The Super Spies and the Pied Piper (2 page)

“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
ph
one 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, winding 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
?

“Did you come up with a plan?” Lacey asked.

“Yes,” Sarah said and turned her attention back to her friends. She motioned for the group to huddle together, and then glanced over her shoulder before whispering, “We're going to drive to Alden after school.”

“We are?” Lacey asked with a perplexed look. “Why?”

“Because I think Mom and Dad are up there.”

“We don't know that. All we know is their phone is up there.”

Sarah frowned. “True, but it didn't get up there by itself.”

“But someone could have stolen it and taken it up there.”

“I know. But I find it odd that the detective Aunt June hired didn't find anything in their phone records and the FBI did.”

“How do you know the detective didn't?” Jackie asked.

“Because, when Aunt June got the file from him there was nothing in there about the records.”

Lacey grabbed Sarah's arm. “That's right. The only thing in there was a paper trail about their day before the cruise.”

“So, I say we go up and check out the town of Alden. There's got to be some sort of clue there.”

“But we don't have any idea where to look,” Lacey protested. She twirled her long blonde hair around her finger and gave Sarah a pensive look.

Sarah bit her lip to stop her irritation from showing.

“Did the FBI give you any other information?” Scott asked. He winked at Lacey and raked his hand through his blond hair.

Sarah shook her head. “No.” She glanced at her sister and took a deep breath, trying to maintain a calm air.

“So, what's the plan once we get to Alden?” Scott pursed his lips and gazed at Sarah.

“I've got Mom and Dad's picture in the file. I say we go up there and start showing it to people. I mean it's a small town, right? Someone's bound to have seen them.” Sarah's heart raced as the words left her mouth.
Could it really be this simple?

“Scott, do you know anyone who can drive us after school?” Jackie asked, flashing her toothy smile.

“I'll ask Alex Brown. He works with me during Saturday morning basketball. He drives.” Scott walked a few paces forward as the lunch line moved along. “I bet he'll do it. We'll just have to chip in for gas.”

The conversation halted as the group caught up to Scott. They grew silent as they studied the lunch selections. Sarah grimaced.
Gross…chicken
a 'la
king
. “You know what? I'm going over to the
à la carte
and get pizza. This stuff looks scary.” Sarah stepped out of line.

Jackie followed her. “I'm with you.”

“When you're done here, grab a table and we'll find you,” Sarah said to her sister.

“Okay.”

The two girls stepped into the
à la carte
line. Sarah could smell the melted cheese on the pizza and her stomach rumbled. The line moved forward quickly and in a matter of minutes the two girls had their pizza and a soda.

Sarah glanced around the cafeteria, searching for her sister. She found her at a table in the center of the lunchroom and cocked her head in that direction. “They're over here.”

Jackie nodded and stepped toward the table. Sarah traveled behind her.

The two girls sat across from them and immediately took big bites of their pizza. Sarah relished the gooey cheese. Swallowing she said, “Another nutritious meal courtesy of Harrisburg Schools.”

The Super Spies cracked up laughing and Scott almost spewed his soda across the table. After they got their laughter under control, they finished their lunch and cleaned up their trays. They wandered into the corridor and stood together just outside the cafeteria.

“It's almost time for fourth period,” Scott said, glancing at his watch. “I have Alex in that class. I'll talk to him then.”

“Okay.” Sarah grinned. “Let's meet in front of the school right after fifth period. We can take off then.”

“You're not going to tell Aunt June?” Lacey asked, giving Sarah a long look.

“We'll call her after school,” Sarah said, stifling her irritation again.

The Super Spies waved and went their separate ways. Sarah couldn't wait to get through the next period. She made her way to gym, her last class of the day; thankful her last name started with C because that meant she was on the early schedule for school.

She thought back to the bombing that occurred just last week and a shudder went through her body. The school board had acted quickly and designed a plan that allowed the junior high to act as both high school and junior high. They accomplished this by developing a staggered schedule for all the students. The Super Spies had been lucky enough to all receive the early schedule. Classes started at seven and ended at one o'clock.
Plenty of time to get up
to
Alden
and do some investigating
.
Her fingers tingled as anticipation surged through her system.

Sarah made it to the locker room with seconds to spare and quickly changed into her gym clothes. She breathed a quick prayer of thanks that they were studying volleyball. The teams had been divvied up last week and all they had to do was set up and play.

For the last hour, Sarah concentrated on the game and forgot about her situation. She played hard, enjoying the workout, but when the whistle blew she raced for the shower.
Now, I'm going to get some answers
.

After showering, Sarah rushed to the front of the school. When she got there, she found Scott and a tall, good looking boy chatting about basketball.

“Hi, Scott,” Sarah greeted.

“Hey.” Scott flashed a warm smile and then introduced the boy next to him. “This is Alex.”

“Hi.” She glanced at him and did a double take. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach as she stared into his bright blue eyes. She glanced down quickly as the heat of a blush spread across her face.
He's hot
!

“Hi,” Alex said and gave her an impish grin, almost like he knew what she'd been thinking

Sarah cleared her throat and gazed at him again. She took in his dark, wavy hair that contrasted with the blueness of his eyes. A handful of freckles were scattered across his stubby nose and cheeks. He had a stubborn cowlick growing in the middle of his hair line. Sarah resisted the urge to pull the lock of hair into place and instead said, “So, did Scott ask you about a ride to Alden?”

Alex's grin widened. “Yeah, he said you're doing some sort of investigation. I'm very curious.” He winked at her.

She giggled.
Holy cow! I'm acting like some silly girl. I sound just like Lacey when she talks to Scott.
Sarah cleared her throat. “So that means you'll do it? We'd chip in for gas of course.” She added the last part quickly.

“Awesome. I'm always up for an adventure.”

“Cool.” Sarah beamed and then glanced around. “I wonder what's taking Jackie and Lacey so long.”

“We can start this party, I'm here!” Jackie announced with a flourish as she snuck up behind Sarah and put her hands over her eyes. “Guess who?”

Sarah laughed and pulled her friend's hands away from her eyes. “Who else would it be?”

“True.”

“Hey guys.” Lacey jogged up to the group. “Sorry I'm late. I had a couple of questions for my teacher.”

“No problem,” Scott said, winking at her.

Alex clapped his hands together. “Is this everyone? I say we get this show on the road. We've got a long drive ahead of us.” He flashed his grin again and Sarah felt the butterflies take flight.

She glanced toward the parking lot and cleared her throat. “Which car is yours?”

“I drive that four door beater over there.” Alex pointed at a brown vehicle with a dented passenger door and a rusted front bumper. “She ain't pretty but she'll get us where we gots to go.” He spoke in a southern drawl and tipped an imaginary hat in Sarah's direction. “I call her the Brown Bomb.”

She giggled and inwardly cringed.
Gross…
I sound like a brainless twit
.

Jackie gave her a keen look and a sly grin spread across her face. “Let's hit the road.” She hooked her arm into Sarah's and pulled her forward.

Alex and Scott pulled ahead of the group and talked about basketball. Lacey walked beside Scott, listening raptly to the conversation. Sarah was about to make fun of her, but stopped when she remembered her insane giggling just a few minutes ago.