The Super Spies and the Pied Piper

“What do you mean you lost them?” Sarah Cole fidgeted as she waited for Agent Gray to answer.
I can't believe it! He lost the only clue to our parents'
location. What is wrong with this picture
? Agitated, Sarah shifted in her seat and chewed on her lip. She was uncomfortable in the folding chair and rearranged her petite frame so she wouldn't feel the cold metal against her bare legs. Shivering, she glanced around the all-too-familiar room.

The gray cement block walls no longer gave her that creepy, closed-in feeling she'd used to get when she first came to the interrogation rooms. She remembered the first time she'd been in that tiny space. It had been the day she'd discovered the Cat Lady's dead body. Sarah shuddered at the memory and then smiled when she remembered forming the Super Spies and bringing the Cat Lady Killer to justice. Glancing around the room again, she realized she'd been in this room quite a bit these last few weeks, not only during the Cat Lady investigation, but the High School Bomber investigation as well. Shivering again, Sarah rubbed her arms but she really wasn't cold. Her mind filled with the image of the bomber the Super Spies had helped apprehend just a week earlier.

Wow! Was it just last week
?

She tugged at a lock of her honey colored hair, then brushed it away with an impatient hand. She sighed and glanced at her younger sister. Lacey sat beside her with her legs crossed, jiggling her foot at such a rapid rate it seemed like her whole body was electrified. She caught Sarah's eye and for a moment her eyes glittered like emeralds before she shifted her gaze to Aunt June, who had placed her hand on Lacey's leg in what appeared to be an attempt to quiet her. Sarah shifted in her chair and sighed again.
Are we ever going to find
Mom and Dad
?

A commotion out in the hall drew everyone's attention. Sarah leaned forward and craned her neck to see what was happening.

“Chief, we've got an OD!” An officer yelled.

“What?” Chief Johnson yelled as he rushed by. “An OD on what? Give me the details.”

“The parents found their son unconscious in his room this morning, and an empty bottle of prescription medication on his bedside table.”

“What was it?” Chief Johnson asked.

“It's Myodine.”

“Who makes it?”

“Ah… Piper Drugs.”

“Call Poison Control with the name and manufacturer and ask them what to do about an overdose. Instruct the parents to get their son to the hospital pronto,” Chief Johnson ordered.

“They've brought him here.”

“What?” Chief Johnson exclaimed.

The sound of policemen rushing through the hall pulled Sarah and her sister out of their seats. They hurried to the door, unable to stifle their curiosity. Peering down the corridor, Sarah caught a glimpse of a young man sagging between two officers as they desperately tried to keep him on his feet. One officer gently slapped his face while the other officers held him up. The young man blinked and then gagged, puking on the officer in front of him.

The rancid stench of fresh vomit filled the air. While plugging her nose, Sarah ducked back inside the interrogation room, followed by her sister. Sarah closed the door, hoping it would keep the smell from penetrating the room.

“Did you hear that, Lace? Piper Drugs! That's the company Dad works for,” Sarah whispered in her sister's ear before proceeding back to her seat.

Lacey opened her mouth to speak, but closed it when Agent Gray cleared his throat and motioned for them to sit down.

He continued his conversation as if they hadn't been interrupted. We were on our way to the location of the ping… but before we got there it disappeared.”

“So, what does that mean? Did you find our parents or what?” Sarah blurted out as she sat down. She stared into Agent Gray's icy blue eyes, trying to read his mind.

“It means…” Agent Gray took a deep breath and seemed to reign in his annoyance. He shifted his large frame gingerly as if the chair was too small and he feared he would topple over at any moment. “That the phone was either turned off or it died, and without the ping we can't locate it.”

Sarah slumped down, crushed by disappointment.

“Exactly how does pinging work?” Aunt June asked, leaning forward and looking past Lacey. She gave Sarah the evil eye, silently telling her to be still.

Sarah rolled her eyes and sighed. Staring at her aunt, she was struck by the resemblance to her mother. The same blonde hair and green eyes, they looked so much alike that Sarah swore they were twins. They even had the same worry line between their brows. It made its appearance now on Aunt June's face.

“Pinging is where we can triangulate a cell phone's location. By triangulate I mean we can find out which cell phone towers were accessed by the phone when it tried to make a call and this will give us a general idea of the phone's location.”

Aunt June bit her lip. “I see, so what happens now that you've lost the signal?”

“We've still got the ping set up so if the phone is turned back on, we'll be able to continue our trace.”

“Where did the ping show up?” Sarah demanded and received another glare from her aunt.

“Somewhere in the vicinity of the town of Alden.”

“Alden?” Sarah locked eyes with her sister and then spun back to face the agent. “That's up north. We went camping there one summer.”

“That's right,” Aunt June said. “It's about a two-hour drive from here.”

“How in the world did their cell phone get up north when they disappeared on a Caribbean Cruise?” Sarah frowned and bit her lip. Questions whirled through her mind so fast she couldn't make sense of them. “I mean the last we knew they were down in Florida.”

“Yeah, what's going on?” Lacey asked, nervously twirled her long blonde hair.

“How did their phone get from Florida to Alden?” Sarah exchanged a perplexed look with Lacey.

