ruby redfort feel the fear chapter sampler

8/20/2019 Ruby Redfort Feel the Fear Chapter Sampler

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F e e l

F e a rthe


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Don’ miss he previous Ruby Redfor adven ures:

Ruby Redfort Look Into My Eyes

Ruby Redfort Take Your Last Breath

Ruby Redfort Catch Your Death


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LAUREN CHILD rst introduced the character ofRuby Redfort in her three award-winning, best-selling

CLARICE BEAN novels. Since then she has been inundatedwith letters from fans asking for the RUBY REDFORT books.

Those letters worked, because this isnumber four in the series.

Lauren is also the creator of the CHARLIE AND LOLA books,as well as associate producer on the TV show of the same

name. Her books have won many prizes, including theSmarties Prize (four times), the Kate Greenaway Medal,

and the Red House Children’s Book Award.

The RUBY REDFORT series features codes and puzzlescreated with the help of super-geek consultant Marcus duSautoy, Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of

Science at Oxford University and all-around genius.


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“Fearlessness is o tenregarded as one of the keysto freedom. But does fearnot serve a purpose? Is thisdeeply primal emotion notthere to guide us, to help ussidestep danger and promptus to take a safer path?

The question should beasked: Is it always a positivequality to be fearless?

Why do we fear fear?”D R J O S E P H I N E H O N E Y B O N E , founder of

he Heimlich Good Emo ion Ins i u e, from her

hesis, The Wor hy Emo ion


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ONE BRIGHT SUNNY DAY IN OCTOBER , a woman looked up osee a ve-year-old girl wriggle ou o a iny feen h-s ory window.As ar as he woman could make ou , he child was lured by hedesire o reach a yellow balloon ha had become snagged on heironwork o he building’s re escape. The girl seemed unawareo he li e- hrea ening drop ha yawned benea h her and, wi hou

concern, edged orward on hands and knees. She paused whenshe encoun ered a hole in he rus ing me al walkway — hen puher hand hrough i as i o make sure he gap was real.

The woman on he sidewalk held her brea h.The child reached ou across he void bu could no qui e

grasp he long pink ribbon ha e hered he balloon, and i gavea mocking nod, urning o reveal i s prin ed smiley ace. Thegirl, who was atending her cousin’s bir hday, wondered i heballoon had oa ed in rom some o her celebra ion. Because

his balloon was differen rom mos : atached o i s s ring was a

Fall


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2 R U B Y R E D F O R T

brown paper ag, like an old- ashioned luggage label. The childbegan o wonder i he ag was a message, a gree ing rom some

araway place.Wha was i rying o ell her?All a once he litle girl s ood up qui e s raigh — hen she

conden ly s epped on o he me al beam ha had once suppor edhe re escape, her ngers almos wi hin ouching dis ance ohe balloon now, bu no qui e. For one whole minu e he child

s ood comple ely s ill, and hen, very slowly, she ook her handsrom he sa e y rail, spread her arms wide like a igh rope walker

migh , and con inued o pursue he balloon by s epping one ooexac ly in ron o he o her along he narrow iron s ru ha juted

rom he building.

The woman on he sidewalk gasped, unsure i she should callou or i her cry migh cause he girl o lose her balance and all.She could nei her run or help nor warn he child — so she juss ood here roo ed o he ground, wai ing or ragedy o play ou .

The girl, unaware o he woman’s dilemma, was in eres edonly in he label ied o he balloon’s s ring.Wha did i say?

She grabbed or i , bu as she did so, her oo slipped, sheoppled orward, and, wi h he yellow balloon in hand, ell owardhe ear h.


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3 F E E L T H E F E A R

The woman on he sidewalk covered her eyes and screamed,and a man walking his dog roze.

As he child ell, she hough abou Agen Delibera elyDangerous and his amazing oa ing cloak — a gravi y-de yinggarmen ha always brough him sa ely back down o ear h. She

hough abou wha she had ea en or break as : a bowl o PuffedPops and wo whole glasses o banana milk. Was his enough omake he difference be ween oa ing like a lea and plumme inglike a s one? She hough abou wha noise she would makewhen she hi he sidewalk. Would i make a boing sound like

ha Looney Toons dog, or would she land, ca like, on her ee ?And jus as i seemed she was going o smack down hard

on he pavemen , some hing amazing happened. A ruck drew

up — i belonged o he Twin ord Matress Company — and helitle girl landed wi h a puff, plumb-square in he middle o i .O course all o his happened in he space o 3.2 seconds, bu iplayed ou in car oon ime.

