Undercover

by Jacqueline Harvey

  ‘You probably took it on the weekend,’ Max said.

  Kensy shook her head. ‘No, it’s from that man’s phone, and don’t you think I’d remember if there was a white van going in ahead of us? We were the only ones there. Why does this man have a picture of the Chalmers’ farm?’

  That was enough to grab Max’s attention. ‘Are there more photos?’ he asked, leaning in.

  Kensy flicked back to another frame. ‘That’s the shed we saw when Tinsley and I were out walking. The one that Nick said had farm equipment in it, but Mr Chalmers told us it didn’t belong to them. He claimed it was on the property owned by someone whose name I can’t recall.’

  ‘Davidson,’ Max said.

  Kensy rolled her eyes. ‘Your freakish abilities never cease to amaze me.’

  Curtis sat between the twins, turning his head from side to side as if he were watching a vigorous game of tennis. ‘Okay, you lost me at the gate,’ he said. ‘What are you two talking about?’

  Kensy and Max explained what they’d gathered so far about the Chalmers’ farm and the shed.

  Curtis’s brow furrowed. ‘So this man who’s been taking pictures of the kids actually knows them?’

  ‘Van and Ellery didn’t seem to recognise him on the ferry the other day,’ Max said.

  The doorbell buzzed. Song walked through from the laundry and glanced at the screen in the kitchen. A blonde woman with a broad smile was standing outside. He pressed the button to answer. ‘Hello,’ he said cheerfully.

  ‘Hello there, it’s Mrs Pepper from next door. I was just wondering if Curtis was with you?’ she asked.

  Curtis groaned and put his head in his hands. ‘Seriously, Mum, it couldn’t wait?’

  ‘Ah yes, Mrs Pepper, he is. Would you like to come in?’ Song asked.

  ‘Not right now, thank you. I’m a wee bit busy. I’m in the middle of letting down the hems on Curtis’s dress pants for the concert on Saturday. He’s grown so much lately I need to take another measurement before I can finish them. Could you send him home, please?’

  ‘Certainly,’ said Song.

  Kensy twisted her lips to stop from laughing. Max glanced at his sister and chuckled, but managed to pass it off as a cough.

  Curtis stood up. ‘This is really weird and we’ve still got to get to the bottom of what’s going on with Dugald as well. I didn’t buy that story about his dad getting a job transfer to Sydney when we talked to him this afternoon.’

  It seemed that the mysteries were piling up at the moment.

  ‘Bye, Song,’ Curtis said to the man, who had just turned the leg of lamb that was roasting in the oven.

  ‘Goodbye, Curtis,’ Song replied.

  ‘Your dinner smells delicious,’ the boy said with a smile. ‘And Mum and Dad loved that zucchini slice you made on the weekend.’

  ‘Thank you. We must have you and your parents over for a meal soon,’ the man replied.

  ‘Oh, and thanks for taking me and Mum on a tour the other day. That room downstairs is awesome,’ Curtis said. ‘Mum loves the wallpaper – she wanted me to find out where it came from.’

  As Max walked Curtis to the front door, Kensy looked at the butler with upturned palms. Song smiled and began to peel some potatoes that were sitting beside the sink. Shortly after the front door closed, Max skidded into the kitchen.

  ‘What was that about?’ he demanded. ‘What room downstairs?’

  Kensy scurried over to the island bench. ‘And since when did you two become best buddies?’

  Song looked at the twins innocently. ‘Curtis is a very sweet and curious boy,’ he said, pulling a bag of fresh beans from the crisper in the fridge. ‘He and his mother came for tea and I simply showed them about. He was talking about the cinema room, if you must know.’

  ‘But that’s on the top level, where the terrace is,’ Kensy said with a frown. ‘Not downstairs.’

  ‘Perhaps there is another one,’ Song said.

  Kensy snorted. ‘That’s ridiculous. No house needs two cinema rooms.’

  Song walked over to the small control pad on the kitchen wall and pressed a button. The twins almost jumped out of their skins when the coffee table in the family room slid back and a spiral staircase rose up in the middle of the floor.

  ‘Whoa! How come we’ve never seen this before?’ Kensy hurried over and clutched the railing. She and Max ran down into the secret space. ‘It’s not a cinema room,’ Kensy called as she reached the bottom. ‘There’s nothing in here.’

