The Super Spies and the Pied Piper

by Lisa Orchard

  “Who was that man looking for?” Sarah asked.

  Dottie’s face fell and she gave Sarah a long look. “He was looking for your parents. He showed me their picture.”

  “My parents aren’t criminals,” Sarah stated in an angry voice. “What is he talking about?”

  Dottie grabbed Sarah’s shoulders and squeezed them, then spun her around and propelled her toward the basement stairs. “I know they’re not. I don’t think that man is who he says he is.” She stopped and gestured toward Lacey. “Come on.”

  Dottie stepped in front of Sarah and led the girls to the back of the store. She opened a door and turned on a light. Motioning for the girls to follow her, Dottie descended the stairs.

  “Are they down here, Dottie?” Lacey asked. Her voice cracked and Sarah knew her sister was scared.

  “Yes, sweetheart they are.”

  They walked into the bowels of the basement. It had low ceilings and a musty odor that only basements have. But there was a rug on the floor filled with bright colors arranged in an Aztec design. The cement walls were painted a bright yellow and Sarah had the feeling the bright colors were chosen because normally the basement would be dark and uninviting.

  She caught site of her parents sitting at a table in the corner, hunched over and having an intense conversation. Mr. Robinson sat in a rocker in the opposite corner. He held his son in his lap wrapped in a blanket. He had fallen asleep with his lips slightly parted. They rocked in front of the TV, which was on with the volume low.

  Sarah hurried over to her parents and hugged her father and then her mother. Lacey was right behind her.

  “What is going on?” Sarah whispered.

  Her father put his arm around her. “Maybe someone from Piper Drugs set the Robinson home on fire.”

  “Seriously?” Sarah gulped.

  Her father pressed his lips into a grim line. “Yes. I can’t prove it, but that’s the only thing we can think of.”

  “How did you guys get out?” Lacey asked. She made her way to her mother’s chair and motioned for her to move over, then sat next to her.

  “We were at a doctor’s appointment for Michael. When we came home the house was going up in flames.”

  “Why do you think Piper Drugs set the fire?”

  Her father sighed and rubbed his face as if he were weary. “We don’t know for sure… but I just have a funny feeling.”

  “I think you’re right, Dad.” Sarah put her arm around his shoulders. “Because when we were upstairs a man asked Dottie about you guys and showed her your picture.”

  “That’s right,” Dottie interjected. “This man said you were criminals and I should call him if I see you. He gave me a card.” Dottie dug into the front pocket of her jeans and pulled out the card. “Here.” She handed it to Sarah’s father.

  While he studied the card his expression grew angry and he clenched his teeth. “What did this man look like?”

  “He was tall with short dark hair, blue eyes, and he wore glasses,” Dottie answered.

  “Did he wear a large ring on his left hand?”

  Dottie furrowed her brow, and then nodded. “Yes, he did. It was silver with a black stone.”

  Sarah’s father pressed his lips into a tight line. “Martin Savage.” He tapped the card on the table. “He’s head of security at Piper Drugs.”

  Sarah’s breath caught in her throat. “What does that mean?”

  Her father frowned. “It means they’re trying to get rid of the Robinsons and they suspect I’m working with them.”

  “Oh, no!” Lacey cried and twisted the hem of her shirt in her fingers. “They must know you were living in their house.”

  “I don’t know about that,” her father said as he stared at the business card. “But they suspect something.”

  “What are we going to do?” Sarah asked.

  Her father sighed. “I’m not sure.” He met Sarah’s gaze and said, “Do you have the information on that boy you told me about?”

  Sarah handed her father the papers. “I couldn’t make heads or tails of any of this.”

  “If you folks don’t need anything, I’m going to head back up the stairs. Just in case a customer comes into the store,” Dottie stated.

  “Thanks, Dottie,” Sarah’s father said.

  She smiled and gave them a quick nod, then disappeared up the stairs.

