The Super Spies and the Pied Piper (31 page)

“Would they even be open on Sunday?” Sarah asked.

Scoop shook his head and sighed. “Probably not. We may have to wait until Monday to do this.”

Sarah's stomach twisted into a painful knot at the thought of having to wait one more day, she bit her lip and stared out the window.

Scoop must have sensed her emotions because he said, “We can at least get your dad's keys and see if we can get into the building today. I know a lot of drug companies have their lab employees working around the clock. They may work weekends too.”

“My dad worked weekends!” Sarah said quickly. She faced Scoop and took a deep breath. “So, I'm going to walk in too?” Sarah asked. She shrugged and looked at Jackie. “We might as well finish our plan.”

Scoop glanced at Sarah. “Yes… but you're going to walk in behind us. Jackie and I are going to pretend to sign in… as if someone is expecting us for an appointment. Then Jackie's going to have some sort of seizure and fall to the ground.”

“Oh… I can do that, easy peasy.” Jackie nudged Sarah. “You know I can.”

“Oh, I have no doubt you can fake a seizure.” Sarah snickered and nudged her friend back. She glanced at Scoop. “Then what will I do?”

“During the commotion of getting Jackie taken care of… you'll sneak away and go to your father's office and grab the flash drive.”

“How will I get out?” Sarah asked. Her stomach fluttered again.

“You'll walk up to the receptionist desk and pretend to sign out. Then walk out the door.”

Sarah took a deep breath. “Okay. I can do that.”

The group grew silent as they drove toward Sarah's old home. She stared out the window, but the landscape rushing past didn't register with her. Her thoughts were on Dottie.
What if I don't get the flash drive in time
? “What time is it?”

Jackie glanced at her watch. “It's seven-thirty. Why?”

“I'm going to call my dad and find out if they've heard anything.” She pulled her phone out of her backpack which lay at her feet. Punching in the numbers, she made a quick face at her friend.

Jackie stuck her tongue out at her and gave her a nudge.

“Dad?” Sarah asked before her father could say hello.

“Yes, Sarah. What is it? Are you okay?”

“Yes. Everything's fine here. I'm just wondering if you heard anything.”

“We did.” Her father took a deep breath. “They want us to meet them tonight.”

“Where?” Sarah asked.

“Our house in Walker.”

“Really?” Sarah choked as she spoke. “What time?”

“Eight o'clock. I don't know what to do. I'm thinking about getting the drive myself.”

“Don't, Dad. They might be watching the store and hoping to set a trap.” Sarah shifted in her seat. “Sit tight. We've got a plan.”

“What—”

“Bye.” Sarah interrupted him and hung up before he could ask any questions. She turned in her seat and faced the retired reporter and her friend. “They want to make the exchange tonight at our house in Walker.”

“What time?” Scoop asked as he stepped on the gas.

“Eight o'clock.” Sarah eyed Scoop. Her throat tightened and her heart went into overdrive. She shifted in her seat and stared out the window.
Are we going to get the flash drive in time?
Glancing at Scoop, she took in his grim expression.

The car picked up speed and Sarah knew he was just as worried as she was.

They reached the city of Walker a half an hour later. The city bustled with morning activity as people rushed to church. Sarah guided Scoop through the familiar streets and was shocked when she felt a pang of loss. She hadn't expected to feel this way, because she hadn't thought about her home in a long time.

Thinking about her life before her parents had gone away on vacation, Sarah realized she had indeed suffered a loss. The loss of her innocence. It was a time in her life when the only things she thought about were scoring a goal in soccer and her true crime novels. She smiled at the memory of how she would devour those books. Saddened, Sarah wanted those days back. Then she looked at Jackie and Scoop, and realized she could never return.

Taking a ragged breath, she gritted her teeth and grabbed the dashboard.
There's no turning back now
. She pointed to the street Scoop needed to turn on.
Balsam…
I
used to
live on Balsam Street
.

Scoop slowed and made the left hand turn. The traffic seemed heavier than usual for a Sunday and Sarah wondered what was happening. He slowed the vehicle. “What's your house number, again?”

“It's twenty-four eighty.” Sarah pointed to a brick ranch nestled between two large pines. “There it is.” Her stomach clenched into a tight knot as Scoop steered the car into the driveway.

The house appeared abandoned with the curtains pulled shut and weeds growing in the cracks of the walkway. Someone had attempted to maintain the yard, but hadn't done the job her parents had done in the past. Wilted tiger lilies lay in the flower beds and leaves from neighboring trees littered the yard.

The porch was bare except for a few scattered leaves piled in the corners and around the bottom of the door. In the past, there had been two large rockers sitting on the porch; her parents sat in them in the mornings as they drank their coffee together. Sarah's eyes welled with tears and she brushed them away with an impatient hand.
No time for crying now.

Scoop shut off the vehicle and it sputtered one last protest before it died. “Are you ready?” He gazed over at Sarah and raised his eyebrows, waiting for a response.

Sarah took a deep breath and nodded.

Jackie nudged her. “Let's go.”

Sarah opened the door. It protested with a metallic groan that grated on her nerves. She stepped gingerly, for some reason she didn't want to make any noise. Her skin prickled as the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. “Let's go in through the garage,” she whispered over her shoulder.

