Family of Spies Read online

  Copyright © 2018 Jodi Carmichael

  Yellow Dog

  (an imprint of Great Plains Publications)

  1173 Wolseley Avenue

  Winnipeg, MB R3G 1H1

  www.greatplains.mb.ca

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or in any means, or stored in a database and retrieval system, without the prior written permission of Great Plains Publications, or, in the case of photocopying or other reprographic copying, a license from Access Copyright (Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency), 1 Yonge Street, Suite 1900, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5E 1E5.

  Great Plains Publications gratefully acknowledges the financial support provided for its publishing program by the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund; the Canada Council for the Arts; the Province of Manitoba through the Book Publishing Tax Credit and the Book Publisher Marketing Assistance Program; and the Manitoba Arts Council.

  Design & Typography by Relish New Brand Experience

  Interior illustrations by Jamie Gatta

  Printed in Canada by Friesens

  Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

  Carmichael, Jodi, author

  Family of spies / Jodi Carmichael.

  Issued in print and electronic formats.

  ISBN 978-1-927855-94-2 (softcover).--ISBN 978-1-927855-95-9 (EPUB).--

  ISBN 978-1-927855-96-6 (Kindle)

  I. Title.

  PS8605.A7559F36 2018 jC813’.6 C2017-907261-7

  C2017-907262-5

  To those who ask, “What if?”—

  let your imaginations soar with possibilities.

  And to The Crawfords—

  what a remarkable family.

  —jc

  For my Mom and Dad,

  who have always supported my art.

  —jg

  Chapter 1

  Patience.

  Ford MacKenzie had left all of his on the plane, along with several chocolate bar wrappers, an empty pack of mints, and—he patted his pockets—half a pack of gum.

  He bounced on his toes, peering around the tired travellers in front of him. Another wicket opened and the line inched forward.

  Ford’s fingers drummed on his thighs. “This line is taking forever.”

  “Ah, patience. It is a virtuuuuuue,” his mother sang.

  How could Mom be so chill when right on the other side of the burly border guard was the Great European Adventure his parents had talked about for the past year? Ford sighed. “I want this vacation to start already.”

  “No need to rush it. Live in the moment, Ford. Our holiday will be marvell-oooooous!” She trilled the word until it warbled around the room and over the heads of the people in line. It soared right to the security guard who stood at attention next to the middle wicket. The man stared at Ford’s mother and frowned. He pulled a slip of paper from his front lapel pocket and scribbled something on it.

  Ford slumped into his hoodie. He knew that look. His brother Gavin caught his eye and mouthed, “Not again.” At least they had that in common—basic parental embarrassment.

  “Prochain,” the customs agent at the far side of the room called. Finally, their turn. The security guard ambled over to the agent’s booth and whispered something to her.

  His mom rolled an overstuffed carry-on bag plastered with Canadian flag stickers behind her. She nearly skipped towards the clerk. “Come along ma’ boy-os,” she crooned.

  His dad’s nose was buried in his dictionary. “Attendez-moi, mes enfants,” he said. His smile covered his entire long, thin face, blue eyes burned with excitement behind his glasses. “How’d I do?”

  “Well—” Gavin began.

  Ford interrupted his brother. “Great, Dad. That was perfect.” It was a lie. Dad got the words right but it sounded more like some alien language than French.

  “This waaaay,” Mom warbled.

  As Ford stepped behind her, he heard the guard whisper to the customs agent, “Une Canadienne folle.” Crazy Canadian.

  They weren’t even officially in France and already the French had his parents figured out. Heat rushed up Ford’s neck and burned across his face in seconds.

  Yup. My parents are beyond plain weird. They’re nuts.

  Chapter 2

  “May Day!” Ford’s Aunt June called as she sprinted across the airport towards them. Red curls bounced in every direction.

  “June Bug!” His mom sang to her twin. His mom dropped her bag and raced through the crowd, tripping over an elderly man’s cane but not slowing.

