Ruby Redfort 1 - Look Into My Eyes (18 page)

WHEN RUBY RODE ONTO CEDARWOOD DRIVE
she noticed a Sushi-land van parked across the street. She was greeted at the front door by Bug, and as she walked upstairs the sound of her parents’ chatter drifted down from the kitchen.

“That was so nice to get a message from Mrs. Digby, wasn’t it honey?”

“Yes,” agreed Brant. “I had no idea that she had a cousin Ernie.”

“No, nor me — just shows, you can know someone your whole entire life and never know a thing like that. Still, I am glad she is having a high old time — it’s probably done her the world of good to have a break.” Sabina picked up her magazine. “It’ll be nice to get her back though.”

“Yep, I can’t wait to tell Ruby. She’s going to be pleased as a pie,” said Brant.

“Can’t wait to tell Ruby what?” said Ruby, dumping her backpack on the floor and walking over to the fridge.

“That Mrs. Digby called!” said her father.

Ruby nearly dropped the carton of banana milk. “She did? You spoke to her? Where is she?”

“She left a message — she’s in Miami, just as your father said she would be,” said Sabina proudly.

“Oh, I’ll go listen,” said Ruby, turning to leave.

Her mother bit her lip. “Sorry honey, your father erased it.”

“Sorry, Rube,” said her father, grinning awkwardly. “You know what a dunce I am with those answer phone gadget things. Never can work out which is the right button.”

Ruby tried not to say anything unkind. “Can you at least tell me what she said?”

“She’s living it up in Miami with a long-lost cousin!” said Sabina brightly.

“Which long-lost cousin?” said Ruby, but before anyone could answer, the doorbell rang and her father went off to see who it was.

“Oh, heavens!” said Sabina, jumping up. “That’ll be the sushi people!”

“The what?” said Ruby.

“We have the museum committee coming over tonight — the museum curator, Enrico Gonzales, the Humberts, and of course most excitingly what’s-his-name-Gustav should be flying in.”

“No, honey,” said Brant, walking back into the kitchen. “He called to say he couldn’t make it.”

“Oh drat!” said Sabina.

“Nor can Freddie Humbert, he’s tied up at the bank.”

“Double drat!” said Sabina. “Anyway it will be such fun.”

Ruby rolled her eyes. “Do you mind if I watch TV?”

“Well, the thing is, honey, I thought we might go sort of Japanese and eat low — at little tables on the floor in the living room, on account of us having no dining-room set. Seemed like the perfect solution — it will be completely darling!”

“What, you can’t go Japanese in the dining room?”

“It’s being redecorated.”

“You are welcome to join us, Ruby sweetie — do you want to invite Clancy over?”

Clancy — Ruby felt that pang of guilt again. “You know what, I think I might just go Japanese on my own — in my room, do ya mind? I gotta lot of homework to do.”

“Oh, but honey, won’t you just say hi to everyone? They so want to meet you.”

After Ruby had spent two hours saying “hi” to everyone, she finally managed to slink off to her room where she made a list of all the things she knew about Lopez.

Ruby took the Fountain pencil from her bag.

Now that was an interesting thought. What if Lopez had gotten tired of sitting on her little old behind and decided it was time to get a piece of the action? What if she had worked out where the Fountain was and had followed whoever it was to the meet?

It wasn’t at all likely but it was possible.

TODAY RUBY WAS DEFINITELY ON EDGE.
She got up a half hour early and, using one of her mother’s powder compacts for a mirror, taped it to her bike’s handlebars — this way she could see behind her without turning around.

So
, maybe she
was
being paranoid but better that than . . . well, never mind.

Amster was busy as ever, people jogging, people walking their dogs, walking to work, people sitting on benches reading the paper, nothing sinister — but just to be sure, she would take a new route. This time, when she got to the left turn she sailed on past it. She was taking the long way around, the route which took you over the wooden bike bridge.

Every couple of minutes she glanced in the mirror. There was quite a bit of traffic and Ruby was managing to keep ahead of most of it by riding on the sidewalk. Each time she thought a car was on her tail, it would peel off in another direction and she would feel a wave of relief. However, there was one vehicle, a taxi, which seemed to have been behind her for a long time. There were a whole lot of yellow cabs on the road, each displaying its own individual number:

Ruby had a particular gift for remembering numbers even when they were displayed backward in a tiny mirror, and this one was sticking to her like gum:

Ruby cut across one of the parks to see if she could lose it but when she rejoined the road a few blocks up, there it was — just as if it could read her mind. She rode three blocks down a tiny pedestrian alleyway but sure enough, when she reached the end, there was the cab. This was someone who could second-guess her every move.

