The Hunt for the Missing Spy (6 page)

Code Busters' Key and Solution found on pp. 149, 155.

By the time they arrived at the Spy Museum, they'd completed their “legends” (fictional spy backgrounds), for their “covers” (secret identities). Cody Jones, aka “Code Red,” wrote that she was a Russian spy who moved to the United States to study English. Quinn Kee, aka “Lock & Key,” was a US military spy working for Special Ops. M.E. Esperanto, aka “Em-Me,” said she was a Mexican national who translated Spanish messages for the United Nations. And Luke LaVeau, aka “Kuel-Dude,” claimed he was
a soldier and spy during the Civil War.

As they got off the bus and lined up to enter the museum, Cody checked to see where Matt the Brat was, in case he was about to do anything else suspicious that might ruin the trip.

Cody looked down the line but saw no sign of Matt. Maybe he'd gone to the bathroom or had fallen asleep on the bus. At least he wasn't bugging them.

She turned back to her friends who were straining their necks to see inside the museum. She was about to ask if anyone had seen Matt when she noticed a figure standing in an alcove near the entryway. As soon as she spotted it, the figure pulled back into the shadows. All Cody could see were black athletic shoes, the corner of a khaki trench coat, and the brim of a black baseball cap.

Was someone spying on them?

She stepped away from the line to get a better look. Maybe it was someone from the museum, and this was all part of the spy experience.

“Dakota Jones!” Ms. Stad called from the back of the line. “Please stay with your group.”

“But Ms. Stadelhofer—” Cody began to argue.

Ms. Stad gave Cody one of her famous looks that clearly said, “Do as I say.” Cody frowned and shuffled back into line. She glanced back at the alcove to see if she could catch another glimpse of the person, but from her place in line, she couldn't tell if anyone was still there.

When Ms. Stad wasn't looking, Cody slipped out of line again and moved quickly to the alcove. If some strange person was spying on them, Ms. Stad would want to know, so it was worth the risk of getting caught.

But the alcove was empty. There was no sign of anyone wearing a khaki coat and a black hat. Had she just imagined it? After all, her parents said she had an over-active imagination. And she had spies on the brain. She glanced around to see if Matt was still missing, but she spotted him at the back of the line, so the mysterious person couldn't have been him.

Something lying on the ground inside the alcove caught her eye. She knelt down and picked it up.
It looked like an ordinary ballpoint pen, but Cody was suspicious. It had been lying in the very spot where the stranger stood. She examined it closely but found nothing unusual about it. Pocketing the find, she quickly returned to her place behind M.E. before Ms. Stad caught her again.

“Where'd you go?” M.E. asked.

“I saw something on the ground over there,” Cody answered. She pulled the pen out of her pocket to show M.E.

“A pen?” M.E. said.

Cody nodded. She tried clicking the pen, but it didn't seem to work.

“Someone must have dropped it,” M.E. said. “Throw it away. It's probably got germs.” M.E. was terrified of germs. Not to mention zombies, aliens, mountain lions, the dark, and a bazillion other things.

Cody tried clicking the pen again, but it was still stuck. Curious, she unscrewed the pen and took it apart.
No wonder it doesn't work
, she thought.
The inside parts are missing.

Just as she was about to throw the pen away, she glimpsed a bit of white. There was something inside. A tiny, rolled-up piece of paper.

Cody pulled it out, unrolled it, and glanced at the symbols written in bold black ink:

Code Busters' Key and Solution found on pp. 149, 155.

The note was written in Washington Code! Cody got out her decoder card and quickly translated the message.

As soon as she did, she felt the hairs at the back of her neck stand up.

“G
uys,” Cody whispered to her Code Buster friends. “I found something weird . . .” She started to show them the note from the pen when a voice interrupted her.

“Welcome to the International Spy Museum,” a woman in a black Spy Museum T-shirt and black pants announced to the students gathered in the lobby. “My name is Allison Bishop and I'll be your guide today.”

Cody stuffed the pen and note in her pocket. It
looked like they were about to begin the tour. She'd tell the others about the message later.

“The Spy Museum houses the largest collection of international espionage artifacts in the world,” Ms. Bishop said proudly. “You'll be able to see everything from lipstick cameras, to tricked-out cars, to overcoats with secret pockets, to shoes with hidden weapons.”

Cody spotted a khaki overcoat in a display window nearby. According to the small sign, it was worn by a real spy during the Cold War. To Cody, it looked a lot like the one she'd seen on the figure hidden in the shadow of the alcove.

