by Lauren Child
‘Oh brother!’ muttered Ruby.
There was no jelly donut on her desk today and there would be no helpful conversation, let alone convivial chit-chat to speed up the work.
Ruby picked up from where she had left off and started to read Lopez’s notes.
She saw the way Lopez had put everything together, piece by piece. She had put the decoded messages in some sort of order, so they made a kind of conversation. It was easy to see what it all meant when you were looking at the whole picture. Just knowing any one piece wasn’t enough – it meant nothing. It occurred to her that this whole thing was cleverer than it looked; Lopez had seen that only the person masterminding the bank heist had actually known what the whole plan was. Each gang member had their piece of the plan but that was all.
Smart, thought Ruby, very smart. Now that’s what I call keeping a secret.
Froghorn walked into the room. ‘There’s a sandwich if you’re hungry – hope you like fish paste – I don’t, so I took the egg.’
Jeepers, thought Ruby, remind me never to recommend your charm school.
Ruby sniffed at her lunch, and cautiously took a bite; it wasn’t great, but she had eaten worse.
She had almost worked her way to the very end of the very last file. There was another clipping which she translated as:
Handover to take place at fountain –
plan to be there at 18.00 hours.
That was it, nothing else.
Ruby had reached the end – but what did she know? Not as much as Lopez, that was for sure. She wished she could talk it all over – get a different perspective – but there was no use trying to talk to old Froghorn.
She looked around the dingy office. She could hear him talking on the phone – he barely took a breath, and Ruby began to wonder how Lopez could have stood this. Day in day out, sitting in an office chair trying to figure out things which might in the end lead to nowhere – what kind of life was this? A lonely one.
She caught her reflection in the glass of the adjoining door – she looked at the words of her T-shirt, help is at hand. She tore off a piece of packaging tape and stuck it over is at hand so the shirt now simply read, help.
And then, like a miracle, Blacker walked in.
He looked at her. ‘Did you get into a fight with the tape or are you sending some sort of SOS?’
Ruby kind of smiled. ‘We’ll, let’s put it this way, your timely arrival may have prevented a major felony.’
He motioned towards the little office where Froghorn was working. ‘You two not hitting it off?’
‘Oh me and Froghorn, we are getting along like cats and dogs – couldn’t be better.’
‘Yeah, well he’s an acquired taste that’s for sure.’ Blacker handed her a donut. ‘So I’m guessing you’ve cracked the case.’
‘Yeah, yeah very funny. I got as far as the fountain – did you ever work out where it was?’
‘ ’Fraid not, there must be more than a hundred fountains in the area. We knew it was likely to be in a town, ’cause most fountains are but which town is what we couldn’t figure out.’
‘So you didn’t follow it up?’
‘No way we could. Anyway, Lopez was feeling kinda itchy, couldn’t sit still, it was bugging her that we couldn’t work out who these people were – we’d sorta reached a dead end. We went and got a drink at Blinky’s bar and then at around four I dropped her off at that fancy salon off of Twinford Square – she was always in there getting her hair manicured or whatever – never a nail out of place!’
‘That’s not how I pictured her,’ said Ruby. ‘I guess I thought she might be kinda dowdy.’
‘Dowdy, oh no, not Lopez, always looked like two and a quarter million dollars, always perfect – well, apart from the week before she went away of course.’
‘How do you mean?’ asked Ruby
‘The day after I dropped her off at the salon, she came into work with only half a manicure.’
‘Did you ask her why?’
‘Who am I to comment?’ said Blacker pointing at his dirty finger nails. ‘A person wants to go about with nail polish on one hand but not the other, that’s up to them. But something wasn’t right – she was distracted.’
Ruby thought about this. ‘I bet you miss her, huh?’
‘Yeah, I miss her all right, she was one nice person.’ He paused before saying, ‘I’ve just packed up the things she had with her when she died – got to mail them back to her family.’ He pointed to a small box, high up on the shelf by the door. ‘Doesn’t look like much does it?’
Ruby could only agree.
