The Hunt for the Missing Spy Read Free Page B

be—” Cody stopped suddenly. She pressed her finger to her lips, her eyes wide. “Shhh!”
    She sat stiff as a board while the others stared ather. She touched her ear, then shook her hands in front of her—the signs for “hear” and “noise”—then pointed outside. She was certain she’d heard the crack of a twig close by. Someone—or something—was near the clubhouse.
    M.E. raised her eyebrows and combed back her hair with her fingers, making the sign for “lion.” Cody remembered that hikers had spotted a mountain lion in the area last year, but she and the others had never seen any sign of the wild animal.
    Cody cocked her head and listened, waiting to hear the sound again.
    After a few seconds, Luke signed the word, “Nothing,” by shaping an “O” with his hand.
    Cody nodded and started to relax. Luke was probably right. It was nothing.
    Anyway, it was time to get home, or she’d get in trouble for being late.
    But just as she was gathering up her homework, she heard the sound again—like the crack of a branch underfoot. She could tell from the tense looks on her friends’ faces that they had heard thenoise this time, too.
    There really was someone or something right outside their clubhouse door. And if it was an intruder—or a mountain lion—the Code Busters were trapped.

Chapter 3

    â€œH ello?” Quinn called through the door.
    M.E. rolled her eyes and whispered, “Quinn! If it’s a mountain lion, it’s not going to answer you.”
    â€œI know,” Quinn snapped. “I was just trying to scare it off.”
    â€œBy saying
hello
?”
    Quinn frowned at her. “Got a better idea?”
    â€œDudes, chill!” Luke said. “I’ll go see who—or what—is out there.”
    Cody admired how Luke always stepped up when there was danger. He seemed to be fearless. “But what if it really is a mountain lion?” Cody asked. While she was glad he wasn’t afraid, she didn’t want him to get hurt.
    Luke looked around for something to fend off a possible attack. He pulled up the carpet and opened the secret compartment hidden under the metal floor. It was the perfect place to stash code-busting supplies. So far, they’d collected magnifying glasses, binoculars, flashlights, code books, and a bunch of other cool gear. Luke grabbed the large, heavy-duty flashlight with the long handle and hoisted it up.
    â€œWait!” Cody said. “I have an idea.” She got out her cell phone and opened the sound effects app, then pointed to the air horn icon. “Turn up the volume, then tap this when you get outside. It’s really loud. That should scare it away.”
    Luke kept the flashlight in one hand and took the cell phone in the other, his thumb ready to touch the app.
    Quinn unbolted the door and opened it slowly.
    Luke stuck his head out.
    â€œSee anything?” Quinn asked.
    Luke shook his head. He took a step outside, the heavy flashlight raised to swing at an attacker, the cell phone ready to blast. The three other Code Busters peered out behind him, each one holding an object for protection. Quinn had grabbed the plank that blocked the door, M.E. held a pair of scissors that had been hidden in the secret compartment, and Cody was ready to launch a couple of large rocks.
    â€œShhh!” Cody whispered. She’d heard rustling in the bushes a few yards away. “Over there!” She pointed in the direction of the sound.
    Luke tapped the phone app. A loud blast filled the air. He pressed it again and again.
    The bushes shook.
    Suddenly, a dark shape darted from the back of the bush and sprinted down the hill, through the Eucalyptus Forest.
    Luke stopped blasting the air horn and strained to see the running figure. After a moment, he turned to the others behind him. “That was no mountain lion.”
    â€œHow do you know?” asked M.E., her