The Candymakers and the Great Chocolate Chase Read online

  “Oh, so that’s what that is,” Daisy said, feigning innocence as she pretended to struggle with the weight of her backpack as she lifted it onto her lap. “I wondered why my pack had gotten so heavy.”

  “I’m sure,” he said, and fished the fake poop out of his jacket pocket. In the light of day Daisy could see how fake it truly looked, with its rough edges and an inch-long slit cut out of the top. She leaned closer. It looked like a piggy bank! Sure enough, AJ turned the container over to reveal a round rubber lid where money would normally drop out. Below where the spies had written Open Me, she could now see small printed letters that spelled out Poop happens, so save those pennies! Miles and Logan would no doubt think it was hysterical. She had to admit it was pretty funny.

  AJ rolled his eyes. “Let’s just get the key.” He pried open the lid and shook the hole over his hand. Daisy expected to hear the clanking of a key but didn’t hear anything. “Is it empty?” she asked, preparing to be really annoyed.

  AJ shook his head. “I can feel something hitting the sides.” He reached his finger in and, after fishing around for a few seconds, pulled out a rolled-up slip of paper.

  Daisy groaned. “Not another scytale! We don’t have any sticks!”

  AJ unrolled the unlined paper and held it up. This piece didn’t have a stream of random letters printed along it like the other. In fact, it was completely blank. He handed it to Daisy, who turned it over to inspect both sides. The unmistakable odor of onion mixed with sour milk wafted up.

  She wrinkled her nose. “Invisible ink.”

  “Really?” AJ said, taking the paper back. “How could you tell?”

  “Don’t you smell it?” she asked.

  He shook his head. “Lost my sense of smell last month after that gig I had at the power plant.” He held the paper right up to his nose and sniffed deeply before shaking his head again. “Not a thing.”

  Daisy looked at him with surprise. “So when you took me to the factory before camp to say goodbye to Logan, you couldn’t smell the chocolate air?”

  “Nope.”

  “That stinks,” she said.

  “Sadly, I wouldn’t know.”

  She took the paper from him. “Maybe in exchange for taking your sense of smell, the power plant gave you special powers, like a superhero.” She narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. “You do move awfully fast. Maybe you have superspeed. Can you turn invisible?”

  “I cannot.”

  “Can you melt your bones and slip under locked doors and then re-inflate on the other side?”

  AJ didn’t even respond to that one. He only said, “Don’t tell your grandmother. Spies are supposed to have heightened senses—all of their senses.”

  “I won’t,” Daisy promised. He was right. They’d gone through extensive training to strengthen their eyes and ears, and their fingertips were so sensitive that reading Braille would be easy. They could even identify poisons that to everyone else were odorless and tasteless. But now AJ couldn’t do that. She felt a shiver of fear for him. “Is it permanent?” she asked.

  “I hope not, but none of the special nose doctors I went to would promise anything. I couldn’t go to our regular doctor without it going on my chart.”

  “They have special nose doctors?”

  “Sure.”

  AJ was definitely in a tough spot. “I’ll just have to do the smelling for both of us, then,” she declared.

  She turned her attention back to the paper, running her fingertips lightly over the invisible message to figure out which side was faceup. Then she placed it on the nearly flat dashboard. The late-afternoon sun was still strong, and its heat would reveal the message soon enough. She didn’t want to hold a flame to it and risk setting it on fire. The RV probably contained some high-tech way of doing it, but sometimes low tech was just as good, or even better. “Can we make it home tonight?” she asked AJ as he settled back into the driver’s seat.

  He shook his head. “We’ll drive as far as we can before stopping for the night. Why don’t you go get a jump on writing up the mission report.”

  It was more of an order than a suggestion, but Daisy didn’t mind. She actually enjoyed writing up reports at the end of each gig. It made her feel grown up. Not that she often felt like a kid.

