Disappearing Act

by Jacqueline Harvey

  The children said their goodbyes and wished the boy well.

  ‘What about Lola?’ Kensy asked as they wound their way through the streets of Rome.

  Misha sighed. ‘She’s just a kid and she’s done nothing wrong, but I suspect she and her mother won’t stick around for long. It’s probably going to be all over the newspapers even if we’re not. I’m glad I can stop acting like a mean girl at school, although I suppose I’m going to have to change slowly – it wouldn’t make sense for me to be nice all of a sudden.’

  ‘Well, you can count me as your first new friend,’ Autumn said, linking arms with the girl. ‘Come on, the ice creams are on me.’

  Alfie looked up from his dinner as Carlos and Max slid onto the bench on the other side. ‘I hope you two aren’t contagious.’

  ‘No, we’re good now,’ Carlos said. ‘Didn’t last long at all.’

  Alfie gave him a knowing grin as Dante and Sachin arrived at the table with their dinner.

  ‘Well, you missed some excitement out there this afternoon. When we were on our way back from the gardens, the Trevi Fountain was closed to the public and the carabinieri were keeping everyone out of the piazza. We got to sneak through because Mrs Vanden Boom said some of the children were desperate for the toilet and we should be allowed into our hotel.’

  ‘We must have still been asleep,’ Max said. ‘What happened?’

  ‘They arrested a nun,’ Dante jumped in. ‘Can you believe it? The one in charge of the orphanage. Apparently, she’d been using the children in her care as pickpockets. It just goes to show – you never know who you can really trust.’

  ‘You can thay that again,’ Alfie said through a mouthful of lasagne.

  Carlos and Max smiled at each other. They were pleased to hear that Sister Maria Regina had got her comeuppance. Surely there was a hefty penalty for impersonating a nun too – on top of her being part of the Diavolo.

  ‘That wasn’t all,’ Sachin added. ‘Lola’s mother arrived and took her away. Lola was crying and stamping her feet and saying that she wanted to get her things, but her mother said there was no time and the next thing they were gone. It was weird, right?’

  Carlos nodded. ‘Wow, so weird.’

  ‘You are going to tell us exactly what happened, aren’t you?’ Dante said.

  Max grinned. ‘You’ll have to wait until we’re back at school. You know the rules.’

  Monty Reffell was glad that the unexpected excitement of the tour was over and they could get on with enjoying the rest of the trip. Today he had a full itinerary planned at the Vatican. There was a lot to see given it was its own city state, protected by the Swiss Guards in their red, blue and gold uniforms that, quite frankly, looked more like they belonged at the circus than in an army. The group had just crossed the River Tiber as he pointed out yet another church of significance along their route.

  Kensy caught up to her brother, who had seemed subdued at breakfast. ‘Are you okay?’ she asked.

  ‘Sure,’ he replied, forcing a smile to his lips. ‘What about you?’

  ‘Same.’

  Max gazed upon the river, squinting from the glare of the sun. ‘Don’t you think it’s strange that Fitz and Uncle Rupert were here yesterday and then they both just disappeared without saying a word?’

  Kensy nodded. ‘We’ve only got a couple more days. Do you think . . .?’

  Max looked at her. ‘They can’t tease us like that and not show up, can they? It’s worse than if we hadn’t heard anything at all. At least tonight we can finally do some research about our grandparents after everyone’s gone to bed.’

  Behind them, Romilly Vanden Boom was walking with Carlos and Autumn and catching them up on all the sights they’d missed the day before. She was very pleased to see that their fearless tour leader had decided against dressing up today and was wearing a rather stylish suit instead. It wouldn’t have been a good idea to arrive at the Vatican dressed as a cardinal – that could have landed Mr Reffell in far more trouble than his centurion outfit at the Colosseum.

  As they entered St Peter’s Square, the children turned circles, in awe of the immense buildings.

  ‘I’ve never seen so much marble,’ Inez declared. ‘It’s breathtaking.’

  ‘Nor so many cobblestones,’ Harper said, glad she’d swapped her boots for sneakers that morning.

  Despite it being just after half past nine there were queues upon queues of tourists. Monty Reffell took the students right around them to the group entrance of St Peter’s Basilica.

  ‘This, my dear children, is considered to be one of the most beautiful churches in all of Christendom,’ Monty declared. ‘It’s almost too magnificent to comprehend and has been known on many occasions to make grown men weep.’ He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and quickly wiped his eyes.

