by Penny Warner
“Give the girl a chance to explain,” Dr. Jordan said. “Maybe she found it and was planning to return it. And we’re not even sure it’s authentic. I’d have to run some tests to make sure. May I see it?”
“It’s real, all right,” Ms. Cassatt said, tightening her grip around the amulet. “I’ve been working here long enough to know my artifacts.” Taking a step back, Ms. Cassatt held up the Eye. “See how the iris is green, just like the one from the Life Studies room? That’s very rare. Most Eyes of Horus are blue. This is definitely the one stolen from the case.”
Cody blinked at something Ms. Cassatt said. “Green?”
“Correct,” Ms. Cassatt said, clutching the artifact tightly again. “Like I said, most of the Eyes of Horus were blue.”
“Green,” Cody repeated, as if in a trance.
M.E. squeezed Cody’s hand again.
Code Buster’s Key and Solution found on this page, this page.
Leave it to M.E. to notice the woman’s jewelry! Cody looked up at her accuser. The Eye of Horus pendant was missing from around Ms. Cassatt’s neck.
“Where’s the necklace you were wearing this morning when we got to the museum?”
Ms. Cassatt placed her hand on her chest. She blinked several times, then stammered, “I … I took it off.…”
Dr. Jordan turned to her. “Mirabel? You never take off that amulet. You call it your good-luck charm. I’ve never seen you without it.”
“Of course I take it off sometimes,” Ms. Cassatt replied. “Don’t be ridiculous. We’re getting off track here. Do I have to remind you, Malik, that if you’d been doing your job and watching these little thieves, we wouldn’t be having this conversation? Luckily, I caught this one red-handed.” Ms. Cassatt grabbed Cody’s arm and pushed her over to Ms. Stad. “Take these brats out of here before I do call the police. You’re lucky I don’t press charges!”
Dr. Jordan turned to Ms. Cassatt. “Wait a minute, Mirabel. Let me see that Eye.”
“What?” Ms. Cassatt said, clutching the amulet tightly in her hand.
“I said, let me see that,” Dr. Jordan repeated.
“Why?” Ms. Cassatt said.
“I just want to make sure it’s authentic.”
Ms. Cassatt looked like a frightened cat trapped by a threatening dog. Her green eyes widened to the size of quarters. Slowly she opened her hand, revealing the artifact.
Dr. Jordan took it from her and flipped it over. Underneath were tiny carved hieroglyphs. But this Eye was different from the Eye the kids had first seen in the Life Studies room.
Code Buster’s Key and Solution found on this page, this page.
“Hmm,” he muttered. He reached into his deep lab coat pocket, brought out his magnifying glasses, and put them on. After studying the small insignia, he withdrew a knife and scraped a small piece off the back. Then he removed his glasses and frowned. “There’s real infiltration of the corrosion on the epidermis of the bronze metal, which cannot be faked.”
Cody had no clue what he’d just said, other than the words “cannot be faked.”
“This symbol,” he continued, looking at the inscription, “is the name of the god of hieroglyphs.” He steadied his gaze on Ms. Cassatt. “I’d still have to do a few more tests, but I think this Eye of Horus is authentic. Where’s your necklace, Mirabel?”
Ms. Cassatt gave a nervous laugh. “I don’t know. The chain broke and I put it down somewhere. It’s only a replica. You know that.”
“Check your pockets,” Dr. Jordan said.
“What? I’m not going to—”
“You made Cody do it,” Luke said. “Now you should, too.”
“There’s nothing in my pockets,” Ms. Cassatt said. Her face had gone white.
“Yes, there is,” M.E. said, pointing to the small bulge in Ms. Cassatt’s pants pocket.
Ms. Cassatt shook her head, then reached into her pocket and withdrew a gold chain. But no pendant.
“It’s the chain,” Ms. Cassatt said, glaring at M.E. “So what?”
“So where’s the Eye that was hanging from it?” Quinn asked.
“I told you a minute ago, I put it down somewhere when the chain broke. You’re not implying that—”
Dr. Jordan took the chain from Ms. Cassatt’s hand and examined it. “There’s nothing wrong with this chain.”