“Why are you whispering?” Jackie asked in her normal tone of voice.

Sarah cringed. Jackie sounded so loud. She faced her friend and put a warning finger to her lips. “Shhhh.”

Jackie gave her a quizzical look, before nodding and giving her the thumbs-up sign.

Sarah pointed to the right side of the garage. “We'll go in the side door.” She spun back around and walked quickly toward the door.

Jackie and Scoop followed her.

When Sarah reached the door, she stopped, dug into her pocket and pulled out her house keys. She finagled the key into the lock, wincing when she had to jiggle the key to get the door open. The jangling noise sent her heart into overdrive. Her mouth was dry as cotton and she had a hard time swallowing.
Why in the world am I so nervous
? Shaking her head, she took a deep breath and stretched her neck and shoulders. The move eased some of her tension.

Stepping into the garage, she waited for her eyes to adjust to the dim light. The smell of motor oil assaulted her nose. It was strong because the garage hadn't been opened in months. Sarah pulled the collar of her sweater up over her nose.

“It sure does stink in here,” Jackie whispered in Sarah's ears.

Sarah jumped. She hadn't realized her companions were right behind her. “Man… I almost peed my pants.” She gave Jackie a dirty look.

Jackie snickered. “I have that effect on a lot of people.”

Sarah rolled her eyes. “Whatever.” She took another deep breath. “Let's go.” Turning, Sarah made her way to the back door. Fiddling with the keys, she selected one and put it in the lock.

Sarah pushed on the door and it yawned open with a creak. “Okay, guys. Follow me.” She stepped into the walkway, which led to the kitchen on the right, or she could step forward toward the basement.

“We're right behind you,” Jackie said and gave Sarah a nudge.

“This way.” Sarah motioned for her companions. She walked into the kitchen and turned on the light. It flickered to life, its fluorescent glow casting an unnatural brightness in the room.

Memories tugged at Sarah's heart. She took a deep breath before she glanced around the kitchen. The cheery wallpaper sported assorted fruits and the bright colors brightened the room. The shiny wood floor was a warm addition along with the oak cabinets on the walls.

She sniffed and found herself disappointed that the air smelled so musty. She remembered the days when the atmosphere would be filled with the scent of her mother's baking.
I miss her cinnamon rolls
. Another flood of memories filled her mind as she stepped through the kitchen. Her eyes welled with tears when she remembered one of her birthday parties.

She had been in first grade and had all of her friends over to celebrate. They had played pin the tail on the donkey. Smiling at the memory, a giggle escaped her lips. Her friend Melanie had gotten so confused after being twirled around with the blind fold on, she had pinned the tail right into the cake. Everyone had laughed, even Melanie.

“Where do we need to look?” Jackie asked pulling Sarah back to the present.

Sarah blinked away her tears and pointed toward the hall. “This way. His office is back by the bedrooms.”

“Oh, cool. I want to see your bedroom,” Jackie said.

Scoop cleared his throat. “Let's just get the keys. We can always come back later and look at the bedroom.”

Sarah giggled. “Good idea.” She raised her eyebrows and gave Jackie her infamous ‘are you brain dead?' look, before she continued her journey and flicked on the hall light.

As she entered the hallway, her skin prickled with unease. Passing the bathroom, she was surprised to find the door closed.
How odd
. But she didn't take the time to investigate; she wanted to get the flash drive as quickly as possible.

Her father's office was just past the bathroom and she quickened her pace to reach it. She opened the door and flicked on the light.

Shock flooded her body like water surging after a dam had burst. Her limbs went cold and then numb. She took a step back and surveyed the room.

“Holy cow!” Jackie exclaimed from behind.

Sarah nodded, unable to take her eyes away. The room had been ransacked. Drawers from the desk and filing cabinet had been overturned and dumped on the floor. Their contents were scattered as if someone had been searching for something. The unease she had felt earlier intensified and her stomach tightened, sending a wave of nausea through her body. “Someone was looking for something.”

She moved further into the room and searched for her father's keys. Scoop and Jackie followed her and began combing through the debris.

“Look for those keys,” Sarah instructed. “Dad said they were in the middle drawer of his desk.” She raised her hands in a defeated gesture and eyed her companions. “But I have no idea where they'd be now.”

Everyone grew silent and searched. Sarah found the middle drawer in the center of the room. She bent down and searched for its contents. Pencils and pens were strewn about and some loose change too. A glint of metal caught her eye under the tent of some stationary. She brushed the paper aside. Lying there on the carpet, were her father's keys. Relief surged through her system and she picked them up. “Found them.” She held them up and jangled them for her companions, before she stuffed them into her pocket.

The creak of the door caught her attention and she turned toward it. Her body went rigid and her breath caught in her throat, choking her.

Standing in the doorway was a man, his face hidden by the shadows of the hall. His shoulders filled the opening. He stepped into the room with a quick, catlike movement and shoved Scoop forward.

Scoop stumbled into the center of the room and let out a yelp of surprise. “What the he—”

The click of a gun stopped him from finishing his sentence. Everyone stared at Martin Savage and his gun.

“Hello there,” he said in a deep, even tone.