A couple o blocks away, when he ruck s opped a a redligh , he child climbed ou unno iced and walked back o hepar y, balloon in hand.

When she go o he s ree corner, she paused o examine heag. Disappoin ingly, here was no message; i was en irely blank,


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excep or an image o wo eyes igh ly shu . S ill, she un ied irom he balloon’s s ring and ucked i in her pocke . She had

gone o a lo o rouble o ge i , and in any case, who knew whena brown label migh come in handy?

She le go o he smiling balloon, and i climbed back in ohe sky un il i was so high i was no longer visible.

The woman rom he sidewalk searched and searched, buhere was no sign, no visible race o he girl who had allen romhe sky.


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WHEN RUBY REDFORT WAS YOUNGER , she and hir y- hreeo her par icipan s were asked o wa ch a ilm ha showedsix people — hree in whi e T-shir s and hree in blackT-shir s — hrowing baske balls o one ano her. The ask was ocoun he number o imes he players in whi e passed he ball.

Ruby coun ed six een passes.This was he correc answer.

She also no iced he gorilla.Or, more accura ely, he man in he gorilla sui who walked

across he baske ball cour , s opped, bea his ches , and s rolledou o he sho .

Fifeen o her co-wa chers no iced his oo.Ruby also no iced ha one o he hree players dressed in

black depar ed he game when he gorilla appeared.Five o her co-wa chers no iced his oo.Ruby no iced he cur ain in he background change color,

rom red o orange.

An Ordinary Kid


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Zero o her co-wa chers no iced his.The psychologis s conduc ing he experimen declared ha

Ruby was a remarkably ocused individual bu also had anex raordinary abili y o see every hing all a once.

Aside rom he hings Ruby had spoted in he con en ohe lm, she had also no iced one o her co-wa chers ( he one

wi h he mole on her lef cheek) s icking a piece o chewing gum( he brand was Frui y Chews) under he adjacen sea , ano her( he guy wi h hay ever) knocking over his glass o wa er, and a

hird (a woman wi h a Band-Aid on her our h nger) anxiouslywis ing her earring (she was wearing misma ched socks, very

sligh ly differen shades o green).No ha any o hese hree observa ions had any hing o do

wi h he experimen Ruby was aking par in.


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Some several years later . . .


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RUBY REDFORT LOOKED DOWN .She could see he raffic moving like litle inching bugs, ar,

ar benea h her ee . She could eel a ho breeze on her aceand hear he muffled sounds o car horns and sirens. I was a

day like mos o he days had been ha summer — oo ho o becom or able, he sor o hea ha brough irri abili y and rageand lef a sense o general malaise.

Ruby surveyed he whole beau i ul pic ure ha was Twin ordCi y — all de ail gone rom his heigh , jus he ma rix o s ree sand buildings, huge skyscrapers punc ua ing he grid. Ou side

he ci y, he big beyond: deser o he eas , ocean o he wes ,and moun ains marching nor h. From up here on her ledge, shecould see he gian blinking eye ha was he logo o he ci y eyehospi al, wi h i s slogan benea h i : “The Window o Your Soul.”

CHAPTER

A Nice Glass of Milk


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1 0 R U B Y R E D F O R T

The eye-hospi al sign had been here since 1937 and wassome hing o a landmark. People ac ually raveled down own o

have heir pic ure aken wi h he neon eye winking above hem.As Ruby sa here on he ledge o he Sandwich, she was

con empla ing recen even s, and he various ways she hadalmos me her dea h — he pas couple o mon hs had offereda range o possibili ies. Dea h by wol , dea h by gunsho , dea hby exposure, dea h by cliff all, dea h by re. In one way ididn’ make or happy reminiscing, bu in ano her i sor odid. She was alive, afer all, because somehow she had dodgedbulle s — me aphorical and li eral — and was now siting calmlywa ching he world go by. I was unlike Ruby o dwell on hings,bu Mr. Dea h had come so close o knocking a her door ha