“I’m telling you, it broke! I took the amulet off and set it down. I must have lost it. As I said, it was only a replica. It may have looked real, but I have a friend who makes excellent copies.”
Dr. Jordan stared at Ms. Cassatt. “You know a forger?”
Ms. Cassatt grunted. “I wouldn’t call him that. He’s an artist.”
“Most forgers are artists, Mirabel,” Dr. Jordan said. He shook his head, as if disappointed in his colleague.
“Don’t twist this around, Malik,” Ms. Cassatt said. “I mean, maybe it was you who stole the Eye from the case and switched it with a fake. You have a key, just like me. And you know a lot about forgeries. Maybe you slipped the real one into that poor girl’s pocket to make it look like she did it. Yes, maybe you’re the thief, Malik Jordan.”
“Well, let’s call the police and have them settle this, then, shall we?” Dr. Jordan said.
But before he could get out his cell phone, Ms. Cassatt grabbed the amulet and ran from the room.
Lock down!” Dr. Jordan called out as he ran after Ms. Cassatt. The kids and Ms. Stad followed him. Dr. Jordan grabbed the phone from the reception desk and repeated the urgent phrase through the intercom. His voice echoed throughout the museum.
Within seconds, two security guards arrived, keys jangling from their hands. The one with SIMON WOOD on his name tag ran to the front door and locked it, while the other one, DEBORAH WEINSTEIN, said, “Back doors are secure. What’s happened?”
“Have you seen Mirabel?” Dr. Jordan asked them, his dark eyes darting around the room.
Both guards shook their heads.
“Search the museum. We have to find her!” he commanded. “She’s stolen one of the artifacts.”
The Code Busters and Ms. Stad stood frozen, watching the drama. Was Ms. Cassatt actually the thief? Where had she gone?
Dr. Jordan left the entry room and joined the guards in their search for the missing woman. Quinn turned to the others and finger-spelled:
Code Buster’s Key and Solution found on this page, this page.
Before Ms. Stad could stop them, the kids took off. They spread out, each one checking a different room, looking for any sign of Ms. Cassatt. Moments later, they met back in the lobby.
“No sign of her,” M.E. said.
“Where could she have gone?” Cody asked.
“The lab?” Quinn suggested.
“Dr. Jordan and the guards went there,” M.E. said.
“There’s only one other place.” Luke pointed to the dark tunnel that was blocked off by a sign that said NO ADMITTANCE. UNDER CONSTRUCTION.
The Code Busters looked at one another. The tunnel was supposed to resemble a hidden passageway like those in the ancient pyramids. Cody had been dying to see it.
The perfect place to hide, she thought.
The kids moved closer to explore the opening of the tunnel. It looked dark and kind of creepy. It reminded Cody of a mine entrance she’d seen in the California Gold Country, where she used to live. Above the entrance was a series of hieroglyphs. Cody pulled out her decoder card and quickly translated the message aloud.
Code Buster’s Key and Solution found on this page, this page.
A chill crept up Cody’s spine. While she didn’t believe in things like curses, she still didn’t like the message. She shrugged it off and stepped inside.
The opening was narrow—just tall and wide enough to allow one person to enter at a time. Cody felt a cold breeze on her arm, but looking ahead, she saw nothing except darkness.
“I’m going in,” Cody said. She climbed over the rope that blocked the entrance and took a few steps into the chilly
, dark tunnel.
She paused and listened.
Nothing.
Pulling out her cell phone, she tapped the flashlight app and shone it ahead. She took a few more steps, moving deeper into the tunnel, then stopped to listen for sounds.
She felt something touch her back and spun around.
“Luke!” she gasped. “You scared me! Don’t creep up on me like that!”
“Sorry,” Luke said. “Didn’t want you to go in there alone.”
Cody smiled. She turned toward the dark and shone her cell phone light into the deep recesses of the tunnel. The place totally creeped her out, especially when she thought about the mummy that lay in its tomb ahead.
She shivered.
There’s no such thing as mummies coming back to life, she reminded herself a few times. But memories of scary movies featuring cloth-wrapped, zombified mummies were all she could think of. Thank goodness, Luke was right behind her. It was nice to have someone brave to back you up.
Suddenly, Cody heard a sound. A tapping, like Morse code. She turned to Luke. He was tapping on his cell phone, using the walkie-talkie app. She recognized the coded message he was sending to Quinn and M.E.