  ‘Oh, forgive me,’ Song said. He pressed another button, and out of the walls came a bank of seating while a screen dropped from the ceiling. There was even a popcorn machine too.

  ‘This is insane,’ Max yelled. ‘I still don’t believe it’s a cinema room, though.’

  Song smirked. He pushed yet another button and the furniture disappeared, replaced by four single beds and various other household items.

  ‘Is this a panic room?’ Kensy shouted. She was beginning to feel a little panicky herself. She bounded back upstairs with Max hot on her heels. Song pressed another button and the family room returned to normal.

  ‘Why on earth did you show that to Curtis?’ Max asked. ‘I gather it’s where we’re meant to go if we ever encounter any serious danger while we’re here?’

  ‘I had to,’ Song replied, filling a saucepan with water. ‘Curtis was very observant during the remodelling. Despite the builder’s screens along the boundary, he managed to take many pictures from his back garden. He even drew his own architectural diagrams and, I must say, they were disconcertingly accurate. I tried to convince him it was the hole for the pool, but he showed me his photographs and you could clearly see both. It is fortunate that your grandmother had the room fitted out for myriad uses. That boy has some impressive skills.’

  ‘What else haven’t we seen?’ Kensy asked, climbing onto a stool at the bench.

  ‘Perhaps there is a little more, but I thought you two had some investigating to do,’ Song said.

  Max stood beside his sister and nodded. ‘First things first. We need to find out who that car is registered to and then we’ll see if the Davidsons own the property where the shed is.’

  Kensy looked at Song. ‘Could you hack the police database for us?’

  The butler had just pulled the lamb out of the oven and was adding the potatoes to the pan. ‘I would be pleased to,’ he replied, ‘however, my computer is updating from the company mainframe and will be for some time yet.’

  ‘That’s all right. We can do it,’ Kensy said. She nudged her brother and motioned for them to go upstairs. ‘Oh well, I better get back to my assignment.’

  ‘Me too,’ Max said, and the two of them scampered up the staircase and into Kensy’s room. Max closed the bedroom door. ‘Unless you’ve had some lessons I haven’t, I don’t believe we’ve covered that part about hacking police databases in the spy curriculum just yet.’

  ‘Nope, but Autumn has,’ Kensy said triumphantly. She fetched her laptop from the end of her bed and opened the lid. ‘We can catch her before she heads to school.’

  ‘Um, no, we can’t. What are you going to tell her? Autumn thinks we’re in hospital, or recovering at Alexandria by now,’ Max reminded her.

  ‘About that,’ Kensy said sheepishly, ‘I might have accidentally told Autumn something different. It’s not like I meant to – she sort of guessed. Anyway, she doesn’t know the details, just that we’re on a mission. And she’s my best friend, Max. Autumn can keep a secret.’

  ‘Fine,’ Max sighed, eyeballing his sister, ‘but if Granny finds out, you do know we’ll never be trusted again.’

  Kensy had already begun to place a call to Autumn. Max elbowed her out of the way when the girl appeared on the screen looking a little flustered.

  ‘Max? Oh, I’ve been so worried,’ she said as she tied a red ribbon around her braid. ‘Are you all right?’

  ‘Hi,’ he said, waving. ‘I’m in one piece.’

  ‘I’m here too
.’ Kensy poked her head into view. ‘And I’m great. Thanks for asking –again.’

  Autumn blushed. She stuffed half a dozen bobby pins in her mouth before beginning to fix them in her hair. ‘What’s up?’ she mumbled.

  ‘We need your help. Can you run a NSW numberplate for us and access the computer at the land titles office in Sydney?’ Max asked.

  Autumn nodded and quickly finished pinning her hair. ‘Uh, I think so,’ she said. ‘It might take me a little bit of time. When do you need it?’

  ‘Tomorrow morning is fine,’ Max said.

  ‘Sooner, if you can manage it,’ Kensy jumped in. She was hoping to leave for New Zealand at the crack of dawn. ‘I’ll stay up until you call back.’

  Max read out the registration plate Curtis had jotted down and passed along the location of the farm as well as the name Davidson.

  ‘How’s it all going over there?’ Autumn asked. ‘You’ve actually been missing some really nice weather for a change. Although, now I’ve said that, it’ll probably start raining.’

