know all about that Freddie,’ said Dr Gonzales, the museum curator. ‘The museum basement was designed by the very same architect, Jeremiah Stiles, and is almost identical to yours. Great idea to have a maze leading to your bank vaults but not so good if you are trying to locate antiquities in a museum!’
‘Makes the buildings pretty impenetrable though,’ said Freddie Humbert. ‘You have to know the passageways like the back of your hand.’
‘They don’t stand a chance,’ said Marjorie earnestly, ‘not with the security team Freddie has lined up.’
‘Sounds like you could do with some of the experts we have had working on the museum security,’ said Dr Gonzales, competitively. ‘We have gone very high technology.’
‘Yes, that whole Buddha rising through the floor thing – that is impressive,’ agreed Freddie.
‘Not to forget the amazing display cylinder,’ said Dr Gonzales, proudly.
‘Well that’s not so impressive – it’s just glass,’ scoffed Freddie, ‘one knock and it’s in pieces.’
‘Not just glass, unbreakable glass,’ corrected the curator. ‘And it comes with a unique locking device which will be delivered to me and me alone on the night.’
‘How exciting,’ said Sabina, who was just about on the edge of her seat.
To Sabina, the Jade Buddha seemed a whole lot more thrilling than all that dreary old gold.
‘Well,’ grunted Freddie Humbert, ‘I can assure you, it is nothing compared to the City Bank’s security – no one will be breaking in, not if I have anything to do with it. Safest safe in the USA, I promise you that.’
It ought to be, thought Ruby, with the whole of Spectrum working to keep it that way.
‘So how about it Ruby? Ruby?’ Ruby felt a tug on her arm.
‘Huh?’ said Ruby. Quent was pulling at her sleeve, trying to get her attention.
‘You up for a game of sardines?’
Oh boy, thought Ruby. Five eager faces were looking at her. ‘Yeah. Sure I do – nothing I’d like more.’
‘All right!’ shouted Quent triumphantly. ‘You wanna hide first?’
‘Nah it’s OK, you hide Quent, we can all split up and find you.’
‘You don’t want to team up?’ asked one of the other kids.
‘Nah, I’m better on my own – focuses the mind if you know what I mean. Why don’t you guys team up and I’ll go solo.’ She had her notebook with her and a list of things she needed to figure out.
One was:
WHAT DID LOPEZ SEE IN THE MIRROR?
It seemed to Ruby that it was no accident that so little was known 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.
