Fashion Fraud Read online

  EJ took her phone out of the socket and held on to the sides of the toilet seat as the back wall of the cubicle swung around. EJ dropped onto a beanbag and pushed off down a long slide, the SHINE Mission Tube. EJ whizzed around for nearly ten minutes before coming to a stop at a platform she knew well, the SHINE Code Room. It was here that agents from the code-cracking division cracked first-release codes, the codes that often started a mission. But first, they had to pass an agent identity test. EJ stood in front of a small screen awaiting her instructions. The screen flashed and a digital voice spoke.

  ‘Please remove your right shoe and sock. Stand back. Foot disc ejecting.’

  This is a new one, thought Emma as she took off her shoe and sock, wishing the Mission Alert had come after they had changed from netball practice. But then again, she thought, a machine won’t be able to smell.

  ‘Place foot on disc for foot odour recognition.’

  That’s embarrassing! thought Emma.

  ‘Smellier than originally recorded but foot odour confirmed. Enter Code Room, Agent EJ12.’

  The door to the Code Room opened and EJ walked over to the chair and table in the centre of the small white-painted room. EJ looked up at the tube coming from the ceiling and waited for the message to drop down. A moment later a long, thin, rectangular cardboard box with a piece of paper wrapped around it dropped out of the tube and onto the desk.

  EJ unwrapped the paper and read the message on it.

  ‘Decode what?’ Emma asked herself. She looked at the box. It was black with beautiful white swirls on the side. EJ opened it to find a cake inside, a chocolate éclair to be exact, a pastry sandwich with cream in the middle and chocolate on top. Eying the delicious-looking éclair, she shut the lid and examined the box again, this time noticing writing among the swirls.

  EJ knew what both of those things meant. ‘M.O.’ stood for Madame Ombre, world-famous chocolate chef and sometime SHADOW agent, and ‘First comes chocolate’ was her motto. Madame Ombre would do pretty much anything in her search for the perfect chocolate cake. EJ had come across Madame Ombre once before, when the chef was delivering a new secret communications system to SHADOW agents via batches of cupcakes. EJ had stopped her but Madame Ombre had escaped back to France where she had focussed on her baking, opening Salon du Chocolat, a chain of chocolate bakeries and cafés. SHINE must think the éclair was important, but how? Could Madame Ombre be working for SHADOW again? EJ took out the éclair and the cream oozed out the side and onto the table. EJ swiped the cream with her finger and then, without thinking, licked her finger.

  ‘Mmmmm, delicious!’ she said. She picked up the éclair and looked at it upside down, from the side, from the top. She poked it and the pastry flaked and fell onto the table. EJ ate some of the flakes and the buttery pastry melted in her mouth. Before she knew it, EJ had taken a bite from one end of the éclair. As she did, her teeth hit something hard inside it.

  ‘Interesting,’ said EJ. She took off the top pastry and, as she spread the cream out with her hand, she saw a long plastic container. EJ took the tube and licked off the cream. Inside the container she found a piece of paper. She took the paper out and unrolled it, flattening it on the desk. On it was a row of little pictures and letters.

  The pictures reminded EJ of something she had used when she was first learning to read, where there were pictures rather than words. It looked like this might be the same sort of thing. EJ took out her pencil and, without thinking, took another bite from the éclair.

  Hmm the hearts, she thought. Could be ‘heart’, could be ‘love’. And the next picture is of the moon. Hold on, the ‘-o’ and ‘+a’ is the clue. Take an ‘o’ from ‘moon’ and add an ‘a’ to the end and you get ‘mona’. Hey, ‘Mona’ is a girl’s name. The next picture is a bike but I change the ‘b’ to an ‘l’ and that makes ‘like’. So far the message is … EJ wrote it down.

  EJ went on to the next picture, taking another bite of the éclair. The next one is easy, it’s a ‘tower’ but what is the one after that? Something with a ‘u’ in the word because the ‘u’ is going to be replaced with an ‘a’.

  ‘Bullet!’ cried EJ. ‘It’s a bullet and if I swap the “u” with an “a”, it makes “ballet”. And now the last picture, it looks like a spanner and a hammer but that’s not one word and neither word has an “l” in it.’