  Ford’s dad stuffed his dictionary under his arm, gathered her bag, and followed his wife, smiling. Gavin made a beeline for the drink machine, looking as embarrassed as Ford felt. Ford searched the crowd for his cousin, Ellie. She was the only other normal person in their family. Well, maybe above normal when it came to brain activity, but at least she wasn’t eccentric like the rest of them. He caught a glimpse of her long, black, curly hair when a huge arm wrapped itself around his shoulders, nearly knocking him over.

  “Uncle Jim!” Ford said, regaining his balance. Uncle Jim loved surprises and his jokes were legendary, but not in the way he probably intended—they were more lame than ingenious.

  Uncle Jim’s dark cheeks dimpled as his smile creased around his eyes, and he tightened his one-armed bear hug. Ford couldn’t take a deep breath. Finally, Uncle Jim released him and Ford staggered, sucking in air. He thumped Ford on the back and marched towards Ford’s parents.

  His family made an embarrassingly loud ruckus. He sighed. At least they were impossible to lose in a crowd. Gavin was stuck in the midst of the chaos, looking like a younger version of Dad. Same dark hair, same dark glasses and, just like Dad, not one single freckle. Unlike Ford. One day, Ford was sure, his freckles would cover every inch of his body. Gavin glanced at Ford. He looked like he wished he was back on campus. Ford took a step towards them, but stopped as his brother disappeared into Uncle Jim’s infamous bear hug. No way was he going in for another round of crushing embraces.

  “Ford!” Ellie said, her voice bubbling. He turned just as she threw an armload of maps and pamphlets to the ground and bear-hugged him. Thankfully, she wasn’t as strong as Uncle Jim. Her thick hair flew around his shoulders like a shawl. The best thing about Ellie, in Ford’s opinion, was you always knew what she was feeling. Happy, sad, furious—she let you know.

  She pulled away and hooted with her fist pumped high. “Now, our vacation can begin!”

  Ford smiled, but he wasn’t nearly as joyous as his cousin. “I wish it was just the two of us. Gavin is here.”

  “Yeah, I heard, but why is that a problem?”

  “It isn’t. I guess, it’s just…”

  Ford wasn’t sure how to put into words how he felt about being completely out-IQed when he was around the two of them. Sometimes he felt like such an outsider, especially when they got talking about subjects he knew nothing about, like quantum physics or calculus. Ford sighed. It was like they spoke a foreign language when they got together.

  “Just…never mind.”

  Ellie frowned, then shrugged. “All right. Help me pick this stuff up.” She knelt and gathered the pamphlets and brochures that lay scattered around her suitcases.

  “How many bags did you bring?” Ford had crammed everything he needed for the summer into one suitcase and his backpack only contained his laptop, phone, and passport.

  “A lady can never be too prepared.”

  “When did you become a lady?’

  She walloped him again, this time on his thig
h. Her knuckles dug deep.

  “Charlie horse!” he cried. “What the…”

  Ford swatted at her shoulder, but she jumped out of reach, laughing.

  “Sucka,” she drawled as she jogged backwards towards their family.

  Ford scooped up the one pamphlet she’d forgotten. The words “Tourism France” splashed across a montage of photos of cafés, museums, and art galleries in Paris. An old black-and-white picture of a café caught his attention. There was something familiar about the place. As Ford ran his finger over the snapshot, a fleeting moment of déjà vu passed through him. He felt as if he’d been there, but that was impossible. He’d never been to France before.

  “Weird,” he muttered. He must have seen this photo or one just like it on the internet when they were planning their holiday. Or maybe he was just too impatient to start exploring France and in his mind he was already walking Parisian streets.

  He stared at the small picture, trying to decipher the name of the café from the awning. All that was legible was the final word: Magots. What did that mean in English? Maggots? Ick. No, that couldn’t be right. Who’d eat at a maggot restaurant?

  “Hey! Slowpoke! Are you coming?” Ellie called.

  “Wait up!” Ford tossed the glossy pamphlet into a trash can. Surely Ellie wouldn’t miss just one.