  ‘Are there any popes’ hearts in those urns there?’ Kensy asked.

  ‘Not to my knowledge,’ Mr Reffell replied, ‘but the tomb of St Peter is below us in the crypt. He died at the hands of Emperor Nero, one of the most evil men to have ever ruled Rome.’

  ‘Fancy that,’ Autumn murmured to Kensy.

  After their tour, the children were given some time to wander within a strict boundary. Monty Reffell was standing beside Alfie and Dante, staring at the mesmerising dome painted by Michaelangelo, when he felt a tap on the shoulder. A young priest spoke very quickly in Italian, but Monty didn’t catch it all.

  The man looked at Dante. ‘Moretti? What did he say?’

  ‘He said that His Holiness is ready for you now,’ Dante replied.

  Monty turned back to the priest. ‘I’m sorry, I think you have me confused with someone else.’

  But the fellow was insistent. Dante interpreted again, then said something to the priest, who smiled broadly and nodded his head. Monty consulted his watch. Oh, what the heck, he had half an hour before everyone was due to regroup. If the Holy Father wanted to see him, who was he to say no? The teacher felt a shiver of excitement as he scurried off with the young man. He hoped he would be allowed to take a photo or two.

  ‘What was all that about?’ Alfie asked.

  Dante grinned mischievously. ‘The priest thinks Mr Reffell is the President of Spain, so he’s off to meet the Pope.’

  Alfie burst out laughing, earning a sharp rebuke from one of the guards nearby. Meanwhile, on the other side of the cathedral, the real President of Spain was wondering how much longer he was going to be kept waiting. It had been an hour already.

  ‘I feel so small in here,’ Kensy said to her brother, her head tilted towards the vast ceiling. They had found themselves wandering together as Autumn had gone with Harper to look at a statue she had read about. Carlos was checking out a mosaic with Sachin.

  Max stopped and grabbed his sister’s arm. ‘It’s Fitz,’ he whispered.

  Kensy turned to see the man watching them from one of the alcoves near the confessional booths. He beckoned them with the tiniest of nods. The twins hurried towards him, careful not to make a scene.

  ‘Fitz, where have you been?’ Kensy asked, hugging him fiercely. She pulled away and punched him on the arm. ‘We were so worried.’

  Fitz put a finger to his lips and pointed to one of the booths.

  ‘Is that allowed? We’ve never been to confession before,’ Kensy said. ‘And what have I done wrong, anyway?’

  Max looked at Fitz, their eyes locking. He took hold of his sister’s hand. ‘Kens, just come with me,’ he urged. He opened the door and the pair stepped inside the dimly lit cubicle.

  Max held his breath as he waited for the screen to slide open. After all that had happened, he had no idea what to expect.

  ‘Hello you two,’ a woman whispered.

  ‘Mum?’ Kensy whimpered, tears instantly pricking her eyes.

  Max reached out and touched the metal screen, his forefinger pressing against his mother’s on the other side. ‘Where have you been? Is Dad there?’

  ‘It’s too dangerous to tell you,
’ their father replied quietly. ‘But we couldn’t stay away any longer.’

  ‘We only have a few minutes,’ their mother added. ‘But we’ll be home as soon as we can.’

  The children peered through the mesh although it was dark and almost impossible to see anything.

  Max’s mind was racing. ‘Why didn’t you ever tell us about your life? We had no idea about any of it. And Granny – she’s amazing.’

  ‘She’s not bad, is she?’ There was a hint of a smile in their father’s voice.

  ‘Why can’t you tell us what you’re looking for?’ Kensy asked. ‘We can help. We brought down the Diavolo.’

  ‘Is it something to do with Mum’s parents – the ones who were murdered?’ Max added.

  Their father sighed. ‘You’ve both always been too clever for your own good.’

  ‘We’re putting you in terrible danger just by being here,’ Anna said. ‘We love you.’

  ‘More than you will ever know,’ Edward added. ‘Trust Fitz. He’ll take care of you.’

  ‘Dad, what about Uncle Rupert? Can we trust him?’ Max asked urgently.

  But there was no answer. Kensy threw her arms around her brother, and the pair held each other as their tears flowed.

  ‘Sorry,’ Kensy mumbled after a while. ‘I think I got snot on your shoulder.’ She pulled a tissue from her pocket and handed another to Max.

  ‘I suppose we’d better pull ourselves together,’ the boy said, wiping his eyes. ‘It wouldn’t look good for two secret agents to be caught bawling in a confessional box at the Vatican.’

