‘I was just thinking about these cupboards,’ said IJ. ‘This door having the same lock as the one in the vault makes me wonder.’
EJ immediately understood what IJ was thinking. ‘Another corridor connected to this room?’
‘Could be,’ replied IJ as she continued to scan. ‘Bingo!’ she cried.
EJ went over and looking through IJ’s pad she saw that, sure enough, there was another secret corridor. She opened the cupboard and kicked the backboard with her foot. The backboard splintered, revealing a corridor just like the one that led from the vault room.
‘Let’s go,’ she cried.
‘One more thing,’ said IJ. She took a charm from her bracelet and twisted and a camera appeared. ‘Can you just get back in the sleigh for a quick photo?’
‘IJ,’ said EJ. ‘I’m not sure this is the time.’
‘It’s insta-cam,’ said IJ positioning the camera on a shelf and sitting back on the chair with her hands behind her. ‘Okay, here it goes, now don’t smile!’
EJ obliged and frowned and the camera flashed. She was still frowning as IJ waited for the photo.
‘IJ!’ she said. ‘We’ve got to go!’
‘Yes but we don’t want Tiffany to know that and look up there on the top of the shelf.’
EJ looked up and spotted the micro-camera, its red light flashing.
‘Good thinking,’ she cried as her friend placed the photo in front of the camera.
‘Now, I just need to adjust the distancing mechanism of the camera,’ said IJ. ‘Tiffany can check as often as she likes and she’ll think we are still tied up here. There done.’
‘Good work, IJ. Now let’s go! We’re running out of time!’
The two girls climbed through the hole at the back of the cupboard, closing the cupboard door as they did. They then ran down the secret corridor. EJ checked the time. There were only ninety minutes left until the parade started.
The corridor turned and EJ recognised where they were—back in the same corridor that led from the vault. EJ stopped and looked up; she wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice.
‘IJ, hold on a minute,’ she cried. ‘Look up! It’s one of Tiffany’s spy cameras.’
They dropped down and crawled along the ground on their stomachs, keeping low until they were out of the camera’s range.
‘There’ll be another one somewhere in the forest,’ said EJ. ‘We need to watch out for it.’
They reached the end of the corridor and, once again, activated the door. They were back in the Christmas tree forest. They again dropped down to their stomachs and looked up, looking for the red flash of a camera.
‘There,’ said IJ, pointing at a small model bird.
‘IJ, that’s a bird,’ said EJ.
‘Look in the middle of the robin’s chest,’ IJ said.
Then EJ saw the red flashing light in the middle of the bird’s red chest feathers. ‘Good work, IJ!’
EJ slid around to the other side of the tree and then pulled herself up on the branches. Once she had climbed up to the branch the ‘robin’ was on, she turned it off. ‘I think we should take this one back for research,’ she told IJ as she put it in her backpack. ‘Perhaps you can make a kookaburra version!’
IJ laughed. ‘Good idea.’
EJ climbed back down.
‘Well done,’ said IJ.
But EJ didn’t think she’d done well on this mission. She had allowed her junior spy-buddy to be captured, she had been captured and, even though they were free, she was still no closer to finding the diamonds. Things weren’t working out at all. It was time to contact SHINE. She reluctantly took out her phone and sent an update.
EJ hoped A1 would not be too disappointed.
Piinngg!
‘IJ,’ asked EJ, ‘do you know what the DDD team is?’
‘No idea,’ said IJ. ‘But one of those Ds has to stand for diamonds.’
Then they heard a bark. Then more barks. EJ turned to see a husky and a Labrador puppy running towards them. It was EJ’s dog Pip, or PJ2 as she was OM, and she immediately recognised Blackie from the SHINE training camp.
‘Pip! Blackie!’ cried EJ.
‘BJ!’ cried IJ.
‘BJ?’ asked EJ.
‘BJ1. He’s been in mission training with me,’ explained IJ.
‘So the other D must mean dog and …
Piinngg!
It was another text from A1.
‘What is it, EJ?’ said IJ.
‘It’s from Agent BRK9,’ said EJ. ‘The dogs have their own charm bracelets!’
