The Hunt for the Missing Spy

by Penny Warner

  The view from the plane as it flew into Dulles Airport gave the students a preview of the Cherry Blossom Festival. Clusters of pink blossoms seemed to be everywhere. They reminded Cody of bouquets of pink popcorn. By the time they got off the plane, everyone was excited about the upcoming adventure.

  Since the trip had taken most of the day, the students, teachers, and chaperones were bussed straight to the hotel so they could rest up. Still, nobody got much sleep. Everyone was too busy reading the brochures, talking about the sites, and making lists of the souvenirs they wanted to buy.

  The next morning, the students woke early, ready for their first stop—The International Spy Museum. Ms. Stadelhofer and Mr. Pike counted the kids as they boarded the bus. When all the students and chaperones were seated, Ms. Stad stood up at the front and clapped to get everyone’s attention.

  “Good morning, students! Welcome to your first day in Washington, D.C.!

  In a few minutes we’ll be on our way to the International Spy Museum. A few rules first. Number one, stay with your buddy and stay with the group. Number two, do not leave the Spy Museum for any reason without checking with me. Number three, don’t ask your chaperones for help unless you’re in trouble. And number four, complete your assignment and turn it in to your teacher or one of the chaperones before you head for the Spy Store. Understood?”

  The students nodded and mumbled, “Yes, Ms. Stadelhofer.”

  “Good. Now, are we ready for the Spy Museum?” she said, grinning.

  The classes cheered and clapped. The teachers, along with several parent chaperones, handed out the first assignment sheets to be completed while the students toured the museum. Since the kids were visiting a spy museum, naturally the assignment was in code.

  “By now, you’re all familiar with Washington Code,” Ms. Stad said. “Your assignment is to crack the coded message and follow the instructions. Good luck!”

  As the bus headed for the museum, the students began to work on their assignments, deciphering the code.

  Code Busters’ Key and Solution found on pp. 149, 155.

  By the time they arrived at the Spy Museum, they’d completed their “legends” (fictional spy backgrounds), for their “covers” (secret identities). Cody Jones, aka “Code Red,” wrote that she was a Russian spy who moved to the United States to study English. Quinn Kee, aka “Lock & Key,” was a US military spy working for Special Ops. M.E. Esperanto, aka “Em-Me,” said she was a Mexican national who translated Spanish messages for the United Nations. And Luke LaVeau, aka “Kuel-Dude,” claimed he was a soldier and spy during the Civil War.

  As they got off the bus and lined up to enter the museum, Cody checked to see where Matt the Brat was, in case he was about to do anything else suspicious that might ruin the trip.

  Cody looked down the line but saw no sign of Matt. Maybe he’d gone to the bathroom or had fallen asleep on the bus. At least he wasn’t bugging them.

  She turned back to her friends who were straining their necks to see inside the museum. She was about to ask if anyone had seen Matt when she noticed a figure standing in an alcove near the entryway. As soon as she spotted it, the figure pulled back into the shadows. All Cody could see were black athletic shoes, the corner of a khaki trench coat, and the brim of a black baseball cap.

  Was someone spying on them?

  She stepped away from the line to get a better look. Maybe it was someone from the museum, and this was all part of the spy experience.

  “Dakota Jones!” Ms. Stad called from the back of the line. “Please stay with your group.”

  “But Ms. Stadelhofer—” Cody began to argue.

  Ms. Stad gave Cody one of her famous looks that clearly said, “Do as I say.” Cody frowned and shuffled back into line. She glanced back at the alcove to see if she could catch another glimpse of the person, but from her place in line, she couldn’t tell if anyone was still there.

  When Ms. Stad wasn’t looking, Cody slipped out of line again and moved quickly to the alcove. If some strange person was spying on them, Ms. Stad would want to know, so it was worth the risk of getting caught.

  But the alcove was empty. There was no sign of anyone wearing a khaki coat and a black hat. Had she just imagined it? After all, her parents said she had an over-active imagination. And she had spies on the brain. She glanced around to see if Matt was still missing, but she spotted him at the back of the line, so the mysterious person couldn’t have been him.