  Chapter 3

  The taxi driver blared the horn as they wove through crowded Paris streets towards their holiday apartment. Ford jostled in the backseat, squished next to his brother and the window. Cafés, flower shops, and fruit stands flew past. He sat up straighter and pressed his fingers against the glass.

  “Kids!” Dad shouted from the front seat. “The Eiffel Tower!”

  That same strange déjà vu feeling nagged at him. Probably everyone felt that way when they saw the Eiffel Tower for the first time in person.

  Gavin reached across him and pointed. “As you can see from the buildings around us, the architectural stylings are obviously eighteenth century.”

  “Obviously,” Ford said, not even trying to keep the sarcasm from his voice. Architectural stylings? He was almost certain that Gavin had a computer inside his skull instead of a human brain. How could any real live sixteen-year-old know so many boring facts about so much boring stuff? It was surprising they were related.

  The cab driver squealed around one last corner and screeched to a halt outside a stone-faced apartment building. Black, wrought-iron Juliet balconies dotted all five stories.

  “Welcome to the … ninth… arron…disse…ment,” Mom yodelled next to him. “The Annual MacKenzie-Whitaker Family Holiday begins!”

  “Oh mon dieu,” the cabbie muttered.

  Ford’s family clambered onto the street, hauling suitcases from the trunk and piling them high on the sidewalk. Ellie’s taxi stopped only inches from where he stood and blasted its horn. Startled, he tumbled over the luggage and slammed his hip and elbow onto the pavement, still holding tight to his phone.

  Ellie jumped from the cab while Uncle Jim unloaded their luggage and Aunt June snapped pictures of the buildings, the sidewalk, the trees, the cabbie, Uncle Jim; everything. She raced to Ford’s side. Her shadow blocked the noonday sun. “What are you doing lying there? We have all of Paris to explore.”

  “I almost got run over.”

  “Yeah, but almost doesn’t count.” She extended one slender, tawny arm to him.

  Ford batted her hand away and stood, stuffing his phone into his back pocket. He slung his bag firmly onto his shoulders and looked over at Gavin. Mom was draping duffle bags across him like a pack mule. Ford huffed and shook his head. It wouldn’t matter if Ford carried all their bags from now until eternity, he would never be their favourite. He lunged at Ellie, who broke into laughter, easily dodging away.

  She sprinted through the front doors of the apartment block and up the staircase. Ford chased after her, never slowing and taking the stairs two at a time. He gained on her as they approached the second floor.

  Ellie sped down the hall, panting hard. She pointed to a charcoal grey door. “Apartment 210. It’s our Home Sweet Home, or should I say Maison Sucre Maison?” She pulled a large silver key from her backpack.

  “How did you get a key?” Ford asked.

  “My scatterbrained parental units have entrusted me with all the ‘Important and Official Items’ on this trip. This includes the apartment key. They can’t be trusted. Do you know how many times my mother has lost her cell phone? And my dad, he’s even worse. For an actual genius, he forgets the most basic things, like where he parked his car and every single dentist appointment. I bet his mouth is full of cavities.”

  “I wonder if my parents will give me a key, too,” Ford said. For sure they’d give one to Gavin.

  Ellie shrugged and opened the door. “Honey, we’re home!” she called, searching the walls for a light switch, which she found behind the open door. The dim hallway brightened. Ellie gasped.

  Chapter 4

  “Wow! This place is amazing,” Ford said as they entered their apartment.

  Honey-coloured herringbone wood floors zig-zagged the length of the twenty-foot-long hallway. Three bedrooms opened along each side of the corridor with a large living room at the end.

  “Look at this!” Ellie pointed to a wicker basket on the hall table. It was stuffed with fruit, chocolates, coffees, cookies, and a dozen pamphlets and maps of Paris. Ellie pulled out the tourism brochures. “I didn’t need to get any at the airport after all.” She read the inside of one out loud in perfect French. She spoke better French than Ford did, and she wasn’t even in French-immersion school. Heck, she wasn’t even Canadian! Ford tried hard not to be jealous, but it wasn’t always easy having a genius for a cousin. Ellie got their great-grandfather’s Einstein-smart brain and she was almost as smart as Gavin. Ford, on the other hand, didn’t get any of E.H. Crawford’s infamous brilliance. He only inherited his great-grandfather’s last name as his first and Ford knew, without a doubt, that he was merely average.

