The Super Spies and the Pied Piper

by Lisa Orchard

  The Super Spies and the Pied Piper

  by Lisa Orchard

  Published by Astraea Press

  www.astraeapress.com

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters, and events are fictitious in every regard. Any similarities to actual events and persons, living or dead, are purely coincidental. Any trademarks, service marks, product names, or named features are assumed to be the property of their respective owners, and are used only for reference. There is no implied endorsement if any of these terms are used. Except for review purposes, the reproduction of this book in whole or part, electronically or mechanically, constitutes a copyright violation.

  THE SUPER SPIES AND THE PIED PIPER

  Copyright © 2013 LISA ORCHARD

  ISBN 978-1-62135-166-5

  Cover Art Designed by FOR THE MUSE DESIGNS

  This third story is dedicated to my husband, Steve, and my two beautiful boys. It’s also dedicated to my family and friends, who encouraged me and helped me with this story.

  Chapter One

  “What do you mean you lost them?” Sarah Cole fidgeted as she waited for Agent Gray to answer. I can’t believe it! He lost the only clue to our parents’ location. What is wrong with this picture? Agitated, Sarah shifted in her seat and chewed on her lip. She was uncomfortable in the folding chair and rearranged her petite frame so she wouldn’t feel the cold metal against her bare legs. Shivering, she glanced around the all-too-familiar room.

  The gray cement block walls no longer gave her that creepy, closed-in feeling she’d used to get when she first came to the interrogation rooms. She remembered the first time she’d been in that tiny space. It had been the day she’d discovered the Cat Lady’s dead body. Sarah shuddered at the memory and then smiled when she remembered forming the Super Spies and bringing the Cat Lady Killer to justice. Glancing around the room again, she realized she’d been in this room quite a bit these last few weeks, not only during the Cat Lady investigation, but the High School Bomber investigation as well. Shivering again, Sarah rubbed her arms but she really wasn’t cold. Her mind filled with the image of the bomber the Super Spies had helped apprehend just a week earlier.

  Wow! Was it just last week?

  She tugged at a lock of her honey colored hair, then brushed it away with an impatient hand. She sighed and glanced at her younger sister. Lacey sat beside her with her legs crossed, jiggling her foot at such a rapid rate it seemed like her whole body was electrified. She caught Sarah’s eye and for a moment her eyes glittered like emeralds before she shifted her gaze to Aunt June, who had placed her hand on Lacey’s leg in what appeared to be an attempt to quiet her. Sarah shifted in her chair and sighed again. Are we ever going to find Mom and Dad?

  A commotion out in the hall drew everyone’s attention. Sarah leaned forward and craned her neck to see what was happening.

  “Chief, we’ve got an OD!” An officer yelled.

  “What?” Chief Johnson yelled as he rushed by. “An OD on what? Give me the details.”

  “The parents found their son unconscious in his room this morning, and an empty bottle of prescription medication on his bedside table.”

  “What was it?” Chief Johnson asked.

  “It’s Myodine.”

  “Who makes it?”

  “Ah… Piper Drugs.”

  “Call Poison Control with the name and manufacturer and ask them what to do about an overdose. Instruct the parents to get their son to the hospital pronto,” Chief Johnson ordered.

  “They’ve brought him here.”

  “What?” Chief Johnson exclaimed.

  The sound of policemen rushing through the hall pulled Sarah and her sister out of their seats. They hurried to the door, unable to stifle their curiosity. Peering down the corridor, Sarah caught a glimpse of a young man sagging between two officers as they desperately tried to keep him on his feet. One officer gently slapped his face while the other officers held him up. The young man blinked and then gagged, puking on the officer in front of him.

  The rancid stench of fresh vomit filled the air. While plugging her nose, Sarah ducked back inside the interrogation room, followed by her sister. Sarah closed the door, hoping it would keep the smell from penetrating the room.

  “Did you hear that, Lace? Piper Drugs! That’s the company Dad works for,” Sarah whispered in her sister’s ear before proceeding back to her seat.

  Lacey opened her mouth to speak, but closed it when Agent Gray cleared his throat and motioned for them to sit down.