  This is harder, she thought, tapping her fingers on the table. It must mean something else. EJ kept tapping her fingers, staring at the picture. Then something flashed into her mind. ‘Got it!’ she cried. ‘They’re “tools”! And I take off the “ls” and that makes “too”. She wrote down the message, looked at it and decided to cross out ‘hearts’ because ‘love’ seemed to go better with ‘like’.

  EJ had to admit that had been almost fun—and delicious—but when she looked down, she realised that she had eaten almost all the éclair.

  How many other agents eat their messages? wondered EJ. And what does the message mean? Who is Mona? What about ballet? And who loves and likes them? And, even more importantly, did Madame Ombre send the message or receive it? And why?

  EJ rolled the paper back into the container and placed it into what was left of the éclair before putting the box in the tube where it was immediately sucked up and away. It would go to the Operations Room where A1, head of SHINE, would be waiting for it—and for EJ12.

  ‘Well done, EJ12! You really sank your teeth into that code,’ said A1 as EJ entered the SHINE Operations Room.

  ‘But what does “Love Mona, like tower ballet too,” mean?’ asked EJ.

  ‘We are pretty sure Mona refers to the Mona Lisa,’ said A1, ‘one of the most famous, and one of the most guarded, paintings in the world.’

  Oh, thought EJ, maybe I should have known that.

  ‘I wouldn’t have expected you to know that,’ said A1 with her unnerving knack of seemingly reading EJ’s mind. ‘But let’s take a look at it now. Light Screen, lower,’ instructed A1.

  On A1’s command, a large, ultra-light, ultra-large screen descended from the ceiling. Voice-activated and Internet-connected, the SHINE Light Screen provided access to the SHINE files, the SHINE archive of information gained from missions and agents, going back as long as SHINE has existed.

  ‘Show Mona Lisa,’ instructed A1.

  The Light Screen flashed up an image of an oil painting of a seated woman with olive skin and straight, dark hair. You could only see the top half of the woman and, in the background, was a lake with trees and bridges.

  However, the thing that EJ noticed the most was the woman’s unusual half-smile. EJ wondered what the woman had been thinking about as she posed. ‘Is she smiling?’ asked EJ.

  ‘People have been asking the same question for centuries,’ said A1.

  ‘She’s beautiful but rather mysterious,’ said EJ.

  ‘Yes and now we have to solve a more modern mystery about her,’ said A1. ‘She’s missing. The Mona Lisa has been stolen from the Louvre.’

  ‘But I thought you said the painting was heavily guarded.’

  ‘I did and it was,’ said A1. ‘But still it has vanished. At least the real one has and it has been replaced with a fake. A very good, computerised copy. And, from the message you just decoded, it seems someone loves having it. But who?’

  ‘It’s Madame Ombre again, so it’s probably SHADOW,’ cried EJ. ‘The message was in one of her éclairs, in one of her boxes.’

  ‘Yes, but that may be a coincidence,’ said A1. ‘Then again, coincidences are …’

  ‘…clues waiting to be caught,’ finished EJ.

  ‘Quite,’ replied A1, smiling at EJ. ‘But we have something else to consider too. The painting is scanned remotely every twenty-four hours. The scan alarm alerted the museum in the middle of a fashion show taking place in the very same room as the painting.’

  ‘A fashion show?’ asked EJ.

  ‘Yes. I am sure you know that Paris is one of the world’s great fashion capitals.’

  ‘Yes,’ said EJ. She did know that at least.

  ‘Well,’ continued A1, ‘this week is Paris Fashion Week when the great designers unveil the new season’s collections at special shows held all over Paris, including at art museums.’

  ‘And a show took place yesterday in the same room as the Mona Lisa,’ said EJ.

  ‘Correct,’ said A1. ‘The show took place yesterday but it was cut short when the discovery was made. And, there’s another thing, EJ, the collection was not just by any famous designer, it was by Alicia Noir, who is known to have been involved in SHADOW operations from time to time.’ A1 turned back to the screen. ‘Show Alicia Noir.’

  The light screen flashed and a photo appeared of a small, thin woman dressed in a black-and-white checked blazer and skirt, black stockings and black stilettos. Her hair was styled in an immaculate bob and she was wearing enormous black sunglasses. Around her neck were strings and strings of pearls.

