“I love… you, too,” Julia told him, struggling to think, and Gianluca stroked her hand.
“You’re okay, Julia. You had a concussion and cuts, that’s all. You’ve been asleep for about four hours. People were injured at Valley Forge but no one died. Everyone survived, because of you.”
“Is Paul… okay?”
“Yes. He’s fine. He’s at the prison now. He called the police when he got your phone message.”
“How did he know where… I was?”
“Your rental car had GPS. The police traced it to the farm. They arrested the men who set the bomb. All four are in custody.”
Thank God.“So is… Courtney out of prison?”
“No, the police need a statement from you—”
“I’m… fine.” Julia felt dizzy but tried to get up. “Courtney… can’t stay in prison. I know who killed… her grandmother.”
“Julia, no.” Gianluca placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “You can’t go yet, darling. You need to stay for observation—”
“Then get the police… I can give my statement… here.”
58
They waited for the detectives to arrive, and Julia ate a meal of mac and cheese and watched the TV news. Her head was pounding, and she wasn’t supposed to be watching TV, according to the concussion protocol, but she had to know what was going on. Gianluca sat in a chair holding Leni, who slept on his shoulder. Their daughter was jet-lagged, which turned out to be lucky, given the news coverage. The attack at Valley Forge dominated every channel, with chyrons likeDOMESTIC TERROR STRIKES HALLOWED GROUND,BOMBS BURSTING IN AIR, andMIRACLE AMID THE HORROR.
Julia set down her fork, watching as an attractive Asian female reporter holding a microphone came onscreen, saying, “Good evening, I’m Christine Shi with the latest on the heinous attack of domestic terrorism at the Really Revolutionary event this morning, at Valley Forge Park. Details are breaking, and authorities tell me that over 150 people have been treated for injuries caused by flying debris when a Philly BBQ truck exploded in the picnic area, at eight clock this morning.The cause of the explosion has been confirmed to be an improvised explosive device in the truck. The explosion ignited propane tanks in six nearby food trucks, causing a series of potentially deadly blasts.”
Julia shuddered as the screen switched to shaky cell-phone video of the attack. Massive fireballs and fleeing people flashed by, blurry. They were screaming, and there was crying in the background.
“Authorities say that approximately five thousand people were in the blast radius of the explosions when they were detonated. The event had the potential to be the single biggest attack of domestic terror in the United States since the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah building in Oklahoma City. Fortunately, that awful prospect did not come to pass this morning, here in historic Valley Forge. Thousands of innocent men, women, and children were saved from serious harm by the actions of one Julia Pritzker, age thirty-eight, formerly of Philadelphia.”
Julia shuddered to hear her name. Her photo popped onto the screen, a six-year-old headshot taken from her old website. Mike had taken that picture for her small business designing websites, which she closed after he was killed. It was like seeing a ghost of herself from the past.
“You okay?” Gianluca glanced over with a worried frown. “You want me to turn it off?”
“No, I want to see if they got McKenna and the others.”
“I just checked the phone, and no word.”
“Let’s watch, I’m okay.”
The reporter continued, “Ms. Pritzker notified local police of the suspected terrorist attack and joined them and park rangers to escort citizens to safety, mere moments before the explosive device in a PhillyBBQ truck went off. Her heroism saved so many families from further injuries and even death. Thankfully, she’s recovering in Valley Forge Hospital with only minor injuries.” The reporter brightened with a photogenic grin. “So folks, if you see something, say something!”
Gianluca smiled, turning to Julia. “You’re a hero,cara.”
Julia managed a smile back, then the TV screen switched to a cellphone video of her running to the food trucks, yelling and waving her hands. Her smile faded, her mouth went dry, and her body began to tremble, as if she were reexperiencing the explosions. But she couldn’t turn away because she wanted to know more.
“Information provided by Ms. Pritzker resulted in the thwarting of the plot and led to the apprehension and arrest of the alleged domestic terrorists. Currently in custody are William McKenna, age 69, of Mottsville, Pennsylvania; Laird Tomlinson, 42, of New Brighton, Pennsylvania; David Schefsky, 45, of Valeo, Pennsylvania; and John Uvert, 55, of Tinson, Pennsylvania.
“So that’s who they are.” Julia felt her spirits lift, just a bit.
Gianluca grinned. “They really got them!”
The reporter continued, “The motive for the attack has not yet been revealed by authorities. A press conference will be held later, at an as-yet-undetermined time. Keep it here for breaking news of events as they occur.”
Julia looked away, realizing that the Valley Forge news obliterated any coverage of Alex’s murder, as well as Courtney’s cellmate’s. Her mood deflated, and she didn’t need to see any more.
Suddenly there was a knock on the door, and her young nurse popped her head inside the room. “Julia, Detectives Kowalski and Brennan and a Bennie Rosato are here for you. Are you okay to see them?”