Family of Spies, page 15
Ellie looked up at Ford and Gavin. “Then it’s signed, Yours, F.”
“Scout went to the Moulin Rouge with that Nazi officer, remember?” Ford said. “General von-Strupel-whatever.”
“You mean,” Ellie said, flipping through the notes on her phone. “General Carl-Heinrich von Stülpnagel?”
“Yes, and Scout said he’d only be here for four more days and the postcard says the show was for only four more days.”
“Right. And she was meeting the general the next day at that same hotel. Do you think that is a coincidence?”
“This is way more than a coincidence. I think there is a secret message in there,” Ford said, pacing the metal floor.
Think like a spy. Think like Great-Granddad.
“When it says, ‘top quality—highest quality’ maybe that means someone high up in the military like the general. And the part about ‘no need to scout for dinner’ was telling whoever received the postcard that Scout herself was going to be at the Hotel Raphael.”
“That’s right, and Scout was going to meet the general at seven pm and that’s on the postcard, too. And it’s signed by F. Which could be either Francis or—” Ellie said.
“Or Fox,” Ford finished. “What’s the address on the card?”
Ellie shook her head. “I can’t tell. It’s been stroked through with thick black marker. It was addressed to ‘R’…” Ellie said, looking at the boys.
All three said at the same time, “Radley!”
“This must be Great-Granddad’s instructions for Radley to watch over Scout and make sure she’s okay,” Ford said. “Maybe I’m wrong, then. Maybe Radley will keep her safe.”
Ellie turned her attention to Gavin, whose breathing had slowed. “You’re looking less like you’re going to have a heart attack now. Are you ready for Ford’s next trip to memory-ville?”
“Yup, all set.”
Ford looked around the first floor. It wasn’t crammed full of tourists, thanks to Dad’s “early bird catches the worm” approach to sightseeing. “Let’s find someplace where we can tuck ourselves out of sight, or at least out of the way.”
“Good idea. Lead on, Wizard,” Ellie said, grinning.
Ford led them past the buffet-style restaurant and the gift shop to another staircase. “There really isn’t any place that gives us privacy.”
“Then we have to work with what we have. If we can’t hide what you’re doing from prying eyes, we’ll have to disguise what you are actually doing,” Gavin said. “Follow me.” He led them around the corner and past the fancy 58 Tour Eiffel restaurant. He walked around the next corner and over to the far wall.
“Here?” Ford asked. “There is no cover at all. It’s just a bit of floor space. Anyone can see us.”
“That’s okay. I have a plan. Ford, you sit with your earbuds in and pretend you are playing a game on your phone. Ellie and I will do the same, but really we’ll be listening to everything you say.”
“Okay, I guess it’s the best we can do.” Ford sat with his back against the wall and Ellie and Gavin faced him. All three with earbuds in, ready to pretend they were engrossed in their phones. Ellie held out the Eiffel Tower postcard to Ford.
“Wish me luck,” Ford said, and he grasped the paper.
Chapter 28
A loud rushing filled Ford’s ears and immediately Ellie and Gavin disappeared, as if they never existed. Wilhelm flashed into perfect focus in front of him. Great-Granddad appeared by his side. They were on the Eiffel Tower.
“I’m already here. It’s never happened so fast before,” Ford said.
“Where is Owl?” Great-Granddad asked.
“I-I don’t know,” Wilhelm sputtered.
Grand-Granddad grabbed Wilhelm’s collar, his knuckles whitened, and slammed him into a metal beam. Wilhelm cried out. Great-Granddad, leaned into him, further crushing the man. Wilhelm gasped, his face paling.
“Please, Francis. You must understand—”
“No, Wilhelm, you must understand. You know where Owl has been taken. I need that information.”
“I cannot—”
“You must. Remember, we know the exact location of your family. We know you moved them from Dresden six days ago. We know that yesterday they played in the park across the street from your flat. And we know how careless children can be, how accidents happen. What a shame it would be if something happened to them while crossing the street for instance, or—”
“Enough! Enough. Leave my children alone. I will tell you what I know.”