  After Dottie left, Sarah’s father faced her. “You probably wouldn’t be able to honey. You’re not a chemist or a doctor.” He gave her a quick smile, before turning his attention to the pages in his hand. He placed them on the table and then perused them carefully. “Just as I suspected, the young man was anemic and he had been taking a daily dose of aspirin for an injury.”

  “What does that mean?” Sarah asked.

  “Well… the combination of the three, Anemia, Aspirin, and Myodine cause severe liver damage.”

  “What does that mean?” Lacey piped up.

  “Normally the liver has the ability to repair itself… but since the person doesn’t know he’s damaging his liver, he keeps taking the drug. So, the liver doesn’t have time to repair itself.”

  “So the person taking the drug gets sick?” Sarah asked.

  “Yes. Very sick. In fact, the deterioration is a lot like the deterioration of a heavy drinker. But taking this drug is much worse. The damage occurs much faster.”

  Sarah turned away and gazed at Mr. Robinson as he rocked his son. He raised his hand and brushed the hair away from his son’s pale face.

  Facing her father, she leaned in and whispered. “So… is that what’s going to happen to that little kid?”

  Her father shook his head. “I hope not. I’ve worked up a formula that seems to be working for him… but we won’t know for sure for a few more days.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “His blood work shows improvement… but like I said, we won’t know for a few more days.”

  “What are you looking for in his blood work?” Sarah asked.

  “We’re looking at his liver enzyme levels.” Her father pointed to the print out in his hand. “If they’re elevated to a higher than normal level, we conduct further tests.” He pointed at the page again. “That’s what this gentleman’s doctor did here. He tested further and… see the albumin level? That’s way lower than normal. This is a huge indication of liver damage. The problem is a person taking the drug doesn’t even know he’s causing damage.”

  “I see.” Sarah furrowed her brow and chewed on her nail. “So a person with this kind of problem wouldn’t even know he was sick until it was almost too late.”

  Her father sighed. “Yes. It happens so fast the liver doesn’t have time to recover and he could die.”

  Sarah clutched his arm. “So we need to get the cure to this kid before he dies.”

  “That’s right.” Her father clenched his fist and shook his head. “How in the world are we going to do that?”

  “Maybe Scoop can help us,” Sarah suggested. She glanced at Lacey for confirmation.

  “I bet he could,” Lacey agreed.

  “Maybe there’s a way I can talk to his doctor.” The girls’ father studied the pages Sarah had just given him, his blue eyes turning almost navy with intensity. “I’m looking for the doctor’s name… ah here it is, Dr. Warner.”

  “Maybe you should call him right now,” Sarah urged. She didn’t know why but a sense of urgency gripped her so tightly she was having trouble taking a breath.

  Her father nodded and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. “I’ll just do a search for the number and then give them a call.”

  While her father stepped away from the table and made his call, Sarah moved toward her mother and gave her a quick hug, then sat down in the chair her father had just vacated. “Mom, why would Piper Drugs want to put a harmful drug on the market?”

  Her mother sighed and brushed Sarah’s hair out of her face, then gave her a tender smile. “Honey… it doesn’t make sense to me. But a
ccording to your father, it’s cheaper for the company to deal with any lawsuits in court than it is to recall the drug.”

  “That’s pretty cold.” Sarah clenched her fists and grimaced. A spark of anger ignited in her belly and raged through her veins. “Ha… the company that wants to take care of your family. What a crock.” She shook her head in disgust.

  “I know Sarah. That’s why your father and I made the decision we made a few months ago. Now you understand.”

  “Yes I do,” Sarah said and gave her mother another hug. She glanced at her father; he was pacing near the stairs and gesturing with his free hand while he spoke on the phone.

  “What do you think is happening?” Lacey asked.

  Her mother shook her head. “I don’t know.” She sighed and put her arm around Lacey. “It’s probably pretty hard to convince someone you’ve never met to believe such an incredible story.”

  Sarah exhaled a deep sigh and stared at her father. The weight of their predicament crushed her and she slumped in her chair. “What are we going to do?”

  “We’ll figure something out.” Her mother patted her arm.

  “Hey, Dad, what did he say?” Lacey asked.

