by James Ponti
“But on your report you wrote Stroud.”
“I’m sorry, what?” asked Gilson.
Monty opened the picture on her phone and looked right at it. She couldn’t believe that she hadn’t noticed it before. “Right here you wrote, ‘The man was later identified as R.F. Stroud of Watlington, United Kingdom.’ ” She looked up at Gilson and said, “Yet, you told me it was Rutledge.”
The two of them stared at each other for a moment, and then a woman’s voice spoke up from the adjoining office.
“Seriously, can’t you get anything right?” said the woman. “This is why I hate to work with ex-CIA. You all are so sloppy.”
Monty turned toward the voice and saw a gun pointed directly at her.
“Hello, Monty,” said Magpie.
36. Escape from Alcatraz
“EMIL BLIX IS HERE?” PARIS asked Brooklyn. “The scary dude who hijacked the Sylvia Earle?”
“The one and only,” she replied.
“That doesn’t make sense. Why would he be here?”
“That’s a great question,” Brooklyn said, annoyed. “Unfortunately, I don’t know the answer. I just know that I don’t want to see him again.”
“Are you positive it’s him?” asked Kat. “He’s pretty far away.”
“Yeah,” said Brooklyn. “He shaved his beard and dyed his hair, but I totally recognize him, and I can see the tattoo on his neck.”
They observed him for a moment as he continued up the path. He was moving at a fast pace and barely watching where he was going. Instead, his eyes were glued to the screen on his phone.
“What’s he looking at?” asked Rio.
“Uh-oh,” said Paris. “It may be a tracker.”
“What makes you say that?” asked Brooklyn.
“You can tell he’s not reading text,” said Paris. “It’s like he’s looking at a map. That’s why he’s walking so quickly. I think he may be tracking you.”
“How could he even do that?” Brooklyn asked.
“It’s actually not that hard,” he said. “Did he ever have access to your phone?”
“Yes,” Brooklyn said sarcastically. “In the middle of the hijacking we stopped for a moment and compared phones and mobile plans.”
“I think Paris is right,” said Sydney. “I think he’s tracking you. Or me. Or us.”
Just then Blix looked up from the screen and in their direction. They quickly stepped back and out of view.
“This is not good,” said Paris. “We have to think.”
Blix was actually tracking both Brooklyn and Sydney using a device Magpie attached to their phones while they were testifying in Parliament. On his screen, they appeared as two dots on a map. As he got closer the dots got brighter, and the beeping he could hear in his earbuds got faster.
Beep. Beep.
He entered the prison and walked along the cellblocks following the dots.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
The dots were brighter when he turned down the corridor known as Michigan Avenue and walked along cellblock B.
Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.
He was almost to them.
Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.
The beeping intensified as he approached a cell. He turned to look and—
There was no sign of them. Just an empty cell. Still, the dots were practically glowing and the beeping was lightning fast. He stepped into the cell and looked to see that both phones had been placed on the bookshelf. He had no idea what was going on until he heard a loud noise behind him.
CLANG!
It was metal on metal. He spun around to see that the cell door had been shut behind him. He grabbed at it and tried to open it, but it was locked.
Brooklyn stepped out from around the corner and looked through the bars at him.
“You better get used to this,” she said. “Turns out your daughters are going to have to visit you in prison.”
Just then Sydney and Rio came running up with the park ranger who’d given them the tour.
“There he is,” Sydney said breathlessly, pointing at Blix. “I’ve seen him on the news—that’s the man who hijacked that boat in Scotland!”
37. The Aftermath
EMIL BLIX WAS NO LONGER on display on cellblock B. He’d been moved to an actual holding cell that the National Park Service used for anyone breaking the law while visiting Alcatraz. He’d been identified, the FBI had agents rushing to the scene, and a few videos that tourists shot on their phones had already begun to go viral.
News was quickly spreading that the notorious Emil Blix had been captured. Although how he was captured was fuzzy, even among park rangers who’d supposedly done the capturing. In the midst of it all, the five City Spies gave performances that were worthy of any acting award. It was the way the story bounced from person to person that made it both believable and impossible to pin down at the same time.
“We were walking along cellblock B when I noticed this guy who was acting strange,” Sydney said.
“She pointed it out and I said, ‘You’re right, he is acting strange,’ ” added Brooklyn.
“But it was Kat who recognized him,” said Rio.
Kat nodded. “I watch the news a lot and was fascinated by the hijacking. I’ve seen all the shows about it. One of them showed pictures of Blix without his beard and that’s how I recognized him.”
“And the tattoo,” added Brooklyn. “My cousin is a tattoo artist and I study them, and I noticed his and recognized it from a special report I’d seen online.”
“We didn’t know what to do,” said Paris. “We didn’t want to spook him and let on that we knew it was him.”
“And then I remembered you and how nice you were on the tour,” Rio said, buttering up the ranger. “So I ran to look for you.”
“And then Blix walked in front of the same cell where you’d played the joke,” said Paris. “And I don’t know what came over me, but I just pushed him into the cell and slammed the door shut.”
“And then you guys showed up to save the day,” Sydney said, pointing to the rangers. “Thank goodness for you.”
