Kensy & Max: Freefall Read online

  About the Book

  Back at Alexandria, with their friend Curtis Pepper visiting, Kensy and Max are enjoying the school break. Especially when Granny Cordelia surprises them with a trip to New York! It's meant to be a family vacation, but the twins soon realise there's more to this holiday than meets the eye.

  The chase to capture Dash Chalmers is on and when there’s another dangerous criminal on the loose, the twins find themselves embroiled in a most unusual case. They’ll need all their spy sensibilities, along with Curtis and his trusty spy backpack, to bring down the culprit.

  Contents

  Cover

  About the Book

  Title Page

  Cast of Characters

  Map of Alexandria

  Map of New York

  Dedication

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  A note on A1Z26 Code

  About the Author

  Jacqueline Supports

  Books by Jacqueline Harvey

  Imprint

  Read more at Penguin Books Australia

  The Spencer-Grey household

  Kensington Méribel Grey

  Agent-in-training, 11-year-old twin to Maxim

  Maxim Val d’Isère Grey

  Agent-in-training, 11-year-old twin to Kensy

  Anna Spencer

  Dormant agent PA S2694, Kensy and Max’s mother

  Edward Spencer

  PA X2658, Kensy and Max’s father, son of Dame Spencer

  Fitzgerald Williams

  PA X2660, Kensy and Max’s manny, Edward’s first cousin

  Alexandria Estate

  Dame Cordelia Spencer

  Head of Pharos, PA Z001

  Song Li

  PA U2613, butler

  Rupert Spencer

  PA X2672, Dame Spencer’s son

  Mim

  Head gardener and Fitz’s mother

  Hector Clement

  Anna’s father

  Marisol Clement

  Anna’s mother

  Frank Fife

  Maintenance and handyman

  Other

  Curtis Pepper

  Possible Pharos recruit, Kensy and Max’s friend from Australia

  Dash Chalmers

  Husband of Tinsley, father of Donovan and Ellery

  Tinsley Chalmers

  Wife of Dash, mother of Donovan and Ellery

  Donovan Chalmers

  Son of Dash and Tinsley

  Ellery Chalmers

  Daughter of Dash and Tinsley

  Faye Chalmers

  Mother of Dash Chalmers

  Conrad Chalmers

  Father of Dash Chalmers

  Annika Bailey

  Reporter, BNA

  Fenton Grady

  Building superintendent

  Tessa Grady

  Daughter of Fenton Grady

  For Ian, who introduced me to the wonders of New York City and to my Nana, Edna, who has the strength and tenacity of a Pharos agent and some.

  Case Note 19

  Author: Fitzgerald Williams, Pharos Agent (PA) X2660

  Subjects: Kensington Grey, PA A2713; Maxim Grey, PA A2714

  Kensington and Maxim Grey were admitted as Pharos agents-in-training at the age of eleven years and one month.

  FIELDWORK

  Kensington Grey was inadvertently caught up in a theft-to-order ring, stealing expensive jewellery, antiques and other curiosities, which were then distributed to purchasers in London and around the globe. Under the guise of extra stealth and quick change training, Kensington had been unknowingly recruited to the gang by PA P2699 Theo Richardson, an actor who had taken on a temporary role as a drama teacher at Central London Free School. His involvement with the group was a direct result of his romantic entanglement with the gang’s leader, Victoria De la Vega. Although the relationship had broken down, Victoria was blackmailing Theo for access to his baby daughter – if he didn’t participate, she threatened that he would never see the child again. Kensington believed that as part of her training she was ‘borrowing’ specified items from Theo’s friends, which he would then profess to return to them that same day, none the wiser; however in truth Kensington was stealing the goods, from which Theo was making 3D-printed copies, selling the originals and returning the counterfeit items instead.

  Upon realising that she was part of a gang of thieves, Kensington informed her friend and fellow trainee agent, Autumn Lee. A scheme was hatched for Kensington to travel to Highgate in North London on a reconnaissance mission, which would then enable her to seek assistance from myself or Song in identifying the perpetrators. However, her plans went awry when Autumn realised that the van in which Kensington had hidden was in fact bound for Paris. Autumn then informed Maxim Grey and Carlos Rodriguez, and together the three of them travelled via rail to Paris to release Kensington. Their investigations proved timely as they were able to secure Victoria and her cronies, bringing the entire operation to its knees. It was unfortunate that a series of miscommunications led to the children having to tackle the mission on their own. However, all ended well and Dame Spencer was very pleased with their initiative and determination, although she did have a quiet word to Kensington about her competitiveness, which led to her being involved with Theo in the first place.

