Family of Spies, page 14
Great-Granddad sighed. “No, you are right. I won’t strong-arm you, but if something happens to you…”
He stood and unclipped Jacques from his leash and pulled a small rubber ball from his pocket. He threw it far towards the Palais. Jacques raced across the grass.
Scout sighed and returned to the bench. “We aren’t at Oxford anymore, Fox. Our carefree university days are long gone.”
“Sometimes I wish we could turn back time,” he whispered.
“What? I never had you pegged as an idealistic daydreamer.” She looked at her watch. “It’s getting late. My next meeting with the general is tomorrow at seven pm. I will find where they’ve taken Owl and, fingers crossed, I will get the name of the agent who has double-crossed us.”
Jacques returned with the ball. Great-Granddad wrestled it out of his mouth and threw it again. The retriever galloped away.
“I am bringing in Radley to tail you.”
“That is not necessary and, I…” her words trailed off as she stared down at her hands. “Fox, I have doubts about him.”
“About Radley? Ludicrous. He is one of ours. England born and raised. Cambridge educated, but we won’t hold that against him.”
“Cambridge, Oxford, you and I both know that is no guarantee of anything. There is something about him that gives me the chills and I can’t shake the feeling that he isn’t all he seems. I think it’s his beady little eyes. He rarely blinks. I counted once. He can go for a minute and a half between blinks.”
Great-Granddad laughed. “Your suspicions of a fellow agent are based on blinking? Surely not.”
She laughed and then grew quiet. “It may sound ridiculous to you, but my gut instincts have rarely been wrong, have they?”
“I can’t argue with your track record. You are one of our best field agents. Speaking of suspicions, I have my own about Wilhelm Müller.”
She cocked her head and walked towards him. “You vetted him like all your informants, didn’t you?”
“Yes, of course.”
Her eyebrows arched and she shrugged. “You’ve yet to be wrong, but there is always risk with an informant. Perhaps his allegiance isn’t truly with us. You said he has a family to worry about, so that does increase the possibility of a double-cross. The German secret service may have threatened him.”
“Or have promised him a reward once the war ends.”
Jacques pranced back, the ball wedged between his teeth. Great-Granddad clipped the leash onto the dog’s collar, then looked at Scout. “If you get the faintest inkling that your cover is blown, you must abandon the mission. Promise me that.”
To Ford, his words sounded more like a plea than a command.
“Yes, yes, I will. I promise. I’ll make my way to England.” Her eyes were soft, tenderness laced her words. She stood on tiptoe and kissed Ford’s great-grandfather on the cheek. “Until we meet again, dear Fox.”
Ford’s great-grandfather watched her walk across the grass and slip away through the cover of the trees.
“Till we meet again,” he murmured. “Some sunny day.”
Great-Granddad faded to grey, then drifted into mist. A white horse head solidified in his place.
Ford slumped in his carousel saddle. His mouth suddenly dry as sandpaper. “I have a really bad feeling.” Ford’s words croaked out, barely above a whisper. He slouched forward to rest his forehead on the cool metal pole.
“What did you say?” Ellie said, tapping him on the shoulder. “I can’t hear you over the carousel music.”
He yanked his water bottle out of his bag and glugged most of it down before answering. Instinct screamed at him: Scout was in danger. “Something bad is going to happen to Scout. I can sense it.”
Gavin leaned towards Ford. “Like what?”
Ford shook his head. Shivers ran down his neck and across his spine. Goosebumps covered his arms. “Not sure, but I’m afraid for her. I think Great-Granddad was too. And there is a fourth agent in their network named Radley and Great-Granddad wants him to follow Scout to make sure she’s safe. Scout doesn’t trust Radley and Great-Granddad doesn’t trust Wilhelm.”
“I guess it’s hard to know who to trust when you’re a spy,” Gavin said.
The carousel slowed to a halt and the cousins climbed off their horses. Ford’s legs shook as he stepped down to the pavement. He wavered, but Gavin was there to support him.
“Thanks,” Ford said and unzipped his backpack. He grabbed his chocolate bar and yanked off the wrapper. “And thank goodness for Uncle Jim.”