“But we really don’t want to be part of the story,” Brooklyn said. “He’s a member of a dangerous criminal organization, and if they found out about us, we could be in trouble.”
“Although we would like to get our phones back,” Sydney said.
The explanation was dizzying and confusing. But what wasn’t confusing was that a notorious criminal had literally been caught at Alcatraz, and the rangers were well positioned to be hailed as the heroes who’d captured him. They didn’t really need to confuse the issue with a story about five kids that didn’t make much sense to begin with.
Each of the five filled out a personal statement, and signed it with a fake name and address.
As soon as they were done, they hopped on the Alcatraz Clipper for the ferry ride back to Pier 33. This time they all stood on the front deck to plot their next steps. Brooklyn started taking apart Sydney’s and her phones to look for the trackers, while Paris called Monty to tell her the news. The instant the call went through, he started blurting out what happened.
“Monty, you won’t believe it,” he said breathlessly. “We found the bird book on Alcatraz and Emil Blix showed up and has been arrested. Oh yeah, according to the bird book, Rutledge figured out Magpie’s identity, but we don’t know who it is.”
There was a pause as Paris waited for an answer. But Monty didn’t speak. Instead, a woman whose voice he did not recognize said, “Well, haven’t you all been busy.”
38. Double Rogue
THREE HOURS.
That’s how much time they had to save Monty.
Magpie had laid it out for them. She had Monty and said she would trade her for the bird book straight up. The swap would happen at eight o’clock. One of them would bring the book to the location, and Magpie would deliver Monty. She’d call and give them the location twenty minutes before the swap.
Sydney demanded proof
that she really had Monty, and ten minutes after the phone call a five-second video clip arrived that showed Monty gagged and tied in front of a brick wall.
The kids were at their hotel not far from Fisherman’s Wharf.
“What do we do?” asked Paris. “Call the police?”
“And tell them what?” said Sydney. “That we’re really young MI6 agents who need help capturing a mole and rescuing the cryptographer who’s like a mother to us? I’m guessing that by the time they believe us, it’s too late.”
“How soon does Mother’s flight land?” asked Kat.
“Two hours,” said Paris. “If it’s on time.”
“What about alerting MI6?” suggested Brooklyn.
“Who can we call?” Sydney asked. “Tru gave only verbal approval and said that MI6 would disavow the operation should anything go wrong. We are in the middle of a rogue mission.”
“Then we go double rogue,” said Paris.
“What’s double rogue?” asked Kat.
“That’s one rogue op on top of another,” he said. “We figure out the mission. We save the day.”
“Absolutely,” said Sydney.
“So what’s our plan?” he asked her.
“Why are you asking me?” she said.
He smiled. “I don’t know. Double rogue rebellious stuff sounds right up your alley. I’m thinking you’ve got to be the alpha on this.”
“Me?” she said, confused. “Why would you want me? I’ve been a total screwup for months.”
Paris nodded and said, “So I guess it’s time to get your act together.”
“Yeah,” said Brooklyn. “We need you.”
“I agree,” said Kat.
“We know that you can do it; just tell us the plan,” added Rio.
Sydney looked at their faces and realized they weren’t just saying this. They meant it. They believed in her, and that gave her strength and confidence. There were a million things to consider and everything was moving at light speed. So she decided to slow down and break it all into smaller parts.
“What’s Magpie’s greatest advantage?” she asked.
“Anonymity,” said Paris.
“Right,” Sydney said. “So let’s take that away from her.” She turned to Kat and Brooklyn. “Take the bird book, the datebook, and Rutledge’s pictures, and figure out Magpie’s identity. He figured it out, which means the answer’s in there somewhere.”
The two of them took the books over to a table and started working.
“What’s our greatest weakness?” she asked Paris and Rio. “What’s keeping us from rescuing Monty?”
“We have no idea where she is.”
“Then find her,” she said. “Both of you.”
“How?” asked Paris.
“Use those big brains,” she said. “Start with the video and work from there.”
“And what are you going to be doing?” asked Rio.
Sydney smiled and answered, “I’ve got some shopping to do.”
She left and the two teams got to work.
“What can you see in the video?” Paris asked.
They played it a couple of times.
“Bricks,” said Rio.
“Yes,” Paris said. “But in a very distinct pattern. Like an arch.”
Meanwhile, across the room Kat and Brooklyn were digging around in the bird book, looking for information.
“He really solved it in Squaw Valley?” said Brooklyn.
“That’s what the book says,” answered Kat.
Brooklyn laughed. “With all the exotic places he went, he found the answer in Squaw Valley, California. Talk about your patterns that don’t work: Berlin, Moscow, Beijing, Tokyo, Mexico City, and Squaw Valley.”
Even though he was across the room, working on the other team, it was Paris who figured it out.
He overheard her and said, “That pattern works perfectly.”
“It does?” asked Kat. “How?”
“The Olympics!” he said.
“Right,” answered Brooklyn. “Squaw Valley hosted the Winter Olympics.”
“No,” he said. “All of those cities hosted the Olympics. That’s what they have in common. That’s the pattern.”
