At Risk of Being a Fool Read Online Free PDF Page A

look? It’s these criminals, like her. In a normal office, we’d never worry about bomb threats.”
    “Hilda, outside, now. Sorrel? Oh, there you are. Go with— Never mind. Sorrel’s with me. Move it, Hilda. Remember, they time us on these drills. The fire marshal’s out there with his stop watch.” Carol propelled Hilda out the door. “The south lawn.”
    The door closed behind Hilda’s protesting figure. Carol muttered, “I can see why Judge Hodges got rid of her, but did he have to wish her on us?”
    “I didn’t do nothing,” Sorrel said.
    “Of course not,” Carol said impatiently. “I should have sent you out, but I’m not putting you with Hilda without a referee.” Carol whisked around the room, hitting hot keys on computers to throw them in emergency lock-down, snatching folders and a metal box with unerring accuracy. “Here, carry this.” She handed the box to Sorrel and bent over an open desk drawer. “There, I’ve got it all. Out we go.” Carol’s entire safety protocol took twenty seconds.
    Sorrel paced behind her, the heavy box dragging at her arms. Along the hallway, guards ducked into restrooms and storage closets, extracting stragglers. A prickling flush swept through Sorrel from her head to her toes.
    “Carol? This isn’t a drill, this is real.”
    “Keep it to yourself. I don’t want Hilda to go ballistic.”
    Sorrel stopped. Carol tucked the folders under one arm and grabbed Sorrel’s shoulder in a fierce grip. Sorrel jerked back, anger flaring, but Carol hung on and shook her hard.
    “You listen to me, Sorrel. It’s just a bomb threat. We get them all the time. They evacuate the building, check all the rooms and surrounding area, and that’s it. We’ve never had a bomb explode. We’ve had the odd fire in the trashcan, yes, but no bombs. There are security cameras everywhere. They just have to check the tapes. If you know something, out with it, but don’t, for God’s sake, panic on me, because I’ve got enough to contend with out there on the lawn without you. Have you got that?”
    “Yes,” said Sorrel, gritting her teeth.
    She followed Carol out the big double doors. Carol handed the guard the red slip of paper. The guard added it to his small stack, glanced past them to the lawn and back down the hallway. Sorrel rolled her shoulder, trying to erase the lingering pinch of Carol’s grip. If the guard was looking for Sorrel, he was doing a lousy job. She drew a deep breath and then another. The panicked flush subsided.
    Clusters of people mingled on the lawn. A team of helmeted police with equipment bags trotted across the lawn, disappearing around the side of the building.
    “That’s a S.W.A.T. team,” shrilled Hilda. “I told you it was a bomb!”
    “Even it if it is,” said Carol, “the building is evacuated.”
    “But all our records. And what is she doing with the key box? All our security is based on that key box, and you gave it to a criminal.”
    Damn that bitch, she was asking for it. Sorrel stuffed the metal box into Dorrie’s arms. “You—”
    Carol straight-armed her backwards. “Not a word out of you. Hilda, you’d try the patience of a saint. I asked Sorrel to carry the box for me. It’s not strictly according to protocol, I’ll admit, but you can’t possibly think she’s had a moment to make copies of them.”
    “You didn’t give them to me, I notice.”
    “Hilda. Go to the Services building, borrow a phone, and arrange to shunt the calls from our office. Stay there and answer the phone.”
    Hilda stalked off, her head high, with a face like a prune.
    “What about me?” Dorrie asked. She grinned, watching Hilda’s rump twitch across the lawn.
    “That depends. I have to say, this looks depressingly real.” Two trucks and a sheriff’s car pulled up simultaneously. Dozens of people swarmed around the side of the building. “We won’t get back in there for hours. I guess we’d better set up shop over in Services.”
    “With