Ellie watched him devour the sweet treat. “I packed granola bars, oranges, and more apples for you too, just in case.”
He smiled. “Thanks.”
“Hey, that’s why I am The Mastermind, after all.”
Uncle Jim’s booming laugh made them turn.
“Kids!” Dad called. “Are you ready for the Eiffel Tower?”
Ford’s legs wobbled again. Already? He hadn’t even recovered from this vision. No way was he ready for the dreaded Eiffel Tower.
“Oh, that took me back to our childhood,” Aunt June said to Mom as The Sisters walked towards them.
“Ford,” Mom said, her smile fading as she neared. She grabbed his chin and turned his face side to side. “You are paler than usual. Are you feeling alright?”
Ford forced out a smile. He couldn’t let them suspect anything. If Mom even had a flicker of concern, she’d join Dad in constant surveillance. “I’m fine, I just, uhm…”
“He got a little dizzy on the merry-go-round,” Gavin finished for him.
Mom let Ford go and tilted her head. “Really? You’ve never had trouble with rides before.”
“I must just be hungry. You know how it is. I’m growing, always eating. Just ask Ellie,” Ford rambled on. Mom didn’t release his chin. He could tell Mom wasn’t fooled.
“It’s true, Aunt May. He’s a bottomless pit. In fact, we’ve taken to carrying extra rations to tide him over,” Ellie said.
“Extra rations? What is this, the army?” Dad said, laughing.
Ford froze. So did Gavin. Only Ellie seemed to retain her ability to think quickly.
“Funny, Uncle Dave. We watched a documentary on World War 2 last night in my room after dinner. Some of the lingo must have stuck in my brain. Guess we shouldn’t watch television right before bed, right guys?”
Dad looked from Ellie to Ford and then finally to Gavin. “All righty then. Glad we got that settled. Maybe lay off the drama, Ellie.”
“Let’s grab a quick bite for Ford, so he gets some colour back in his face,” Mom said, pinching his cheeks.
Ford’s face burned. “Mom, please.”
“May,” Dad said to Mom. “Let’s go find a café and give the kids some space.” As he led her away, he turned and winked at Ford.
Ford smiled. That was too close.
“Oh my gosh, check out my parents,” Ellie said.
Ford and Gavin looked behind them. Uncle Jim was piggybacking Aunt June, who was now wearing Uncle Jim’s cap on top of her own hat. The tiny French flag on top fluttered in the breeze.
Ford laughed. “Vive la France!”
“Long live France? Only if they don’t wreck it first!” Ellie added.
Chapter 26
“Man, France sure knows how to make a Danish,” Ford said, popping the last morsel of pain au chocolate pastry in his mouth and licking his fingers.
“Are you ready to take on another vision?” Gavin asked.
As much as he wanted to see the Eiffel Tower, he was dreading this next vision. “Not really. I’m still a little wobbly from the last one.”
Ellie passed him an apple. “Eat this. It keeps the doctor away. Maybe it will take the Great-Granddad shakes away too.”
“Couldn’t hurt.” Ford took a big bite.
“So why do you think Great-Granddad had two code names?” she asked.
“Maybe to safeguard the S.O.E. mission from Wilhelm. He really didn’t trust him,” Ford said.
“That makes sense. He’d want to keep his informant a little in the dark as to the extent of their spy network,” Gavin said.
Ford wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and took a huge sip of water. “I feel better.”
“You’re ready for the next stop?” Ellie asked.
“As ready as I can be. Still nervous about this next memory.” That was putting it lightly, but saying he was terrified out loud might make everyone scared.
“We’ll be there for you. Right, Gav?”
Gavin didn’t reply. He didn’t even look at her as he folded his napkin into an ever-tinier square.
“Hey, Earth to planet Gavin.” Ford shook his brother’s shoulder. “We’re ready to go.”
“Oh, sorry. I was just thinking…” Gavin held up his napkin square. He then unfolded it, lines etched deep in the paper. “See how the fold marks cross each other every once in a while?”
Ford and Ellie nodded.
