The Super Spies and the Pied Piper (25 page)

“I'll see you kids in twenty minutes,” Scoop repeated and then stepped toward the door.

While Scoop rushed out of the library, the Super Spies hung back. An awkward silence filled the air and Sarah chewed her nail and then fidgeted with her hair. Finally, not able to stand the silence any longer she spoke. “What do you guys want to do?”

Alex smirked at her. “You don't like to wait, do you?”

Sarah sighed and shook her head. “No. I'm definitely not good at waiting.”

“Do you feel like cruising Main Street and then we'll head over to Scoop's?”

“Yes. I feel like cruising Main Street.” Jackie grabbed Alex's arm and pulled him toward the door. “Anything to get us out of this
library
.”

With her long strides, Jackie made her way to the exit. The other Super Spies trailed behind her, chuckling at her enthusiasm to leave. The teens cruised Main Street once and then headed over to the retired reporter's home.

Scoop's house sat at the end of a cul-de-sac. Its neat front yard surrounded the bungalow style home like a protective moat. Small shrubs grew in front of a large picture window and around his miniscule concrete porch. A white awning hung over the front door, protecting anyone who stood on the porch. Black shutters hugged the windows and contrasted with the white siding. It was a masculine home, no flowers adorned the yard and no welcome mat lay on the porch. Just by the absence of these items, Sarah would have known Scoop was a bachelor.

He must have seen them pull up to the curb, because he stepped out of the front door and hurried down the steps. Clutched in his hand were papers that Sarah was sure she was anxious to see.

“Are those the printouts?” she asked as she climbed out of the car.”

“Yes, take a look at them.” Scoop met her in the yard and handed the documents to her.

“I can't make heads or tails of this,” Sarah complained.

Scoop shrugged. “Neither can I.”

A sense of urgency consumed Sarah, and her stomach fluttered before twisting into a knot. “Let's get this up to Alden.”

“You want to go today?” Scoop asked, he raised his eyebrows and eyed her.

“Yes. We've got to get this to my dad as soon as possible.” A sense of foreboding penetrated Sarah's skin like a fine mist of acid rain. The knot in her stomach twisted tighter, and she became nauseous. She swallowed, keeping the bile rising in her throat down. “Are you guys up for a drive? She turned to other Super Spies.

“Sure,” Alex shrugged and the rest of the gang nodded their heads.

“Do you want me to come along?” Scoop asked.

“Yes, we do.” Sarah didn't know why, but she had a funny feeling it might be a good idea to have an adult with them today.

“Okay, does anyone want to ride with me?” the retired reporter asked, while he dug into his pocket and pulled out his keys.

“We will,” Scott said. He looked at Lacey for confirmation.

She nodded and stepped toward Scott. He took her hand and winked at her.

“Let's go,” Scoop said and gestured, indicating they were supposed to follow him.

Lacey turned toward Sarah. “We'll meet you guys at the Robinson's.”

Sarah gave her a quick nod. “Okay.”

Alex walked up behind Sarah and gave her a nudge. “Hey.”

She gave him a sweet smile. “Thanks for doing that.”

“No problem.” He gave her a wink. “Are you ready to go?”

“Yeah, I really need to get this to my dad.”

“Let's get the show on the road,” Jackie said before striding toward the door.

Sarah and Alex exchanged a knowing look before following her.

Once they were on their way to Alden, Sarah relaxed. “We've got the information. Hopefully, we're home free.” She glanced at Alex; he bit his lip as he drove. His cowlick was in his eyes again and he twitched his head, trying to get it out of the way. It didn't work and Sarah resisted the urge to move it for him.

“Girlfriend,” Jackie said, tapping her on the arm.

Sarah shifted in her seat and glanced at her. “What?”

“Can you make heads or tails of that info?” She pointed to the pages Sarah held in her lap.

Sarah shook her head. “No. I can't but I bet my dad can.” She glanced out the windshield and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Scoop's tail lights. The sense of dread she had felt earlier still lurked in her brain — she just couldn't shake it. But knowing the retired reporter was going to be there with them comforted her.

The drive to Alden was uneventful, and Sarah's spirits lifted when they pulled off the highway.

Jackie nudged her. “Wake up. We're here.”

Sarah returned the nudge. “I wasn't asleep.”

“Are you sure?” Jackie gave her an incredulous look. “I could've sworn I heard you snoring.”

Sarah laughed and gave her friend a playful shove. “I'm sure.”

Jackie snickered. “I don't know… I mean what noise did I hear then?”

“I don't know—” Sarah stopped short and peered out the windshield. “Holy cow! What in the world is that?” she pointed out the window.

Jackie gazed out the windshield. “I don't know.”

Alex slowed the vehicle so he too could look out the window. “Wow. It's like a big cloud of smoke.”