Great-Granddad pressed him one last time into the beam, then let go. Wilhelm stumbled to the side and reached out to the railing for support.
“Great-Granddad is roughing up Wilhelm to get information about Owl,” Ford said. “Wilhelm looks like he’d rather be anywhere but here. I think something really horrible happened to Owl.” A rolling nausea engulfed Ford. Part of him didn’t want to know any more, wanted to run from this particular memory. Another more insistent part of him needed to know. He clenched his fists.
Wilhelm rubbed his back and winced. “It is not what you want to hear, Francis.”
“Just tell me everything. Do not leave out any details.”
“Owl is—he is dead.”
Great-Granddad clenched his jaw. His grey eyes darkened. “When?”
“Yesterday. They were questioning him—”
“You mean torturing him.”
“Ja, ja. Likely so.”
“Where did this occur?”
“I—ah—”
Great-Granddad lunged at Wilhelm and threw him to the ground. Metal clanked and Wilhelm’s boots scuffed as he tried to free himself.
“Please, Francis!”
Great-Granddad pinned Wilhelm to the floor and pressed his forearm across Wilhelm’s throat. “I said do not leave out any details.” His voice was a vicious whisper.
Wilhelm struggled to speak, Great-Granddad eased off.
“Owl was interrogated by the Gestapo in a hotel on the edge of the city, Le Hotel du France. From there, prisoners are usually sent to a POW camp,” Wilhelm said.
“You mean a death camp.”
Wilhelm nodded. “Ja. Now may I go?”
“No, Wilhelm. You may not go. I have more questions for you. And you will answer me in a more truthful manner, won’t you?” He pressed down on Wilhelm’s throat once more.
Ford shivered. “Owl is dead. The Germans tortured and then killed him at Le Hotel du France. Great-Granddad is furious.”
Wilhelm squirmed under Great-Granddad’s weight, nodding his head vigorously.
Ford cringed. Nausea rose up his throat. How could Great-Granddad be so violent? This was not the man he’d seen so far.
Great-Granddad pushed himself off the floor and Wilhelm rolled onto his hands and knees, coughing and swallowing. Wilhelm’s legs wobbled as he stood.
“I have another operative, a woman—blonde, 5’4”, mid-40s, but she appears far younger. I have concerns about her safety in the field.”
Wilhelm turned his head and closed his eyes. He sighed. Slowly he opened them and stared at the floor. “Do you know how much danger you put me in? Do you not value the intelligence I have already provided?” A line of perspiration dripped from his temple and down his cheek.
“And do you not value the safety of your family? Stop stalling. Have you heard anything about my operative?”
Wilhelm stepped back, distancing himself from Ford’s great-grandfather.
“You have a mole in your network. Your agent has been exposed. They will arrest her today.”
Ford slumped to the side. Cool hands cradled his head.
“Ford.”
Someone was talking to him—a girl.
“Are you…” a boy asked, but Ford couldn’t concentrate on his words. He just wanted to sleep.
Someone shook him by the shoulders.
“Ford!”
His eyes blinked open. The world was fuzzy, like a thick fog lay over everything and everyone.
“Ellie?” Ford said, his voice barely above a whisper.
“Yeah, it’s me and Gavin.”
“Did you scream in my ear?”
“Yes, you freaked us out.”
“Little brother, you wouldn’t wake up. I was about to throw water on you, but then—”
“Ellie decided to blow out my eardrum? Good plan.” Ford sat cross-legged and leaned forward. His head pulsed in pain in time with his heartbeat. He closed his eyes and rested his head in his hands. “My head is killing me.”
“Are you hungry?” Ellie asked.
“No. Yes. I don’t know. I can’t think straight.”
“Can you stand?” Gavin asked, his voice higher pitched than normal.