EJ and IJ leant down and activated the dogs’ collar tags as the dogs leapt all over them. As the tag was activated there was a beep and the dogs sat down immediately, waiting. A screen appeared on the tags.
EJ and IJ scrolled through the first options and both pushed gems.
There were three beeps and the dogs stood up.
‘Go!’ instructed the girls.
The dogs began to sniff and sniff. The girls followed them as they sniffed their way through the Christmas tree forest. As the trees began to thin, EJ could again see the giant Christmas tree. Were the dogs going there? Had the girls missed the diamonds?
But the dogs didn’t head towards the tree. They veered right, getting more and excited and now EJ could see where they were heading.
‘Look, IJ,’ she said, pointing to a large old-fashioned wooden cottage with snowflakes on the windows like one you might find in a fairy tale. Even from a distance you could see there was a large S carved into the door.
IJ checked the map. ‘Santa’s Workshop,’ she said. ‘The S is for Santa.’
‘At least that’s what SHADOW wants us to believe,’ said EJ.
EJ and IJ peered through a window into the workshop, being careful not to be seen. Inside were girls dressed in elf costumes, all loading toys on to a huge Santa sleigh in the middle of the room. There were hundreds of toys: teddy bears, wooden airplanes and cars, dolls, skipping ropes, basketballs—every toy you could imagine being on a Christmas wish list.
‘They’re just packing the sleigh for the toy parade,’ said IJ in a low voice.
‘So why have the dogs brought us here?’ said EJ. ‘We know something is happening with the parade. We just need to know what it is.’
‘Look, Tiffany Glass has arrived!’ said IJ.
The two girls ducked down and using their phones’ listening devices, listened through the wall.
‘All elves outside, now!’ shouted Tiffany. ‘It’s time for the final run-through!’
‘We’re nearly finished, Ms Glass,’ said a girl.
‘It’s the same voice that was in the vault room,’ whispered EJ and she quickly but carefully looked up and in through the window. But she was too late. All she could see were the backs of the elves’ heads as they went outside for the practice, whatever it was they needed to practise.
‘We have to get in there while they’re out. Let’s use the diamond cutter.’
Again, EJ took her diamond charm and twisted. Within minutes she had cut a small hole in the corner of the workshop, just large enough for the girls, and the dogs, to crawl through. As soon as the dogs entered the workshop, they went crazy, their tails wagging and their noses sniffing furiously.
‘The diamonds must be here, IJ,’ said EJ. ‘You keep guard at the door—we don’t have long.’
Now BJ and PJ were pawing at the toy sacks. As they did, toys tumbled out on the floor. Pip picked up a brown teddy bear wearing a red Santa hat in her mouth. She brought it to EJ, dropped it in front of her and sat down.
It’s a teddy bear not a diamond, thought EJ. But clearly, PJ thought she had done her job so EJ gave the husky a pat. ‘Good girl, PJ,’ said EJ, picking up the teddy. Then EJ turned the teddy around and noticed an S sewn on the sole of its foot. She checked some of the other toys from the same sack. They all had an S on them somewhere. EJ looked back at the teddy. She squeezed it. It was then that she felt something, something hard, very
hard. EJ took out her cutter again and cut a small hole in the teddy. She put her fingers in and felt around in the stuffing. There, in the middle, she felt the hardness and pulled out an enormous diamond. ‘Look IJ! A diamond!’
IJ checked out the window, then turned and rushed over. She took out her phone and keyed in a code. The phone glowed as she scanned the diamond.
‘Bingo!’ she whispered. ‘Not only is it absolutely a diamond but it’s part of the Aurora Collection. My diamond app can match any stone to known collections.’
EJ picked up a basketball with an S sewn into its stitching. She cut into it and, again, pulled out a diamond. She passed it to IJ.
‘Another one from the collection,’ confirmed IJ.
‘It will be the same with every toy that has an S, I reckon,’ said EJ. ‘The S isn’t for Santa, it’s for SHADOW and this is SHADOW’s workshop!’
Pip and Blackie began to growl.
IJ rushed to the window. ‘And the SHADOW agents are coming back!’ she cried. ‘We need to get out of here.’