  ‘Alicia insisted on complete secrecy for her fashion show rehearsal,’ explained A1. ‘She said she wanted to surprise the world with her fashion but perhaps she had a more sinister reason.’

  ‘So Alicia Noir is our suspect, not Madame Ombre,’ said EJ.

  ‘Perhaps, but there’s something else. A Madame Ombre delivery van was also seen leaving the Louvre that day.’

  ‘So which one is the suspect?’ asked EJ. ‘Even if the thief stole it during the rehearsals the day before, how was the painting taken out of the museum without anyone noticing?’

  ‘That’s what we need you to find out, EJ,’ said A1. ‘And the message may indicate that the next painting to be stolen may have something to do with a “tower ballet” but we are not sure what that means. Is it another painting? We don’t have much to go on.’

  ‘Why don’t we just shut down the museums in Paris?’ suggested EJ.

  ‘A good idea but impossible,’ replied A1. ‘This is Paris; there are hundreds of art galleries, all buzzing with tourists. We could never close every one of them. And it is Fashion Week. It would cost the city millions of dollars in lost tourist dollars. That’s why we hope to keep the theft a secret while we recover the real painting. But we need to act quickly. That’s why we need you in Paris, EJ.’

  EJ was excited. Paris! She was off to Paris just like Nema. Nema, that reminded EJ that she needed to update A1.

  ‘A1, the girl at my school who is training with SHADOW, Nema Rigl, Agent N, she was in Paris recently with her mother.’

  ‘Interesting,’ said A1. ‘More coincidences—or more clues.’ Again she turned to the Light Screen. ‘Check Nema Rigl.’

  The screen flashed.

  EJ could hardly believe what she saw.

  ‘Thea!’ gasped EJ. ‘My mum went to school with a girl called Thea! Is it the same one?’

  ‘We’ll check,’ said A1. ‘SHADOW seems to be recruiting a lot of new trainees at the moment. I wonder if they are preparing for something big. But now we need to get you ready, EJ12. Our new SHINE supersonic stealth jet, 4S, is waiting for you. It normally takes more than a day to get to Paris but we will have you there in a couple of hours, which is long enough for an in-flight briefing. Your mission clothes are in the change rooms and while you change, I will prepare your CHARMs.’

  As EJ walked to the change room at the end of the Operations Room, she wondered what spy gadgets would be concealed in her new CHARMs (Clever Hidden Accessories with Release Mechanism). She was still wondering when she walked out of the change rooms wearing a pair of black shoes, black spy-pants and a purple striped long-sleeved top and carrying a black backpack.

  ‘Wonder no more, EJ,’ said A1. ‘Let me show you. The science and invention Division has done it again. Before I show you the CHARMs, however, you will notice we have new shoes for you.’

  EJ had noticed her shoes were like ballet flats, not the usual SHINE-issue boots.

  ‘These are much better for a city mission,’ continued A1. ‘However, they have the same functions, including a height adjuster which may be just what you need in a crowd. Just use the dial on the side to select the function you need and click your heels. The beret in your backpack can also function as a bike helmet. Now, to the CHARMs.’

  EJ saw four silver charms lying on the bench in front of A1. There was a high-heeled shoe, a perfume bottle, what looked like some kind of bread roll and a heart.

  ‘Why do I need another pair of shoes?’ asked EJ, although she did think the charm looked rather glamorous.

  ‘This shoe charm is part of our disguise and camouflage range,’ explained A1. ‘With the first twist it becomes a pair of ultra high-heeled shoes.’

  ‘I’m not sure my mum would let me wear those,’ said EJ.

  ‘And she would be absolutely right,’ said A1. ‘But you may need to go undercover at one of Alicia Noir’s fashion shows and these could come in handy. They will change colour to match any outfit. They also have stabilisers to allow you to walk in such high heels without falling over and spraining your ankle.’

  ‘Okay,’ said EJ, hoping she would need to use that one. ‘And there’s a perfume charm. Can I wear perfume too?’

  ‘I wouldn’t wear this one, EJ. This is our Eau de Charm charm. It’s a hypnotic charm. One spray and the person will do what you asked them to and have no memory of being hypnotised. It may prove to be helpful on this mission.’