  Sarah faced her father just as he put his cell phone in his front shirt pocket. His blue eyes clouded over and his shoulders slumped as he walked back to the table. “What did he say?” She moved out of his chair and motioned for him to sit down.

  Her father sat and sighed heavily. He slumped in his chair and stared off in space.

  “Dad?” Sarah asked.

  He sighed again and then spoke. “The young man just died a half an hour ago.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Sarah got that prickly feeling at the back of her eyes signaling tears were on their way. She swiped at her nose and turned away. “I don’t believe it.”

  “It’s true,” her father said, wearing a glum expression. “We’re too late.” His voice broke as he spoke and tears welled in his eyes.

  “The family can still go after Piper Drugs, can’t they?” Sarah asked.

  “Yeah, they can, can’t they?” Lacey looked at her father, her eyes filled with pain.

  He sighed and dropped his head. “They can.” Raising his head, he gave Sarah a direct look. “That’s why it’s more important than ever to get my flash drive.”

  “Hopefully, I’ll find out Monday about the field trip,” Sarah said.

  “But Dad… don’t these papers prove how that kid died?” Lacey asked. She tapped the pages on the table with her fingers.

  “Yes.” He glanced at her, a speculative frown creasing his brow. “But they don’t have proof the company knew about the adverse reaction. The only way we can prove that is with the information on my flash drive.”

  “What’s on the drive?” Lacey asked.

  “A memo I wrote to the CEO and the head of research explaining this problem.”

  “So… your memo is the only thing that proves the company knew about it and put the drug on the market anyway, right?” Sarah asked.

  “That’s right.” Her sighed and rubbed his face with his hand. “Where’s my cap? I think better with my cap on.” He scanned the basement searching for it. “There it is.” He stood and dashed over to the table by the rocker where his cap sat. Placing it on his head, he glanced toward the TV before walking back to the table. “Nothing on the tube?”

  Mr. Robinson shook his head.

  “How’s he doing?” Sarah’s father motioned toward the sleeping child.

  Mr. Robinson cleared his throat. “He’s sleeping deeply. I interpret that as a good sign.”

  “It is.” Sarah’s father nodded then returned to his seat at the table.

  “We need to come up with a plan,” Sarah said.

  “Yes we do.” Her father tapped the table with his finger tips and stared off into space. “I told you my office is on the third floor, right?”

  “Yep,” Sarah said.

  “Okay. You’ll have to break away from the group somehow. Do you think you can do that, Sarah?”

  “Yes. I can.”

  “Good girl.”

  “What happens if she gets caught, Bob?” Sarah’s mother asked. She shot him a worried look. “We don’t want anything to happen to her.”

  “All she has to do is lie. You can do that can’t you, sweetheart?” Her father stared at her with a solemn expression.

  Sarah was taken aback. “You’re telling me to lie?”

  “Yes. I am. Sometimes we have to do something bad in order to do the right thing. Do you understand, Sarah?”

  “Yeah… I do.” Sarah dropped her gaze and studied her hands.

  “Just tell them you got lost… and you’re looking for the group of students from the field trip. That’s a reasonable explanation. Ask whoever you’re talking to for help.”

  Sarah gave him a tremulous smile. “Okay. I can do that.” She took a deep breath and bit her lip.

  “I think we should have an adult go with you,” her mother said breaking through Sarah’s thoughts.

  “I can ask Aunt June,” Sarah suggested.

  “I’d rather it be a man.” Her mother eyed her father and frowned.

  “We can’t ask Walt,” her father said.

  “Yeah, he’s still in the hospital doing physical therapy,” Lacey pointed out.

  Sarah bit her lip and furrowed her brow. “True.”

  “Who can we ask?” Her father gave her mother a pointed look. Sarah knew there was a lot of nonverbal communication going on that only people who had been married for years could understand.

  “Why don’t I ask Scoop?” she suggested.

  Both parents turned their attention to her and she met their gaze with a smile. “He’d be perfect.” She tilted her head and raised her hands in a problem solved gesture.