In a flash, IJ dashed to the sacks and threw the toys back in. EJ grabbed the teddy and sprinted to the hole. IJ went through first then BJ and PJ. As EJ climbed through, she moved a toy box in front of the hole. It wasn’t much of a cover up but it would have to do.
EJ, IJ and the dogs ran back into the Christmas tree forest. When they were far enough way from the workshop, they stopped to catch their breath.
‘What now?’ asked IJ.
‘Well we know who, what, where, how and when,’ said EJ proudly. ‘Tiffany Glass with her team of SHADOW elves has stolen the Aurora Diamond Collection by stealing them, one by one, from the vault room. By pretending to be a diamond cleaner she has had daily access. She built those secret corridors between the vault room and Christmas Wonderland so she could move the diamonds from Delia Stones to the workshop where they would be hidden in the toys. They now plan to smuggle the diamonds out in the toys when the toy parade leaves Christmas Wonderland.
‘You have to admit, it’s pretty clever,’ said IJ. ‘Who would ever suspect Santa and his elves? But does that mean all of Christmas Wonderland is a SHADOW operation?’
‘Maybe,’ replied EJ. ‘It’s never been here before and once the parade leaves, it packs up and is finished.’
‘So how do we stop that parade?’ asked IJ.
‘We don’t need to stop the parade,’ said EJ. ‘We just need to make sure it goes where we want it to go and not where Tiffany Glass wants it to go’.
‘Oh, that’s all,’ said IJ, laughing. ‘That should be easy!’
‘Actually,’ said EJ, fiddling with her snowman charm, ‘I think it might be.’
‘I’ve got a plan, IJ,’ said EJ, ‘but we’re going to need help. A1 said there were SHINE agents deployed in the park and we’re going to need them all.’
‘What are we going to do?’ asked IJ.
‘We’re going to take over the Christmas Wonderland Toy Parade.’
‘How?’
‘Tiffany’s whole plan is that she will be able to march right out of here with the diamonds,’ explained EJ. ‘No one would guess that the toys have the stolen diamonds in them.’
‘I get that,’ said IJ. ‘So what’s the plan?’
‘She is counting on everything being normal so if we do something that isn’t normal, I’m thinking, or at least I’m hoping, that she will have to pretend it is normal.’
‘Otherwise she will risk being caught.’
‘Exactly,’ said EJ. ‘While I was looking for the diamonds in the workshop, you were watching the practice. What were they doing?’
‘The elves were leading the sleigh, they were directing the parade.’
‘I thought so,’ said EJ. ‘The parade is the final event of Christmas Wonderland. Once the parade leaves the park, it closes for Christmas, forever. And where do you think the parade goes to?’
‘To a SHADOW meeting point?’
‘That’s Tiffany’s plan, I bet, but we have a better one. This time I think we will lead the parade, the diamonds and all those SHADOW agents somewhere else.’
‘EJ, that’s brilliant!’ cried IJ. ‘But how?’
‘That’s the fun part,’ said EJ. ‘I think it will work but I need to check one thing.’ She sent a text to A1.
There was a ping almost immediately with the reply.
Piinngg!
EJ smiled and texted back another message. This just might work, she thought. ‘Do you have a disguise charm like this?’ EJ showed IJ her snowman charm.
‘I have a disguise charm,’ said IJ. ‘But it’s not a snowman.’
‘What is it?’
‘It’s a little embarrassing …’
‘IJ, this is a mission!’
‘Well okay,’ said IJ slowly. ‘It’s one of those talking dolls.’
‘Really? How does SHINE come up with them?’
‘I think it is whatever your favourite toy was when you were little,’ said IJ.
EJ thought back to her snowman. That made sense. She sent another text to A1.
There was an instant reply.
EJ twisted her snowman charm. She was standing next to a larger than life-size version of Mr Snow, complete with carrot nose. How did SHINE know? she wondered as she climbed into the bottom of the costume and then pulled on the enormous head. She was now nearly two metres tall, like the costume characters you see at parades.
‘How do I look, IJ?’ asked Emma turning around. But rather than seeing IJ, there was now an enormous doll in her pink polka-dot pyjamas walking towards her.
‘That’s a little scary,’ said EJ. ‘Let’s twist the dogs’ disguise charms.’