“I’ve been looking for a way that science fits into Ford’s abilities, looking for a way to explain all of this. So I went back to my original explanation using a napkin. Now, if you look at the lines that go up and down as Ford and the ones that go across as Great-Granddad, you have points where the lines meet and, in the theory I am contemplating, those points are when Ford sees Great-Granddad’s memories. It’s as if their timelines cross, all due to their connection with each other.”
“That’s a pretty cool explanation,” Ford said. “Well done, Professor!”
“Kid-ooooooos!” Mom sang, every customer turning their eyes to their parents. “Time to see the Eiffel Towwwww-er.”
Uncle Jim beckoned them to the doorway with his hat. The small French flag, now bent in half, looked defeated. Uncle Jim, on the other hand, looked ready to take on Paris. “Y’all are slower than a Sunday afternoon.”
Together they sprinted across the road and towards the Eiffel Tower. Dread washed over Ford as they walked underneath the massive metal structure. “How exactly are we going to do this next vision without the parents seeing us? I mean, won’t we be stuck on some tour with them?” Ford clasped his hands together to stop them from shaking. He needed some Great-Granddad spy courage. If only he could tap into that along with the memories.
“Not necessarily,” Gavin said, reading an information board outside the ticket office. “We can take the stairs to the second floor. No way are our parents going to trek up 669 steps, which is the equivalent of…” Gavin thought for a few seconds. “…fifty-six flights of stairs.”
“Fifty-six flights! How are we going to do that?” Ellie said.
“We won’t need to. We’ll stop at the first floor, which is only 328 steps. That way if the parents search for us on the second floor, they won’t find us.”
Ellie smiled. “Clever. Maybe we should call you Mastermind.”
Ford looked over at their parents. Mom, Uncle Jim, and Aunt June were busy sorting out entrance tickets, but Dad was standing off to the side. He was staring right at Ford.
“Guys,” Ford said, not taking his eyes off his father. “We have a problem.”
Dad marched over to them. “Something is up,” he said. “Spill it.”
Ford opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
Ellie stepped forward. “We didn’t want to worry you, but Ford isn’t feeling 100 percent.”
What was she doing? Letting Dad in on their secret was not in the plan. He was cool with a lot of things, but Dad told Mom everything and she would definitely flip out. “Not feeling well? Why didn’t you tell Mom when she asked? Do you have the flu?” Dad laid the back of his hand on Ford’s forehead. “You aren’t hot, but you are sweaty.”
“I-I’m feeling sort of…” Ford stumbled over his words, trying to figure out what to say, while avoiding direct eye contact with Dad. He was almost as worried about being caught by their parents as he was by the spies.
“He hasn’t felt quite himself since we arrived in Paris,” Gavin explained. “I did a little research on the internet and his symptoms seem to fall under general jetlag and adjusting his circadian rhythm to the time change. Many people experience similar difficulties when travelling overseas and, coupled with a possible pubescent growth spurt, we can’t truly be surprised that Ford is not his usual self.”
Dad blinked. “Well, okay then. Thanks for that, Gav. Just take it a little easy.”
Take it easy? Ford’s hands began to perspire. How were they going to convince Dad that he could handle climbing up the Eiffel Tower?
Ellie adjusted her cap and smiled. “Actually, Uncle Dave, whenever I’m going through a growth spurt, I find it helps to do more exercise. It feels good to stretch out achy muscles, or…something.”
Gavin nodded in agreement. “Same with me. The more you do, the better, which is why we are taking—”
“The stairs,” Ellie finished for Gavin.
“I don’t know if that’s a wise idea,” Dad said.
“Really, Dad. It’ll be no problem, and we can always stop to rest halfway and—” Ford began.
“And we can take the elevator down if he gets tired.” Gavin finished. “Don’t worry, Dad. I’ll take care of him. I promise.”
Ford stared at his feet. If only he could tell Dad about his clairvoyance. Maybe then Dad would trust Ford could look after himself.
Dad’s eyes grew teary. “I know you will. You’re good boys. Both of you. And Ellie, what a cousin you are. Couldn’t ask for better.” He pulled a tissue from his pocket and blew his nose. “I don’t know what’s got into me. Maybe a touch of Ford’s jetlag.” He looked a bit surprised and embarrassed by his reaction.