  Theo’s infant daughter, Sophie, is now in his full custody as her mother, Victoria De la Vega, is serving a long sentence in prison for her role as mastermind of the gang and for money laundering via a string of failed companies, while ripping off investors for millions of dollars. Her daughter will likely be an adult by the time she is released. Theo’s acting career has been put on permanent hiatus and he will continue to teach drama at Central London Free School for the foreseeable future. He has reported that he doesn’t mind at all and is very much enjoying his new roles as teacher and full-time father.

  SKILLS, STRENGTHS AND VULNERABILITIES

  Whilst Kensington’s excellent stealth and quick change skills were acquired under somewhat dubious circumstances, she has proven outstanding in both areas. Maxim is equally adept and has impressed all with his coding capabilities too. The children have taken to their training regimes like true professionals and while Kensington needs to work on her ability to better read people, she was fooled by a skilled agent who is also a highly trained actor.

  TRAINING

  The children have maintained their daily training and with the benefit of the new facilities located in the basement at the house in Ponsonby Terrace they have both made incredible gains in their skills and knowledge. They passed the parkour section of their Pharos reviews with flying colours. Kensington’s knowledge of mechanical engineering is now bordering on expert and Maxim’s photographic memory continues to impress.

  EMOTIONAL STATE

  Since being reunited with their parents both children have been more emotionally stable, although t
he riverside attack on the family has revealed an anxious side to Maxim’s personality, mirrored in his mother. He has a propensity to teeth grinding and jaw clenching, and reported that he has also been experiencing bad dreams. We will need to keep a close eye on all of these things and ensure that he speaks to the Pharos psychology team if things worsen. Kensington’s fretfulness seems to have diminished considerably as she feels more confident within the family unit.

  RESULTS OF FIRST PHAROS REVIEW

  Kensington and Maxim passed their first Pharos review with identical scores of 97%. As competitive as ever, they matched one another in their final aggregate result, despite Maxim beating Kensington by one point in ciphers and Kensington beating him by one point in the art of disguise. While there is room for future improvement, the twins were thrilled with their results.

  OTHER INFORMATION

  The children will continue their studies at Central London Free School as Pharos agents-in-training. Rupert Spencer has not yet returned to London and is still on the trail of Dash Chalmers. The last reported sighting of the man was in the United States. Cordelia Spencer ascertained that Dash has been in contact with his mother, Faye Chalmers, who also happens to be Cordelia’s oldest friend. He’s misled his mother, telling her that he and Tinsley reconciled their differences and were going off-grid for a few months to take a well-earned holiday and regroup as a family. Dash has reportedly put measures in place at the company to cover his role. Cordelia has subsequently had her agents bug the Chalmers’ home but so far to no avail. Faye and Conrad have no idea that their son was responsible for kidnapping Anna’s parents, Hector and Marisol Clement, and holding them captive to do his evil bidding for almost twelve years.

  Dash Chalmers is currently Pharos’s most-wanted man. There has been no word from Tinsley Chalmers. She has apparently vanished into thin air, along with the children. It is imperative that Pharos finds them before Dash does.

  Max ran his finger along the text and read the words again. He’d scoured the library at Alexandria, looking for books on ciphers and coding and finally found this one. It was far more complex than any he’d studied to date. Perhaps it would help him to unravel the mysteries of the coded note he’d accidentally found in Headmaster Magoo MacGregor’s office last term. The page had fallen out of a book Mrs Vanden Boom had instructed Max to pull on to open a secret passage – except that he pulled on the wrong book and this one clattered to the floor. When he’d noticed his and Kensy’s names on the top of the paper, Max couldn’t help himself and stuffed it into his pocket.

  No one knew he had it, not even Kensy as he didn’t want to worry her unnecessarily, although maybe that wasn’t the only reason. After months of trying all manner of combinations and ideas, he’d only managed to unscramble three words: future, imminent and threat, which on their own didn’t mean much at all. It was as if there were several layers. Plus there was always the possibility that the ciphers and codes that had been used were known only to the writer and the intended recipient. If that was the case, it might prove uncrackable. The boy turned his attention back to the jumble of letters and numbers he’d scrawled on a separate page. Max was concentrating hard and thinking about a new formula he’d studied when, almost like magic, he deciphered the word Song. And it was written with a capital ‘S’ – as if it was the person and not just a thing.

  Max checked again and was convinced that he was correct. Then there was another word – birthright. He felt a tingle down his spine. Perhaps he was going to get it after all. Unfortunately at the moment he didn’t have a lot of time. They had a guest to entertain, if he ever emerged, that is. Max was focused on the text when Kensy barged into his room.

  ‘What are you doing?’ she asked as he quickly slipped the page and his jottings inside the book.

  ‘Reading the paper,’ Max said, turning to page two of the Beacon.

  ‘You do know we’re on holidays,’ the girl said, flopping down on her brother’s bed.