  Kensy giggled, her eyes glistening. ‘True, and maybe we should leave separately. It might seem a bit weird if we go out there together.’

  Suddenly, their watches began to buzz, but this time it wasn’t Morse code. The clockfaces disappeared, replaced by their grandmother on the screen. This was new.

  ‘Hello darlings,’ she said. ‘I just wanted to call and say how proud I am of you both. What you did with the Diavolo . . . Well, we’ve been trying to take down that lot for years.’

  ‘Thanks, Granny,’ the twins whispererd.

  ‘Anyway, all’s well here and I can’t wait to see you when you get back. Song doesn’t know what to do with himself – he’s been delivering scones to the whole of Ponsonby Terrace apparently,’ Cordelia said, chuckling.

  There was a sharp knock followed by a stern voice informing them that their time was up.

  ‘We have to go, Granny,’ Max said.

  But when they looked at their watches there was no sign of Cordelia at all.

  For the first time since their parents had gone missing, Kensy felt truly happy. ‘They were here,’ she whispered. ‘Right beside us.’

  Max squeezed his sister’s hand. ‘And they’ll be back. I know it.’

  The pigpen cipher – also known as the masonic cipher, Napoleon cipher and tic-tac-toe cipher – is a geometric simple substitution code. It exchanges letters for symbols that form fragments of a grid. Usually, the pigpen cipher alphabet is derived from the following four grids:

  It is the most popular secret writing alphabet in history and has been used to encrypt all manner of things, from gravestone inscriptions to treasure maps. Don your pirate hat and consult the key below to decode the chapter headings in this book!

  Jacqueline Harvey taught for many years in girls’ boarding schools. She is the author of the bestselling Alice-Miranda series and the Clementine Rose series, and was awarded Honour Book in the 2006 Australian CBC Awards for her picture book The Sound of the Sea. She now writes full-time and is working on more Alice-Miranda, Clementine Rose, and Kensy and Max adventures.

  jacquelineharvey.com.au

  Books by Jacqueline Harvey

  Kensy and Max: Breaking News

  Kensy and Max: Disappearing Act

  Alice-Miranda at School

  Alice-Miranda on Holiday

  Alice-Miranda Takes the Lead

  Alice-Miranda at Sea

  Alice-Miranda in New York

  Alice-Miranda Shows the Way

  Alice-Miranda in Paris

  Alice-Miranda Shines Bright

  Alice-Miranda in Japan

  Alice-Miranda at Camp

  Alice-Miranda at the Palace

  Alice-Miranda in the Alps

  Alice-Miranda to the Rescue

  Alice-Miranda in China

  Alice-Miranda Holds the Key

  Alice-Miranda in Hollywood

  Alice-Miranda in Scotland

  Clementine Rose and the Surprise Visitor

  Clementine Rose and the Pet Day Disaster

  Clementine Rose and the Perfect Present

  Clementine Rose and the Farm Fiasco

  Clementine Rose and the Seaside Escape

  Clementine Rose and the Treasure Box

  Clementine Rose and the Famous Friend

  Clementine Rose and the Ballet Break-In

  Clementine Rose and the Movie Magic

  Clementine Rose and the Birthday Emergency

  Clementine Rose and the Special Promise

  Clementine Rose and the Paris Puzzle

  Clementine Rose and the Wedding Wobbles

  Jacqueline Harvey is a passionate educator who enjoys sharing her love of reading and writing with children and adults alike. She is an ambassador for Dymocks Children’s Charities and Room to Read. Find out more at dcc.gofundraise.com.au and roomtoread.org.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted by any person or entity, including internet search engines or retailers, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including printing, photocopying (except under the statutory exceptions provisions of the Australian Copyright Act 1968), recording, scanning or by any information storage and retrieval system without the prior written permission of Penguin Random House Australia. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.

  Version 1.0

  Kensy and Max: Disappearing Act

  ePub ISBN – 9780143780625

  First published by Random House Australia in 2018

  Copyright © Jacqueline Harvey, 2018

  The moral right of the author and illustrator has been asserted.

  A Random House book

  Published by Penguin Random House Australia Pty Ltd

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  penguin.com.au

  Addresses for the Penguin Random House group of companies can be found at global.penguinrandomhouse.com/offices.

  eISBN: 978 0 14378 062 5

  Cover illustration and maps by J.Yi

  Cover design by Christabella Designs

  Ebook by Firstsource

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