Moments later, a snowman, a large walking doll and two chewy dog bones (with four legs) were walking towards the large Christmas tree.
At the tree a large, fluffy, blue bunny met them.
‘CC12 ready, EJ,’ said the bunny. ‘Although I do wish I’d had another favourite toy when I was little!’
‘You look cute,’ said EJ. ‘Now where are the others?’
‘That must be JL10,’ said IJ, pointing to a life-size teddy bear wearing a blue jacket.
‘And that lamb in pink pyjamas is TB12,’ said EJ, ‘but where is NF12?’
‘She’s over there,’ said JL10.
‘She’s the inflatable badminton racquet,’ said TB12.
The inflatable racquet walked over. ‘NF12 ready for duty,’ she said.
‘Wow, we are all so big,’ said IJ.
‘That’s what I’m counting on,’ said EJ. ‘Hopefully we’re big enough to force the elves to change direction. The elves think they are leading the Christmas Wonderland Toy Parade but I think the giant toys will take over. Is everyone ready?’
IJ turned on her costume voice. ‘Mama! Mama!’
‘Excellent, IJ.’ EJ grinned. ‘Now, as the parade leaves Santa’s Workshop, we will move in on all sides and guide it out of the gates and along this route. EJ showed them the route on her phone and the other agents keyed it into theirs. ‘SHINE will be waiting for us at the end. Okay, everyone in position?’
‘Hey! What’s going on here?’
It was that voice, the familiar voice EJ couldn’t quite place that she and IJ had heard with Tiffany in the vault room and in the workshop. She spun around and her jaw dropped. Now she could match the voice with the face. She knew it instantly. Of course, she did, she had known it since Kinder. And she remembered how bossy it could sound.
It was Nema. Agent N.
‘You shouldn’t be here,’ said Agent N. ‘You’ll block the Christmas Wonderland Toy Parade and we’re about to start.’
EJ wondered how a snowman would talk. She also wondered if she could tell Agent N who she was and convince her to stop helping SHADOW. She wanted to but it was too risky. If she couldn’t convince her, Agent N would run to Tiffany and EJ’s plan would be ruined. So instead she said in her best snowman voice, all husky and deep, ‘We’re just getting ready for the parade.’
‘I didn’t know toys were marching,’ said Agent N.
‘Oh yes,’ said EJ. ‘In fact, we’d better get going.’
‘Yeah, go away!’ snapped Agent N. ‘You shouldn’t be here. You weren’t at the rehearsal.’ And with that, Agent N flicked her fringe and went back into the workshop.
‘That was close,’ said EJ. ‘Okay everyone, spy-talkers on and let’s go!’
The crowds were building, lining the paths of Christmas Wonderland, with hundreds of children and their parents and grandparents waiting to see Santa and the toys leave to start their Christmas Eve trip delivering presents. A brass band was playing and kids were calling out and jumping up and down everywhere. One little girl even rushed up and hugged EJ.
‘Merry Christmas, little girl!’ said EJ in her husky snowman voice.
Then there was a trumpet fanfare and an enormous cheer went up as the doors of Santa’s Workshop opened and lines of elves began to march out. An even larger cheer erupted when Santa’s sleigh came into view.
‘Wow!’ said EJ. ‘There are even real reindeer pulling the sleigh!’
‘Yes,’ said IJ. ‘But look who is sitting behind Santa.’
It was Tiffany Glass, dressed in a long white gown and silver headdress. Fake snow was streaming from a wand that she waved around her head. EJ noticed her diamond ring was bigger than before. Then as the sleigh approached the gates, Tiffany stood up and pointed her snow wand forward. It was time to move.
‘SHINE agents, in position,’ said EJ through her spy-talker. ‘NF12, take the left side with CC12. JL10 and TB12 take the right. IJ, let’s head up the front.’
And with that, the giant toys stepped onto the path and into the parade, gently surrounding the front elves. As the procession headed through the gates into the warm December night, the elves seemed to move to the left but the toys gently veered the parade right. The crowds cheered, the elves smiled grimly and Snow Queen Tiffany Glass was powerless to stop the new direction the parade was taking. But that didn’t stop her from trying. She got out of the sleigh.
Christmas Countdown Page 5