  Max grinned at his sister. ‘Do trainee spies ever get to take a proper holiday? Have you seen this story about the poison-laced letters in the United States? Apparently as soon as the recipient opens the envelope they get a blast of whatever the toxic substance is and immediately fall ill. It only affects the person holding the letter – which is weird and clever. Initially the authorities thought it was anthrax, but now they believe it’s something even more powerful. One man has already died and another woman is critically ill in hospital.’

  Max had read the article earlier that morning.

  Kensy sat up and shook her head. ‘Sounds like something Dash Chalmers would do – the way he unleashed all those viruses he had Grandmère and Grandpère create. It’s hard to imagine there’s another human being as sick as that horrible man, but I guess you can never underestimate humans’ capacity for evil. I wonder if Uncle Rupert is any closer to finding him.’

  Max frowned. They hadn’t heard any updates recently. Following Dash’s escape, a decision had been taken that Pharos would bring him in alone. His assistant, Lucy Dowsett, and the journalist, George Kapalos, who had helped investigate his evil doings were currently in witness protection given how much they knew – they believed that the people looking after them were police, but they were actually Pharos agents. Hector and Marisol did not want their return from the dead to be made public – as that would bring Interpol into the picture and Cordelia thought it would be easier to flush Dash out by letting him think he’d got away with it. There was also the delicate issue of Faye and Conrad Chalmers, Dash’s parents being two of her dearest friends. Neither had any idea of Cordelia’s ‘other life’ as the Head of Pharos. They’d both been unwell and a revelation like this could tip them right over the edge. Cordelia had to handle the whole dastardly business very carefully. At least Tinsley and the children appeared to be out of harm’s way, though she was keen for them to be found just in case. They would be safer under Pharos protection rather than going it alone.

  ‘Curtis should be up by now,’ Kensy said.

  The boy had arrived around midnight the previous evening. The twins had stayed awake to greet him, but Curtis was suffering horribly with jet lag and had barely been able to keep his eyes open. It was no wonder, considering he said he hadn’t slept for a day and half.

  ‘Do you think Granny will invite Curtis into the program?’ Kensy asked her brother.

  ‘I hope so,’ Max replied. ‘He’d make an excellent spy. I mean, seriously he’s probably done a lot more pre-training than we ever did.’

  ‘Don’t be so sure about that. Did you ever wonder why Fitz insisted we learn mixed martial arts and parkour when all our friends were into ballet and soccer?’ Kensy arched her left eyebrow.

  There was a knock at the door and Curtis poked his head around.

  ‘Speak of the devil,’ Kensy said. ‘You’re alive!’

  Curtis Pepper walked into the room. ‘Good morning,’ he said, his blue eyes sparkling.

  Kensy pointed at the clock beside Max’s bed. ‘I don’t think so.’

  The boy did a double take. ‘Is that really the time?’ He couldn’t believe it was quarter past twelve.

  Max nodded. ‘We weren’t going to wake you.’

  ‘Sorry, I had no idea. I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow and I only woke up a little while ago. You must think I’m so rude – Mum would be mortified.’ Curtis wandered around the room then walked to the window and looked outside. ‘Whoa! That’s some garden you’ve got there.’

  ‘Are you hungry?’ Max asked.

  ‘Starving,’ the boy replied as his stomach growled on cue. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d eaten.

  There was another knock on the door and this time Song entered the room. With the sun streaming through the window, his white suit took on an almost ethereal glow.

  ‘Bit bright, Song.’ Kensy shielded her eyes dramatically, much to the chagrin of the butler who ignored her antics.

  ‘Good afternoon, Master Curtis.’ The
man gave a bow and acknowledged the twins. ‘Miss Kensington, Master Maxim.’

  ‘Hi Song. It’s good to see you,’ the boy replied.

  ‘And you.’ Song smiled. ‘I came to let you know that lunch is ready. I hope lasagne and crispy baked potatoes will be to your liking.’

  Curtis licked his lips. ‘That sounds great. Yours is the best lasagne I’ve ever eaten.’

  The butler grimaced. ‘This time I only placed the order, Master Curtis. Mrs Thornthwaite has made the meal in honour of your visit. I told her it was one of your favourites.’ He then lowered his voice. ‘I suspect it won’t be nearly as good as mine, but please don’t tell her. She doesn’t take well to criticism.’

  Curtis gave the man a wink and tapped the side of his nose. ‘It’s our secret,’ the boy said.

  Max hurried into his walk-in wardrobe and returned with a pair of sandshoes. He would have preferred to stay in his room and keep working on the note, but he couldn’t abandon his friend on his first day. It would just have to wait a little longer – though he was intrigued about the idea of a birthright and why Song was mentioned too.