“Okay,” said Kat. “But how does the Olympics help us?”
“Let’s look at it completely differently,” said Paris. “We assumed that Rutledge was traveling around the world in Magpie’s footsteps and that Magpie was traveling around the world to meet with spies.”
“Right,” said Kat. “So how do we turn that upside down?”
Paris smiled. “What if Magpie was traveling around the world for something else, and the spies were coming to wherever they were?”
“Then we need to identify why someone would go to the cities where the Olympics were held,” reasoned Kat.
“Exactly,” said Paris.
Brooklyn gasped and excitedly started bouncing up and down. “I know who Magpie is! I know who Magpie is!” She took a calming breath and said, “It’s Virginia Wescott.”
“Who’s Virginia Wescott?” asked Rio.
“She was on the Sylvia Earle with us,” she answered. “She’s a documentary filmmaker with the BBC. She made a huge series on the Olympics. She had to travel to those cities over and over.”
“And if she’s a double agent, that means that’s where Umbra would send their people to talk with her.”
“You know, a documentary filmmaker is a brilliant cover for a spy,” said Paris. “They travel all over. They get access to places most people won’t. They have the best recording equipment.”
“She was the other MI6 agent on the boat,” said Brooklyn, shaking her head.
“So we’ve got that figured out,” said Rio. “Why don’t you come over here and help us find Monty?”
39. Operation Golden Gate
SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
MOTHER’S FLIGHT LANDED SIXTEEN MINUTES late, and the moment he touched down, he turned on his phone and it instantly lit up. There were several messages from Paris, each more urgent than the last. He checked the time, and even before he tried calling him, he called Tru. She’d given him her personal number to use in case of emergency.
This more than qualified.
It was just after three in the morning in London, and Tru was not happy.
“Is this Harrison Marcus?” he asked, using the cover name for the number.
“Do you have any idea what time it is?” Tru asked.
“Of course I do,” said Mother. “I’m about to tell you some things that are unexpected to say the least. I need you to listen and believe. And then I need you to act upon them. We can talk later about the whys and hows.”
He waited for her to protest, but she remained quiet.
“Good,” he said. “I’ve just arrived in San Francisco from Sydney, where I tracked Annie and Robert to their most recent school. While I was in flight, my team initiated the arrest of Emil Blix, located Parker Rutledge’s final bird book, and uncovered the identity of Magpie. While they were doing that, Magpie captured Monty and is holding her to exchange for the book. The exchange is scheduled to happen in minutes at a place called Fort Point at the base of the Golden Gate Bridge. I need the CIA and FBI to arrive at the scene. And I need a car to be waiting for me the instant I get through passport control to take me to the location.”
After she waited to make sure he was done, Tru responded, “Well, you sure do know how to wake someone up.”
FORT POINT
There were two key elements that enabled them to figure out where Monty was being held. The first was the brickwork in the background of the picture. It was distinctive but impossible to search. But then Kat made a keen observation while they were still at the hotel.
“We all assumed that Rutledge was surprised to see Clementine at Muir Woods, and that’s why he took the picture. That’s what spooked him,” she said. “But Clementine, Annie, and Robert weren’t the only ones in the picture. The park ranger was in the pictu
re too. She might have been the one who spooked him.”
This changed everything. The idea that the park ranger might be a villain altered their search. They looked at National Park locations in the San Francisco area and quickly stumbled across Fort Point. The brickwork matched perfectly. That’s why Paris and Sydney were climbing up the building’s exterior wall when the phone call came from Magpie telling them that the swap would happen right at the fort’s entrance in twenty minutes.
Magpie knew twenty minutes wasn’t enough time to plan anything. But what she didn’t know was that the City Spies had already been there for more than an hour. The position of the fort in relation to the Golden Gate Bridge acted as a screen hiding their ascent.
“We need to be up there in fifteen,” Paris said to Sydney.
“We’ve got it,” she replied. “By the way, you were right on the plane.”
“What do you mean?”
“When you said it wasn’t a competition,” she answered. “It’s true. The better any of us are, the better all of us are.”
“I know,” said Paris. “That’s part of what makes us family.”
KING’S CROSS, LONDON, UK
Even though she was still in her pajamas, Tru stood up while talking to the chief of MI6. It was an official call and standing felt right.
“Yes, C, I am aware of the time,” she said. “But two years ago you asked Parker Rutledge to come out of retirement and find Magpie. It cost him his life. Well, now one of my teams has not only found Magpie, but also the person who murdered Rutledge. And I’ll be blunt, sir, they need help right away.”
FORT POINT
It was ten minutes to eight, and Brooklyn was in position. She stood near the entrance to the fort, holding Rutledge’s bird book. They’d debated whether or not to use the actual book. They knew it would be important evidence in proving that Virginia Wescott was Magpie, so they didn’t want to risk her getting it. But they also knew they needed to play along in order to save Monty, and that was more important.
Brooklyn kept her position and focused her attention on the roof. She saw a light flash twice. Then there was a pause and it flashed two more times. That was the signal. Sydney and Paris had reached their positions. Everything was on schedule.