Code Buster’s Key and Solution found on this page, this page.
When Luke was done tapping, Cody continued deeper into the dimly lit darkness. She noticed that the tunnel began to widen, and glancing back, she could no longer see light coming from the tunnel entrance. She took another step, and another.
And then froze.
An eerie moan was coming from deeper inside. She grabbed Luke’s arm. Her instinct was to run in the opposite direction and get out of this dark tunnel. But she told herself again, Mummies aren’t real. They don’t moan. And they don’t come back to life. Or try to kill you.
Only real people did that.
Like Ms. Cassatt?
The moan came again, this time louder, creepier. It sounded as if someone was in pain.
Had Ms. Cassatt been injured? Had she fallen in the dark? Did she need help?
Cody was torn between wanting to run and wanting to see if Ms. Cassatt was hurt. Still holding Luke’s arm, she took a few more steps through the twisting tunnel toward the sound.
When she stopped, she heard someone breathing heavily. It was coming from her right side. She flashed her cell phone light toward the noise, and screamed.
Ms. Cassatt stood tucked in a tiny alcove. Her eyes looked as wild as a feral cat’s. In her hand she held a heavy-looking statue the size of a rolling pin.
She raised the object above her head, ready to bring it down on Cody’s skull.
At the last second, Luke jerked Cody out of the way. She fell to the floor and scurried back on all fours.
“I’ll get you, you little brats!” Ms. Cassatt screamed. She stepped out of the alcove and raised the object again.
“Stop!” came a voice from behind Cody. She turned to see Quinn and M.E. racing up the tunnel toward them. The light of Quinn’s cell phone bounced as he ran.
“Stop!” Quinn screamed again. “You can’t get all four of us, so you might as well put that down. Dr. Jordan is right behind us. He has the police with him.”
Cody let out the breath she was holding. She was impressed at how forceful Quinn sounded—just like a cop on TV—but figured he was just as scared as she was.
Was he telling the truth about Dr. Jordan and the police? If they were right behind him, wouldn’t she have heard them? Wouldn’t they have arrived by now?
She had a sinking feeling Quinn was bluffing. But now what were they supposed to do?
Cody suddenly had an idea.
“Inn-quay, ou-yay istract-day er-hay ith-way obestray ight-lay app-ay,” she said in pig Latin.
“What’s all the gibberish?” Ms. Cassatt snapped, hoisting the weapon. “Knock it off or I’ll knock your blocks off!” She started swinging the statue like a baseball bat.
Cody scrambled up and backed away. She saw Quinn tap his phone. What was taking him so long?
Finally, he held his phone toward Ms. Cassatt. Suddenly, a strobe light appeared, lighting up the dark tunnel with a blinding, pulsing light.
Ms. Cassatt covered her eyes.
“It’s the police!” M.E. screamed. “They’re here!”
Great trick, Cody thought. At least for the moment. Now there was only one thing left to do.
“Un-ray!” Cody yelled.
Code Buster’s Solution found on this page.
The Code Busters darted through the twisting tunnel—smack into a large, dark figure. Cody shone her light on the man’s face. A police officer! In the beam of her flashlight app, Cody saw two more uniformed cops behind him. Farther back, she caught a glimpse of Dr. Jordan.
“Whoa there! Slow down!” the officer said, holding up a hand. He shone his flashlight in Cody’s face. “What’s going on?”
Cody squinted at the bright light and pointed back into the tunnel. “She tried to kill me! My friends came …” Cody stopped to catch her breath.
“She’s got a big, heavy statue,” Quinn said.
“And she was about to hit Cody with it,” Luke added.
“She’s back there!” M.E. said, pointing into the darkness.
The officer directed his light into the black tunnel. “I don’t see anything.”
Dr. Jordan stepped forward. “Sergeant Casey, if the kids say Mirabel Cassatt is back there, then she is. I’d consider her desperate and dangerous.”
“Okay, everyone, stand back,” Sergeant Casey said to the group. He turned to another officer. “Finsilver, stay here with these people. Parker, follow me. Let’s go.”
