Max shrugs, a half smile lifting up a corner of his mouth. “That’s cool with me.”

I nod, my mind racing with possible meeting places. A detailed map of the park floats in the air above me. “If we meet at the park, I can bring Gram and Clay. They can stay at the play area, and Max can meet him at the duck pond. There’s an area we can watch without being seen.”

“How do we get Yakov there?” Olivia asks.

I spot Gram’s phone on the counter next to her purse and get an idea. I swipe it and quickly find Yakov’s contact information.

“Sending him a text from her phone,” Max says with an admiring grin. “That’ll work.”

“What should I say?”

“See what your gram said the last time she texted,” Olivia suggests.

I scroll down. “She asked him if they could meet. He said yes and told her to come to his office. There aren’t any details or anything.”

“Are there other texts?” Olivia leans closer.

“No. Just these.” I start typing and show her when I’m done.

Meet me today at 4:30 at the Civic Center Park behind the duck pond. I’ll be on the second bench.

“Ooh,” Olivia says. “That’s perfect. Just mysterious enough for him to be intrigued but not enough information to make him suspicious.”

A small noise from the doorway has me looking up with dread.

“Lulu, why do you have my phone?” Gram asks.

22. Medulla Oblongata

Our medulla oblongata sends messages between parts of the brain and the spinal cord. If the medulla’s message gets intercepted, it can mean our brain forgets to control our breathing or our heart rate. It can mean the difference between life and death. Every spy needs a way to deliver messages—maybe it’s a special word, a song, or a code that can only be deciphered with a particular book. If the message gets intercepted, then you’re at the enemy’s mercy.

By meeting with Yakov, am I putting Gram in even more danger? If she was a spy, was he the way she delivered messages to Russia? Or is it something else completely?

Too late to back out now. Yakov walks briskly down the hill to the second bench, looking around briefly before sitting. He gets his phone out and starts fiddling with it.

“Do you think he’s texting your gram?” Olivia asks.

My heart leaps. “Go now,” I say to Max.

Max walks past the bench before doubling back and sitting on the other end. Yakov glances over, and his bushy brows draw together. He sets his phone next to him on the bench.