Blacker said goodbye and wished her luck. ‘Maybe I’ll see you on Monday Ruby. Just keep thinking, I know you’ll get there.’
But Ruby wasn’t so sure. She had been looking forward to the challenge of finding the missing link, the final piece, but three and a quarter hours later she had found exactly zip.
Back at Cedarwood Drive, Ruby went downstairs to find Hitch, who was sitting in his small but comfortable apartment, listening to music and reading some papers.
He looked up. ‘Hey kid, long time no see – how’s the world of crime?
‘Oh, you know, full of criminals.’
‘But no one’s been tailing you? No strange or uneasy feelings, I trust?’
‘No,’ said Ruby, ‘no strange feelings.’ She decided to keep the uneasy ones to herself.
‘Know anything we don’t know?’
She paused for a second, but, realising she had nothing to say, she shook her head. ‘Afraid not.’
‘That’s a shame,’ sighed Hitch, ‘we were all kind of counting on you.’
‘There’s still time though,’ said Ruby. ‘I mean, LB didn’t give me a deadline.’
‘She never does,’ said Hitch. ‘Likes to keep everyone on their toes. Yep, you could have hours before she fires you – let’s keep our fingers crossed.’
Chapter 18.
If in doubt, say nothing
RUBY WENT UP TO HER ROOM, and ignoring the blinking light of her answerphone, she opened her notebook and began writing up the day’s interesting events. She had barely started when she heard the doorbell ring – she slipped off the window ledge and went to look at the door monitor. It was Clancy Crew, standing with his face right up close to the camera so that his eyes looked huge and ridiculous.
Yikes, thought Ruby. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to see Clancy, it was just she didn’t know what to say to him. She decided to keep quiet – RULE 4: IF IN DOUBT, SAY NOTHING. Would Hitch answer the door? She waited a few moments. No, it seemed he hadn’t heard the bell over his music. There was no way Clancy could know that she was home, unless he had staked out the house and that seemed unlikely.
Eventually she heard something drop through the letterbox and his footsteps as he walked back down the drive and through the wooden gate.
Ruby went downstairs and picked up a carefully folded piece of paper. A snake.
On it Clancy had written in code:
‘What is going on Rube??? You aren’t even answering my calls – is that butler guy holding you hostage?’
She went back upstairs, heavy with guilt. Flicked the replay button her machine and listened to her messages. The first voice was Clancy’s. He was asking her if she was going to stop in at the Donut Diner on her way to basketball: ‘we could grab some french toast – hey, I’ll even pay.’
There was a message from Del, who wanted to discuss the game: ‘we need to talk tactics man – Bugwart’s not gonna slam us again’. One from Red asking if she could borrow Ruby’s violin because she had accidentally sat on hers and it was now ‘in several pieces’ and ‘beyond fixing’ and her mom was going to ‘most likely kill her’ and another from Clancy. This time it just said, ‘Rube, it’s Clance, please call.’
Ruby felt a little stab to her gut. She sat there for a while just thinking. She was in an impossible situation – lie to Clancy or break Spectrum rule number one. What kind of choice was that
? She became aware that there was noise coming from the kitchen and she took a look through the periscope – Consuela had arrived and was chatting with Hitch as she prepared dinner. All at once Ruby knew what she had to do. She needed to talk to Hitch – he would just have to see her point of view.
She walked into the kitchen and found Hitch drying martini glasses while he chatted to Consuela, who was busy stuffing fourteen large tomatoes with what looked like more tomato. It occurred to Ruby that Consuela was rather over dressed for this task, the stiletto heels and painted fingernails seeming to be more of a hindrance than a help. She was also laughing rather too much, that sort of random giggling that certain girls at Ruby’s school broke into whenever Richie Dare walked past.
‘Oh brother!’ muttered Ruby. She took a breath. ‘Hitch, can I ask you something?’
‘I am sure you can and I have no doubt that you will,’ he replied.
Consuela giggled and Ruby glared at her.
