Double Vision (24 page)

Authors: F. T. Bradley

BOOK: Double Vision

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But then that night, I went home to be just Linc Baker again. I mean, you didn't really think the government would keep me on as a junior agent when they had Benjamin Green, right?

Exactly.

EPILOGUE

PLACE: SAM'S HOUSE

TIME: A FEW WEEKS LATER

STATUS: KICKING SAM'S AND DARYL'S BUTTS AT RACING MANIA EIGHT

“DUDE, NO WAY!” DARYL PRETENDED TO
throw his remote across the room.

“Thank you, thank you.” I bowed like I was an actor onstage. Heyâthere's nothing wrong with taking the credit when it's due.

“For someone who doesn't have his own Xbox, you sure know how to play.” Sam turned the system off.

“I do my best.” I handed him my remote and checked my watch. “I better get going. Mom's actually home for dinner.” Ever since I got back home from “boot camp,” she'd picked up extra classes to finish her degree to be a nurse-practitioner, so family dinners were rare. I think she thought I was doing better.

And I was. No more Farmer Johnson lawsuitâPandora had made good on their promise to make it go away. I was careful not to get in trouble again. I mean, no one actually knew that it was me who switched out the sixth-grade English test for a first-grade one. And that little incident with the runaway sheep during the December playâwell, I'll save you the details on that one. Let's just say there was no evidence of my guilt.

I was doing great. My grades were just about good enough to pass sixth grade, and my homework was sort of on timeâI was a new Linc Baker. As far as my adventures as a Benjamin Green double, that all seemed like long ago already. I'd almost forgotten how good those croissants tasted, and how cramped the trunk of a compact rental car was.

“See you tomorrow, Linc.” Sam showed me out in a hurryâI was pretty sure he would get right back to Racing Mania so he could at least beat Daryl. I was about to turn around and knock on Sam's door to call him out on his chicken attitude when I caught a glimpse of something unusual but familiar.

Down the street, a black car was parked near the curb. Headlights on, even though it wasn't dark outside yet. Tinted glass.

I hesitated, then dropped my skateboard, and rolled closer. It couldn't beâcould it?

But it was. Agent Stark opened the driver's-side door and waited for me to approach. She didn't say anything until I got into the car, but then you know why she was there, right?

Pandora had a new caseâand let me tell you, it made the Paris mission seem like a kindergarten field trip.

MORSE CODE KEY

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PIGPEN CIPHER

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

THE COVER MAY SAY THAT THIS BOOK IS
written by F. T. Bradley, but the
T
really stands for the team of people who helped me get it done. This book would simply not be without them, so here are my humble thanks.

First, I want to thank my agent, Stephen Barbara, for believing I could do this even when I sometimes had my doubts. You rock, Stephen. Many thanks to everyone at Foundry for having my back.

Every writer needs an editor, and mine is simply the best. Ever. Barbara Lalicki, I smile every time you call, because I'm always excited to get back to work after we talk. I still pinch myself for having you as an editor, as well as Andrew Harwell and Jon Howard and everyone at Harper Children's. I'm so very fortunate.

I owe my writer friends big thanks for their support: Deb, Jenny, Shane, Mary, Ali, Bret, Laurel, John, RobinâI could add enough names to fill another book. Thanks for listening to me whine and for raising a glass when things looked up. Thanks to Pikes Peak Writers for the cheers.

Thanks to short story publications like
Stories for Children Magazine, The Thrilling Detective
, and
Versal
for giving me my first credits. Without your encouragement, I would have quit long ago.

Hugs to my family in Holland for always being proud of me. Xena (the cat): thanks for sitting on my lap at 4 a.m. to make sure I got the work done. And lastly, thank you to Jason, Tyne, and Nika, for understanding when I needed to hang out with Linc. I hope you found the story worth it.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Photo credit: Sassy Skelton

F. T. BRADLEY
is originally from the Netherlands and still likes to travel, like Linc, whenever she gets a chance. Her husband's Air Force career has F. T. and their two daughters moving all around the world, but for the moment the family lives on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. This is the first book in her new series about Lincoln Baker and Ben Green. To find out more, check out www.doublevisionbooks.com or follow F. T. on Twitter @FTBradleyAuthor.

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CREDITS

Cover design by FaceOutStudio

COPYRIGHT

Double Vision

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

www.harpercollinschildrens.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Bradley, F. T.

Double vision / F. T. Bradley.â1st ed.

p.Â Â Â Â Â Â cm.

Summary: “After a routine school field trip goes awry, Linc Baker is thrust into a world of intrigue and espionage, where a kid agent who looks exactly like him threatens to use powerful artifacts to control the world”âProvided by publisher.

ISBN 978-0-06-210437-3

EPub Edition Â© AUGUST 2012 ISBN: 9780062104397

[1. Adventure and adventurersâFiction. 2. ImpersonationâFiction. 3. SpiesâFiction. 4. Paris (France)âFiction. 5. FranceâFiction.] I. Title.