  Something lying on the ground inside the alcove caught her eye. She knelt down and picked it up. It looked like an ordinary ballpoint pen, but Cody was suspicious. It had been lying in the very spot where the stranger stood. She examined it closely but found nothing unusual about it. Pocketing the find, she quickly returned to her place behind M.E. before Ms. Stad caught her again.

  “Where’d you go?” M.E. asked.

  “I saw something on the ground over there,” Cody answered. She pulled the pen out of her pocket to show M.E.

  “A pen?” M.E. said.

  Cody nodded. She tried clicking the pen, but it didn’t seem to work.

  “Someone must have dropped it,” M.E. said. “Throw it away. It’s probably got germs.” M.E. was terrified of germs. Not to mention zombies, aliens, mountain lions, the dark, and a bazillion other things.

  Cody tried clicking the pen again, but it was still stuck. Curious, she unscrewed the pen and took it apart. No wonder it doesn’t work, she thought. The inside parts are missing.

  Just as she was about to throw the pen away, she glimpsed a bit of white. There was something inside. A tiny, rolled-up piece of paper.

  Cody pulled it out, unrolled it, and glanced at the symbols written in bold black ink:

  Code Busters’ Key and Solution found on pp. 149, 155.

  The note was written in Washington Code! Cody got out her decoder card and quickly translated the message.

  As soon as she did, she felt the hairs at the back of her neck stand up.

  Chapter 4

  “Guys,” Cody whispered to her Code Buster friends. “I found something weird . . .” She started to show them the note from the pen when a voice interrupted her.

  “Welcome to the International Spy Museum,” a woman in a black Spy Museum T-shirt and black pants announced to the students gathered in the lobby. “My name is Allison Bishop and I’ll be your guide today.”

  Cody stuffed the pen and note in her pocket. It looked like they were about to begin the tour. She’d tell the others about the message later.

  “The Spy Museum houses the largest collection of international espionage artifacts in the world,” Ms. Bishop said proudly. “You’ll be able to see everything from lipstick cameras, to tricked-out cars, to overcoats with secret pockets, to shoes with hidden weapons.”

  Cody spotted a khaki overcoat in a display window nearby. According to the small sign, it was worn by a real spy during the Cold War. To Cody, it looked a lot like the one she’d seen on the figure hidden in the shadow of the alcove.

  “As you make your way through the museum, you can read about spies like Mata Hari, who spied for Germany during the World War I, and Aldrich Ames, who worked for the CIA but spied for the KGB. You’ll learn about missions like the Red Terror in the Soviet Union and the Manhattan Project that produced the atomic bomb. And you’ll learn about the tricks and tools of the trade, everything from hidden lapel microphones to the Enigma cipher machine.”

  “We have an Enigma machine,” Quinn whispered to the other Code Busters. He’d found a broken one at the Army-Navy Surplus Store and bought it for the club.

  “You do not!” Matt the Brat blurted. To Cody’s surprise, he was standing right behind the Code Busters. There was a sneer on his red, puffy face and his arms were crossed over his extra-large Plants vs. Zombies T-shirt. “Those things are top secret. Only the military has them.”

  Ms. Stadelhofer stepped up and put a hand on Matt’s shoulder, reminding him to use a quiet voice. He shrugged her off, but said noth
ing more. Cody returned her attention to the tour guide, but she could almost feel Matt’s dark eyes staring at the back of her neck.

  Ms. Bishop continued with her talk. “While you’re inside, you’ll also learn about spying techniques, such as dead drops—secret places where spies exchange information—and surveillance—when spies spy on each other. Plus, there are all sorts of hands-on activities, video programs, and interactive computer challenges to experience as you make your way through the museum.” She smiled and raised an eyebrow. “Be sure to keep an eye out for counterfeit currency, hidden spy gadgets, and people in disguise.”

  Cody thought of the stranger in the alcove again. Had it been a staff member wearing a disguise to show them what it was like to be spied on? Was the museum trying to make the visit seem as real as possible? That had to be it.

  “For those of you who enjoy spy movies and TV shows,” Ms. Bishop added, “check out the props from popular shows like Mission: Impossible, Spy Kids, and the James Bond films.”

