The Complete Ruby Redfort Collection. Lauren Child

you’d grabbed me out of the ocean an hour ago,’ muttered Clancy.

      ‘Nah, you didn’t need me, you swam your way out of that just fine.’

      ‘It was the badge,’ said Clancy.

      ‘Well, you’re the one who did the swimming,’ said Ruby.

      ‘It was the badge,’ repeated Clancy.

      They were both silent for about twenty seconds and then Clancy said, ‘So that was pretty nice of LB to let you keep it. The watch I mean.’

      ‘Yeah,’ said Ruby. ‘The “great” Bradley Baker’s rescue watch, who would have thunk it.’ She said this with more than the smallest hint of sarcasm.

      ‘You said it’s pretty special to her?’

      ‘Seems so,’ said Ruby. ‘BB and LB were kinda close.’

      ‘So is it true that they were sweethearts?’ asked Clancy.

      ‘Sweethearts!’ Ruby spluttered. ‘No one says sweethearts Clance, not unless they’re at least ancient, like two hundred.’

      Clancy looked indignant. ‘Mouse used the word sweetheart just yesterday.’

      ‘Yeah, well, I’ll bet she used it in a cool way, you know, being ironic or something.’

      ‘You saying I’m not cool?’ said Clancy.

      ‘Clance, I’m not saying that, I just meant you were using the word sweetheart in an old lady type of way.’

      ‘I’m using it in its technical form,’ argued Clancy. ‘It’s technically correct.’

      ‘Yeah, if you’re listening to Chime Radio or something… Talking of which, did you happen to tune in lately?’ said Ruby.

      Clancy looked at her like she had lost at least one or two brain cells. ‘What? Are you crazy? Do I look like I’m a senior citizen?’

      ‘It happens to play some great numbers,’ said Ruby. ‘For anyone with an eclectic taste in music – I rate it.’

      ‘Yeah, I agree actually, but not in the afternoon. The afternoon show is super lame – cheesy beyond cheese puffs.’

      ‘OK, I’ll give you that, but I wasn’t asking if you had “listened”, I asked you if you had happened to tune in; they’re two different things.’

      ‘How dya mean?’ asked Clancy.

      ‘OK, so a few days running this weird thing has been happening where Chime broadcasts tunes that aren’t tunes.’

      ‘What? I don’t get it,’ said Clancy, scrunching his face up like he had just eaten a bad snail or something.

      This always got on Ruby’s nerves: trying to explain something when someone was looking at you like this was off-putting. ‘Quit making the face, would ya?’ said Ruby.

      ‘Sorry,’ said Clancy. ‘I don’t do it on purpose; it’s just how my face goes.’

      Ruby continued. ‘I mean the music is untuneful, as in very un-Chime-like, sorta avant-garde – like music but super modern,’ she said.

      ‘Has anybody been complaining about it?’ said Clancy.

      ‘They apologised on the show and Talk Radio said it might be due to asteroid interference.’

      ‘So maybe that’s it,’ said Clancy. ‘Maybe it’s just some old asteroid.’

      Ruby didn’t say anything, but Clancy recognised the look in her eye. ‘What are you thinking it is?’ he asked.

      Ruby sighed. ‘I’m thinking there are a lot of strange things all going on at once and it’s hard to imagine they aren’t all connected in some way.’

      They were deep into this animated discussion when Red and Del showed up. They slid into the seats next to Clancy and Ruby.

      ‘So Coach is pretty over the moon,’ said Del. ‘Says he hasn’t had so many great swimmers all in one grade for at least a decade. He can see big opportunities for the Twinford swim team – wants to make sure old Crew here joins up, says he’s a great ocean swimmer, which means he wants you coming to swim practice. You ready for that Crew?’

      Clancy put his head in his hands.

      ‘What’s the matter with him?’ asked Del.

      ‘He’s just feeling lucky to be alive,’ said Ruby.

      ‘And this is how he expresses it?’ said Del.

      ‘You mean something happened out there?’ asked Red.

      But Clancy didn’t want to talk about it.

      ‘He thinks there’s something out in Twinford Bay that might nibble him,’ said Del.

      ‘You know what?’ said Red. ‘I think he might be right. I heard something when I was swimming. Something not normal.’

      ‘How could you?’ said Ruby. ‘You were wearing earplugs.’

      ‘Well, that’s the thing,’ said Red. ‘I lost them.’

      Ruby wasn’t surprised to hear that; Red lost things a lot. She was a dropper, a breaker and a loser of stuff.

      ‘When I was almost out to the buoy,’ said Red, ‘I heard this kind of singing.’

      Ruby sat up. ‘Really? What do you think it was?’

      ‘Could have been a mermaid or something. It was kind of sad-sounding,’ said Red.

      ‘Oh geez!’ said Del. ‘Trust you to believe in mermaids.’

      ‘I’m not saying it was one,’ said Red. ‘I’m saying it coulda been one, if there were mermaids I mean. I’m not saying there are, but if there were.’

      ‘There aren’t,’ said Del. ‘Not even slightly, you can take my word for it.’ Ruby agreed with Del on this point. Red’s mermaid theory was unlikely, but it was kind of strange that she claimed to have heard a voice in the ocean. Ruby was thinking back to Agent Kekoa’s briefing – the strange sounds people had been hearing in the bay. Could Red have heard the same thing?

      Clancy was feeling a little cheered by this conversation; he didn’t mind talking about mermaids because, as far as he understood it, all they did was sit about brushing their hair – they weren’t particularly threatening as sea creatures went, and what’s more they didn’t exist so it wasn’t really something he had to worry about.

      ‘Hey you guys, I’ve been looking all over for you!’ said Elliot, spotting them at their table. ‘Dya wanna come to my place late afternoon? We’re having a barbeque – Mouse’ll be there.’

      Clancy looked at him warily. ‘Seafood?’ he asked.

      ‘Burgers,’ said Elliot.

      ‘Sure,’ smiled Clancy. ‘That would be great.’

      However, it turned out not to be so great because Elliot’s mother’s friend, Tilly Matthews, dropped by to update the world and his wife on the latest rumour going around Twinford. Tilly Matthews had a lot of time on her hands and most of it was spent telling folks other folks’ business; this time though she had some real news.

      ‘Apparently, fourteen-foot sharks have been spotted moving along Twinford Bay, and not one or two either, a whole batch of them.’

      Ruby was considering correcting Tilly on the collective for sharks, but was interrupted by the clattering of Clancy’s salad fork as it fell from his hand onto his plate.

      ‘Are you OK sweetie-pie?’ asked Elliot’s mom. ‘You look like you might actually faint.’

      ‘To tell you the truth Mrs Finch, I don’t feel so good,’ replied Clancy earnestly.