  Her stomach rumbled when she sat down at the table. The bowl of oatmeal she’d wolfed down at breakfast felt like ages ago. She popped back up to check out the contents of the fridge. The freezer compartment held only one item—a giant bag of ice. As for the fridge, besides a carton of milk and a hunk of cheese, all it contained were ham sandwiches wrapped in clear plastic. AJ may have stocked it with fruits and vegetables before he left, but either he’d eaten everything or he hadn’t bothered to fill it in the first place. She’d have to talk to him about eating healthier on the road. It was very important for a spy to eat balanced meals. However, since her options were currently limited, she grabbed a donut and a bag of chips from the pantry. Then she poured herself a glass of milk to balance it out.

  A small window above the sink gave her a view out the right side of the RV. Of course, the glass was tinted so no one could see inside. She leaned on her elbows and chomped her snacks, watching the farmhouses and rolling hills and cows go by. She thought of Logan and how she’d seen him sit so still sometimes, just gazing up at clouds or sketching a flower or a bug. His whole face would move and shift when he ate something. He drew the full flavor out of every bite. She wished she could be more like that, fully grabbing the life out of every moment. But after another minute at the window she was bored and settled in to write her report.

  When she turned on the vid com, she immediately saw she’d missed four video calls while she was sleeping. And three of the four were marked URGENT.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Judging by the time listed next to each call, Philip had called first, followed by Logan, then Miles, then Grammy, all within a half hour of each other. Daisy glanced up at AJ, who had stuck on his cowboy hat and was singing along to the radio. He wouldn’t notice if she snuck back to her bedroom to listen to the messages in private.

  She debated playing her grandmother’s message first out of respect, but hers was the only one without a red flashing URGENT sign next to it. Plus if she’d really needed to reach Daisy immediately, she would have called AJ, and AJ hadn’t mentioned anything. So Daisy lay on her belly, propped the device on the pillow, and hit Play.

  The pile of rubber ducks on the floor and the yellowish cast to the wall immediately gave Philip’s location away. He was in that storage room in the factory, the one near the lab, where they’d prepared for the contest. She had to admit his hideout had its charms. He wore an expression she hadn’t seen before—a little cautious, a little excited, a little rebellious.

  “Daisy!” he barked. “Why aren’t you picking up? Strangest thing. We’re going on a road trip! I know you’re at that camp, but you’d better get home and come with us. We leave tomorrow after the Kickoff. I really need some advice, too. I have to pretend that—”

  Then a knock on the door made him turn away. He shouted, “I’ll be right out.” He returned to the screen and whispered, “I have to go. Call me back.”

  Daisy stared at the blank screen. Philip knew where she was? How could he possibly know that? And what kind of road trip was he going on? Hopefully Logan’s message would tell her more.

  She smiled as soon as his face came on-screen. He stood in the Tropical Room, grinning from ear to ear. He wore his long hair slightly differently than the last time she’d seen him. It fell over the corner of his left eye and hid some of the scars that ran alongside it. She wondered if that was on purpose.

  Logan had one hand on the cinnamon tree and must have been holding the vid com with the other. “Your tree is waiting for you,” he said, patting it gently. “It misses you, like the rest of us do. I know you told me to only call in case of emergency, and I don’t know if your grandma told you yet or not, but my parents want to take all of us to
visit three different candy stores. A road trip, Daisy!” Here his smile wobbled, but he recovered it. After a deep breath, he gushed, “I know you said you probably wouldn’t be around until the annual picnic, but I really, really, really hope you can come, because I’ve never been on the road like you have, I mean, I’ve never been practically anywhere, but you know that, of course, so I really need you to come.” He finally took a breath. “Okay. Got that out. No pressure, though. But it will be totally great.” He smiled again. “Gotta finish packing.” He leaned closer to the tree and made a big sniffing gesture. “Mmmm… smells so good.” Then he winked and the screen went dark.

  Daisy smiled. Guess she hadn’t been as good at hiding her affection for that tree as she’d thought. She shook her head and started Miles’s message. In contrast to Philip’s sunless background, Miles had made his call from the great lawn. Two swans floated behind him. He had the vid com propped up on something and was crouching down in front of it. It didn’t look like a comfortable position.

  “Daisy!” he said, not as impatiently as Philip, but with more anxiety than she’d heard from him since the day of the contest. “When will you be back? I found something that used to belong to Logan’s grandfather that I really need to show you.” He glanced from side to side, then held a burned piece of paper up in front of the camera before yanking it away a second later. “This could change everything. Everything!” His face scrunched up into a worried ball.

