The Super Spies and the Pied Piper (20 page)

She laid on her bed and shifted into a comfortable position. As her eyes drifted closed, the events of the day paraded through her mind like a movie.

When she came to the images of her mother and father tears filled her eyes. Her heart swelled with gratitude that they were alive and well. Sighing, she wiped the tears away. The nagging question returned and took up a cadence in her brain.
When this is all over are we moving back home?
She was afraid to answer but had the sinking feeling her life was going to change abruptly.

She took a deep breath and struggled to sit up. Watching TV sounded like a good idea. She wanted to forget about the predicament she was in, if only for a little while.

Glancing in the mirror, she was pleased with her reflection. Her soft, lime green pajamas brought out her green eyes and highlighted her honey-colored hair. Her image surprised her, she looked like her mother.
I guess that's a good thing
. Thoughts of her mother brought her situation crashing back. She struggled for a moment before pushing it out of her brain.
I need a break from
all of
this
. She frowned; straightening her clothes, she again studied her reflection.
I guess it could be worse
.
I mean I could have a ton of zits or a huge birth mark in the middle of my foreh
ead. What if I only had one eye?
I'd never be able to be a detective with only one eye.
Sarah shuddered and picked up her brush.

She skimmed her hair with it and then left the room. The TV blared on about a car sale at a local dealership. Shuffling into the den, she found Lacey sitting in the rocker wrapped up in an afghan.

“Hi,” Lacey greeted her.

“Hey.” Sarah gave her a gentle noogie as she walked behind the chair on her way to the couch. “What's on? Anything good?”

Lily trotted in from the kitchen, wagging her tail. She jumped up on the couch next to Sarah and nudged her hand with her copper colored nose, demanding attention. Sarah gave her a smile and stroked her head while listening to her sister.

Lacey shook her head. “Not really. I'm just channel surfing right now.” She continued to flip through the channels. “Do you feel like watching a DVD?”

“I guess.” Sarah shrugged then pulled an afghan off of the back of the couch. She wrapped it around her shoulders and snuggled next to the cocker spaniel.”

Lacey yawned. “I'm getting tired.”

“Me too. I just wanted to unwind a little bit before bed.”

“Here.” Lacey tossed the remote to her sister. “I can't find anything.”

“Then let's put in a movie,” Sarah said. She dropped the remote and made her way to the TV. Under it sat a cabinet that housed the DVDs. Sarah bent down and looked through the titles. “How about
Michael Clayton?
”

“Is it a mystery?”

Sarah smirked. “Of course.”

Lacey shrugged. “I guess it's all right.”

Sarah closed the cabinet and fiddled with the player. While she was doing that, a commercial appeared on the screen catching her attention.

“Lace, check it out.” Sarah pointed at the screen.

Both girls grew silent as they watched the TV. Sarah dashed back to the couch and turned up the volume. On the screen was a commercial for Piper Drugs. A spokesperson explained to the viewers how the company was the Pied Piper for all the other drug companies in the market.

When the commercial was over, Sarah gave her sister a quizzical look. “The Pied Piper of all drug companies? What does that mean?”

Lacey frowned. “Beats me. Wasn't the Pied Piper the guy who got rid of the rats in that one fairy tale?”

“I think so.”

“So, what are they saying?” Lacey asked and gave Sarah a confused look.

“I don't know.” Sarah shrugged. “Maybe their drugs lead the viruses away?”

“Whatever they're saying, it's weird.” Lacey gave the television a dismissive wave.

“I know.” Sarah frowned. The commercial brought their situation crashing back into consciousness once again.
So much for taking a break
.

“We are in an impossible situation,” Lacey whined.

“I know. But we'll figure something out.”

“I like Scoop's idea.” Lacey twirled her hair around her finger.

Sarah sighed. The movie forgotten she made her way back to the couch and wrapped the afghan around her. “I do too. The only problem is it doesn't get Scoop into Dad's office.”

“I know. And we don't even know if Dad's desk is still in there.”

Sarah sighed. “Hopefully, Scoop will figure it all out.”

The girls grew silent and watched television. Sarah wasn't paying attention to what was being broadcast; questions swirled through her brain, tormenting her.

“Lace.”

“What?”

“Have you thought about what we're going to do when Mom and Dad come home?”

Lacey sighed. “No, I haven't. I'm sure we'll just go home.”