  “Bond, James Bond,” Luke whispered to the others in a British accent. “Code name: Double-oh-seven.” Cody and M.E. giggled.

  “The museum is divided into different sections,” Ms. Bishop continued after the excited murmuring died down. “In the Covers and Legends area, you can adopt a cover identity. Memorize the information given to you, because you’ll be questioned about your cover at some point and you’ll need to give convincing answers. Remember: a spy must live a life of lies.” She winked.

  “Cool!” a boy named Francesco said.

  “Sweet!” a few more students echoed.

  “We’ve already got our covers,” M.E. told the other Code Busters, “but I’m not a very good liar. My face always turns red and gives me away when I don’t tell the truth.”

  Cody smiled at her friend. It was true. M.E. just couldn’t pull off a lie.

  “After leaving Covers and Legends, you’ll go to the Briefing section,” Ms. Bishop continued. “There you’ll ‘meet’ several virtual spies. Then, in the School for Spies section, you’ll learn what it takes to go undercover. You can check out over two hundred spy gadgets—weapons, bugs, cameras, cars, and other spy-craft necessities. Be ready to be tested on your skills of observation and surveillance. Next, you’ll get to create a disguise of your own.”

  “Awesome!” Luke said. “I hope we get mustaches and those rearview sun glasses.”

  Ms. Bishop waited until the students settled down again. “That’s not all. You’ll also get a chance to crack some codes that were used during various wars.” She pointed to a large poster on the wall, filled with dots and dashes. “How many of you are familiar with this code?”

  All of the students raised their hands except Mika. Ms. Stad and Mr. Pike had taught their sixth graders many codes during the year, including Morse code.

  “Wow! I’m impressed,” Ms. Bishop said. She held up a large sign written in Morse code. “All right, let’s see if you can decipher this message. If you need help, just look at the poster on the wall.”

  Code Busters’ Key and Solution found on pp. 150, 155.

  The students began cracking the coded message. Quinn and Cody were the first to raise their hands when they finished. Ms. Bishop called on Quinn and he recited the answer.

  “Great job!” Ms. Bishop said. “Did you know that Morse code was developed in the 1800s by an artist and inventor named Samuel F. B. Morse? He worked with a physicist to create an electrical telegraph system which was used to send encrypted messages between warships, naval bases, and railroads. Sometimes Morse code was used to send distress signals. The most famous one sounds like this.” Ms. Bishop gave three rapid knocks on the nearby wall, then three knocks spaced a second apart, then three more quick knocks.

  Code Busters’ Key and Solution found on pp. 150, 155

  “Does anyone know what that means?”

  Hands shot up. Cody and her friends immediately recognized the distress signal from when Ms. Stad taught them Morse code. Ms. Bishop called on a boy named Ty from Mr. Pike’s class.

  “S.O.S.,” Ty said.

  “And what does S.O.S. stand for?” Ms. Bishop asked.

  “Save our ship!” a girl named Tessa called out.

  “Save our souls!” another boy named Max offered.

  “Save our shoes!” Matt the Brat yelled, then laughed at his own joke.

  Ms. Bishop ignored Matt’s contribution. “Yes, it’s come to mean ‘save our ship’ or ‘save our souls’. But do you know what that really means?” she asked, grinning.

  “HELP!” called out several students, including the Code Busters.

  “Correct!” Ms. Bishop said. “S.O.S. is not really an acronym. The letters S and O were chosen because they’re easy to use and remember in Morse code—just three dots and three dashes. So, if you’re ever in trouble, just tap out S.O.S. and, hopefully, someone will come rescue you!”

  Cody heard several students tapping the S.O.S. code on nearby walls.

  “All right, everyone,” Ms. Stad called out, “Quiet down, please.”

  Ms. Bishop smiled. “At the end of the tour, you’ll get to learn about the history of espionage and how spying was used in the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, and both World War I and II. When you leave the exhibits, you’ll have a chance to go to the Spy Store and pick out some spy gear. Once you’re finished shopping, find your teachers, because you’re going on your very own Spy Hunt mission. In groups, you and your chaperones will explore the Washington Mall seeking out mystery locations with the help of GPS-guided clues.”