‘Well, if I could drag you away from the kitchen for five trilliseconds.’ She made an eye signal, meaning “not in front of her” and Hitch put down his dishcloth and asked Consuela to excuse him. Consuela adopted a fake pout and giggled again.
‘Jeepers!’ muttered Ruby.
When they were out of earshot Ruby said, ‘What am I gonna do about Clancy?’
‘What do you mean? What’s Clancy got to do with anything?’
‘He has everything to do with everything and now that I’m involved with Spectrum I can’t talk to him about anything!’
‘Goes with the territory kid – you can’t talk to him, you can’t talk to anyone.’
‘But…’
‘Kid, you blab and you’re going to be in the deepest deep water you have ever been dunked in – that clear?’
Ruby nodded – this guy was never going to give in. She felt her spirits sinking as if there was an impossible weight pushing down on her. Lying to Clancy – an impossible task. She was dead meat.
She decided to get some air – take Bug for a walk. She headed off in the opposite direction from Amster Green.
When Ruby got back, her mother was there to greet her.
‘Well, hey there stranger, where have you been?’
Ruby was a little surprised by the question and wasn’t sure what to say – she couldn’t quite discern whether her mother’s tone was serious or playful.
RULE 4: SAY NOTHING. When in a tight spot people often give themselves away by over talking.
‘Um, well, you know,’ said Ruby.
‘Yes I do young lady. I came to pick you up after the match. I was going to take you to get your hair cut – remember?’
Ruby did remember now her mother brought it up – how could she have forgotten something which could so easily have blown her cover? RULE 7: NEVER FORGET THE LITTLE THINGS – IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS THAT WILL LEAD PEOPLE TO NOTICE THE BIG THINGS. This was something Ruby had seen time and time again in Crazy Cops. It was one of her most important rules.
‘Hey, you’ve ripped your new jacket,’ said her mom. ‘How did that happen?’
Yeah Rube, explain that why don’t ya.
‘Uh, well, let me tell you.’ Ruby was thinking fast but unusually nothing was coming to mind.
‘I guess it was at Mrs Beesman’s right?’
‘Uh…?’
‘I was about to go and call coach Newhart,’ said her mother, ‘I was worried, but luckily I ran in to Clancy and he tells me you went off to do some volunteer work helping out poor old Mrs Beesman. Ruby, you never told me about that – so sweet of you honey! But you ripped your jacket huh? Well, I’m hardly surprised – state of her yard.’
‘Yeah, well, you know,’ mumbled Ruby. Her mother was asking her all kinds of questions about Mrs Beesman but what Ruby was thinking was, Clancy covered for me even though I have been ducking his calls and deliberately avoiding him – he still covered for me. Wow, he’s some friend.
This made her feel bad.
Her mother was still talking about Mrs Beesman and how proud she was that a daughter of hers was kind enough to go and help a poor old lady out.
‘Ruby, you really do make me feel ashamed! I have never done anything to help her.’
This made Ruby feel worse.
She tried to make light of it. ‘Don’t beat yourself up Mom, we can’t all be saints.’
But her mother wouldn’t let go. ‘Be modest if you want Ruby, but as your mother I am proud of you, you can’t change that.’ Then she started kissing her on the cheeks – Ruby decided that perhaps this was Clancy’s idea of revenge after all.
At dinner, Sabina was still bragging about Ruby’s charitable work, this time to her father.
‘That’s swell honey,’ said her father.
And later, on the phone she bragged to Mrs Irshman. ‘She cleaned up Mrs Beesman’s yard, yes, Mrs Beesman with all the cats.’
Ruby was feeling steadily more and more horrible – she would have to actually go over and clean Mrs Beesman’s yard now – she was sure to go to hell otherwise. She was really beginning to dislike Clancy. Wow, some friend you are.
As if preventing a bank heist wasn’t enough – now she had to clean some cat lady’s yard.
Chapter 19.
