Free The Hunt for the Missing Spy by Penny Warner Page A

wonder Quinn had cracked the code. He had set up a scale model of the planets in his bedroom, and had painted glow-in-the-dark constellations on his ceiling.
    â€œWell, what are we waiting for?” Quinn said.
    They waved to Mrs. Takeda to follow them. Cody looked back to make sure she was coming and saw their chaperone slip on her shoes and rise from the bench. Then the Code Busters and Mika checked their map to see where the Air and Space museumwas. Seconds later, Cody and the others heard a scream.
    They turned around to see Mrs. Takeda lying next to the bench. Her right foot was twisted at an odd angle. Cody noticed the heel of one shoe had broken off and was stuck in a crack in the concrete.
    â€œMom!”
Mika yelled. She ran back to her mother and knelt down. The kids followed her and huddled around their chaperone. “Mrs. Takeda, are you all right?” Cody asked.
    Mrs. Takeda moaned and shook her head.
    â€œI . . . think I’ve broken my ankle,” she said, pain evident in her face. “I don’t think I can walk!”
    Mika’s face clouded over. “
Tasukete
!”
    Cody didn’t need to speak Japanese to know what Mika meant.
    Help!

Chapter 10

    â€œO h no!” M.E. cried. “Now what do we do?”
    â€œWe get Mrs. Takeda help,” Cody said, taking charge. She pulled out her cell phone and called the number Ms. Stad had given the students in case of an emergency.
    Her teacher answered immediately. “Hello?” she said, sounding anxious.
    â€œHi Ms. Stad. It’s Cody.”
    â€œDid you find Matt?” Ms. Stad asked.
    â€œNot exactly,” Cody said. “I’m calling about Mrs. Takeda. She fell and hurt her ankle.”
    Cody heard a gasp at the other end of the line. “Is she okay?”
    â€œI don’t know. She can’t walk and she’s in a lot of pain.”
    â€œAll right, where are you?”
    Cody told her that Mrs. Takeda had caught her heel in a crack on the steps at the National Museum of Natural History and had fallen. She glanced over at the chaperone and saw Mika holding her mother’s hand.
    â€œWhat should we do?” Cody asked her teacher.
    â€œI’ll call for an ambulance,” Ms. Stad said. “You kids just stay put. I’ll send Mr. Littlefield to escort you back here.”
    â€œBut we haven’t found Matt yet,” Cody protested.
    â€œWe’ll just have to leave that to the police now,” Ms. Stad replied, her voice firm. “I want you students safe and accounted for. I should never have let you go. Now, here’s Mr. Littlefield’s cell phone number, just in case you need it.”
    After Ms. Stad gave her the chaperone’s number, Cody hung up, then told the others what Ms. Stadhad said. The kids sat down glumly on the steps next to Mrs. Takeda to keep her company while they waited for the ambulance and Mr. Littlefield.
    â€œGreat,” Quinn mumbled, hanging his head. “We didn’t find Matt and we didn’t get to finish the hunt.”
    â€œI’m so sorry, kids,” Mrs. Takeda said. She looked like she was in serious pain, and Cody wished she could do something for her.
    â€œIt’s not your fault,” Cody reassured her.
    â€œNo,” Quinn said, “It’s Matt the Brat’s fault for causing all this trouble.”
    The kids grew silent, discouraged because the hunt was over and they hadn’t completed their real mission—finding Matt. Several tourists stopped to see if they could help the injured Mrs. Takeda, but the kids explained that emergency medical techs were on the way. It wasn’t long before an ambulance drove up, lights flashing. Two uniformed EMTs jumped out and rushed over to Mrs. Takeda.
    The kids watched as the female EMT gently examined Mrs. Takeda’s ankle, then asked her to move her foot, which made Mrs. Takeda wince.
    â€œShe may have a broken ankle,” the woman said when she