The Complete Ruby Redfort Collection

by Lauren Child

  ‘We have a situation.’

  LB took a deep breath, ‘What kind of situation?’

  ‘I think Ruby has gotten into the wrong hands.’

  ‘The wrong hands? What do you mean by that?’ asked LB,

  ‘Someone has taken her.’

  ‘But why? How would anyone have caught on to the kid? No one knows she’s been working for us – I made sure of that.’

  ‘I think it could have something to do with the redhead she was talking about. We knew the kid was smart, but I think she might have even better instincts than we credited her with – I think she found something out and I think she got clocked doing it,’ said Hitch.

  ‘Where was Froghorn when all this was happening? I specifically asked him to keep Ruby safe.’

  ‘Beats me, but wherever it was, he certainly wasn’t keeping an eye on the kid.’ Hitch was feeling horrible – the kind of guilt that causes nausea. Why hadn’t he listened, he never should have let LB assign that numbskull.

  ‘Get hold of him,’ said LB, ‘and tell him to get his wretched behind in here before I start thinking about using him as shark bait.’

  ‘I think shark bait should be my fate,’ said Hitch. ‘I’m the one who should have been looking after her.’

  ‘You’re being too hard on yourself – it was Froghorn’s responsibility. He was assigned to keep her out of trouble.’

  But Hitch couldn’t agree.

  ‘Please tell me Klaus Gustav is safely in Twinford?’ said LB.

  ‘He is – Blacker flew him in yesterday. I hear he’s not exactly all things nice – no wonder he’s a recluse but at least he is secure and all tucked up at the Grand Twin.’

  ‘And you?’

  ‘I’ve been working with the security squad and everything looks as locked down as it’s ever going to be,’ replied Hitch.

  ‘Well, that’s something,’ said LB. ‘So this kid Clancy – do you think Ruby might have confided in him, told him everything?’

  ‘There’s a good chance,’ said Hitch. ‘Ruby can keep a secret, no doubt about that. But Clancy is her closest friend; if she’s going to tell anyone it’s going to be him.’

  ‘Speak to the kid, find out everything he knows.’ With that she was gone.

  Hitch got in his car and drove the short distance to Ambassador Crew’s elegant residence.

  He swung the car through the main gates and parked. As he climbed the carved stone steps he smelt the fresh smell of blossom and felt the warm sun on his back, it was hard to believe anyone was in peril on a morning like this. The housekeeper answered the door and asked him to sit in the hall while she went to fetch Clancy.

  Hitch perched uncomfortably on a delicate French chair and gazed around at the imposing portraits of ambassadors and dignitaries – they all looked back at him with accusing eyes. He was feeling bad. OK, so it wasn’t his fault that Froghorn was an incompetent idiot and had let Ruby slip through his fingers, but the truth was he should never have left her with him in the first place.

  Should have listened to her. Someone else could have gone to brief the security staff. And it had to be said that as far as working with thirteen-year-old kids went, Ruby wasn’t so bad… She was one cool customer, funny too. But now she was gone and he could only blame himself.

  Kid, if you’re still out there, I’m gonna find you. You can count on it.

  Hitch was pulled out of his circular thoughts by the appearance of Clancy, his face displaying considerable mistrust.

  Hitch stood up. ‘Shall we go outside?’

  The two of them sat down on the warm stone steps facing the twisty gates, Ruby’s bike visible through the bars.

  Hitch looked at Clancy. ‘So what do you know?’

  ‘What I know is that Ruby was meant to be coming over last night. She arrived OK, but then you showed up and now I am wondering where she is.’

  ‘You don’t believe me when I say that didn’t happen?’

  ‘I got no reason to believe you – a lot of weird things have been happening since you showed up.’

  Hitch shrugged. ‘So what do you know about HQ?’

  ‘I know HQ stands for headquarters,’ said Clancy.

  ‘OK, let’s try another one. How about Spectrum, you know anything about that?’

  ‘Well I know about the colour spectrum: red, orange, yellow, green…’

  ‘Smart, very smart – how about the Jade Buddha?’

  ‘Well,’ said Clancy, ‘I know that the museum is having a big launch because the Jade Buddha of Khotan is coming to Twinford, everyone’s talking about it.’