“What? Stand? I can hardly see. Even talking hurts.” He’d never felt this wrecked after a memory before.
“There is a security guard coming this way,” Gavin whispered.
“Leave him to me,” Ellie said.
Ford looked up. The guard was standing behind Ellie. His hand was on his walkie-talkie. Oh no! They’d drawn too much attention.
“Fainting is nothing to be embarrassed about. You should’ve told us you were scared of heights,” Ellie said, raising her voice while rubbing Ford’s back.
The guard shook his head and let his hand drop. He chuckled and walked away.
“Mastermind, you have the best plans,” Gavin said.
“Honestly, if we were spies back in the war, we would have kicked some serious Nazi butt,” Ellie said, grinning.
“No, we wouldn’t have. We would’ve been scared out of our minds,” Ford said, his voice cracking as he spoke. He shook his head, which was a mistake. “Ow.”
Gavin passed Ford his own water bottle. “Back-to-back Great-Granddad memories were too much. You should at least drink some water. Dehydration is a leading cause of headache pain.”
Ford smiled at his brother’s endless trivial facts, but he was too tired to tease. “Thanks.”
He took a few sips and his body absorbed the water as he swallowed, as if every cell was thirsty. He took a bigger gulp. The pain around his temples eased. “Can I have those oranges?”
“Of course,” Ellie said, pulling three mandarin oranges from her backpack’s side pocket. She quickly peeled one and tore off a few wedges.
Ford stuffed them in his mouth. Juice dripped down his chin. “This, is just what I needed.” With every swallow, the tension across his skull lessoned.
“Maybe you need a baby bib,” Ellie said. She passed him the rest of the fruit and began peeling another one. Gavin grabbed the third and peeled it too.
Gavin and Ellie were silent as Ford polished off all three oranges.
“Huh,” said Gavin. “I guess vitamin C is not only good for colds and flus, it’s good for excessive clairvoyant activity.”
Ford wiped his face with his sleeve and chugged down the rest of Gavin’s water. “It sure is.” Then his face paled as he remembered the last words Wilhelm spoke.
“Scout. Her cover’s been blown. Wilhelm said they had a mole in their network and the Nazis are after her right now—or were after her—back then, or whatever.”
Gavin frowned. “A mole? Who could it be? If Owl is dead and Scout is about to be arrested, that leaves Great-Granddad and—”
“Radley! It has to be him. Scout was right not to trust him,” Ford said.
“Woah,” Ellie said. “That is huge. Do you think that’s why you’re connected to Great-Granddad? Do you think you’re supposed to save Scout somehow?”
“Save her?” Ford considered the possibility. It didn’t feel right. “No. We can’t change the past.”
“Right, sorry,” Ellie said. “That wouldn’t make much sense.”
“It’s okay, it means you’re not perfect and just a mere mortal like the rest of us.”
“I prefer perfection.” Ellie blushed. “That sounded really snotty. Sorry. Again.” Ford smiled, but there was no joy in it. Sadness rolled over him like waves on a sandy beach. He stared at the old postcard that now lay on the floor in front of him. “I think what’s made all of this so painful for Great-Granddad is that Scout—Morah—was his friend. I think…” Ford’s words died to a whisper. “I think whatever happened to her was Great-Granddad’s fault.”
Chapter 29
By the time they returned to the apartment, it was mid-afternoon and Ford felt more zombie than human.
Dad pushed on the front door. It creaked open. “Well, that is strange. The door wasn’t closed properly.”
Ford peered around Dad and into the apartment. A surge of adrenaline shot through his post-vision exhaustion.
Uncle Jim eased his way past Ford. “Y’all stay out here while we check it out. Junie, have your phone ready in case we need to call the police.”
“Oh my!” Aunt June replied, digging deep into her large, bright orange purse. “I never can find that dratted thing.”
Ford tugged at Gavin and Ellie, pulling them down the hallway.
