Mask by Kate Hannigan

Author:Kate Hannigan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aladdin
Published: 2020-08-18T00:00:00+00:00

Twenty-Two

BY THE TIME WE GOT to the waterfront, the Doll Lady and Akiko’s mom were already blocks ahead of us. We tried not to attract attention by running, so the three of us set out walking at a quick pace, as if we were late for a meeting.

It didn’t take long to spot the two familiar hats up just ahead of us. Velvalee was tossing what must have been bread crusts toward the water’s edge, and seagulls and other birds fought to gobble up the treats. Akiko’s mom stood nearby with a pencil and paper, looking as if she were sketching the birds.

“What are they doing?” I asked. “Do you think they’re going to tie a note to a bird’s leg and send a message? Like they do with homing pigeons?”

“That would be clever,” whispered Mae. “Room Twelve thinks the Doll Lady is sharing secrets with the Japanese military. But wouldn’t a pigeon get tired flying across the entire Pacific Ocean to Japan?”

“Then how do you think she’s transmitting the information?” Akiko asked. She reached into her bag and pulled out a hankie. When she blew her nose, it was almost as loud as one of the passing ships’ horns. I couldn’t help but notice her mom turn around, like she was searching the crowd. Had she recognized Akiko’s honking? Did she suspect we were there?

We ducked behind a stand of bicycles, just in case.

“Let’s focus, like Hopscotch says,” Mae said, sounding as if we were a couple of helpless first graders and not her brilliant, puzzle-solving, code-cracking partners. “Try to ignore the distractions and stay on task.”

“We are,” growled Akiko, pulling another piece of bubble gum out of her bag. She handed us each a piece, which gave us time to study the Doll Lady and Akiko’s mom in quiet for a few moments. “We’re trying to figure out what Velvalee Dickinson is up to. Maybe she’s going to hand a message off to another spy.”

“Or do a dead drop,” I offered, “where they leave their note inside something, like bicycle handlebars or a hollowed-out rock in a park.”

“We know what a dead drop is,” said Mae, correcting without sounding like she was correcting. “Let’s try to get in their minds, see things the way they are seeing it all.”

Just beyond the Doll Lady’s bread crumbs and the hungry birds, ships bobbed in the water. All kinds of navy vessels were docked up and down the piers throughout the bay, in fact, in plain view.

“Good idea, Mae,” I said. “What exactly are they looking at?”

“Maybe that aircraft carrier,” Akiko said as we strolled off to the right. We made sure to keep moving but still stay close enough to keep them in our sights. “What’s hanging all over it? Seaweed? Or is that kelp?”

“That’s netting,” explained Mae. “I read about it in a military magazine when I was helping Granny Crumpler. Netting like that can protect ships from torpedoes and submarines.”

Akiko nodded. But I could tell she was a little annoyed that Mae knew more ship trivia than she did.

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