  Once Ms. Bishop finished talking, it was time to get started. Cody and M.E. buddied up. So did Quinn and Luke. Even Matt the Brat had a buddy—a girl named Sadie who was his next-door neighbor.

  Cody noticed that the new girl, Mika, was by herself. She remembered what it was like when she was new and didn’t know anyone. It took a while to make friends, and she felt lucky to have her Code Busters Club friends.

  Cody went over to her teacher. “Ms. Stadelhofer? Mika doesn’t have a partner. Can she come with M.E. and me?”

  Ms. Stad looked around to see if anyone else needed to pair up, but all of the students had partners. “Well, I suppose she could be my buddy, but she’d probably have more fun with you girls. Thanks, Cody. That’s very nice of you.”

  Mika was standing at the back of the line next to her mother, who was one of the chaperones.

  “Hey, Mika. Ms. Stad said you could join M.E. and me if you want.”

  Mika smiled widely. “Thanks!” She turned to her mother, who nodded, and then followed Cody to where M.E. stood in line.

  “Hey! No cuts,” Matt the Brat called out from behind them. He gestured with his thumb for Mika to move back. When he held up his hand, Cody noticed his fingertips were black. Yuck!

  “She’s not cutting,” Cody explained. “She’s with us and we were already in line.”

  “I’m telling!” Matt said.

  Cody turned to Mika, who was no longer smiling. “Ignore him,” Cody said.

  Mika nodded, but said nothing.

  When the girls reached the entryway, they were handed their dossiers—file folders that held their cover information. Each student received an official-looking ID card with a blank spot for a snapshot, plus spaces to fill in with a fake name, address, and other details. To Cody, the ID card looked a lot like her mother’s driver’s license, only instead of “State of California” at the top, it read “United States Identification, Department of Secret Activities .”

  Wow, Cody thought. Secret Activities? That sounded pretty official.

  Once the students were inside the winding hallways, the Code Busters and Mika explored the exhibits. Quinn was fascinated with all the cameras that were concealed in things like briefcases, wristwatches, and fountain pens. They looked just like ordinary objects—not at all like cameras.

  Luke was a big fan of James Bond movies and all the gadgets Double-Oh-Seven used, especially the cars. He always said he wanted an Aston
Martin one day. “It’s got tire shredders to stop bad guys chasing you, a rotating license plate so you can disguise the car, a bulletproof shield in case someone is shooting at you, and machine guns in the fog lamps if you really need power!”

  M.E. was intrigued by the lethal umbrella, which had a sharp point at the tip and could stop bad guys if they got too close, and the lipstick recorder, which looked like a real tube of lipstick, except it could record conversations between two spies. Mika seemed to like all the disguises the spies used, especially the stick-on mustaches and fake glasses. And Cody loved anything that could hide tiny secret messages, like the hollow coin, the concealment ring, the false-heeled shoes, and the fake can of soda. The Code Busters had one of those at their clubhouse where they hid important messages.

  When they reached the Spy Shop, the kids headed for their favorite gadgets. After a few minutes, Cody looked around for Mika, but she was nowhere in sight.

  Her new friend had gone missing!

  Chapter 5

  Cody felt her heart race. The group was supposed to stay together and they’d already lost one of their members. “Has anyone seen Mika?” she asked the other Code Busters as she frantically glanced around the store. “She’s gone!”

  “She was just here a minute ago . . . ,” Luke said, checking one of the aisles.

  “I thought I saw her over there.” M.E. pointed toward the exit.

  “We’d better find her,” Quinn said.

  A kid standing next to Cody turned around and tapped her on the shoulder. Cody gasped.

  “Oh my gosh!” she said. “Mika! I didn’t even recognize you!”

  Mika had covered her short black hair with a knitted Spy Museum cap and was wearing a black T-shirt over her outfit that read: “A Ninja Swiped My Homework.” She’d put on dark glasses, stuck a fake mole onto her cheek, and held a book about spying over her mouth to hide the bottom half of her face.

  “Wow, awesome disguise,” Luke said to Mika. “How do you like mine?” He stuck a furry black mustache above his upper lip and pulled a camouflage fisherman’s hat on his head.