  ‘Kid, cut the choirboy act would you and just tell me what you know.’

  ‘I’m sorry,’ said Clancy shrugging, ‘but I am not sure what you are getting at.’

  ‘What I am getting at, is what do you know about this case, about Ruby’s undercover work?’

  ‘I guess we have our wires crossed because I don’t have a clue what you want me to say and I don’t know anything about any undercover stuff.’

  The boy’s face was a mask, it was hard to believe that Clancy knew more than he was letting on. ‘You got a problem with me kid?’ asked Hitch.

  But Clancy said nothing.

  Hitch looked the boy square in the eye. ‘Your dad has security cameras trained at the house and the road in front. Why don’t we take a look at the tape – see if that car was mine?’

  Clancy Crew got up slowly and led the way into the office where the security monitor was kept. He clicked the tape and rewound back to about eight o’clock the previous night. The image was grainy but it was easy to see the figure of Ruby cycling into the frame, and seconds later Hitch’s car pull up. He saw Ruby happily walking towards it, saw the window wind down and a hand appear. He couldn’t see the driver, nor could he make out Ruby’s expression, but… was that a little step back she took?

  Clancy paused the tape and looked hard at the car.

  ‘Does that look like my car? Look closely,’ said Hitch.

  Clancy looked closely; the car was parked at an angle and the vehicle plates were not in the shot but even so there were things about it that did not seem very “Hitch-like”.

  ‘Do you honestly think that I would drive a car with those hub caps?’ said Hitch. It was true, they were a little flashy, and now that he came to look closely, Clancy could see this car was no convertible.

  Suddenly he felt very cold and very unsure.

  Hitch turned to go. ‘When you’re ready to talk kid, call this number.’ He placed a card on the table and walked out of the house. All Hitch came away with was the knowledge that as far as Clancy Crew was concerned, Ruby had told the truth – the boy would take a secret to the grave.

  Chapter 35.

  Nine Lives

  AS SOON AS HE HEARD HITCH’S CAR drive away, Clancy grabbed his sweatshirt and the card and ran towards the front door. Then he turned and shouted, ‘Just off to meet Ruby, OK?’

  ‘Make sure you are back in good time for the museum party!’ called his mother. But Clancy was already out of the house. Climbing on Ruby’s bike he cycled off towards Amster.

  He made a right at Everglade until he got to the little green opposite the Double Donut Diner. He propped the bike against a fence and walked over to the oak tree. Clancy hadn’t checked it for a while but today he just had a feeling – call it a hunch.

  He looked around – no one was about, so he swung himself up on to the first branch and then climbed high into the tree. He reached into one of the hollows and felt around – something was there, when he withdrew his hand he was holding a little paper crane. It was the symbol for loyalty and when he unfolded it the note said:

  If anything happens to me, blab to the butler.

  It was hard to know whether Ruby had written this as a joke or if she had actually had some premonition that something dark was coming her way.

  But it was all he needed.

  Clancy ran to the nearest phone booth and dialled the number on the card –
his call was answered after the first ring.

  ‘She told me about her work with you and Spectrum, she didn’t want to, but I wouldn’t let it go, she had to.’

  ‘It doesn’t matter about that, not any more,’ said Hitch. ‘Just tell me what you know – Ruby said something about a redhead, you saw this woman, right?’

  ‘Yes,’ said Clancy, ‘I did, we both did.’

  ‘Meet me at 101 Maverick Street,’ said Hitch. ‘Can you do that?’

  ‘I think I can find it,’ said Clancy.

  Clancy arrived at the Spectrum office twenty-five minutes later. He was out of breath and thirsty, but when Hitch answered the door Clancy forgot all about that.

  ‘It was me who spotted her,’ said Clancy.

  ‘We’re talking about the redhead?’ said Hitch.

  Clancy nodded. ‘When I spotted her in Twinford Square, I knew I had seen her some place before but I couldn’t think where.’

  ‘So you followed her?’

  ‘Yeah, we followed her to the Grand Twin Hotel and we managed to get into her room.’

  ‘What did you do then?’

  ‘Well, Ruby started going through a stack of photos she found on the desk.’

  ‘And you?’

