The Complete Ruby Redfort Collection. Lauren Child

about Lopez, she had wanted it that way. But when you leave no clues that in itself becomes a clue. As soon as she’d found a good hiding place, she took out her notebook and studied her questions.

      QUESTION:

      Why did Lopez stake out the Fool’s Gold Gang?

      ANSWER:

      Because her life lacked adventure

       ..................................................

      QUESTION:

      Why hadn’t she told anyone?

      ANSWER:

      Because she was breaking the rules

       ..................................................

      QUESTION:

      Was she spotted by the gang?

      ANSWER:

      Certainly

       ..................................................

      QUESTION:

      Did they think she was up to something?

      ANSWER:

      There was no way of knowing

      Ruby had the foresight to bring the Spectrum dog whistle with her – she had a feeling it might come in handy. And she was right. Every once in a while, Ruby put the whistle in her mouth, inhaled and shouted, ‘Where are you guys?’ This gave the impression that she was moving around looking for them, rather than sitting on her behind in a cosy linen closet down in the Humbert’s laundry room.

      At four o’clock Ruby went and found Quent and his friends who by now had given up on the game and were desperately trying to find her.

      ‘My gosh,’ she said. ‘You are all so good at this, I couldn’t find you anywhere.’

      That evening at five minutes to six Clancy Crew was leaning on the Redfort’s doorbell as if his life depended on someone letting him in.

      ‘Hey! Where’s the fire?’ said an irritated Consuela.

      But Clancy just shouted ‘sorry’ as he ran up the stairs two at a time.

      He burst into Ruby’s room and plopped himself into the huge beanbag and said, ‘So?’

      ‘Jeepers Clancy, take a breath.’

      ‘So what were we doing yesterday in Everly?’ he asked

      ‘Well I sorta had this hunch that the code breaker I have replaced – well, am standing in for – had a secret.’

      ‘A secret, how do you mean?’

      ‘I think old Agent Lopez got bored of sitting at her desk cracking codes and started to wonder what it would be like to be an action agent. So one day there she is getting her nails done when bingo, she figures something out and rather than call one of the trained action agents she decides that she will go and stake it out herself.’

      Clancy was impressed. ‘How’d ya figure that?’

      ‘I got a little clue in the form of a pencil.’ Ruby dropped the Fountain pencil in Clancy’s lap. ‘I found it behind Lopez’s desk, and then I figured she must have worked out that the fountain in the code was the Fountain Hotel.’

      ‘Nice work Rube.’

      ‘So now I see why I can’t find the missing code in the files.’

      ‘Why?’ asked Clancy

      ‘Because it isn’t in the files, it’s on that little piece of paper that Lopez picked up.’

      ‘But Felix said there was nothing on that piece of paper,’ said Clancy.

      ‘Maybe nothing you could see,’ corrected Ruby, ‘but what if that was the point?’

      ‘How dya mean?’ said Clancy

      ‘OK, so the lady writes something on the pad like so.’ Ruby took out her ballpoint pen and wrote something on her notepad. ‘Then she tears off the top sheet and walks away, leaving the blank pad on the table for her accomplice to pick up.’

      Ruby tore out the page and handed the pad to Clancy. ‘And I’ll bet if you rubbed a soft pencil over that blank sheet you would see the message.’

      Clancy did as Ruby suggested and the impressions made by Ruby’s pen were revealed on the paper.

      ‘Pretty smart,’ said Clancy. ‘But how come Lopez didn’t tell anyone?’

      ‘Because she didn’t want to get into trouble with Spectrum,’ said Ruby. She paused. ‘And you see now I find myself in exactly the same position. What do I do? Should I tell LB how Lopez is not the goody-goody they think she is or what?’

      Clancy was torn. He understood the problem: never rat on a friend or ally – that was his rule. He would rather die a thousand horrible deaths than betray a comrade.

      ‘I can see another problem,’ said Clancy.

      ‘Yeah and what’s that?’ said Ruby. ‘You are going to be in the same trouble yourself if you tell Spectrum how you know what you know.’

      ‘You’re not wrong there my friend, I just gotta get some proof and then they’ll listen.’

      ‘And if you can’t?’ said Clancy.

      ‘Then I just have to convince them with the old Redfort gift of the gab.’

      ‘Good luck with that,’ said Clancy.

      When Clancy and Ruby walked into the living room they were greeted by a smiling Mr and Mrs Redfort, who were sitting on lawn furniture while Hitch set up a brand new slide projector. Hitch gave her a look which Ruby took to mean, “better you than me”.

      ‘I’ll make some popcorn,’ she said, and she and Clancy disappeared into the kitchen. Clancy chatted excitedly while Ruby set up the popcorn popper.

      ‘Hey you two,’ called her mother, ‘almost ready!’

      ‘Just coming,’ said Ruby, adopting the face of a condemned man.

      ‘Hey Clancy,’ came Brant’s voice. ‘Come and tell us what you have you been up to – we haven’t seen you for a while.’

      Clancy reluctantly slipped off his stool and went into the living room.

      While Ruby waited for the corn to pop she felt around in her pocket, pulled out the keyring and started sliding the rainbow coloured letter tiles up down and across. Maybe it transforms into something cool, she thought. But no, it really did seem to be just some dumb old puzzle. She had made a word: ‘FLY’.

      Big deal, she said to herself.

      From the kitchen she could hear Clancy doing his best to fake enthusiasm. ‘Wow, Mrs Redfort that looks like a great portrait of your shoes.’ And, ‘nice close-up of your thumb’ And, ‘Gee, Mr Redfort, that’s a very snowy picture of snow.’

      ‘Isn’t it?’ beamed Brant Redfort, proudly.

      ‘And what’s that one, Mr Redfort?’

      ‘Oh that’s the tile floor of the airport.’

      Ruby started making the drinks; she took a long time about it. As she turned the blender off, she could hear her mother saying, ‘And this is us at the airport, just before that funny little man with the moustache spilled his drink over me.’

      ‘Oh, there he is honey,’ said Brant Redfort. ‘Boy, was he in a hurry.’

      Ruby turned the blender on again. How am I gonna explain Clancy to Hitch? she wondered. But maybe I don’t have to, Clance won’t blab, Hitch need never know. Ruby poured the liquid into highball glasses and put them on a