Sarah's heart thundered against her ribs like a wild animal trapped in a cage. Sweat broke out under her arms and her mouth went dry. “It looks like something's on fire! And it's coming from the direction of the Robinson house!” She stared at the huge cloud of smoke billowing upward in the sky. It's thick grayness blending with the gray clouds.

Without being prompted, Alex stomped on the gas. His car lurched forward and sped into Alden.

“Young lady, there's no one in the home,” the trooper said sternly and motioned for Alex to move along.

“What does he mean there's no one in the home?” Sarah demanded. Angry tears fell down her cheeks. She swiped at them with an impatient hand. “How does he know that?”

“Because that's the first thing firemen do. They check for people inside the building,” Alex answered in a calm voice.

Jackie grabbed Sarah's arm. “If no one's in the home… then they're out and they're not hurt.” She raised her eyebrows and stared into her friend's eyes.

Jackie's words hit Sarah like a cold splash of water.
That's right. If they're not in the home they're okay
. Her panic subsided and she slumped against the seat.
But where are they
?
And how did the fire start
? “Where's Scoop?”

“I don't know,” Alex muttered as he steered the car away from the burning building. “Let's check Main Street.”

No one spoke as they drove toward town. Sarah stared out the window and noticed shopkeepers and patrons standing outside the stores; gawking at the smoke. They were hugging themselves against the cold breeze blowing in from the lake.

“There he is,” Alex crowed. He pointed to Scoop's beige sedan parked along the street.

“Maybe he has some answers,” Jackie said. She gave Sarah's arm a quick squeeze. “Alex, pull over. I bet they went inside that little café.”

Alex did as he was told and within minutes the group piled out of the car and hustled toward the diner.

Sarah made it to the door first. Once inside, she looked around searching for the retired reporter. When she spotted him she grabbed Jackie's arm and pulled her forward. “There he is.”

They made their way to the group sitting at the table. Sarah could tell they were nervous because Lacey twirled her hair around her finger and Scott was leaning forward, talking to her. Scoop kept rubbing his face and gazing out the window.

Sarah approached the table. “What in the world is going on?”

Scoop raised his hands in a gesture of confusion. “I don't know.”

“The cop said there was no one in the home.” Sarah sat down in the seat across from Scoop.

Alex and Jackie took the seats next to Scoop and waited for Sarah to continue.

She took a deep breath. “Do you have any idea what happened to my parents?” As Sarah asked the question, she slumped in her chair, her limbs heavy with despair. “You know… we just found them.” She whispered the words and felt that scratchy feeling in her throat right before she started to cry. She swallowed, hoping to keep the tears at bay, but it was no use. They welled in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks.

Scoop reached across the table and patted her hand. “I'm sure they're all right.”

Sarah bit her lip. “But where are they?”

Lacey leaned across the table and motioned for her sister. “Why don't we call them?”

A relieved giggle burst from Sarah's mouth. “That's right… we can call them.” She wiped the tears away and sat up straight. “Who has a phone?”

Scoop fumbled in his pocket and then handed Sarah his phone. “Here.”

She gave him a grateful smile before she punched in her father's number.

Her father answered and Sarah's spirits soared at the sound of his voice.

“Dad?”

“Sarah?”

“Yeah. It's me. What's going on? The Robinson's house is on fire!”

Her father sighed. “Yes. I know.”

“Where are you? What's going on?” She bit her lip, trying to keep the hysteria out of her voice.

“We're hiding.”

“Why?”

“That fire was no accident.”

Her father's words hit Sarah like a punch in the stomach. Pain radiated from the center of her being all the way to her extremities. She took a ragged breath. “What are you saying?”

Her father exhaled a heavy sigh. “I'm saying the fire was intentional.”

“Where are you?” Sarah huddled around the phone and whispered. “I've got some information for you. Who set the fire?”

“I don't want to talk over the phone.”

“Okay, we'll come to you.”

Her father cleared his throat. “All right.”

“Where are you?”

“You really need to talk to Dottie. .You should go to her.

”What? Where are you?” Sarah asked in a confused voice.

“Not on the phone, Sarah. Go see Dottie —
now
.”

Sarah opened her mouth to protest, but closed it again as she realized her father was telling her his location in a code that only she'd understand. Her stomach clenched as her brain processed the information.
That means he's worried the phones are tapped
.

“Okay. We'll be there in a few minutes.” She disconnected the call and handed the phone back to Scoop with a trembling hand.

“Sarah, what is going on?” Lacey asked. Her voice had a sharp edge to it and her eyes widened as she spoke.

A waitress appeared with menus. “I'm so sorry. We've been outside watching the fire trucks go by. I didn't realize I had customers in the diner.”

“No problem,” Sarah said and gestured with her hand. “We've changed our minds… we're not staying.”

