With Daniels at the wheel, the squad car crawled through Los Angeles. Andy and Dylan sat in the back, feeling like common criminals.

‘Did you really have to confiscate our phones?’ Andy asked.

They’d been stuck in nightmare peak-hour traffic since they left the house so they hadn’t been able to call the others.

‘Your dad’s orders,’ Daniels said. ‘Sorry.’

‘I really need to make a call.’

Daniels shook his head.

‘Please, Jake,’ Andy said. ‘It’s urgent. I’ll be sixty seconds, tops.’

‘On one condition,’ Daniels said.

‘Anything,’ Andy replied.

‘Dylan, can your parents sign a photo for my wife? She’s a big fan.’

The Aussie boy nodded. ‘Yes, sure. I give you my word, I’ll make it happen.’

‘This is our secret, OK?’ Daniels said, handing Andy’s phone back. ‘Sixty seconds.’

Andy and Dylan put their heads together and called Isabel. She and Mila appeared on the screen.

‘We can’t talk long,’ Andy said. ‘Fill me in quick.’

Isabel explained everything they knew—including that no-one had been able to contact Yasmin.

‘We could’ve stopped the attacks,’ Andy whispered angrily, ‘if we’d decoded the First Sign in time.’

‘I don’t think so,’ Isabel retorted. ‘There’s no way we could have figured it out before they happened.’

Mila nodded. ‘It only makes sense after, yes?’

Andy shrugged. ‘I guess.’

‘But what’s the timer counting down to now?’ Dylan asked.

‘We don’t know,’ Isabel said. ‘But answer something for me—why are you in the back of a police car?’

Daniels pulled the squad car up in front of the Los Angeles Police Administration Building on First Street. The huge steel and glass structure reflected the city’s sunny sky. ‘Time to hang up,’ he said.

‘We’re not sure yet,’ Andy whispered to Isabel. ‘We’ll call you back when we can.’