.

  Sam blinked against the lights that seemed entirely too bright until they turned the corner into the ladies’ room. The light in the entry seemed to have burned out. As they turned, she noticed a sliver of light sneaking out from under the supply closet door. Talk about a waste of electricity. She tried the knob — it was locked.

  Makayla skipped down to a stall while Sam stood in front of the sinks. The water automatically sp
ewed from the spout as she extended her hands. Might take super-powered soap to get all the butter residue off her hands.

  “I can’t believe how tired I am.” Makayla joined her at the sink, fighting a yawn.

  Immediately, Sam yawned. “Stop that. It’s only ten forty.”

  “Yeah, the movie should be over in a few minutes.”

  “No surprise how it’ll end.” Sam waved her hand in front of the hand towel dispenser. A paper towel shot out from the machine.

  “But that’s what makes it good. We know they’ll live happily ever after.” Makayla snatched the towel before Sam could.

  “Really?” Sam grinned and waved her hand again. “What if there’s a car accident?”

  Makayla frowned. “That’s morbid. Why do you do that? Normal people don’t think like that.”

  Sam shrugged, still grinning, and tossed her wadded towel into the trashcan. “What can I say? I think outside the box.”

  “You’re a freak against nature.” Makayla threw her used paper towel into the trash.

  “Force of nature, Mac. Force of nature.”

  “Hey, did you get that text from Nikki about the pool party next weekend?”

  “Seriously?”

  “At three next Saturday. Her house.”

  “No.” Of course not. Nikki Cole was Aubrey Damas’s best friend, and Aubrey hated Sam. No way would either of them ever invite her to anything. They normally didn’t include Makayla either. “Since when did you and Nikki become such good friends?”

  “We aren’t. The invite surprised me, so I wondered if she sent out a mass text to everybody.”

  Sam whipped out her iPhone and checked her inbox. Sure enough, there was a message waiting. She pressed the screen to open her unread message. Maybe this year would be different. Maybe whatever problem Aubrey had with Sam had disappeared. Maybe . . .

  Her hopes free-fell to her toes. The text was from her father.

  “Dad says the movie’s about over. He’ll meet us in the lobby,” Sam told her best friend.

  “Oh, we’d better hurry. I want to get a drink before everyone comes out.” Makayla headed out of the ladies room.

  Sam shook her head. Her best friend had a one-track mind.

  She trailed behind Makayla to the lobby, waiting while her friend grabbed a soda. Seconds later, the theater door opened and people flooded the lobby. A few stood in line in front of the one open register at the concession stand, but most filtered their way to the main exit. Dad joined them almost immediately.

  “Did you girls enjoy the movie?”

  “Yes, sir. Thank you for bringing me.” Makayla smiled.

  Someone brushed against her arm, jarring her. The cup slipped from her fingers, exploding onto the floor. Soda splashed everywhere.

  Makayla’s face turned redder than the fiery banner of the IMAX logo. “I’m sorry.” She stooped and picked up the fallen cup. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Sanderson. Your slacks are soaked.”

  “Don’t worry about it.” Dad glanced around. “I’ll go find someone to get a mop. You girls stay here. We don’t want someone slipping and falling.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Makayla told Sam.

  “Stop it, Mac. It was an accident. No big deal. Clothes wash.” The last thing Sam needed was for Makayla to start bawling. She hated tears. “Go throw the cup in the trash. Dad’s got someone headed this way.”

  The girl Dad led toward them had a roll of paper towels in her hand with a plastic bag. Seriously? Sam glanced at the pool of soda on the floor. Even if the girl got all the moisture up, it would still be sticky.

  Dad must have been having the same argument with the employee as he waved at the spill. “See? You need a mop.”

  “Sir, I’ve called my manager. She has to unlock the supply closet since we’ve already gone through the shutdown process for the night.” The girl unwound paper towels and crouched as she sopped up the soda.

  Makayla grabbed a handful of the towels and swiped.

  That reminded Sam . . . “You might mention to her that somebody left the light on in the supply room by the ladies’ restroom.”

  The girl slipped the drenched towels into the plastic trash bag. “Which side of the theater?”

  Sam pointed to the side they’d just left.

  “No one’s been in that supply closet tonight.”

  “I dunno.” Sam shrugged. “I’m just saying the light was on.”

  A woman in the theater’s logoed shirt appeared behind them. “Well, this is quite the mess.”

  “I’m sorry. Someone hit my arm and the cup fell.” Makayla’s voice cracked as she stared up at the woman.

  “It was an accident. Not your fault.” Dad met the manager’s stare. “But obviously, a mop is required.”

  “And this girl says the supply closet by theater six has the light on.” The girl wiped the floor with a bit more energy since her manager arrived.

  “I’ll show you.” Sam didn’t wait for a response as she led the way to the bathroom. She didn’t want to get left cleaning the floor. Gross.

