The Super Spies and the Pied Piper (33 page)

Sarah rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Just give me a bobby pin.” She grabbed the pin out of her friend's hand and bent her head to examine it. “Let's see if it works.” Strolling toward the door, she raised her eyebrows at Scoop and gave him a triumphant smile.

Scoop winked at her and followed her to the door.

Sarah tried inserting the bobby pin into the hole in the doorknob. “Bummer. It's getting hung up on that big bump at the front of the bobby pin.”

“Try straightening it and inserting the other end,” Scoop suggested.

Sarah straightened the bobby pin and tried to insert it again. “I think it's going to work.”

Just as she inserted the bobby pin, the knob rotated. Sarah lost her grasp on the pin and clenched her hands.

Scoop pulled both girls back toward the table and motioned for them to sit down.

As Sarah sat down, their captor stepped into the room. He carried bags from a fast food restaurant in one hand and a tray of drinks in another. Placing the food and drinks on the table, he said, “Here's your lunch. Enjoy.”

“When are we getting out of here?” Sarah asked. She resisted the urge to glance at the door, afraid he would see their attempt to escape and take the bobby pin with him. Her heart pounded against her ribs and she forced herself to take a couple of deep breaths.

“I'll let you know.” He gave her a menacing stare as he backed toward the door.

“Why does Piper Drugs call themselves the Pied Piper of Drug Companies?” Sarah blurted out. Her voice cracked and she popped her thumb into her mouth.

Martin Savage's chest puffed up. “Because we are the industry leaders. We play our little song and dance and everyone follows us.” He stepped toward the door and grabbed the door knob. “What the h—?” He stared down at the knob and pulled out the bobby pin. “Well, well, well, what do we have here?”

Sarah gulped and shrugged. “Beats me.”

“Trying to escape, were you?”

“No. We didn't even know it was there,” Sarah said with a weak smile. She knew she should keep her mouth shut, but she couldn't help it. Anxiety coursed through her body like a raging river and the only way to relieve it was to talk. “What is it?”

“Tsk. What is it? As if you didn't know.” He glared at her. “Okay. Hand over your backpacks.”

Sarah groaned and felt the slight edge they had over their captor slip away. She exchanged a look with Jackie, before she stood on wobbly legs and handed Martin Savage her backpack. Her heart grew heavy.
What are we going to do now
?

Jackie stood and handed their captor her backpack. Her shoulders were stiff and her movements were jerky, like she was on autopilot. Sarah could tell she was nervous.

When he had both packs, their captor gave them a vicious glare before he exited the room.

“Crap,” Sarah muttered. “There goes our only chance to get the drive and get away.”

Jackie opened one of the fast food bags. “Awesome. Cheeseburgers! I'm starved.”

Sarah stared at her friend. “I don't believe it. We just lost our only means of escape and you want to eat.”

Jackie snickered. “Relax, girlfriend. I've got another bobby pin.” Jackie put her hand in her front pocket and pulled it out. “See?”

“You're awesome, Jackie Jenkins.” Her limbs went limp and Sarah laid her head down on the table and took a deep breath.

Jackie held up her burger to take a bite then stopped and gazed at Sarah. “You better eat. You'll need your strength.”

“Do you really think we should eat?” Sarah lifted her head and set her mouth in a grim line. She grabbed a burger out of the bag and then pushed it toward Scoop. “I mean they could have put some drug in the food.”

Jackie spit out her food and grimaced at Sarah. “I didn't think of that.”

“Sarah's right. We can't eat this.” The retired reporter pulled a hanky out of his pocket and wiped his forehead. “I'm getting too old for this kind of activity.” Placing the handkerchief back into his pocket, he sighed and said, “Let's get to work on that door.

Sarah took a deep breath and stood. “Okay. Here goes nothing,” Sarah said. She made eye contact with Scoop before dashing to the door.

Scoop gave her a smile of encouragement, and Sarah bent down to insert the bobby pin into the hole. It went in without getting hung up and Sarah flashed Scoop and Jackie a triumphant smile.

“Now, see if you can pop the lock,” Scoop instructed.