Officer Finsilver began herding the kids and Dr. Jordan back toward the entrance, his flashlight illuminating the way. Sergeant Casey and Officer Parker continued down the dark hallway. The sergeant’s flashlight beam bounced off the tunnel walls. Moments later, they were out of sight.
Suddenly, Cody heard a boom! She jumped. M.E. grabbed Cody’s arm in fear.
“Keep away from me!” Cody heard Ms. Cassatt’s loud voice echo from the depths of the model tomb. “I’ll smash this mummy to pieces. Then this stupid museum won’t be so special anymore.”
Dr. Jordan ran forward, past Officer Finsilver and the Code Busters, a look of terror on his eerily lit face.
“Mirabel! No! Please! You know how much the museum relies on that mummy for visitor traffic. It’s irreplaceable. Please, just come out. Let’s talk about this.”
Officer Finsilver began following Dr. Jordan, calling, “Sir! Come back! Sir!”
The Code Busters were right behind him.
“Ha!” Cody heard Ms. Cassatt’s hollow voice bounce off the walls of the tunnel. “You can’t fool me, Malik. The minute I do that, the cops will arrest me. No, we’re going to do this my way.”
The officer caught up with Dr. Jordan and grabbed his arm, trying to stop him. Dr. Jordan shook it off. “We have to stop her!” he said. “We can’t afford to lose our mummy. It’s our biggest draw.”
“Back up!” Officer Finsilver ordered.
Sergeant Casey’s voice rang out again. “What do you want, Ms. Cassatt? Let’s end this thing peacefully.”
“I want you to send in one of the kids so I can protect myself and get out of here safely,” she called back. “I want the rest of you to back out of the tunnel and leave the museum!”
Cody felt a chill run through her. Ms. Cassatt wanted one of the Code Busters?
“Not going to happen, Ms. Cassatt,” the sergeant said. “We’re not putting any of these kids at risk, and you know it. You can just forget about—”
Before Sergeant Casey could finish his words, Cody turned to M.E. She had a plan. Cody tapped out a message in Morse Code on her friend’s arm:
Code Buster’s Key and Solution found on this page, this page.
As soon as Cody’s message spread via arm taps to the other Code Busters, the four kids quietly backed down the tunnel, leaving behind Dr. Jordan and the officer. Cod
y heard the sergeant continue trying to negotiate with Ms. Cassatt, his voice fading as the friends made their way to the entrance. Cody hoped they would keep arguing so the Code Busters would have time to put her plan into action.
“Are you kids okay?” Ms. Stad asked when she saw them exit the tunnel. She rushed up and hugged all four of them at once.
“We’re fine,” Cody said. “We … uh, I have to go to the bathroom.”
“Me too,” said Quinn.
“Well, hurry back!” Ms. Stad called. “I’m taking you out of here immediately! Mr. Pike and the other students are waiting for us on the bus.”
Luke shook his head. “We can’t leave. They locked us in, remember.”
“Then you’re not leaving my sight,” Ms. Stad said.
The kids headed for the restrooms at the far side of the lobby.
“Quinn and I can’t go in there!” Luke whispered to Cody after she started inside the girls’ bathroom. “We’ll get arrested, or something.”
“No, you won’t!” Cody said. “Don’t be such a chicken. It’s just a bathroom.” Cody was surprised that such a brave kid was afraid of the girls’ room. Of course, she’d probably feel the same way if she had to go into the boys’ bathroom.
Quinn looked at Luke and shrugged, then followed Cody and M.E. inside. After Luke looked around to see if anyone was watching, he entered the small room.
“What are we doing in here?” Luke whispered nervously.
Instead of answering him, Cody said, “I saw extra rolls of toilet paper on the backs of the toilets. Quick, grab a bunch.”
They did as Cody directed, then returned, each carrying a few rolls.
“Now what?” asked M.E.
“Now let’s make a mummy!” Cody said, grinning. She looked at Luke. “You’re the tallest, so you’re going to be the mummy. Come on, let’s start wrapping! And hurry! We don’t have much time.”
Luke grimaced, but stood still as the others began to wrap his arms, legs, torso, and head with toilet paper.
“Don’t cover his eyes,” Cody told Quinn, who was wrapping Luke’s face with multiple layers. “He has to be able to see.”