  He continued his conversation as if they hadn’t been interrupted. We were on our way to the location of the ping… but before we got there it disappeared.”

  “So, what does that mean? Did you find our parents or what?” Sarah blurted out as she sat down. She stared into Agent Gray’s icy blue eyes, trying to read his mind.

  “It means…” Agent Gray took a deep breath and seemed to reign in his annoyance. He shifted his large frame gingerly as if the chair was too small and he feared he would topple over at any moment. “That the phone was either turned off or it died, and without the ping we can’t locate it.”

  Sarah slumped down, crushed by disappointment.

  “Exactly how does pinging work?” Aunt June asked, leaning forward and looking past Lacey. She gave Sarah the evil eye, silently telling her to be still.

  Sarah rolled her eyes and sighed. Staring at her aunt, she was struck by the resemblance to her mother. The same blonde hair and green eyes, they looked so much alike that Sarah swore they were twins. They even had the same worry line between their brows. It made its appearance now on Aunt June’s face.

  “Pinging is where we can triangulate a cell phone’s location. By triangulate I mean we can find out which cell phone towers were accessed by the phone when it tried to make a call and this will give us a general idea of the phone’s location.”

  Aunt June bit her lip. “I see, so what happens now that you’ve lost the signal?”

  “We’ve still got the ping set up so if the phone is turned back on, we’ll be able to continue our trace.”

  “Where did the ping show up?” Sarah demanded and received another glare from her aunt.

  “Somewhere in the vicinity of the town of Alden.”

  “Alden?” Sarah locked eyes with her sister and then spun back to face the agent. “That’s up north. We went camping there one summer.”

  “That’s right,” Aunt June said. “It’s about a two-hour drive from here.”

  “How in the world did their cell phone get up north when they disappeared on a Caribbean Cruise?” Sarah frowned and bit her lip. Questions whirled through her mind so fast she couldn’t make sense of them. “I mean the last we knew they were down in Florida.”

  “Yeah, what’s going on?” Lacey asked, nervously twirled her long blonde hair.

  “How did their phone get from Florida to Alden?” Sarah exchanged a perplexed look with Lacey.

  “A very good question,” Agent Gray said. “We’ve subpoenaed their phone records and when we receive them, we’ll let you know what we find out.”

  “That’s it?” Sarah protested and then winced when she caught another warning look from Aunt June.

  “Sorry,” the agent responded, then heaved a big sigh as he stood to leave.

  “Wait, what’s the next step in the investigation?” Sarah asked, ignoring her aunt’s pointed look.

  “It’s stalled until we get the phone records or another lead.”

  “You mean you’re not going up there?” Sarah stood and put her hands on her hips. “You’re not going to check out the town?”

  Agent Gray pursed his lips and blew air through them. “Well… we can�
�t, not without the ping. We can’t just go up there and demand everyone’s cell phone.”

  Sarah opened her mouth to protest, but quickly clamped it shut when she realized the futility of her words. She stared at her Aunt, hoping to transmit her frustration telepathically.

  It seemed to work, because Aunt June stood and moved next to her, she squeezed Sarah’s arm and then addressed the FBI agent. “Thank you, Agent Gray. I’m sure we’ll hear from you if there are any new developments?”

  “Yes, you will,” he said with a nod and then strolled out the door with the file under his arm.

  Aunt June sighed. “Okay, girls, let’s get you to school.”

  “I don’t feel like going to school,” Sarah grumbled. She sighed and slung her backpack over her shoulder.

  “I know, but there’s nothing you can do for your parents at the moment.”

  Sarah ground her teeth and let out a low groan, then followed her Aunt out the door and into the narrow corridor.

  She chewed her nail as she walked. These narrow, dimly lit hallways had become a second home to her, and she was as familiar with this foyer as she was with the one that led to her bedroom in her aunt and uncle’s home.

  Aunt June glanced over her shoulder and eyed Sarah. “I’ll give you girls a ride to school.”

  “Okay,” Sarah said with a glum nod.

  Lacey poked her in the back.

