Chapter 20.
Unlikely but not impossible
WHEN RUBY CYCLED INTO 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 answerphone 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 whats-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.
LOPEZ WAS LIKED BY BLACKER
and it seemed most of the Spectrum team so it was safe to assume she liked them back.
DID FROGHORN BUG THE LIFE OUT OF HER?
it seemed more than likely.
SHE SOUGHT ADVENTURE,
so she was no shrinking violet.
SHE WAS ALWAYS WELL GROOMED AT WORK,
except for that one day when she had come in with just the one hand manicured.
SHE SEEMED LIKE A PERSON WHO HAD SECRETS
– did anyone know what they were?
Ruby took The Fountain pencil from her bag.
WHERE DID THIS PENCIL COME FROM?
HOW HAD IT ENDED UP UNDER LOPEZ’S DESK?
MIGHT LOPEZ HERSELF HAVE OBTAINED IT SOMEHOW?
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.
The blink of an eye
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 round, the route which took you over the wooden cycle 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 cycling 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:
etc.
Ruby had a particular gift for remembering numbers even when they were displayed backwards in a tiny mirror, and this one was sticking to her like gum:
