The Super Spies and the Pied Piper (26 page)

“Sounds good,” Lacey squeaked.

Sarah flinched at the sound of the bell above the front door. She grabbed Lacey's arm and pulled her behind the curtain. Creaking floorboards was the next thing Sarah heard and then the sound of voices. Her stomach twisted into a painful knot and her heart raced. She made eye contact with Lacey, who twisted the hem of her T-shirt with frantic hands. Sarah returned her focus to the voices, she couldn't hear the conversation, but she recognized Dottie's grandmotherly voice.

“It's Dottie,” Lacey whispered.

Sarah put her finger up to her lips to quiet her.

“How can I help you?” Dottie asked.

Lacey grabbed Sarah's arm and whispered. “They're coming back here.”

Sarah put her finger to her lips again and glared at Lacey, telling her to keep still. Then she put her arm around her sister and squeezed her.

“I'm wondering if you've seen these two people around town.” A deep voice answered.

Sarah knew the speaker was a man by his low voice. She imagined a tall, dark stranger with piercing black eyes and a permanent scowl. Her throat constricted and she was only able to take short gasps of breath.

“Can't say that I have,” Dottie replied. She cleared her throat. “Why are you looking for them?”

“Oh… well they're criminals and we're trying to apprehend them.”

“Oh really? So, you're a police officer?”

“Ah… no. A private investigator.”

Who was this man looking for
?

“What did they do?” Dottie asked. Her voice carried a tinge of apprehension in it and Sarah willed her to keep her cool.

“That's confidential, ma'am. But if you see them, could you call this number?”

“Absolutely. They're not dangerous are they?”

“They could be. So don't try to apprehend them yourself.”

“Oh… I wouldn't dream of doing that.”

The man said goodbye. Sarah heard the floorboards creak and then the jingle of the bell above the door. She exhaled a sigh of relief and gave Lacey a tremulous smile. “Let's go talk to Dottie.”

Lacey nodded and the girls stepped out from behind the curtain.

“Dottie,” Sarah called.

“I'm right up here.”

The girls walked toward the front of the store and found Dottie rearranging a shelf of knickknacks.

“I've been wondering when you girls were going to show up.” Dottie gave them a smile. “Now, let's hurry. You're parents are downstairs.”

“Who was that man looking for?” Sarah asked.

Dottie's face fell and she gave Sarah a long look. “He was looking for your parents. He showed me their picture.”

“My parents aren't criminals,” Sarah stated in an angry voice. “What is he talking about?”

Dottie grabbed Sarah's shoulders and squeezed them, then spun her around and propelled her toward the basement stairs. “I know they're not. I don't think that man is who he says he is.” She stopped and gestured toward Lacey. “Come on.”

Dottie stepped in front of Sarah and led the girls to the back of the store. She opened a door and turned on a light. Motioning for the girls to follow her, Dottie descended the stairs.

“Are they down here, Dottie?” Lacey asked. Her voice cracked and Sarah knew her sister was scared.

“Yes, sweetheart they are.”

They walked into the bowels of the basement. It had low ceilings and a musty odor that only basements have. But there was a rug on the floor filled with bright colors arranged in an Aztec design. The cement walls were painted a bright yellow and Sarah had the feeling the bright colors were chosen because normally the basement would be dark and uninviting.

She caught site of her parents sitting at a table in the corner, hunched over and having an intense conversation. Mr. Robinson sat in a rocker in the opposite corner. He held his son in his lap wrapped in a blanket. He had fallen asleep with his lips slightly parted. They rocked in front of the TV, which was on with the volume low.

Sarah hurried over to her parents and hugged her father and then her mother. Lacey was right behind her.

“What is going on?” Sarah whispered.

Her father put his arm around her. “Maybe someone from Piper Drugs set the Robinson home on fire.”

“Seriously?” Sarah gulped.

Her father pressed his lips into a grim line. “Yes. I can't prove it, but that's the only thing we can think of.”

“How did you guys get out?” Lacey asked. She made her way to her mother's chair and motioned for her to move over, then sat next to her.

“We were at a doctor's appointment for Michael. When we came home the house was going up in flames.”

“Why do you think Piper Drugs set the fire?”

Her father sighed and rubbed his face as if he were weary. “We don't know for sure… but I just have a funny feeling.”

“I think you're right, Dad.” Sarah put her arm around his shoulders. “Because when we were upstairs a man asked Dottie about you guys and showed her your picture.”

“That's right,” Dottie interjected. “This man said you were criminals and I should call him if I see you. He gave me a card.” Dottie dug into the front pocket of her jeans and pulled out the card. “Here.” She handed it to Sarah's father.

While he studied the card his expression grew angry and he clenched his teeth. “What did this man look like?”

“He was tall with short dark hair, blue eyes, and he wore glasses,” Dottie answered.

“Did he wear a large ring on his left hand?”

Dottie furrowed her brow, and then nodded. “Yes, he did. It was silver with a black stone.”

Sarah's father pressed his lips into a tight line. “Martin Savage.” He tapped the card on the table. “He's head of security at Piper Drugs.”

Sarah's breath caught in her throat. “What does that mean?”