  ‘Well, I noticed that the woman had all these glasses, huge glasses, tinted, sorta like sunglasses but not, ’cause you could wear them indoors.’

  ‘So?’

  ‘So,’ continued Clancy, ‘Ruby pulls out this photo from the stack of pictures and I remember where I’d seen the redhead – she was in the Redfort’s slide show, in the background of one of their vacation pictures.’

  ‘They didn’t know her?’ asked Hitch.

  ‘No, they didn’t. Anyway, then when we are outside the Double Donut, I see Ruby is staring at me because you see I have forgotten to take off the lady’s glasses.’

  ‘And Ruby recognises them?’ suggested Hitch.

  ‘Yeah,’ replied Clancy, ‘but she didn’t say why.’

  Hitch reached behind the file shelf and the bookcase slid to one side, revealing a passageway. ‘Come with me kid.’

  ‘Hey, that’s kinda corny!’ said Clancy.

  ‘Corny it may be, but Ruby never found it,’ replied Hitch.

  Hitch led Clancy down to the cinema room deep underneath the office. He switched on the projector and clicked though the slides until he got to the one of the woman stepping out of the jewellery store.

  ‘I know the picture’s black and white but could this be the woman?’

  Clancy looked up at the image: the woman in the photograph had the same elegance, the same style, the same mean look about her. The main difference was that this woman wasn’t wearing huge tinted glasses, so you could clearly see her heavily-lashed eyes.

  ‘It does sorta look like her,’ ventured Clancy, ‘but the woman I saw had a big scar across her left eye – I only saw it for a couple of seconds, but you couldn’t miss it.’

  Hitch felt his blood run cold: now he was sure. It was Nine Lives Capaldi who had taken Ruby, and he knew there was not much chance of finding her alive.

  ‘What is it?’ said Clancy.

  ‘This is Valerie Capaldi – we call her Nine Lives. The last time she crossed my path we got into a fight – I left with a torn up leg and she left with a nasty gash to her left eye. I haven’t seen her for a couple of years,’ added Hitch, staring at the screen, ‘but if Nine Lives is involved then Ruby is in a lot more trouble than I had thought.’

  Sabina heard the front door open and the heavy footsteps as Hitch climbed the stairs to the living room.

  ‘So where’s Ruby?’ she called, adjusting her dress.

  ‘Don’t worry about Ruby, I’ll make sure she is there on time.’

  Brant breezed into the room smiling. ‘That daughter of mine around? I hope she’s not going to be late – she has a terrible problem with punctuality.’

  ‘She’ll make it, I promise you that – everything is going to be all right,’ said Hitch. ‘You can count on it.’

  Sabina looked at him. ‘Darling Hitch, no need to be so dramatic,’ she laughed. ‘You’re almost worrying me – she’s not going to wear one of her awful T-shirts is she? I’m not saying I wouldn’t mind because you know I would – but nothing can ruin tonight for me – nothing.’

  Chapter 36.

  A colony of vultures

  RUBY SAT UNCOMFORTABLY IN A LARGE SHABBY CHAIR. A chair that might well have belonged to Dracula himself, with its dragon feet and blood red fabric. Her wrists and ankles were bound and her mouth gagged, a blindfold across her eyes. She could hear sounds, mutterings, heavy objects being dragged across a stone floor. She could sense that something – several somethings were in the room even if she couldn’t see them. She felt as if she were surrounded by vultures… a colony of vultures! That was the collective term for them – fine time to remember that.

  Then, suddenly, light.

  Someone removed the silk scarf and Ruby found herself once again staring into the pretty eyes of Baby Face Marshall. He really did have a very sweet face. It was hard to believe what Agent Blacker had said about this clean-cut guy with his tidy features and straight teeth.

  ‘Got something to say cutie?’

  Baby Face ripped the tape from her mouth. Her eyes began to water.

  ‘Oh now don’t cry – tell me what I need to know and you can run along back to Mommy and Daddy.’

  ‘Look, first of all I don’t cry – least not because some schmuck with a face like a baby is giving me grief, and second of all, as I was saying to those cronies of yours before they stuck packaging tape over my mouth, I don’t know anything.’

  Baby Face didn’t like the line about his having a face like a baby, Ruby could tell – his voice got a whole lot harsher.