  Startled, Sarah spun around. “What?”

  “Do you have the file from that detective with you?”

  “Why?”

  Lacey pulled on the back of her shirt, slowing her down. “Bring it to lunch and we’ll try and figure out how Mom and Dad’s phone made it from Florida to Alden.”

  Sarah shrugged. “Okay.” Her spirits lifted at the thought that they could do something, anything but sit and wait. At least we have a little bit of a plan.

  Aunt June led them out of the red brick building and toward the light blue, four-door vehicle in the parking lot. She unlocked the door with her remote and Sarah climbed in the back seat, while Lacey sat in front.

  Aunt June pulled out of the lot and drove down Main Street. Sarah stared out at the shops as they passed by. The downtown area still slept. All the shop windows were dark and many had the shades drawn, giving the impression they were abandoned. Sarah focused her attention on the sky. It was a cold slate color; the morning sun had yet to warm it with its golden rays.

  She sighed and shifted in her seat. Thoughts of her parents fluttered through her mind. How did their cell phone get all the way from Florida to Alden, Michigan? She bit her lip and tugged at the hem of her plaid mini-skirt.

  “Aunt June, you’ll have to write us a note explaining why we’re late,” Lacey said, pulling Sarah away from her thoughts.

  “Yes, I figured I would have to,” Aunt June said, casting a quick glance at Lacey. She pulled up to the curb in front of the junior high and put the car in park. Then she rummaged around in her purse for a pen and paper. “I’ll just say you both had an appointment.” she wrote on a pad of paper before tearing off a page and handing the note to Lacey. “You girls try and have a good day.”

  “We will,” Lacey said and flashed Aunt June a smile.

  The girls climbed out of the car and hurried toward the school. Sarah groaned. Her steps felt heavy and uncoordinated, as if her feet were encased in lead. I’m never going to make it through the day.

  “I wonder how long it will take them to rebuild the school,” Lacey said, shifting her backpack to her right shoulder.

  “I have no idea.” Sarah sighed and glanced around. “I’m just really glad that the bombers have been caught and Uncle Walt is okay.”

  “Me too. I wonder how long Uncle Walt has to go to physical therapy.”

  Sarah shrugged. “Hard telling. We’ll just have to take it one day at a time.”

  “I guess.”

  “Isn’t that weird about Mom and Dad’s phone?” Sarah’s thumb found its way to her mouth and she chewed on it as her mind whirled with all the possibilities.

  Lacey grabbed her arm. “Very weird.” She pulled Sarah to a stop right in front of the door. “When was the last time they called us?”

  Sarah’s brow furrowed. She pulled her thumb from her mouth and wiped it on her skirt. “It was right before we played Truth or Dare with Jackie, remember?”

  Lacey squeezed Sarah’s arm. “Yeah… where were they when they called?”

  “They were still in Florida. It was right before they were supposed to get on the ship.”

  “That’s right.”

  “So.” Sarah grabbed her sister’s arm and stared into her eyes. “Do you think Mom and Dad are back in Michigan?”

  “I don’t know.” Lacey’s eyes widened. “What other possibility is there?”

  Sarah frowned. “Maybe someone stole their phone from them.”

  Lacey’s eyes welled with tears. “Does that mean—?”

  “I don’t know…” Sarah cut her off by giving Lacey a quick squeeze. She guided her toward the door. “We’ll talk more about this at lunch.”

  Lacey wiped her eyes. “Okay.”

  “Come on, let’s get to the office and then to class.” Sarah glanced at the clock. “It looks like second period just started.”

  The girls hurried toward the office and handed in their note. After a quick hug, they went their separate ways. Sarah’s mind flooded with questions as she walked to her locker. What happened in Florida? How come Mom and Dad’s phone is showing up in Alden? Was it stolen? If they’re up there with their phone, why haven’t they called us? She took a deep breath, trying to dislodge the lump that rose in her throat. Shaking her head, Sarah got rid of her morbid thoughts. She opened her locker and exchanged her backpack for her algebra book. After slamming her locker door closed, she hurried off to class.