Her father frowned. “It means they're trying to get rid of the Robinsons and they suspect I'm working with them.”

“Oh, no!” Lacey cried and twisted the hem of her shirt in her fingers. “They must know you were living in their house.”

“I don't know about that,” her father said as he stared at the business card. “But they suspect something.”

“What are we going to do?” Sarah asked.

Her father sighed. “I'm not sure.” He met Sarah's gaze and said, “Do you have the information on that boy you told me about?”

Sarah handed her father the papers. “I couldn't make heads or tails of any of this.”

“If you folks don't need anything, I'm going to head back up the stairs. Just in case a customer comes into the store,” Dottie stated.

“Thanks, Dottie,” Sarah's father said.

She smiled and gave them a quick nod, then disappeared up the stairs.

After Dottie left, Sarah's father faced her. “You probably wouldn't be able to honey. You're not a chemist or a doctor.” He gave her a quick smile, before turning his attention to the pages in his hand. He placed them on the table and then perused them carefully. “Just as I suspected, the young man was anemic and he had been taking a daily dose of aspirin for an injury.”

“What does that mean?” Sarah asked.

“Well… the combination of the three, Anemia, Aspirin, and Myodine cause severe liver damage.”

“What does that mean?” Lacey piped up.

“Normally the liver has the ability to repair itself… but since the person doesn't know he's damaging his liver, he keeps taking the drug. So, the liver doesn't have time to repair itself.”

“So the person taking the drug gets sick?” Sarah asked.

“Yes. Very sick. In fact, the deterioration is a lot like the deterioration of a heavy drinker. But taking this drug is much worse. The damage occurs much faster.”

Sarah turned away and gazed at Mr. Robinson as he rocked his son. He raised his hand and brushed the hair away from his son's pale face.

Facing her father, she leaned in and whispered. “So… is that what's going to happen to that little kid?”

Her father shook his head. “I hope not. I've worked up a formula that seems to be working for him… but we won't know for sure for a few more days.”

“What do you mean?”

“His blood work shows improvement… but like I said, we won't know for a few more days.”

“What are you looking for in his blood work?” Sarah asked.

“We're looking at his liver enzyme levels.” Her father pointed to the print out in his hand. “If they're elevated to a higher than normal level, we conduct further tests.” He pointed at the page again. “That's what this gentleman's doctor did here. He tested further and… see the albumin level? That's way lower than normal. This is a huge indication of liver damage. The problem is a person taking the drug doesn't even know he's causing damage.”

“I see.” Sarah furrowed her brow and chewed on her nail. “So a person with this kind of problem wouldn't even know he was sick until it was almost too late.”

Her father sighed. “Yes. It happens so fast the liver doesn't have time to recover and he could die.”

Sarah clutched his arm. “So we need to get the cure to this kid before he dies.”

“That's right.” Her father clenched his fist and shook his head. “How in the world are we going to do that?”

“Maybe Scoop can help us,” Sarah suggested. She glanced at Lacey for confirmation.

“I bet he could,” Lacey agreed.

“Maybe there's a way I can talk to his doctor.” The girls' father studied the pages Sarah had just given him, his blue eyes turning almost navy with intensity. “I'm looking for the doctor's name… ah here it is, Dr. Warner.”

“Maybe you should call him right now,” Sarah urged. She didn't know why but a sense of urgency gripped her so tightly she was having trouble taking a breath.

Her father nodded and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. “I'll just do a search for the number and then give them a call.”

While her father stepped away from the table and made his call, Sarah moved toward her mother and gave her a quick hug, then sat down in the chair her father had just vacated. “Mom, why would Piper Drugs want to put a harmful drug on the market?”

Her mother sighed and brushed Sarah's hair out of her face, then gave her a tender smile. “Honey… it doesn't make sense to me. But according to your father, it's cheaper for the company to deal with any lawsuits in court than it is to recall the drug.”

“That's pretty cold.” Sarah clenched her fists and grimaced. A spark of anger ignited in her belly and raged through her veins. “Ha… the company that wants to take care of your family. What a crock.” She shook her head in disgust.

“I know Sarah. That's why your father and I made the decision we made a few months ago. Now you understand.”

“Yes I do,” Sarah said and gave her mother another hug. She glanced at her father; he was pacing near the stairs and gesturing with his free hand while he spoke on the phone.

“What do you think is happening?” Lacey asked.

Her mother shook her head. “I don't know.” She sighed and put her arm around Lacey. “It's probably pretty hard to convince someone you've never met to believe such an incredible story.”

Sarah exhaled a deep sigh and stared at her father. The weight of their predicament crushed her and she slumped in her chair. “What are we going to do?”

“We'll figure something out.” Her mother patted her arm.

“Hey, Dad, what did he say?” Lacey asked.

Sarah faced her father just as he put his cell phone in his front shirt pocket. His blue eyes clouded over and his shoulders slumped as he walked back to the table. “What did he say?” She moved out of his chair and motioned for him to sit down.

Her father sat and sighed heavily. He slumped in his chair and stared off in space.

“Dad?” Sarah asked.

He sighed again and then spoke. “The young man just died a half an hour ago.”