  “Is that the gentleman who was with you at the Robinson’s? Who is he?” Her father asked.

  “Yes, he is.”

  “How often does he hang out with you girls?”

  Sarah turned to her father and noticed the quiet alarm in his eyes. “It’s not like that, Dad. He’s helped us with a lot of things. Things that we don’t have time to talk about right now.”

  “He’s our friend,” Lacey insisted.

  “I don’t feel comfortable with a grown man hanging out with my girls.”

  “Really Dad, it’s not like that.” Sarah put her hand on his arm and he made eye contact with her. “He’s a retired investigative reporter and he’s helped us solve some mysteries. He’s a good guy.”

  A cross look traveled over her father’s features and he sighed. “I’d like to sit down and get to know this, Scoop.”

  “You will, Dad. He’s a good guy.” Sarah patted his arm.

  “Okay. If you say he’s a good guy, I’m sure he is.”

  “He is. You would like him.”

  The Cole family grew silent. Sarah glanced over at Mr. Robinson rocking his son and felt a pang of sympathy for them. “Dad… what are they going to do?” she whispered.

  Her father cast a quick glance in their direction and said, “I’m not really sure. Hank’s letting us stay here for a few days, but I’m sure we can’t stay here indefinitely.”

  “Are we moving back to Walker when this is all over?” Sarah averted her gaze and fiddled with the hem of her shirt. She didn’t want her father to read the distress in her eyes.

  “I don’t know.” He sighed and rubbed his eyes. “I don’t think I’ll have a job when this is all over. So I don’t know what we’re going to do. I haven’t thought that far ahead.”

  “Ahh…” Sarah met Lacey’s gaze. She could tell they were on the same wavelength by the expression on her sister’s face. It occurred to Sarah, Lacey could be an ally in this situation and she winked at her sister. “You know Dad… Harrisburg isn’t a bad place to live.”

  Lacey brightened. “Dad… you know it’s a small town very safe… Walker’s so big… and the crime there… it is a problem.” She gave her father
a level look.

  A smile formed on his lips. “Oh, really?” For a brief moment the twinkle was back in his eyes. That twinkle he got when he was about to play a joke on one of his girls. “I was thinking we could maybe move out of state… or even out of the country. Maybe go to Italy or something?”

  With an indignant sniff, Lacey stood and put her hands on her hips. “Italy?” She stared at her father as if he had gone insane. “We’re not even Italian.”

  Her father laughed and grabbed her arm. “Come here, you.” He pulled Lacey on to his lap and gave her a bear hug. “I miss picking on my girls.”

  “We’re not moving to Italy.” Lacey wasn’t going to let the subject go.

  Her father laughed again and said, “No. We’re not moving to Italy.”

  She stood and walked behind her father and beamed at Sarah.

  Sarah returned her smile and then focused her attention on her father. “Okay… back on subject. I’ll tell Mr. Rowlings that Scoop is my grandfather and he wants to chaperone.”

  “Who’s Mr. Rowlings?” Her father asked.

  Sarah could tell his radar was on high alert and stopped herself from rolling her eyes. “He’s my teacher.”

  “Oh…” Her father relaxed back in his chair.

  “Then all we have to do is break away from the group, grab the flash drive, and get it back to you.”

  “That’s right.” Her father stared off into space for a minute and appeared to be thinking. “You’ll have to look out for the head of security.”

  “What’s his name?”

  “Martin Savage.” Her father shifted his weight and made eye contact with Sarah. “You’ll be able to recognize the big black ring he wears.”

  “Okay.”

  “Work with Scoop and figure out a plan to get you in and out of the office quickly.”

  “What if the flash drive isn’t there?” Sarah asked as her stomach fluttered.

  “Then we’re sunk.” Her father turned away from her and his face clouded over with a mixture of emotions.

  Sarah gulped and exchanged an uneasy glance with her sister. Her eyes misted over and she averted her gaze. “Don’t worry. We’ll find it.” Biting her lip, she prayed it was still there. She didn’t want to disappoint her father.