“You mean home to Walker?” Sarah asked.

Lacey's eyes widened. “Oh man… I didn't even think about that. I don't want to move back to Walker.”

“Neither do I.” Sarah sighed and her heart grew heavy. The thought of leaving Harrisburg felt like a huge weight around her neck.

“Let's go to bed. Maybe all we need is a good night's sleep and we'll figure it out in the morning.”

“Maybe.” Sarah stood and made her way to their bedroom. But she knew it would take more than a good night sleep to get them out of this jam.

Lily whined in response, so Sarah opened the back door and Lily scampered out. Shivering, Sarah closed out the cold morning air. After glancing out the window, she stepped over to the cupboard to get something for breakfast.

Aunt June padded into the kitchen and spied Sarah. “Hi honey, do you want me to fix you some pancakes or something?”

“No, I feel like having cereal today.” Sarah grabbed a box of cereal and poured it into a bowl. “When does Uncle Walt get to come home?”

“I'll find out today. I'm going up to the hospital to see him before I go to work. Hopefully, the doctors will have some answers for us.”

Sarah walked to the refrigerator for the milk and returned to the counter and poured it on her cereal. “Good. I can't wait to tell him we found Mom and Dad.”

“I told him last night. I stopped up to see him after I picked up the car.”

“Oh.” Sarah sat at the table and began eating her cereal.

“Do you want some juice?”

“Sure.”

Aunt June opened the fridge and pulled out a pitcher of orange juice. She found a glass in the cupboard and poured some for Sarah. “He was really happy they were okay.” She handed Sarah her drink.

Sarah accepted the glass. “Me too.”

Aunt June pulled a box of breakfast bars out of the cupboard. “Do you and Lacey want a ride to school this morning?”

“Sure, it's kind of chilly out.”

“Okay. I'm going to get ready.” Aunt June left with her breakfast bar and a glass of juice.

Lacey appeared wearing a lime green sweater and blue jeans. “Cereal, huh?”

“Yep.”

“Aunt June around?”

“She's upstairs getting ready. She's going to give us a ride to school.” Sarah took another spoonful of cereal.

“Cool,” Lacey said, pouring some corn flakes into her bowl.

The sound of scratching at the door pulled Sarah from her chair.
Lily's back
! When she peeked through the window, Lily gazed up at her and wagged her tail hopefully. Sarah pulled opened the door, and Lily trotted in, her nails clicking on the linoleum. “Has she been fed yet?” Lacey asked.

“Nope.” Sarah squatted and stroked the dog, ruffling her fur in a playful manner. “Are you hungry, girl?”

Lily's tail thumped the floor in response.

Sarah stood and went to the cupboard. She rummaged around inside until she found the dog food. After filling Lily's bowl, she placed it on the floor where the dog proceeded to devour it.

“I'm going to brush my teeth. I'll be right back,” Sarah said to her sister before leaving the room.

As Sarah brushed her teeth, she spied a bottle of aspirin in the medicine cabinet. It brought back the reality of what Piper Drugs had done with terrifying clarity.
I could take an aspirin
and have a reaction. How can
people be protected from monsters like Piper Drugs?
Her stomach clenched into a tight knot as she finished with her morning routine and dashed up the stairs.

“Are you ready?” Aunt June asked.

“Yep. How about you, Lace?”

“I just need to brush. I'll meet you guys out in the car.”

Sarah nodded and went to the closet for her coat. Aunt June traveled behind her, attempting to put her planner in her purse.

They made it out to the car and Aunt June backed it out of the garage. She idled in the driveway, waiting for Lacey.

As she adjusted the mirrors, she said, “Depending on what we find out from the doctors this morning, I'll probably go up and see your uncle right after work tonight as well.”

“Okay. Tell him we said hi. Maybe we can go up and see him after school.”

Aunt June pursed her lips and brushed at a wayward strand of her hair. “Maybe. I'll check with his doctor and see if it's okay. I'll leave you a voice mail.”

“Cool.”

Lacey appeared on the porch. She hesitated peering into the darkness. Sarah didn't know what she was looking for and expelled an impatient sigh
. Hurry up, Lace.
Her sister must have heard her telepathic message because she scampered down the steps and hustled to the car.