  ‘It’s good,’ Max said. ‘Hot. I learned to play cricket and I’m not too bad at it.’

  Kensy elbowed him out of the way. ‘He’s a superstar and everyone loves him – he’s already helped the top team win two matches. I, on the other hand, joined a dance class, which I don’t care for at all. I’m not too keen on some of the kids either.’

  ‘She means Van,’ Max teased, shoving Kensy back. ‘He’s totally in love with her. It’s fun to watch.’

  Autumn raised an eyebrow. ‘You must tell me more, Master Maxim.’

  ‘No, he doesn’t need to say anything,’ Kensy said, covering her brother’s mouth with one hand. ‘I’ll tell you myself. Van drives me nuts. He’s so good-looking and so popular and so full of his own importance. Honestly, I don’t know how anyone our age could have a crush on someone – what a waste of energy!’ Kensy peered at the screen. ‘Have you got a fever or something? You look like you’re burning up.’

  Autumn shook her head. ‘I’m fine.’

  ‘Oh, I see,’ Kensy said, grinning. ‘Sorry, I’m sure that some pre-teen crushes are absolutely wonderful, just like sunshine, lollipops and rainbows.’

  Autumn glared at the screen, trying to send Kensy a message. Unfortunately, Max caught it too.

  ‘Kensy’s right,’ Max said, his voice full of concern. ‘You look like you’ve got a pain in your stomach or something.’

  ‘Um, I’d better go,’ Autumn said, tugging at the collar of her uniform. ‘I’ll run all of this when I get to school. I’ve got a lesson downstairs first thing, so I can access the mainframe. I’ll call you as soon as I can.’

  ‘Thanks, Autumn, you’re the best,’ Max said, flashing her a smile.

  Even from almost 17,000 kilometres away, and via a video link, Kensy didn’t miss her friend go weak at the knees. ‘Seriously, Autumn,’ she said, laughing, ‘I can still see you.’

  And with that the girl disappeared from the screen.

  Kensy and Max were upstairs when they heard Fitz arrive home. After their chat to Autumn, Kensy had gone to her room to finish off some urgent Maths homework while Max lay on his bed, reading. Although neither of them were thinking much about what they were doing – their minds, instead, were fixated on the fact that a reunion with their parents was imminent.

  Fitz headed straight upstairs and was confronted by the twins at the top of the landing. The looks on their faces said it all.

  ‘We were right that Mum and Dad are in New Zealand, and they’ve asked for you to go. You need to be there on Friday,’ Kensy blurted.

  Max passed him the decoded message. Fitz looked at it, then nodded his head, giving nothing away.

  ‘But we’re coming with you and we should go tomorrow,’ Kensy said. ‘They don’t know how close we are.’

  ‘And they’re not going to,’ Fitz said without a shred of emotion. He’d just come from the longest staff meeting in history and was quite literally itching to have a shower and relax after what had been a very tough day.

  Kensy frowned. ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘I’m not going against their instructions,’ Fitz said.

  Max’s stomach twisted. He knew Fitz was right, but it didn’t stop him from feeling a pang of disappointment.

  ‘But we’re still coming, right?’ Kensy said. She looked from Fitz to Max, then back to Fitz.

  The man shook his head. ‘You’ll stay here with Song. I’m not putting the two of you in harm’s way. We have no idea what to expect and this is best left to the professionals.’

  ‘What!’ Kensy exploded. ‘That’s stupid! We saved the Prime Minister’s son in Italy and brought down the Diavolo – we’re professional too, you know!’

  Max put a hand on his sister’s arm, but she shook it off.

  ‘Don’t touch me!’ Kensy yelled. ‘Why are you on his side, anyway? What’s wrong with you, Max? Don’t you want to be with Mum and Dad?’

  ‘Of course I do, but think about it, Kens – they’ve made plans for a reason and they didn’t ask for us to be involved. I want them back as much as you do,’ Max said. He couldn’t help but be hurt by such an accusation.

  ‘No, you don’t!’ Kensy spat. Before anyone could stop her, she flew downstairs and out the front door.

  Max started to chase after her, but Fitz placed a heavy hand on his shoulder. ‘Leave her be,’ he said. ‘She’ll only be able to listen once she’s calmed down.’

  Max knew that was true. There was no point trying to talk to Kensy when she was this worked-up. A run around the block would do her the world of good. Maybe then they could have a rational discussion. Or maybe they wouldn’t talk about it at all.