One little lie
THE NEXT DAY WAS SUNDAY and Ruby wasn’t expected at Spectrum. She decided that it was about time she saw some of her friends – Clancy in particular. She wasn’t quite sure how she was going to explain her absence from school but she thought maybe she should tell them the truth – well, the truth that was the lie that Hitch had told, about her grandmother being sick. It was just that Ruby wasn’t good at lying to her friends. Mrs Drisco? No trouble at all. Her parents? Easy. But not her friends – it didn’t feel right.
She just hoped none of them would remember that the grandmother in question had actually long since departed this earth.
It’s just one little lie, thought Ruby.
She got out of bed and walked over to the heap of clothes lying on the floor. She had been so preoccupied the night before that she had completely forgotten about the watch. Now she finally had the chance to take a close look – see just what it could do. However, it seemed her jacket was no longer in the pile – nor, indeed, was it anywhere in her room.
‘Hey Mom,’ called Ruby. ‘You seen my jacket?’
‘I grabbed it while you were sleeping honey – got Hitch to take it to the tailor.’
‘I don’t believe it.’
‘Ruby, you can’t wear a ripped jacket!’ said her mother. ‘Besides you have plenty of others.’
‘That’s not the point,’ muttered Ruby. ‘People shouldn’t mess with other people’s stuff.’ Boy, if she lost that watch she’d be toast.
She slipped a T-shirt over her head which bore the words you better believe it buster and was just pulling on a pair of jeans when the phone in her bedroom rang. Without considering who it might be, she picked up the receiver.
‘Twinford Retirement Centre, just sit in a chair while we vacuum around you.’
‘Hey Rube, where you been?’ It was Clancy.
Ruby took a deep breath. ‘Haven’t you heard, my grandmother’s sick and I, you know… have been cheering the old lady up.’
‘Oh yeah? I’m sorry to hear that. Your mom must be real upset.’
‘What makes you think it’s my mom’s Mom?’
‘Only ’cause I spoke to your other Grandmother this morning – she called to speak to my mom about some party she’s planning and I guess she wouldn’t be planning a party if she was real sick. Planning a party would be the last thing she would be thinking about – don’t you agree?’ Clancy said this casually.
‘Well, yeah you’re right, it’s my mom’s Mom – poor thing, she’s been pretty sick but I reckon she’ll pull through, she’s a tough old bird.’
‘Mm, she must be,’ agreed Clancy.
Ruby gabbled on about her grandmother until Clancy finally interrupted.
‘Rube, this is me you
’re talking to, Clancy Crew, remember? Your best buddy? And I hate to break it to you this way but your grandmother on your mother’s side, she isn’t sick – she’s dead!’
‘Aw, now come on Clance, that ain’t nice. You don’t wanna break bad news like that!’
‘Ruby, what is going on? First you tell me all that stuff about the butler who plainly isn’t a butler and then this stuff about phone calls and codes and now, zip, nothing – like you just made it all up.’
‘Yeah well maybe I did,’ said Ruby.
‘Yeah? That sounds likely! I can’t believe I was actually worried about you, when all you are doing is lying your head off. And by the way, for your information, you might as well tell me what’s going on ’cause if you don’t – you know I’m gonna find out.’
Ruby thought about this for just a minute and knew it to be true. But what she said was, ‘Look, I think I can hear my mom calling, I gotta go.’
‘You can lie to yourself, Ruby Redfort, but you can’t lie to me,’ said Clancy as he slammed the receiver down.
Yeah, you got that right. Pulling on her boots she grabbed her jacket and left the house. Bug followed.
‘Hey Rube’ said Elliot, ‘Where’ve you been?’
‘Oh, my grandmother… she’s sick,’ said Ruby.
‘Sorry to hear that,’ said Elliot. ‘She gonna be OK?’
‘I guess there’s no way of knowing.’
Elliot looked at the ground and kicked an old tennis ball that was lying by the kerb, then he looked up and said, ‘Hey, who’s that guy I keep seeing driving your mom around?’
‘Oh, you mean Hitch, he’s our new butler,’ replied Ruby.
‘Your butler?’ spluttered Elliot. ‘You have a butler?’
‘Well, house manager – I call him a butler but he’s a house manager.’ Ruby was kicking herself – why did she have to go and say butler?