  ‘What were you doing at Crisp n Clean drycleaners?’ He leaned very close when he said this – his breath warm against her face.

  ‘I was picking up a dress for tonight, for the museum shindig, you know the one, everyone’s talking about it, the old Buddha thing? You see I forgot to collect my outfit and my mother will be mad as a bear if I don’t wear it this evening. You know how mad bears can get don’t ya?’

  ‘Yeah, I hear bears are capable of knocking a person’s head off.’

  Ruby regretted bringing up the subject of bears – she didn’t want to be giving him any ideas. The one thing Ruby Redfort knew about bears was RULE 79: WHAT TO DO IF YOU MEET A BEAR – WISH YOU HADN’T!

  Baby Face picked up Ruby’s backpack and pulled out the blue jacket. ‘This your outfit?’ He was looking in the pockets.

  ‘No! I don’t believe it! What the… I guess I must have picked up my mom’s dry-cleaning instead of my own, how could I be so dumb?’

  ‘Yes, that is a question I am asking myself,’ said Baby Face in a sinister tone.

  ‘Look mister, just what is it you want from me? You can have the jacket if it is such a big deal – my mom will kill me, but I would rather deal with her than have you all unhappy.’

  ‘Oh I’m not unhappy Ms Redfort, but I know someone who might be.’

  He turned towards the door.

  ‘Hey come on, look at me buster, I’m just a school kid you know.’

  ‘Tell it to my boss,’ hissed Baby Face as he closed the door behind him.

  Hitch pulled up outside the museum entrance and Mr and Mrs Redfort stepped out of the car. LB had insisted that he be assigned the job of securing the safety of Brant and Sabina Redfort. When he had argued with her she had countered, saying, you’re too close to this thing Hitch, let someone else search for the kid – you’re feeling guilty and guilt never did anyone any good. You’re more use to us here. You’ve got to keep perspective.

  Chinese lanterns were strung along above the steps and music drifted out across the square. The cherry trees had scattered blossom across the path and all in all it was a very beautiful scene. A gentle breeze, a mild night – a perfect evening for a party. Fairytale perfect.

 
Hitch, however, noted nothing of this. All he registered were security guards, cameras and agents. He switched on his watch transmitter and spoke into its speaker. ‘Any sign of the kid?’

  ‘I’m afraid not Hitch, we’ve been looking all over Twinford and a way beyond too, but it’s like she just disappeared into the night.’

  Hitch sighed heavily, and took the incoming call from Agent Blacker. ‘Do you want the good news or the bad news?’ asked Blacker.

  Hitch groaned.

  ‘Well, the bad news is Mr Klaus Gustav has yet to emerge from his hotel room so we haven’t had a chance to brief him on our security – Dr Gonzales is beginning to wonder if he is ever going to show.’

  ‘And the good news?’ asked Hitch.

  ‘I’ll call you when I’ve got some.’

  Ruby listened.

  She heard the determined clack of expensive leather soled shoes making their way along the stone corridor. The footsteps were far away but steadily getting nearer. Even the sound of them – so regular they reminded Ruby of a ticking clock – seemed to be announcing something awful. By the time they came to a stop outside the huge wooden door Ruby’s heart was beating so hard her whole body could feel it.

  As the door creaked slowly open, Ruby felt perspiration trickle down her face, though it was deathly cold inside the tower. The figure that stood there cast a long and eerie shadow, a shadow almost independent of the man it belonged to. It was impossible to see more than that, but then Ruby, with just the one contact lens, stood very little chance of seeing anything very clearly.

  However, she understood something without looking, without seeing – her sixth sense was telling her that this man was not a good man.

  This is the sort of man, thought Ruby, who might indeed dangle one over a bubbling volcano… just because… why not?

  Chapter 37.

  Time waits for no man

  SHOULD HAVE WORN THE YELLOW, thought Sabina, I’m a knockout in yellow.

  Sabina Redfort hadn’t quite recovered from the disappointment of discovering she wasn’t the only one to have thought of wearing a jade-coloured dress; most of the women at the party were attired in varying shades of green. Still, her iced canapés were a triumph and the green martinis were a masterstroke. All in all the party was a glittering success.