  The morning went by at a snail’s pace. Sarah suffered through math only to find time went slower during history class. She couldn’t wait for the bell to ring signaling the end of third period. She glanced at the clock, five minutes to go. I hate waiting. Biting her lip, she doodled on her notepad while Mr. Green droned on about the American Revolution.

  Glancing at the clock again, she stifled a groan. Only one minute has passed since the last time I looked. Mr. Green prattled on in his monotone voice. His words began to sound drawn out as if he was speaking in slow motion. She glanced at him and took in his pasty white skin and almost colorless, gray eyes. His thin hair clung to his head as if it were afraid for its life.

  Sarah slumped down on her desk after another glance at the clock told her there were still three minutes left. Everything seemed to crawl at the pace of an inchworm as if time had run into a huge wall of gelatin, and every action took more effort. She couldn’t believe it when the bell finally rang. One more class and then lunch.

  She rushed from history and made a beeline for her business class, praying it would go by fast. Sarah arrived before the other students. She cast a quick glance at her teacher and then chose a seat in the back of the room. Hoping to hide away and think of a plan to find her parents.

  More students filed in and soon the classroom filled with reluctant pupils. Mr. Rowlings began his lecture, but Sarah tuned him out, determined to come up with a plan before lunch. She was successful for the first part of the lecture, but soon Mr. Rowlings’ animated movements caught her attention and Sarah sat back and watched.

  His wavy, dark hair contrasted with his pale skin, which was flushed and shiny now because of his zealous movements. His dark eyes darted from student to student as if he were trying to catch someone not paying attention. He was short in stature but made up for it with a booming voice. He reminded Sarah of a Shakespearean actor and she expected him to launch into a drawn-out monologue with the next sentence. She decided she liked the lively, little man and was almost disappointed when the bell rang, until she remembered her plan.

  Sarah sprang from her seat and hurried to the cafeteria. She rushed through the halls, wind
ing her way through the throngs of students. As she speed-walked, she searched the crowd looking for Jackie Jenkins, her best friend.

  Catching a glimpse of her chestnut, curly hair above the heads of a group of students, Sarah picked up her pace.

  “Jackie!”

  Her friend whirled around. “Hey, girlfriend!” She fought against the sea of students until she stood in front of Sarah. “Are you ready for lunch?”

  Sarah grinned. “Yeah, I’ve got so much to tell you.”

  “About what?” Jackie gave her a quizzical look.

  “About my parents. You remember when I asked the FBI to ping their phone?”

  “I remember.” Jackie leaned forward with an expectant air.

  “Their phone is in Alden.”

  “Alden? You mean Alden, Michigan?”

  “Yes,” Sarah said with an emphatic nod. “The FBI was on their way up there when they lost the ping. I think my parents are there.” I hope.

  “Holy cow!” Jackie stopped and grabbed Sarah’s arm. “What are your parents doing up there and why haven’t they called you?”

  Sarah’s eyes misted over. “I don’t know, but I’m going to find out. Do you know anyone who can drive us to Alden after school?”

  Jackie must have seen the emotion in Sarah’s eyes because her own clouded with concern. She raised her eyebrows and spoke in a gentle voice. “Not off the top of my head, but maybe Scott does.” She gave Sarah a quick squeeze.

  “Good idea.” Sarah took a deep breath and picked up her pace.

  Jackie matched her stride for stride, her wild curls bouncing with each step.

  The girls made it to the cafeteria in time to spy Scott and Lacey in the hot lunch line. They made their way to the couple and cut in front of them. Good natured protests from the students behind them reached Sarah’s ears, but she ignored them and so did the rest of the Super Spies.

  “Hi, guys,” Sarah greeted.

  “Hey,” Scott and Lacey said in unison.

  Sarah glanced around the cafeteria. The buzz of a thousand different conversations made Sarah feel as though they were inside a bee hive, the noise was so loud. Students milled everywhere, searching for friends or places to sit. The smell of hot food wafted past Sarah’s nose as the group moved forward in the line. She took a big whiff, hoping to figure out the day’s entree by smell. Hmmmn… something with chicken?