Sarah wiggled the bobby pin until she heard the pop of the lock. She bit her lip to stifle the cheer rising in her throat. “I think I got it.” She straightened up and turned the doorknob. The door squeaked open and Sarah's mouth went dry. “I don't believe it.”

Jackie grabbed her arm and squeezed. “Way to go.”

Her breath tickled Sarah's ear and she rubbed it until the tickle disappeared. She gave her friend a quick, triumphant smile.

Scoop gave her a wink before peering out the door. He motioned for the girls to follow him.

Sarah made eye contact with Jackie and whispered, “The coast is clear.”

Jackie gave her a quick nod and squeezed her arm again.

Sarah followed Scoop out into the dark hallway. A single bulb screwed into a socket in the ceiling at the end of the corridor gave off a faint glow that barely penetrated the murky darkness. No windows adorned either wall of the hallway and Sarah's breath became shallow. She groaned, as that closed in feeling started to invade her body.
Washington…Adams…

Scoop must have noticed Sarah's predicament because he grabbed her hand and picked up his pace, rushing past rows of doors much like the one they had just walked through. Jackie followed close behind.

They made it to the end of the corridor, which opened up into a wider space. Sarah took a deep breath; it came a little easier and her chest loosened. She looked up at the naked light bulb and cringed. Feeling vulnerable out in the open, she searched for a place to hide.

The only place they could go was up the stairs or down another hallway. She made eye contact with Scoop.

He gestured toward the stairs. “We need to get that flash drive.”

Sarah nodded and turned toward Jackie. “Follow us.”

In response, Jackie nudged her friend forward.

Sarah followed Scoop up the stairs. She grabbed the railing with sweaty palms and her breathing became shallow and ragged, almost like she was gasping for air.

They reached the landing to the first floor. Scoop stopped and motioned for the girls to stop also.

“What's the matter?” Sarah whispered.

Scoop put his finger to his lips and pointed at the north corner, where a security camera hung.

Sarah's heart went into overdrive. “What are we going to do?”

Scoop pointed to the far wall. “We'll sneak along the wall. The camera can't move and we'll be out of range.”

Sarah squeezed Jackie's arm. “Got it?”

Jackie gave Sarah a thin smile and squeezed her arm back.

The retired reporter inched his way along the far wall until he reached the corner. Standing under the camera, he motioned for the girls to follow him.

Sarah inched forward, mimicking Scoop's movements. Jackie trailed behind her. Scoop kept his eye on the girls as he continued the journey and reached the stairs to the second floor. He stayed against the far railing and began his climb.

Sweat broke out under Sarah's arms and the blood thrummed in the veins in her ears. It was the only sound she heard in the stairwell and it was driving her crazy. The slow pace seemed more grueling than running a marathon. Her muscles tensed as she moved and the ache in her calves burned with each step.
Two
more floor
s
to go
.

Reaching the landing to the second floor, the group repeated the same routine they had on the floor below. Sarah paused and wiped the sweat from her brow.
One more floor
. Unwanted questions invaded her mind.
What if we get up there and the flash drive is gone
?
What are we going to do then? And where is Dottie
? She shook her head in an attempt to free her mind. Anxiety coursed through her veins and her finger tips tingled as she gripped the railing.

They reached the third floor landing and Sarah breathed a sigh of relief. No alarms had gone off during their perilous climb and a glimmer of hope shone through the cloud of fear in her mind.

Scoop kept the pace painstakingly slow and Sarah groaned inside. She wanted to rush toward the door and hurry to her father's office.

The retired reporter stopped under the security camera and waited for Sarah and Jackie to catch up. When they reached him he whispered, “Okay. There's no way to avoid the camera and go through the door. So, whatever you do… do not look at the camera. Don't let it get a picture of your face.”

Sarah's lip twitched into what she hoped was a smile and said, “Ready?”

Jackie nodded, her eyes widened and her face appeared pale.

“Let's move together,” Scoop said. “On three.”

Jackie grabbed Sarah's hand and squeezed, but didn't let go.

Scoop grabbed Sarah's other hand and said, “Remember. Don't look at the camera. One. Two. Three.”