“That’s smart kids, take yourselves far out of the fray,” Mom said. “We want you safe.”
“You guys, this is super suspicious,” Ford whispered. “Do you think the spies who are tailing us broke in?”
“It is a huge possibility,” Gavin said.
“Do you think they bugged the place?” Ellie asked.
“No idea. Maybe,” Ford said.
Ellie’s eyes grew wide, as did her smile. “I sort of hope they did.”
“What? Are you bonkers?” Ford asked.
“Come on. Don’t you think it’s kind of cool? I mean, do you know anyone else whose home has been bugged by undercover agents?”
“Bugged by undercover agents? Don’t you think that’s a bit of a stretch?”
“We have no idea what we’re poking around in. This is getting serious. We could be uncovering long-buried state secrets without even knowing it and we could get in a lot of trouble,” Gavin said.
Ellie sighed. “You two are so boring. Why can’t you just love the thrill of it?”
“It is exciting—sort of—but maybe it’s time we let the parents know what we’ve been doing,” Gavin said.
Ellie glowered at Gavin. “What? No way. We can do this. Ford, what do you think?”
Ford leaned against the wall. “We can’t tell them about my abilities. Remember what Mme. Bellerose said. Plus, who knows how the parents would react.” They were close to solving Great-Granddad’s mystery and Ford didn’t want Mom’s worry to shut down their mission.
“Fine, we could leave that part out,” Gavin said.
“Guys, we can’t give up. Think about what Scout was willing to risk. Surely we can follow the memories of a long-dead relative for a few more days. Right?” Ellie looked to Gavin and then Ford.
Gavin didn’t answer.
“I guess we—” Ford began, but Ellie interrupted.
“Woohoo! I already have a plan, scaredy-cats. As soon as we get the all clear, we’re going to search for signs of tampering in the apartment. Check out phones, windows, under beds, around lamps, basically everywhere.” Her face was all smile and her eyes sparkled.
Ford couldn’t help smiling back. “It is pointless arguing with you,” he said.
“Exactly,” she crossed her arms and stared at Gavin. “So, Professor. Are you in?”
“What choice do I have?”
Ellie laughed. “Absolutely none.”
Dad reappeared in the apartment doorway. “Okay, family. Everything is exactly where we left it, even our passports.”
Uncle Jim stood behind him. “I guess one of us didn’t pull the door completely closed. We’re in the big city now. Time for us to think like city slickers.” His deep laugh echoed down the hallway.
“Come along kid-ooooooos! Time to get ready for dinnnnnnnnnn-er,” Mom trilled.
“Okay, Mission—” Ellie paused and smiled. She grabbed each cousin by an arm and pulled them into a tight circle. “Mission I Spy engaged. Inspect every nook and cranny of your room and remember, you are looking for signs of intrusion and surveillance equipment. Then report back to my room and we’ll compare notes and move on to the rest of the apartment.”
The cousins followed their parents inside and scattered to their bedrooms.
Ford stepped into his room and closed the door. Where to begin? He slowly walked across his room, examining the carpet and walls. He stepped into his closet and flipped through his shirts and pants. Would spies bug his jeans? He patted down his pants pockets. Nothing. He searched the inside pockets of his new blazer. Nada. He dipped his hands in the outside pockets. Nope.
He glanced around his room. Maybe he could use his psychic ability. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He held his hand out in front of him, like when he searched for déjà vu feelings in Great-Granddad’s photos. With his hand outstretched, he reached towards his bedside table and probed for any odd feelings. The only thing he felt was foolish. He opened his eyes and scanned the room. Perhaps by the window? Closing his eyes once more, he took two steps and, on his third, jammed his pinky toe into the bed leg.
“Ow!” His eyes flashed open as he fell onto the bed, grasping his foot and feeling ridiculous. Of course it didn’t work. Ford wasn’t psychically “connected” to top-secret surveillance devices.