After she climbed in, Aunt June backed out of the driveway. Sarah stared out the window, watching the scenery rush past. It was still dark and there was no indication from the sun it was going to get any lighter. Sarah shivered and thought of her parents trying to save the Robinson boy.

Facing her aunt she asked, “What drug was that Robinson kid taking? You know the one that made him sick?”

Aunt June frowned. “I don't know.”

“We saw a commercial last night about Piper Drugs,” Lacey said. She twirled her hair around her finger and gazed at her aunt. “They called themselves the Pied Piper of Drug companies. What do you think about that?”

“I don't know.” Aunt June shook her head. “It sounds like they think they're the leader and everyone else follows them.”

“So we're up against a giant,” Sarah pointed out.

Aunt June sighed. “That's right. Your father and the Robinson family are in a really tough position.”

“How's that?” Lacey asked.

“Well, it's very hard to sue a huge corporation and win. They've got a team of lawyers and very deep pockets, so they can afford a long, drawn out case. Most people don't have that kind of money to spend on a lawsuit.”

“So what are saying?” Sarah asked. Her voice sounded flat and resigned to her ears.

“I'm saying if Piper Drugs plays any kind of legal games, like burying the Robinson team in paperwork, filing ludicrous motions, that kind of thing, Mr Robinson doesn't have much chance of winning. The longer the suit is dragged out… the more money that's spent. A lot of times that's how big companies avoid losing lawsuits because they can out spend their opponent.”

“That really stinks.” Sarah shook her head in disgust.

“Yes it does,” Aunt June agreed.

She turned on her blinker and drove the girls up to the Jr. High. Sarah watched the building loom closer, but her thoughts were far away from school.

Images of sickly Mikey Robinson invaded her brain. She understood now why her father felt compelled to help the family and she wanted to help them too.

Aunt June pulled up to the school and stopped by the front door. “Here you go girls. You can walk home can't you?”

“Yeah,” Sarah said.

They climbed out of the car. Sarah slung her backpack over her shoulder and hurried inside. Lacey picked up her pace and followed.

Once inside, Sarah slowed and waited for her sister to catch up. “Lace?”

“What?” Lacey responded with a smile.

“That drug company isn't all they say it is.”

Lacey leaned toward her sister and whispered. “I agree. They're selling a drug that's supposed to help people and it's killing them.”

“I know. The problem is they've got all the money to play legal games. You heard Aunt June.”

“There must be some way we can stop them.” Lacey stared at her sister.

Sarah grabbed Lacey's arm and squeezed. A thought popped into her head and her fingers tingled with excitement. “Do you remember when we were talking to the FBI agents about pinging Mom and Dad's phone?”

“Yeah?”

“Remember that kid that puked in the lobby of the police station?”

Lacey grabbed Sarah's arm, she seemed infected with Sarah's enthusiasm. ”Sure, I do.”

“Do you remember the drug that kid got so sick on?”

Lacey dropped Sarah's arm and disappointment clouded her eyes. “No.”

“I don't either.” Sarah sighed. “But I do remember it was made by Dad's company.”

“Do you think it could be the same drug that made the Robinson kid sick?”

“I don't know. But I'm going to find out.” Sarah glanced at the clock. “Hey, we've got to get to first period. We'll talk more about this at lunch.”

“Okay. See you then.”

“Bye.”

The girls split and Sarah hurried to her locker. She only had minutes to make it to her English class. Flustered, she hung up her coat, grabbed her books, and slammed her locker shut.

She was lucky. Her first class was on the same floor as her locker, and she made it there with seconds to spare. Sarah slid into her seat just as the bell rang. Her teacher, Mrs. Hopkins, was already at her podium organizing her notes for the morning's lecture. Groaning silently, Sarah wondered again how she was going to make it through the day. She shifted in her seat as her teacher began speaking in her high, squeaky voice.

Studying her instructor, Sarah took in her thin frame and birdlike features. Her movements were twitchy and she expected her at any moment to peck at the ground and turn her head as if she were listening for a worm or a grub. Mrs. Hopkins' dull, brown hair appeared thin and fuzzy and only enhanced her birdlike presence. Sarah suppressed a grin and glanced at the other students in the class. They seemed to be noticing their teacher's appearance as well by the sly smiles that passed between them.

Looking out the window, Sarah zoned out thinking about her father's situation.
How are we going to get his flash drive
? She bit her lip and doodled on her notebook
. Scoop can get into the b
uilding but how do we get into D
ad's office?