“A very good question,” Agent Gray said. “We've subpoenaed their phone records and when we receive them, we'll let you know what we find out.”

“That's it?” Sarah protested and then winced when she caught another warning look from Aunt June.

“Sorry,” the agent responded, then heaved a big sigh as he stood to leave.

“Wait, what's the next step in the investigation?” Sarah asked, ignoring her aunt's pointed look.

“It's stalled until we get the phone records or another lead.”

“You mean you're not going up there?” Sarah stood and put her hands on her hips. “You're not going to check out the town?”

Agent Gray pursed his lips and blew air through them. “Well… we can't, not without the ping. We can't just go up there and demand everyone's cell phone.”

Sarah opened her mouth to protest, but quickly clamped it shut when she realized the futility of her words. She stared at her Aunt, hoping to transmit her frustration telepathically.

It seemed to work, because Aunt June stood and moved next to her, she squeezed Sarah's arm and then addressed the FBI agent. “Thank you, Agent Gray. I'm sure we'll hear from you if there are any new developments?”

“Yes, you will,” he said with a nod and then strolled out the door with the file under his arm.

Aunt June sighed. “Okay, girls, let's get you to school.”

“I don't feel like going to school,” Sarah grumbled. She sighed and slung her backpack over her shoulder.

“I know, but there's nothing you can do for your parents at the moment.”

Sarah ground her teeth and let out a low groan, then followed her Aunt out the door and into the narrow corridor.

She chewed her nail as she walked. These narrow, dimly lit hallways had become a second home to her, and she was as familiar with this foyer as she was with the one that led to her bedroom in her aunt and uncle's home.

Aunt June glanced over her shoulder and eyed Sarah. “I'll give you girls a ride to school.”

“Okay,” Sarah said with a glum nod.

Lacey poked her in the back.

Startled, Sarah spun around. “What?”

“Do you have the file from that detective with you?”

“Why?”

Lacey pulled on the back of her shirt, slowing her down. “Bring it to lunch and we'll try and figure out how Mom and Dad's phone made it from Florida to Alden.”

Sarah shrugged. “Okay.” Her spirits lifted at the thought that they could do something, anything but sit and wait.
At least we have a little bit of a plan
.

Aunt June led them out of the red brick building and toward the light blue, four-door vehicle in the parking lot. She unlocked the door with her remote and Sarah climbed in the back seat, while Lacey sat in front.

Aunt June pulled out of the lot and drove down Main Street. Sarah stared out at the shops as they passed by. The downtown area still slept. All the shop windows were dark and many had the shades drawn, giving the impression they were abandoned. Sarah focused her attention on the sky. It was a cold slate color; the morning sun had yet to warm it with its golden rays.

She sighed and shifted in her seat. Thoughts of her parents fluttered through her mind.
How did their cell phone get all
the
way from Florida to Alden
,
Michigan?
She bit her lip and tugged at the hem of her plaid mini-skirt.

“Aunt June, you'll have to write us a note explaining why we're late,” Lacey said, pulling Sarah away from her thoughts.

“Yes, I figured I would have to,” Aunt June said, casting a quick glance at Lacey. She pulled up to the curb in front of the junior high and put the car in park. Then she rummaged around in her purse for a pen and paper. “I'll just say you both had an appointment.” she wrote on a pad of paper before tearing off a page and handing the note to Lacey. “You girls try and have a good day.”

“We will,” Lacey said and flashed Aunt June a smile.

The girls climbed out of the car and hurried toward the school. Sarah groaned. Her steps felt heavy and uncoordinated, as if her feet were encased in lead.
I'm never going to make it through the day.

“I wonder how long it will take them to rebuild the school,” Lacey said, shifting her backpack to her right shoulder.

“I have no idea.” Sarah sighed and glanced around. “I'm just really glad that the bombers have been caught and Uncle Walt is okay.”

“Me too. I wonder how long Uncle Walt has to go to physical therapy.”

Sarah shrugged. “Hard telling. We'll just have to take it one day at a time.”

“I guess.”

“Isn't that weird about Mom and Dad's phone?” Sarah's thumb found its way to her mouth and she chewed on it as her mind whirled with all the possibilities.

Lacey grabbed her arm. “Very weird.” She pulled Sarah to a stop right in front of the door. “When was the last time they called us?”

Sarah's brow furrowed. She pulled her thumb from her mouth and wiped it on her skirt. “It was right before we played Truth or Dare with Jackie, remember?”

Lacey squeezed Sarah's arm. “Yeah… where were they when they called?”

“They were still in Florida. It was right before they were supposed to get on the ship.”

“That's right.”

“So.” Sarah grabbed her sister's arm and stared into her eyes. “Do you think Mom and Dad are back in Michigan?”

“I don't know.” Lacey's eyes widened. “What other possibility is there?”

Sarah frowned. “Maybe someone stole their phone from them.”

Lacey's eyes welled with tears. “Does that mean—?”

“I don't know…” Sarah cut her off by giving Lacey a quick squeeze. She guided her toward the door. “We'll talk more about this at lunch.”

Lacey wiped her eyes. “Okay.”