“Oh… well… all right,” the waitress responded with an embarrassed smile. “Our service isn't usually this bad… there's just been a fire in town—”

“I know… it's not because of the service.” Sarah cut her off and climbed out of her seat. She motioned for the group to follow her.

Once outside, everyone gathered around her. She glanced up and down the street before she spoke. “Okay. My dad says the fire was intentional.”

“Who set it?” Scoop asked.

“He didn't say, but he wants us to go and talk to Dottie.””

“I think you and Lacey should go by yourselves.” Scoop spoke out of the side of his mouth and glanced around. “Whoever set the fire could be watching.”

“That's true,” Alex said. He furrowed his brow and looked down the street. “This is starting to get dangerous.”

“Where is Dottie?” Scoop asked.

“She works in the drugstore,” Sarah said. She shaded her eyes and glanced down the street again.

“Why don't we all pile into the car and I'll pretend to drive out of town,” Scoop reasoned. “I'll drive behind the drugstore and let you girls out. Then we'll all go for a ride. You call us when you're ready and we'll pick you up.”

“That sounds like a plan,” Sarah agreed and looked at her sister. “You okay with that, Lace?”

Lacey gulped and bobbed her head, reminding Sarah of one of those bobble headed ornaments that people attached to the dash of their car.

“Let's go.” Scoop motioned for everyone to follow him.

The group ambled toward his vehicle. He pointed the remote at his car and unlocked it. Everyone piled inside. Scoop started the engine and took a few minutes to adjust his mirrors. He seemed to take forever and Sarah shot him an irritated look. “We can go anytime now.”

Scoop raised his eyebrows and gave her an intent stare. “I'm checking for any suspicious characters.”

“Oh.” Sarah averted her gaze and bit her lip. “Do you see any?”

“No.” Scoop put the car in gear and drove slowly down the street.

The atmosphere in the car grew tense as Scoop drove. Sarah scanned the street, searching for anything out of the ordinary. The shopkeepers and customers were still outside. She studied them, but they all looked like they belonged.

“Scoop, with everyone out in front of the stores I think it'd be a great time to sneak into the drugstore in back,” Sarah said.

“You're right about that, young lady,” Scoop agreed before he rounded the corner.

The retired reporter pulled into the alley behind the stores. He crept along at a snail's pace, which frustrated Sarah. She bit her lip to keep from vocalizing her feelings and stared out the window.

Finally, Scoop stopped beside the drugstore. “Okay girls, pile out.”

Sarah and Lacey climbed out of the car. “Lace, you've got your phone don't you?”

Lacey nodded and held up her phone.

Sarah leaned down and gazed through the open door. “Okay, I'll call you when we're done. I don't think it'll take more than an hour.”

Concern was etched on Scoop's face as he made eye contact with Sarah. “We'll take a drive. You kids be careful.”

“Okay,” Sarah said and then shut the door. She made eye contact with her sister and gave her a weak smile. “Let's do it.”

“You've got the papers?” Lacey asked.

Sarah waved the papers at her sister. “Right here.”

“Let's go.”

They hurried toward the back door of the drugstore. Sarah shivered before glancing over her shoulder.
The coast is clear
. She opened the door and winced at the jingle of the bell above the entryway. It seemed extremely loud. She clenched her teeth and followed her sister inside.

It was dark when they entered and Sarah squinted. “Where's Dottie?”

Lacey glanced over her shoulder. “I don't know. She usually appears about now.”

“I know.” The hair on the back of Sarah's neck stood on end sending a chill down her spine. She grabbed the back of Lacey's coat. “Hold on. Let's move really slow.”

Her sister grabbed her arm. “You go first.”

Sarah bit her lip. “Okay.”

The girls switched positions and Sarah took the lead. She moved slowly past the curtain that had hidden them a few days ago. She stopped. “Lace, check behind the curtain.”

Lacey shook her head. “No way. You do it?”

Sarah sighed. “All right.” She took a few steps toward the curtain and stopped.
Isn't this where that creepy music is supposed to start
? Looking over her shoulder, she made eye contact with her sister. She took in Lacey's pale face and the tension in her frown.

“Are you going to look or just stand there?” Lacey asked with an irritated edge in her voice.

“I'm looking,” Sarah retorted. Her heart slammed against her ribs at a ferocious rate. The painful rhythm sent the blood rushing through her veins and caused the thrumming noise in her ears. It was so loud she was sure everyone could hear it.

She pushed the curtain aside with a trembling hand and willed her eyes to stay open even though she wanted to squeeze them shut.
What am I so afraid of? It's not like I'm going to find a dead body behind here
. Her gut twisted at the thought and she closed her eyes for an instant before she peered into the back room.

She took a shuddering breath and willed her heart to stop its frantic pace. “Lace, it's just a bunch of boxes back here.” Her voice sounded tense and unnatural and she cleared her throat. “Let's go look for Dottie.”