She stared down into the street. The morning light had diluted the pitch black night into gray. Everything appeared drab. A telltale sign winter was coming. It started raining and large rain drops splashed across the window appearing to be flaws in the glass.
Great! Now it's going to rain
.

Sarah propped up her book and used it as a shield. She pretended to be engrossed in it while Mrs. Hopkins chirped on about Ernest Hemingway. Hoping she could fool her, Sarah began writing in her notebook all the things her father would need to prove his case.

After writing down a comprehensive list, she glanced at the clock and realized she only had one more minute of class. She quickly gathered her books together while her teacher assigned homework for the night.

Dashing out into the hallway, Sarah almost ran into an upperclassman.

“Watch it there, girlie.”

“Sorry,” she squeaked as she rushed toward her second class of the day. It was Math and she wasn't looking forward to an hour filled with Algebraic equations.

“Hey,” a voice said in her ear.

She recognized it instantly and turned. “Hi.”

“How's it going?” Alex asked, giving her the grin that she loved.

His blue eyes seemed to brighten at the sight of her, and when she looked into them her insides turned to melted chocolate.
I love chocolate
.

“Good,” Sarah stuttered. She cleared her throat. “Well as good as can be expected.”

“I know what you mean.” Alex grabbed her hand and led her toward the windows at the end of the hall. “Do you want to talk about what was going down last night?”

Sarah brushed her hair away from her face. “Yeah. But it's a long story, so I'll tell you about it at lunch.”

“Okay.”

Sarah pointed to the clock. “We better get to class… we'll talk more about this later, I promise.”

Alex gave her hand a squeeze. The touch of his warm fingers comforted her, and she gave him a grateful smile. He squeezed her hand again and released it, then dashed off. Sarah walked in the opposite direction and rubbed her hand against her cheek, hoping, the heat from Alex's touch would still be there.

She made it to her math class and prepared herself for another boring lecture where she'd have to squirm and fidget to pass the time. Mr. Gordinski was up at the front board erasing the math problems from the previous class.

When the bell rang, he put down the eraser and faced his students, then walked to his podium. “Hello class. Let's open our books to page forty-five.”

Sarah thought about her predicament as she faked paying attention in class, but soon she was engrossed in mathematical equations and the hour passed quickly. She liked math; figuring out the answer by using logic.
That must be what makes me a great detective
. The bell rang. Sarah jumped out of her seat and dashed to history.

She was the first one to make it to the classroom, so she had her pick of seats. Choosing one in the back, Sarah immediately opened her book and started going through the list she had been making in all her other classes. Hoping to appear as if she were engrossed in her homework, she prayed Mr. Green wouldn't strike up a conversation. It worked. He gave her a smile but continued organizing his lecture notes.

Within minutes, the classroom filled and he began his lecture on the American Revolution. Sarah sighed and slouched in her seat.
This is going to take forever
. She fidgeted and chewed her nails the whole hour, but managed to make it through.
One more class before lunch
.

She made it to her business class and found Mr. Rowlings at the board. When the bell rang he put down the chalk and spun around and faced the students. “Hello, class.”

The students murmured their hellos as they ambled to their seats. The sounds of desk chairs scraping the floor, and papers being shuffled filled the air. Someone coughed and then all was quiet as they waited for Mr. Rowlings to begin.

“I've decided we need to go on a field trip,” he began, wiping his brow.

Sarah couldn't believe he was sweating already. Mr. Rowling was a notorious sweater. She figured it was because he always gave animated lectures; flailing his arms wildly as he made his point. Stifling a smirk, Sarah doodled on her notebook, preparing to tune him out.

“As I said. I'm planning a field trip for this class. It will be an all-day event and I'm taking suggestions on what business you'd like to visit.”

Sarah's heart skipped a beat and her hand shot up so fast, she was sure her body had been taken over by some sort of demon.

“Yes, Sarah? Do you have a suggestion?”

“I think we should tour Piper Drugs.”

Mr. Rowling raised his eyebrows and pressed his lips together in a line of approval. “That's a great idea. Good company.”

“Yeah,” Sarah agreed.
Yeah, sure it is
. “When are you planning this field trip?”

“I don't know we'll have to see what kind of schedule the company has and where we can fit in.”