  ‘She’s wrong,’ Max said. He could feel his eyes prickling. ‘I miss them every bit as much as she does. I hate it when she says things like that because it’s just not true.’

  ‘I know you do, mate,’ Fitz said, and wrapped his muscly arms around the lad. Max leaned against the man’s chest, completely overcome. This time he allowed himself to cry until there were simply no tears left.

  ‘Should we go and look for her?’ Max said, glancing at the kitchen clock for the hundredth time. The ticking was beginning to drive him crazy. It was just after seven and Kensy still wasn’t home. ‘She might’ve got lost.’ He didn’t like to think that anything else could have happened to her.

  ‘That is a very good point, Master Maxim,’ Song said. ‘Your sister has not been blessed with your navigational skills.’ The butler had already wiped a dozen imaginary spots off the bench and cleaned the sink twice.

  Fitz looked up from where he was sitting on the couch, reading the day’s issue of the Beacon. Although Max noticed he hadn’t turned a page in over twenty minutes. ‘I’m sure she’ll be back soon, especially when she remembers she’ll be missing one of Song’s famous baked dinners.’

  But the tone in the man’s voice betrayed his concerns too. Song started serving up as Max hopped down from the island bench and the front door flew open.

  ‘I saw him!’ Kensy exclaimed as she tore upstairs to the kitchen. ‘In the window of an apartment in that high-rise block just down from the Chalmers’ place. He has a telescope and it was trained on their house. And I’m pretty sure the woman who was at the house the night Mrs Chalmers disappeared was there too – Lucy, Dash’s assistant. What’s that about?’

  Max frowned. ‘I wonder if Autumn has managed to run those plates yet or find out about the land.’

  Fitz and Song cast the children quizzical looks. ‘What are you talking about?’ Fitz asked. ‘You haven’t told Autumn where we are, have you?’

  ‘It was an accident and, besides, she’s not going to tell anyone. Song’s computer was busy – we had to get on it,’ Kensy said, then regaled Fitz and Song with the story of the man from the ferry and what they’d realised about the photos Kensy had stolen from him. It seemed she’d forgotten all about her earlier outburst and, while Fitz was not impressed about her speaking to her fri
end, there was nothing he could do about it now except to ensure Cordelia didn’t find out.

  ‘Don’t you think it’s weird that we’re supposed to be protecting the children from Mrs Chalmers and yet there’s this man who’s watching them and taking pictures and he’s been at the farm too?’ Kensy said.

  ‘Maybe he works for Dash,’ Max said.

  ‘There’s something fishy about him, that’s for sure.’ Kensy yawned and stretched. ‘I’m starving. I’ve been watching the unit for ages.’ She grabbed two of the dinner plates from the island and placed them on the table. Song brought over the other two.

  ‘Are you okay, Kensy?’ Fitz asked as he took his seat.

  ‘Well, if you mean am I happy about you going to New Zealand without us, the answer is no. But I remembered something Mr Reffell said in one of our strategy lessons the other week, so if you have to go alone then fine. Just make sure you come back and bring Mum and Dad with you,’ the girl said, stabbing her fork into a crispy baked potato.

  Max took a bite of lamb and smiled at his sister.

  ‘Anyway, we’re going to be busy on the weekend winning the Choral Competition at the Opera House. Sorry, Song, you have to come and watch now that Fitz has better things to do,’ Kensy said.

  ‘It would be my pleasure, Miss Kensington and Master Maxim. I do hope there are some country tunes in the repertoire,’ Song said.

  Max grinned. ‘Not this time, but hopefully you’ll still enjoy it. Our choir sounds pretty good considering we’ve only had a couple of weeks to learn the song.’

  ‘Yes, but we’ve been rehearsing about four hours each day,’ Kensy grumbled. A worrying thought entered her mind. ‘Are you going to tell Granny about Autumn?’ she asked timidly.

  Fitz shook his head. ‘Not this time. There’s no point upsetting her, but please don’t make a habit of divulging information when you’ve specifically been told not to.’

  ‘Oh dear,’ Song said, flushing, ‘I had meant to tell you all that Dame Spencer called earlier to see how everyone was. I told her you’d had a good weekend in the countryside, and she said that the house is already starting to take shape and she may finally have a lead.’