  Miles could be a bit overdramatic, and he got excited easily, but if he was so worried, something must be seriously wrong. She rewound the video and froze it on the paper. Even zooming in and sharpening the image couldn’t bring it into clear enough focus to let her make out more than a few words of type. The paper looked old, though, and dark around the edges. She hit Play again. Now Miles had moved the vid com so close to his face that all she could see was his mouth and nose.

  “I need you to help me figure out what this is,” he whispered. “I can’t show Logan until I know more.” He sat still for nearly a full minute, clearly trying to collect himself. His face finally unscrunched, and he leaned in again. “But hey, guess what? Mr. Sweet is taking us all on a publicity tour for the Harmonicandy! You have to come, Daisy. It wouldn’t be the same without you.” Miles’s expression turned serious again. “Call me when you can. Logan’s grandfather might have done something—”

  But he was cut off by a voice behind him asking, “Find anything cool?”

  Daisy could only see legs, but she knew they belonged to Logan. She’d recognize those tanned knobby knees anywhere. The screen instantly went blank. Daisy sighed. Clearly the factory didn’t offer anyone much privacy. What could Miles have meant? Logan’s grandfather did something? Hadn’t he been gone for years now? That didn’t make any sense.

  Her finger hovered over the space next to her grandmother’s message. Maybe the call meant she’d be allowed to go on the trip after all! If she went, she’d have to stay in the background. She couldn’t be photographed or interviewed or do any of the things required on a publicity tour. But she was an expert at staying in the background when necessary. And the Sweets had been so kind to her. They’d started to feel like family. Speaking of family… she had another reason to call Grammy.

  Instead of playing the message, she pressed the link on the vid com that would track Grammy down wherever she was. It took a little longer than usual before she answered.

  “Darling!” Grammy sang out as her face popped up on the screen. She wore an orange sundress with a necklace made of seashells. The sound of rushing water echoed around her, but all Daisy could see behind her grandmother was what looked like a wall made of large stones, glistening with moss and water. She had hoped to find her grandmother at home. But there was definitely no rock wall or rushing water in her grandmother’s office. “Where are you?” she asked.

  “I’m tucked away in a cavern behind a waterfall,” her grandmother replied, switching to the back camera of her vid com. “It’s lovely! See?”

  Through the cascading sheets of water, Daisy took in a breathtaking view. A turquoise sea lay spread out before her, ringed on all sides by lush green grasses and palm trees. Daisy had been on missions in plenty of beautiful places, but nothing like that. Her grandmother always took the best assignments for herself. Not that Daisy was bitter about it. Grammy had certainly earned it. With all the other responsibilities they had, most directors of spy organizations didn’t still go out on assignments. But her grandmother never gave to another spy what she could do best herself. Especially if it happened to take her to an interesting part of the world.

  “When will your mission be over?” Daisy asked. “I was hoping to see you when we get home tomorrow.”

  “I won’t be gone much longer,” she said, switching the view back to herself. “The dead drop was successful?”

  Daisy nodded. “Part of the instructions are written in invisible ink. We’ll be able to read it soon.”

  Grammy’s eyebrow rose. “Invisible ink? Strange that they would have bothered.”

  Daisy nodded. “Wait till you see where they stashed the note.” Out of nowhere a pelican landed on Grammy’s left, flapped its wings to dry off, and gazed over at her grandmother adoringly. Daisy giggled. “I think you have a friend.”

  Grammy scooted a few inches away from the large white bird. “Spies don’t have friends, darling. You know that.”

  Unable to help it, Daisy cringed. Grammy must have realized her comment sounded harsh, because she added, “I mean, other than her fellow trusted spies, of course. Those kinds of friendships are priceless. You girls at the mansion are all very lucky to have each other.”

  Daisy didn’t want to argue about how Courtney and the twins and most of the others were friendly enough but were all older than her. There was a difference between friendly and friend. But she knew her grandmother wouldn’t want to hear it.

  “Did you get my message?” Grammy asked.