“As you make your way through the museum, you can read about spies like Mata Hari, who spied for Germany during the World War I, and Aldrich Ames, who worked for the CIA but spied for the KGB. You'll learn about missions like the Red Terror in the Soviet Union and the Manhattan Project that produced the atomic bomb. And you'll learn about the tricks and tools of the trade, everything from hidden lapel microphones to the Enigma cipher machine.”

“We have an Enigma machine,” Quinn whispered to the other Code Busters. He'd found a broken one at the Army-Navy Surplus Store and bought it for the club.

“You do not!” Matt the Brat blurted. To Cody's surprise, he was standing right behind the Code Busters. There was a sneer on his red, puffy face and his arms were crossed over his extra-large
Plants vs. Zombies
T-shirt. “Those things are top secret. Only the military has them.”

Ms. Stadelhofer stepped up and put a hand on Matt's shoulder, reminding him to use a quiet voice. He shrugged her off, but said nothing more. Cody returned her attention to the tour guide, but she could almost feel Matt's dark eyes staring at the back of her neck.

Ms. Bishop continued with her talk. “While you're inside, you'll also learn about spying techniques, such as
dead drops
—secret places where spies exchange information—and
surveillance
—when spies spy on each other. Plus, there are all sorts of hands-on activities, video programs, and interactive
computer challenges to experience as you make your way through the museum.” She smiled and raised an eyebrow. “Be sure to keep an eye out for counterfeit currency, hidden spy gadgets, and people in disguise.”

Cody thought of the stranger in the alcove again. Had it been a staff member wearing a disguise to show them what it was like to be spied on? Was the museum trying to make the visit seem as real as possible? That had to be it.

“For those of you who enjoy spy movies and TV shows,” Ms. Bishop added, “check out the props from popular shows like
Mission: Impossible, Spy Kids
, and the James Bond films.”

“Bond, James Bond,” Luke whispered to the others in a British accent. “Code name: Double-oh-seven.” Cody and M.E. giggled.

“The museum is divided into different sections,” Ms. Bishop continued after the excited murmuring died down. “In the Covers and Legends area, you can adopt a cover identity. Memorize the information given to you, because you'll be questioned about
your cover at some point and you'll need to give convincing answers. Remember: a spy must live a life of lies.” She winked.

“Cool!” a boy named Francesco said.

“Sweet!” a few more students echoed.

“We've already got our covers,” M.E. told the other Code Busters, “but I'm not a very good liar. My face always turns red and gives me away when I don't tell the truth.”

Cody smiled at her friend. It was true. M.E. just couldn't pull off a lie.

“After leaving Covers and Legends, you'll go to the Briefing section,” Ms. Bishop continued. “There you'll ‘meet' several
virtual
spies. Then, in the School for Spies section, you'll learn what it takes to go undercover. You can check out over two hundred spy gadgets—weapons, bugs, cameras, cars, and other spy-craft necessities. Be ready to be tested on your skills of observation and surveillance. Next, you'll get to create a disguise of your own.”

“Awesome!” Luke said. “I hope we get mustaches and those rearview sun glasses.”

Ms. Bishop waited until the students settled down again. “That's not all. You'll also get a chance to crack some codes that were used during various wars.” She pointed to a large poster on the wall, filled with dots and dashes. “How many of you are familiar with this code?”

All of the students raised their hands except Mika. Ms. Stad and Mr. Pike had taught their sixth graders many codes during the year, including Morse code.

“Wow! I'm impressed,” Ms. Bishop said. She held up a large sign written in Morse code. “All right, let's see if you can decipher this message. If you need help, just look at the poster on the wall.”

Code Busters' Key and Solution found on pp. 150, 155.

The students began cracking the coded message. Quinn and Cody were the first to raise their hands
when they finished. Ms. Bishop called on Quinn and he recited the answer.

“Great job!” Ms. Bishop said. “Did you know that Morse code was developed in the 1800s by an artist and inventor named Samuel F. B. Morse? He worked with a physicist to create an electrical telegraph system which was used to send encrypted messages between warships, naval bases, and railroads. Sometimes Morse code was used to send distress signals. The most famous one sounds like this.” Ms. Bishop gave three rapid knocks on the nearby wall, then three knocks spaced a second apart, then three more quick knocks.

Code Busters' Key and Solution found on pp. 150, 155

“Does anyone know what that means?”