The Complete Ruby Redfort Collection. Lauren Child

I was saying,’ continued the voice. ‘I hear that you are quite the code cracker, that you are capable of noticing the smallest things, the tiny details and how they connect. I bet you can see when something is plum square in the wrong place, while everyone else just walks on by. You can see that something ordinary might mean something extraordinary once it’s put in context. Am I right?’

      ‘I can crack a code,’ said Ruby struggling to sound more confident than she felt.

      ‘Good,’ said the voice, and the line went dead.

      ‘So what’s the code, buster?’ said Ruby to no one but herself. She slowly put down the receiver.

       Now what?

      Hitch meanwhile, true to his job description, had been managing the Redfort household. By the time Brant Redfort walked in the door Hitch had brought in some of the lawn furniture, conjured camp beds from nowhere, and ordered sushi for dinner. Sabina was leaning on the countertop, and chatting as if she had known him a good deal longer than one hour and forty-two minutes. Though Ruby observed that the conversation was not exactly scintillating.

      ‘So would you believe it, Hitch, I take my little Oscar Birdet jacket to the drycleaners – you know, Grosvenors on Harling Street? And what do they say? ‘Sorry Mrs Redfort but we won’t be able to fix this, it’s too delicate.’ Can you believe it? What kind of drycleaning service are they?’

      ‘Well it is an Oscar Birdet, maybe they felt a little out of their depth.’

      ‘You know Oscar Birdet?’

      ‘Sure I do.’

      ‘Aren’t his designs exquisite?’

      ‘Divine. Look, leave it with me, I’ll take it to my drycleaner tomorrow, he knows what he’s doing,’ said Hitch. ‘And if he can’t fix it, he’ll send it to someone who can.’

      ‘Boy, I can’t wait for Mrs Digby to meet you.’

      ‘Mrs Digby?’ he asked.

      ‘Our housekeeper. We had a misunderstanding, I expect she’s still at her cousin Emily’s cooling off – she’s going to just love you.’

      Ruby wasn’t so sure. Mrs Digby ‘couldn’t abide fools’, and as far as Ruby was concerned this guy struck her as a prize turkey.

      He was busy unpacking something from one of his bags.

      ‘Hey, how cute – you travel with your own toaster,’ exclaimed Sabina.

      ‘Well,’ said Hitch, placing it on the countertop. ‘It’s a good one, and who doesn’t love toast?’

      There it was again, the little flash of pain, vivid just for a second when he lifted his right arm.

      ‘I can’t argue with you there,’ nodded Sabina.

      ‘That’s some butler,’ said Ruby’s father, impressed.

      Ruby made a face. ‘Because he carries a little toaster every place he goes?’ Had the body snatchers broken in and removed her parents’ brains?

      She went up to her room and pulled out her yellow notebook – she was thinking about what Hitch had said about his previous employers. Who are these people who can just up and tour India for several years on elephants? And why at such short notice? Ruby couldn’t help feeling this Hitch guy wasn’t telling the whole truth about the Wellingfords, if indeed the Wellingfords ever existed. And what if they did?

      Probably cast them adrift in the middle of the North Sea and stole all their money. No, there was something about the timing of his arrival which made the hairs stand up on the back of Ruby’s neck. It reminded her of Mary Poppins – the way he had just arrived out of thin air.

      Only thing was, Hitch was no Mary Poppins.

      Ruby thought about RULE 29: JUST BECAUSE A LION SAYS IT’S A MOUSE, DON’T MAKE IT A MOUSE.

      All evening Ruby waited to hear again from the mystery caller – but the phone didn’t ring and that night Ruby lay on her makeshift bed running over the conversation again and again in her mind.

      Why did the caller hang up? You want a person to crack a code – why not give them the code? Geez! There were some strange folks out there.

      But then, when the hands of her watch reached 4.43am, Ruby sat bolt upright.

      Of course! How could she have been so dumb – the mystery caller had given her the code! The whole conversation was code!

       Chapter 6.

      Fifteen dollars and forty-nine cents

      DESPITE THE UNPLEASANT PROSPECT OF having to wear yesterday’s socks, Ruby was in a good mood and was eager to get up and dressed, long before her school day began. She was surprised to see her morning drink (one third grapefruit, one third cranberry, one third peach – with a straw) sitting waiting for her. How did that Hitch guy know what she drank for breakfast? What’s more, where did he get the straws from?

       So mind reading is what they teach them in butler school.

      The morning paper was lying on the countertop and Ruby glanced at the headlines.

      Mayor wages war on garbage: ‘Litter bugs are trash’ says Mayor Abrahams

      Good as Gold: five tons of gold bullion to be deposited in Twinford City Bank vaults

      Heaven Scent: Twinford National Blossom Day set to be the most spectacular since records began

      Hitch had obviously been to some all night supermarket because the countertop was covered in a vast array of breakfast possibilities.

      ‘That’s some butler,’ muttered Ruby, as she set about pouring Choco Puffles into a paper bowl. Out of habit she rummaged in the pack to find the free gift : it was a brain teaser puzzle consisting of five shapes which when arranged correctly would make a perfect square. Ruby did it in six and a half seconds. She threw the paper bowl into the trash bag and stood listening for sounds of life. There was no sign of Hitch, and her parents weren’t up yet, so she gave Bug his breakfast and went out to patch her bike tyre – but miraculously it was already fixed.

      ‘Boy! That’s some butler,’ muttered Ruby again.

      ‘Thanks.’

      Ruby looked up to see the amused face of Hitch. He looked kind of pleased with himself, which irritated her.

      ‘So what’s wrong with your arm?’ said Ruby

      ‘I’m sorry?’

      ‘What’s wrong with your arm?’

      ‘I’m surprised you noticed.’ And he was surprised too; he thought he had concealed his arm injury well.

      ‘I notice things, I’m good at that.’

      ‘I guess you are,’ he said.

      ‘So what happened?’

      ‘Just a touch of housemaid’s elbow – I need to lay off the dusting.’

      ‘Oh yeah, housemaid’s elbow, that well known complaint.’

      Stuffing her notebook into her bag, Ruby whistled to Bug, got on her bike and cycled off towards the centre of Twinford, her dog running along side. All the way there she tried to remember exactly what the mystery caller had said.

       ‘…Do you notice everything Ruby Red?’

       ‘…A little bird told me… that you are capable of noticing the smallest things, the tiny details… I bet you can see when something is plum square in the wrong place, while everyone else just walks on by.’

      Bug