  ‘And the bread roll?’ asked EJ.

  ‘The croissant,’ corrected A1. ‘It is another surveillance listening charm. Your phone has been updated with Paris maps and guides and there is money and some sunglasses in your backpack.’

  ‘Oooh!’ cried EJ. ‘I mean check, A1,’ said EJ as she took out the large black-framed sunglasses.

  ‘They are not your standard sunglasses, EJ,’ said A1. ‘Notice the small dial on the side. Use it to change the lenses to telescopic, microscopic and X-ray modes. Now we need to get you on board 4S and to Paris before another painting is stolen.’

  ‘Right,’ said EJ. ‘I’m ready!’

  ‘Très bon, EJ12, very good,’ said A1, who, it was rumoured, could speak ten different languages. ‘Oh, and one more thing—you may need to eat cakes on this mission.’

  EJ smiled. ‘I think I can handle that, A1.’

  EJ strapped herself into the seat of 4S as a familiar voice came through the PA system.

  ‘Welcome aboard, EJ12. This is your captain, LP30, and we’ll be flying today in our new aircraft to Paris, France. Our flying time will be just three hours. Your in-flight briefing will commence on the updated touch screen communications module in front of you. Enjoy the flight!’

  ‘Thanks, LP30,’ replied EJ, turning on the screen in front of her.

  The SHINE logo appeared and then a menu of options.

  EJ pressed on meals and selected a chocolate croissant to eat. There was a whirring noise in her armrest and, as she lifted her arm up, the top opened and a tray unfolded in front of her. EJ could smell a lovely sweet baking smell and a drawer underneath the screen shot out. Inside was a small plate with a flaky croissant with chocolate oozing out of both ends.

  ‘It’s a difficult job being a secret agent,’ said EJ to herself. ‘But someone has to do it.’

  As she took her first bite, the buttery pasty melted in her mouth. She had just taken a second bite when there was a beep and a flash from the screen.

  EJ went to talk but her mouth was full of croissant. The screen flashed again.

  EJ was chewing and swallowing as fast as she could. Finally she spluttered, ‘Accept call.’

  There was another beep and A1 appeared on the screen.

  ‘Nice croissant, EJ12?’ asked A1. ‘I see you are making the most of 4S’s facilities.’

  How does A1 do that? thought EJ. Can she really read minds?

  A1 laughed. ‘You don’t have to be a mind reader, EJ. I can see from your mouth what you are eating.’

  EJ took the serviette and wiped her mouth. ‘Sorry, A1. Just testing things out.’

  ‘And why not,’ agreed A1. ‘But now we need to go through your instructions for when you arrive in Paris. Even with its stealth capacity, 4S cannot fly right into the city. LP30 will fly to the outskirts. There is a castle on the edge of Paris with a woodland park. You will drop down there and use Eco-Deco to dispose of your parachute on landing.’

  ‘Check,’ said EJ. All SHINE equipment came with ED capacity. At the press of a button, the equipment would disintegrate and be reduced to environmentally friendly compost. It allowed agents to leave no trace of their presence in a location.

  ‘From the drop zone,’ continued A1, ‘you will make your way to the Paris Métro, the city’s underground train network. A map has been uploaded to your phone. You can travel to the centre of Paris and get off right under the Louvre. You should arrive just as the museum opens. Once in the museum, surveillance agent CC12 will contact you. Make sure you take an audio tour headset and that you use the secret password exchange appearing on the screen now to confirm your identities to each other. Please memorise it now.’

  EJ read the words that appeared on the screen.

  ‘Check, A1,’ said EJ. ‘It will be good to see CC again.’

  ‘You might also want to familiarise yourself with some basic French words,’ continued A1. ‘A few phrases are always helpful. Remember, EJ, your mission is to find out who stole the Mona Lisa and recover it—and stop any more paintings being stolen. The paintings are worth millions of dollars and I wouldn’t like to think what SHADOW would do with that sort of money. We must get them back, EJ. Bon chance! SHINE out.’

  The screen went black and then flashed again. Some music started to play and the screen filled with a blue, red and white flag before words appeared on it.

  EJ touched the screen to begin her lesson. She began with simple words then phrases but must have fallen asleep because it seemed like only minutes later when she heard LP’s voice again.