53
“Move, move, move!” Julia yelled behind the wheel. She threaded her way through traffic, passing everyone to keep her speed. She had to get to the park.
Her head pounded from pressure. She zoomed past a sign that read Valley Forge National Park with directional arrows.
She joined the line of traffic, cars full of families heading to the park. A little girl waved a flag from the window of an SUV in front of her.
Julia shuddered to think that all these people were in danger. She rejected the idea of running to one of the cars to borrow a cell phone. She didn’t know if the driver would believe her.
She checked the clock. 7:38 a.m. She didn’t have time to waste on half-measures. She had to get to a cop and fast.
“Hurry, hurry, hurry!” Julia moved along with the traffic, through the intersection, and toward the park. The entrance road funneled to a single lane, and her heart started to pound harder. She looked for a cop but didn’t see one.
She checked the clock. 7:41 a.m. This was taking too long. She kept going and finally spotted a cop ahead, directing traffic into the park.
“Officer!” Julia yelled out the window, waving her hand to get his attention. The cop looked over but didn’t move. She braked, opened her car door, and flagged him down. “Officer, please help me!”
The cop lumbered over. “Miss, we need to keep this traffic moving. Please—”
“Officer, a U-Haul’s going to blow up today in the park. They’re from the Buckley regiment. They’re terrorists posing as militiamen.”
“Wait, what?” The officer frowned under the patent bill of his cap, but Julia couldn’t tell if he believed her.
“I know it sounds crazy, but it’s the truth. They have explosives—”
“Pull off the road,” the officer said grimly, motioning. “Wait in your car. I’ll radio my captain.”
Thank God. Julia pulled onto the grass, and the cop stepped away, turning his back while he spoke into a walkie-talkie. She tried to stay patient, scanning the action. A steady stream of families walked from the parking lots up the hill to the main area of the park, where the reenactments must be.
Julia was practically bursting. The cop was still on his walkie-talkie.
Meanwhile the clock read 7:48. Families carried backpacks and rolled coolers, oblivious to the carnage about to occur.
Kids ran around in tricorner hats. Couples walked hand-in-hand, and dogs with flag bandanas strained at their leashes.
Julia couldn’t wait another minute. “Officer! We’re running out of time!”
The cop turned around, slid his walkie-talkie into its holder, and strode toward her.
“Officer, we’re wasting time! The bomb goes off before the first reenactment!”
The cop gestured at the windshield. “Your inspection is out of date, Miss. Were you aware of that?”
“No, but there’s a bomb!” Julia shouted, losing it. She hadn’t come this far to be stopped here. People were streaming into the park. Families were hurrying to the reenactment area. Disaster was about to strike. She was the only one who knew.
“Miss, let me see your license and registration.”
“I don’t have it with me!”
“Miss, step out of the car.” The cop edged backward, frowning.
“Officer, please.” Julia jumped out of the car. “I’m trying to tell you something! You have to believe me!”
“I do believe you. You need to tell it to my captain. I will escort you to Command & Control so you can make a statement.”
“There’s no time for statements. I’m telling you now!”
“It won’t take long. Command & Control is in the administration building.”
Julia could tell he was newly suspicious. He must’ve found out the car was stolen. She couldn’t go with him or she’d risk arrest. There was no time anyway.
She ran.