  Ellie laid the brochures on the table and grabbed a large chocolate bar, ripped the wrapper off, and took a bite. “This is delicious.”

  “What else is in there?” Ford asked.

  He elbowed Ellie out of the way and reached into the basket, but his gaze was drawn to the table and the scattered brochures. He pulled one from the pile. It was the maggot restaurant from the brochure at the airport. Ford laid it back on the table and, as he turned to follow Ellie, a prickle of déjà vu passed through him, drawing him back to the pamphlet. He ran his finger over the snapshot. His vision blurred. The pamphlet faded away and a cup of coffee flickered into focus. Ford yanked his hand away as steam laced with a nutty aroma tickled his nose.

  What the heck?

  “Hey! Slowpoke! Don’t stand there all day. I want to see the rest of the apartment,” Ellie called.

  Ford’s head popped up. She was already down the hall. He looked back to the coffee cup, but it had disappeared. Only a faint coffee smell remained. He shook his head and blinked. Hallucinating coffee? He really needed sleep. He stuffed the glossy pamphlet to the bottom of the basket. Hopefully their parents wouldn’t see it. Ford had no intention of eating bugs for breakfast.

  “I call this one.” Ellie stood in the doorway of the second bedroom, chomping on the chocolate bar. The room was small with a twin bed and a white bedspread embroidered with large, pink flowers. Fluffy white and lavender pillows were stacked high against the dark wood headboard. Large doors opened to a tiny balcony.

  Ford entered the next room. It also had a single bed, but the bedspread was plain and light grey. Not one single flower. Perfect for him.

  “Kids!” Ford’s dad called from the hallway. His deep voice interrupted their excitement.

  Ford grabbed his backpack and dumped its contents across the bed as Ellie stepped into his room.

  “What are you do
ing?” she asked.

  “I have to claim this room fast or Gavin might get it,” he explained.

  “Ford! Ellie! Come help us with the…baaaa-gaaaaage,” sang Ford’s mom.

  “Hey Mom, where do you want the suitcases?” Gavin’s voice rang through the apartment.

  Ford and Ellie stood in his bedroom doorway and watched their family hustle through the apartment. Gavin stumbled down the hallway with a large suitcase in each hand, in addition to the bags slung crisscross across his shoulders. Ford sighed. Did Gavin purposely have to show him up?

  “Over there,” Mom said, directing Gavin to the far end of the hall.

  Dad squeezed Gavin’s shoulder. “This holiday is going to be très, très perfecto mundo.”

  “You’ve got your French mixed up with Italian again. I can give you some pointers if you want,” Gavin offered.

  Ford rolled his eyes and mumbled, “Of course you can, perfect son.”

  Ellie pinched his elbow. “Shut it.”

  Gavin dropped the bags and Mom gave him a big hug. “So great to have you here with us. We missed you this year.” She looked at Ford. “You raced away so fast, you missed our impromptu photo session. But no worries, there will be plenty of time for family selfies.”

  Ford grimaced. Family selfies? Why did she talk like that?

  “Isn’t it great having your brother home from university and with us in Paris? We’re all toooo-gether again, my sons, my sons,” she sang, her eyes shining with tears.

  “Yeah, great,” mumbled Ford.

  Dad tiptoed past them and winked at Ford as he inched toward the doorway. “Going to grab more bags,” he called and darted out of the apartment.

  “Do you remember the time—” Mom began.

  “I think I hear Dad calling,” Gavin said, and he dashed into the hallway before she could begin her walk down memory lane.

  “Oh, okay. Maybe later. Ford, why don’t you and Ellie sort the baggage into piles?” She pointed to the growing mountain of luggage that blocked much of the hallway.