Together, they leapt away from the wall and dashed for the door. Scoop grabbed the handle and pulled it wide and they dashed inside. Collapsing against the wall just inside the entryway, Sarah fought for breath.

Sarah waited to hear the screaming of alarms and the pounding of feet. No noise came. She made eye contact with her companions and gave them a tremulous, triumphant smile.

“Now what?” Jackie whispered.

Sarah held her finger to her lips and surveyed the area. They were in a carpeted hall. Sarah's ears hissed with the sudden silence and she yearned for the sounds of a busy office. She imagined the sounds of ringing phones, the buzz of conversations, and the banging of file drawers opening and closing. She gazed at Scoop. “What do we do now?”

He pointed to an office. “Can you see the number?”

Sarah shook her head. “Just a second.” She tiptoed forward and read the number and then returned to her friends. “It's number three-ten.”

Scoop did a fist pump and patted Sarah on the back.

“Cool beans!” Jackie whispered.

“Now go and see if it's locked,” Scoop said.

Sarah crept forward again and tried the door. Finding it unlocked, she motioned to her friends before going inside.

Upon stepping into the dark office, Sarah waited for her companions. Once everyone was in the room she closed the door. The darkness seemed like a living, breathing thing and Sarah shivered. Light poked through the blinds from the hallway and she made her way toward them. With a trembling hand, she closed them and plunging the room into total darkness. Then she turned on the light.

Squinting against the glare from the harsh fluorescent tube, Sarah glanced around the room. Her eyes lit upon a large oak desk placed in the center. Her heart raced from the adrenaline raging through her system. She clenched her hands, but stopped herself from immediately going toward the desk. Instead, she spun around and locked the door.

Another door sat in the middle of the wall on her right, perpendicular to the desk.
Where does that door go
? Tiptoeing forward, Sarah made her way to it. When she reached it, she paused and listened. When she didn't hear any sounds she opened the door and found a small closet. It was filled with office supplies and various microscopes. Breathing a sigh of relief, she faced her companions. “It's a closet.”

“Let's look for that flash drive,” Scoop said. His voice was high and tense. Sarah could tell he was scared.

She nodded and went right to the desk. Kneeling down, she scooted into the middle section where the legs of the occupant would be. Feeling along the edge of the bottom of the middle drawer, Sarah's fingers tingled.
I have to find Dad's
drive. Please let it be here
. Her fingers stumbled upon the sticky edge of what felt like tape. Her spirits soared.
Could this be it
?

She continued to finger the area and came upon a hard bump. “I think I found something,” she said in a low voice.

Jackie crouched down beside the desk and peered into the space. “Is it the drive?”

“I think so.” Sarah grunted as she tried to peel the tape away. “The tape's stuck pretty good though.”

Scoop knelt down. “Here, try my knife see if you can get it up with that.”

Sarah grabbed the knife, opened it, and then tried to scrape the tape away from the desk drawer.

“I'm going to be the look out by the door,” Scoop said. He returned to the door and stood in front of it. “We don't want to get caught in here.”

“You got that right,” Sarah muttered. She continued to work at the tape and the small area grew warm. Sweat rolled down her forehead and into her eye. Sarah blinked rapidly trying to clear her vision. Her eye stung from the sweat and she wiped it on her sleeve when the blinking didn't work. Frustrated, she inched her way out from under the desk and wiped her brow. “Man that tape is a real pain.”

“Do you want me to give it a try?” Jackie asked.

“Shhh…” Scoop warned.

Sarah stood and glanced at him, wondering why he was warning them. He froze and stared at her not speaking. She opened her mouth but closed it with a snap when her gaze dropped to the doorknob. Her mouth went dry as dirt and her breath died in her throat as the knob slowly turned.

Sarah stared at the knob, and then returned her frantic gaze to Scoop. He held his finger to his lips telling her to be still.

The knob jiggled as if the person trying to open it couldn't believe it was locked. Scoop leaned toward the door, and appeared to be listening. His eyes widened and the color left his face. “They're going to get the key,” he whispered. He took a deep breath and exhaled. “We have to work fast. Sarah, get back under there and get that drive.”