Gavin nodded. “Probably.”
“Yes, well, let me get your tickets and you can begin your climb. You kids are a whole lot braver than me.”
Ford smiled. He had no idea. Once Dad was at a safe distance, Ford turned to Gavin. “Circadian rhythm coupled with a pubescent growth spurt? Did you just make that up?”
“Sort of. I just combined the two and hoped Dad would buy it. He is a history professor after all. Science was never his specialty.”
“It was brilliant,” Ellie said.
Gavin blushed, a wide smile covering his face.
Ford shifted from one foot to the other. He felt like he always did right before writing a test. Impatient for it to begin, yet nervous that he wouldn’t do very well. This time the impatience was the same, but he was nervous of what he would see, of what was in store for Scout.
Chapter 27
As they climbed the tower, their footfalls rang off the metal steps. They moved quite quickly for the first 150 stairs, but after that even Ellie had to slow down.
“151, 152, 153, 154—” Ellie counted out loud.
“Stop it, Ellie!” Ford said, his thighs burning. “We don’t need you counting out the next 200 stairs.”
“Stopping?” Gavin asked, breathing hard. “Break—time?” He leaned on the railing and took a swig from his water bottle. He then poured water on his head. “Hot.”
“We can’t wait here all day,” Ellie said. She looked up. Dark clouds inched across the blue sky. “I don’t think we want to be caught in a storm while Ford is in the middle of a vision.”
“Can you keep going?” Ford asked Gavin.
He smiled and sipped more water. “Yes. I’ll just—go slow—I’ll catch—up.”
Ellie began climbing. “155, 156, 157, 15—”
“Ellie!” Ford said.
“Woopsee.” She laughed, then continued in a whisper. “158, 159, 160…”
Ford rolled his eyes and followed his cousin.
As they climbed higher and higher, Gavin slipped further behind. Ford’s thighs and calves were on fire, but he didn’t want to stop. He simply wanted to get this next memory over with.
“We’re—here,” Ellie said, slumping against a metal beam. “Where’s Gavin?”
“Coming,” Ford said, breathing hard.
If he and Ellie were tired, Gavin must be exhausted. Ford plunked onto a metal bench and pulled his hoodie off, letting the early morning breeze cool him down. He walked across the glass floor, over to the railing, and looked down. Children raced around the Champ de Mars greenspace while armed military personnel patrolled the grounds. No one seemed to notice their presence. Was that what it was like during the war? Did regular Parisians simply grow accustomed to armed Germans everywhere? He only saw them in visions, stuck in the past, unable to harm him, yet they still terrified him. Ford thought of those parents with their baby in the stroller. Nope. No way did the French get used to them. They must have lived in fear every single day.
Ford was about to mention this to Ellie, when Gavin clanged up the final few stairs to the platform. Ellie rushed over to his side and guided him to the bench. Gavin panted so hard, he couldn’t utter a word. Ellie dug around Gavin’s backpack, yanked out his water bottle, and handed it to him.
He shook his head, and titled his head back, resembling a fish out of water, and gasped for air.
“You okay?” Ford asked.
Gavin flashed a smile and gave him a thumbs-up. “Just—have—to—catch—”
“Your breath?” Ford finished for him.
Gavin nodded.
Ellie smoothed out the old Eiffel Tower postcard and flipped it over. “There is some writing in French, but it’s super hard to read. Whoever wrote this certainly didn’t win any awards for penmanship.”
“What does it say?” Ford asked.
Ellie squinted. “Hmmm. It begins with, My Dearest R, You would have….ad…adored? Yes, that’s it. You would have adored the Moulin Rouge last evening. You must go. The costumes were top guill…no that’s not right. The costumes were top quality—the highest quality… This part is a bit smudged. Only the…best here in Paris and the…show only runs for…four more days, although tomorrow you can get the best…sièges de théâtre …seats in the theatre. Now this next part is all squished together, so it’s harder to read,” Ellie read much slower, taking time to decipher the writing and translate into English. “And no need to—scout for dinner, may I recommend The Hotel Raphael? The meals are—exquisite—and of course a table booked prior to seven pm is possible.”