Ruby was beginning to sweat.

She was tired and her mouth was dry. The cab neither slowed down nor sped up, it just kept following. Her finger hovered over the little orange bicycle bell but she couldn’t press it — if she did, Hitch would swoop in and all this would be over. At last she reached the bike bridge, not wide enough for cars — the nearest vehicle bridge was a quarter mile away so it was the end of the road as far as this guy was concerned. So she was surprised when she heard the car’s engine cut out and alarmed when she heard the clunk of the door opening and closing. But no one appeared on the bridge.

What are they up to?
She heard the sound of movement in the marsh reeds below. Ruby froze; for seven minutes she stood completely still, not even blinking.
YOU CAN MISS A LOT IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE {RULE 52}.

Then, suddenly, she saw it. Something definitely glinted in the long grass, just for a split second.
What was it?
Something glass — a camera, binoculars . . . glasses?

Suddenly, something or someone was moving through the marsh reeds at great speed. Curiosity overtook fear and Ruby found herself climbing over the railings, straining to see where whatever it was had gone — holding on with one hand, she leaned her body out as far as she could. She wanted to see under the walkway, then just like that, she heard the clunk of the cab door closing and the rumble of the engine as it drove away.

“Who are you?” shouted Ruby, and that’s when she lost her footing. Slipping on the iron support, her hand let go of the rail and she felt herself falling to the soggy ground below. She landed heavily but not awkwardly and nothing seemed to be broken. Whoever had been there was gone but they had left behind footprints, two smallish footprints; she crouched down to get a better look. The soles had a crisscross pattern like a lot of sneakers but what was interesting was that in the left shoe there were two round indents — the size of thumbtacks.

Now who can I think of who might have stepped on a couple of thumbtacks recently?

She turned her bike in the direction of Ambassador Row.

Ruby was buzzed through the high black curly-metal gates, and there sitting on the steps was Clancy. His top lip was all puffy and he had his dog with him — they seemed to be sharing a soda.

“I’m not sure soda’s good for dogs, Clance,” said Ruby.

“Oh, I just wondered if Dolly could drink through a straw.”

“And?” said Ruby.

“No, she just starts eating it,” replied Clancy.

“Oh, too bad, you won’t be able to get her on
My Pet Genius
after all.”

My Pet Genius
was a program that Ruby and Clancy were crazy about. It featured birds that could operate remote controls, dogs that seemed to be able to read, and cats that could make their own supper — it was highly entertaining.

Clancy smiled. “No, I guess not. Dolly is not exactly top of the class.”

“By the look of you, I’d say you had to take a seat in the dentist’s chair — either that or your dentist punched you in the kisser.”

“Does it show?” said Clancy, pointing to his puffy lip.

“Uhhh — did you look like a duck before? I can’t remember,” said Ruby, ruffling his hair.

“Thanks, Rube, that’s really reassuring — how would you like to go to the dentist at seven a.m.?”

“That stinks,” agreed Ruby. She looked down at Clancy’s feet; his shoes were not quite clean, there was still the residue of dry mud around the sides, and in the sole of the left shoe were two brass thumbtacks.

“So, you been following me, Clance?”

“How’d ya know?” he asked.

Ruby nodded at his shoes. “You left tracks,” she said. “Or should I say tacks?”

“Oh.”

Neither of them said anything for a couple of minutes until Clancy took a deep breath. “So, you going to tell me what you’ve been up to, Rube?”

“It’s kinda a long story,” said Ruby. “Very involved.”

“I got time, got the whole day off as a matter of fact — on account of my puffy lip.”

Ruby looked up. “So you know where I’ve been going?”

“Not exactly — you ride fast, I’ve only tailed you up as far as the west side of East Twinford.”

“Well, that’s a relief, I guess.”

“So, how about it, Rube, you might as well tell me. Remember that time a couple of years ago when you knew what my mom and dad had gotten me for Christmas and you didn’t wanna tell me but I just wore you down until you did?”

Ruby sighed. She remembered it well. “OK, Clance, I’ll tell you, but you to have to swear you won’t under any circumstances breathe a word — not even in your sleep.”

“I know, Girl Scouts’ honor and all that.”

“Not even under torture,” Ruby insisted. “Not even under torture in your sleep.”

“I’ll gag myself, how about that?” Clancy smiled.

Ruby wasn’t smiling. “This isn’t some little secret, Clancy — this is big.”

“You know me, Ruby. I never blab — never,” said Clancy earnestly.

It was true, Clancy never blabbed — you could dangle him over a crocodile pit and he wouldn’t say a thing.