  Dad and the manager followed on her heels, Dad’s shoes squeaking on the floor. She reached the door. Light spilled from under the door. “See?” She pointed.

  The manager selected a key from her large ring holding about twenty keys, and unlocked the door. She rolled out the mop bucket and the mop, reached for the light switch, then stopped.

  “What’s that?” she mumbled under her breath as she reached for a cardboard box sitting on the floor. It’d been partially hidden by the mop bucket. She used a key to rip up the tape holding the box closed, then pulled back a flap. She gasped and took a step backward. “Is this some kind of a joke?”

  Dad pulled her from the closet and stared into the box. He reached for his cell at the same time he addressed the manager. “Ma’am, I’m with the Little Rock Police Department. You need to evacuate the building immediately.”

  The woman’s eyes were wide and she remained frozen to the spot.

  “Ma’am.” Dad shook the woman’s arm slightly until she looked at him. “You need to implement your emergency evacuation plan.”

  The woman nodded.

  “Now!” Dad used that cop tone of his . . . the one Sam didn’t like him to use with her.

  The woman turned and rushed away.

  “Sam, go get Makayla and head to the car.” He dialed as he spoke to her. “Wait for me there.” He spoke into the phone. “This is Detective Sanderson, badge number one-one-two-one. I’m at Chenal 9 IMAX Theatre. Request a bomb unit be dispatched to this location immediately.”

  A bomb?

  Sam pulled out her smartphone, opened the camera application, then took a step inside the closet and peered around her father into the box. Metal and wires tangled against what looked like an alarm clock. She held down the shutter button, capturing multiple photographs.

  “Samantha! Get Makayla and go to the car.” Dad moved her out from the closet and handed her the keys. “Wait for me there. Now.” He turned his back on her and spoke into the phone again.

  Her pulse thumping, Sam raced to get Makayla.

  A bomb? In the theater?

  CHAPTER 2

  THINGS THAT GO BOOM!

  How could Dad do this to her? Making her stay in the parking lot with a uniformed officer while all the action happened inside? It was so wrong. She held up her smartphone, videoing the activity as best she could, even though she’d muted the microphone so she could talk freely with her best friend.

  “I can’t believe this is happening.” Makayla’s eyes were wide against her smooth, mocha skin.

  Turning her attention back to the theater, Sam shook her head. “I know. I can’t believe Dad won’t let me inside.”

  “Sam! It’s dangerous in there. Didn’t you see all the special equipment the bomb squad hauled in there? How can you even think about being inside?”

  “That’s where the story is. And hey, if it weren’t for me, they might not have even found the bomb.” Sam
continued shooting video in twenty-second segments. “I should at least be able to hear what’s going on.”

  The cop standing beside them grinned at her. “Want me to turn up the radio?”

  “Can you? Please?”

  He opened the door to his police car and bent inside. Almost immediately, Sam recognized her father’s voice booming. “Martin, keep those spectators out. The bomb unit says the device is active.”

  “Affirmative,” cackled back over the radio.

  Sam stopped recording and stared at the movie theater. Hearing that the bomb was active made it more real somehow. She suddenly no longer wanted to be inside, no matter that the story took place behind the glass front. But her dad was in there! “Um, how long does it normally take for them to turn the bomb off?” she asked the officer as she turned from the building.

  The cop shrugged. “Depends on how complex the bomb is. If they can’t defuse it onsite but the device is stable, they’ll put it in the bomb-mobile and take it to the shop to take apart.”

  Who cared about that? Her dad was in there with a live bomb!

  Makayla slipped her hand into Sam’s. “Your dad will be okay. I’ve been praying for him and everyone inside.” Even her usual optimism couldn’t calm Sam’s fears this time.

  Sam nodded but returned to staring at the theater. She hadn’t realized just how dangerous her dad’s job was until now. She couldn’t ignore the truth with the threat staring her right in the face.

  Her mother’s job was always dangerous. As an international journalist, Mom’s stories often put her on the front line of danger. Her mom’s passion for her career and her telling of the adventures she’d experienced filled Sam with the burning in her chest to have the same type of escapades. She wanted to be the best, just like Mom, and was well aware of the threats associated with the job.

  But until today, Sam hadn’t considered the daily dangers of Dad’s job since he’d been promoted to detective. He wasn’t out on the streets, walking up to strange cars that might have a drug-crazed, gun-happy freak behind the wheel. He wasn’t chasing down drug dealers or gang members on the city streets down by the riverfront. He shouldn’t be in constant danger.

  Not like being so close to a live bomb.

  “They’ve defused it!” Dad’s voice filled with excitement over the radio.

  Sam let out the breath she’d been holding. Now that she’d seen him up close and personal, working in the face of danger, she’d worry about him more. Maybe almost as much as she worried about Mom. But for the moment, he was fine. She was fine. Everyone was fine.