  “I didn’t play it yet,” Daisy replied. “I figured I’d call you instead.”

  The pelican peeked around Grammy’s shoulder to get a better look at the vid com. Its face filled the screen and tried to poke it with its beak! Daisy burst out laughing. Her grandmother gently shooed the bird away, her hand all silver rings and red-painted nails. “It can wait until you get home,” Grammy said. “I’ve got a long-term assignment to discuss with you that would start in a few months. I would only offer it to my best young spy.”

  “Me?” she asked, trying to ignore the pelican pacing back and forth now, hanging its head a bit.

  Grammy nodded. “Last I checked, you were still my best young spy.”

  Daisy blushed.

  “Everyone is allowed one slipup,” her grandmother continued. “And let’s face it, letting our client’s son ruin our plans was a whopper of a slipup.”

  Daisy pressed her lips tight. They’d have to agree to disagree on that point. A slipup implied a mistake, and helping Philip stop his father’s plan to destroy the candy factory had been no mistake. Her grandmother didn’t know the full story, or else she’d call it a lot worse than a slipup. AJ had agreed they wouldn’t tell her about the real part the two of them had played in helping Philip win the contest, nor that she had blown her own cover. Her parents didn’t know, either. The fewer people who knew a spy’s business, the safer everyone was.

  “Was that all you wanted to tell me?” Daisy asked, hoping she wouldn’t have to bring up the Candymaker’s offer herself.

  Grammy pushed a lock of surprisingly dry hair away from her forehead. “I think so.”

  “Oh,” Daisy said, disappointed. “No phone calls about me?”

  Her grandmother looked thoughtful. “Now that you mention it, Mrs. Peterson did patch an odd call through to me. Richard Sweet, the man who owns the candy factory, called with the strangest request. He offered to take you along on a publicity tour for the winning candy. He said he was inviting all the children who had prepared for the contest at his factory
.”

  Daisy’s heart was pounding fast. “What did you tell him?”

  “I thanked him, of course, but told him you were otherwise occupied. Which is true. You must do the next dead drop.”

  Daisy had expected that response. Still, she had to try. “What if I could do both? I’m sure I can get the job done on the road without anyone noticing. I can leave at night, or—”

  Grammy held up her hand to stop Daisy. “Sweetheart, even if you could do both without your traveling companions noticing, the problem isn’t with you. It’s them I don’t trust.”

  “Wait, what do you mean? Logan, Miles, and Philip are really great.” Hearing herself, she added, “Well, Philip’s maybe not totally great, but he’s soooo much better than he was. You’d hardly recognize him.” Then she muttered, “Not that you’ve ever met them…”

  Grammy’s eyes softened. “I only meant that while you know your boundaries, they don’t. They can’t, of course; they’re only children. They will get attached to you, and you to them. They will distract you on missions. And what happens when they ask why you never have them over to your home? Sooner or later they will interfere with your job, you will get tired of lying about your real life, and you will have to let them go. Let them go now. It’s easier on everyone. Trust me,” she added. “I’ve been in your position.”

  Daisy sighed. Even though her grandmother underestimated the boys, her points were valid. Bringing them into her life could put everyone at risk, not just her. Grammy didn’t know that the boys already knew about her real life as a spy. If Grammy knew that, she’d never let Daisy see them again. “I get it, Grammy, I do.”

  “I knew you’d understand. Maybe go take in a movie with Courtney or one of the other girls when you get home.” Grammy glanced at her watch, one Daisy had never seen her wear before. “I’ve got to hurry into a meeting, darling.”

  “One more thing,” Daisy said, surprising herself. She’d wanted to bring up this topic many times over the last four months but always stopped herself. She understood that her safety as a spy hinged on others’ not knowing her true identity, but she’d started to question whether she really needed to keep her true identity hidden from herself. Knowing her last name wasn’t all that important to her. After all, she took names on and off like a new set of clothes every time she went on a gig. She could keep that question buried until the time was right. But her mother’s offhand comment never quite stayed locked away well enough. It rattled the door and demanded an audience. After a deep breath she blurted out, “Mom said something once about going to see my… brother?”