she ound hersel ascina ed by he very hough o i .Now here she was siting on he window ledge o a skyscraper,

wi h news o an approaching s orm on i s way. Some wouldregard his as a risky ac ivi y. Ruby did no . Disappoin ingly,as ar as she was concerned, a his exac momen here wereno gus ing winds, no adverse wea her condi ions, no even as ray pigeon looking o ake a peck ou o her. She judged herspo on Mr. Barnaby H. Clee horps’s windowsill o be no moredangerous han siting on a park bench in Twin ord Square. Well,

ha wasn’ qui e rue; here was he danger ha Mr. Clee horps


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1 1 F E E L T H E F E A R

would nish his mee ing wi h her a her early and hey wouldbo h give her grie or parking her behind on he ledge o his

seven y-second-oor window and playing as and loose wi hgravi y. Bu i was hardly he high-oc ane exci emen Ruby hadbecome used o during he pas ve mon hs as a Spec rum agen .

Ruby was in he Sandwich Building — or ra her siting onhe ou side o i — because her a her had insis ed on bringing

her o work wi h him.“Un il ha cas comes off your arm, honey, I’m no leting

you ou o my sigh .”Her a her had become ra her overpro ec ive since Ruby’s

acciden , and he would now only rus her care o his equally jitery wi e, Sabina, or he housekeeper, Mrs. Digby. A broken

arm, an injured oo , singed hair — how close his only child hadcome o being burned o a cinder!

Fores res are very unpredic able. Wha was she even doingou here on Wolf Paw Moun ain? Bran Red or had asked himsel ,and indeed anyone and everyone who had walked hrough hedoor, in he days afer he inciden .

Bran , as a consequence, was now plagued by ear: he waswaking up a our a.m. con empla ing he horror o li e wi houhis girl. The hough was making him crazy. His ear ulnessspread o his wi e like a con agious disease, and now or he very


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rs ime in Ruby’s hir een years, her paren s wan ed o knowexac ly where she was and exac ly wha she was doing a all

imes. Ruby was going “nu s,” as she so delica ely pu i .“Le hem worry,” advised Mrs. Digby, a wise old bird who

had been wi h he amily since Mrs. Red or was a girl. “They’venever had he sane sense o worry be ore; i will do hem hepower o good o employ a litle imagina ion.”

“Why?” asked Ruby. “Wha ’s he poin o hem geting allorn up wi h error? Wha good is i gonna do hem?”

“They’re oo rus ing,” replied Mrs. Digby. “They don’ seehe bad in hings like I do.” Mrs. Digby was a big believer in

seeing he bad in hings — hink he wors and you will neverbe disappoin ed. I was a moto ha had s ood her in good s ead.

So or now Ruby was doing wha her paren s wan ed; shewas biding her ime and looking orward o he day when shecould lose he arm cas and ge her paren s off her case.

Ruby’s a her was in adver ising — he public rela ions, mee’n’ gree , shake-you-by- he-hand side o he business. Being

riendly o he big clien s was an impor an job, and Bran Red orwas very good a i . Typically, here ore, Bran searched or a

ie ha migh appeal o he clien — in his ins ance, BarnabyClee horps, a conserva ive ellow bu a jolly sor . Bran hadpicked ou one ha was paterned a litle like a red-and-whi e


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checkered ableclo h, scatered wi h iny picnic hings. Jus heicke , he had winked a himsel in he mirror.

As Bran came down or break as ha morning, he caughsigh o his daugh er, lounging on he pa io able, banana milkin one hand, zombie comic in he o her, her T-shir bearing hewords what are you looking at, duh brain?

He sighed. I seemed unlikely ha Ruby would be ollowinghim in o a career in public rela ions.

“Now, be care ul, Ruby,” warned her mo her. “There are someunsavory ypes down own.”

“You do know I’m going o Dad’s clien ’s office, don’ cha?”said Ruby, sucking down he dregs o her banana milk.

“Say no more,” mutered Mrs. Digby, who had a no ion ha

he adver ising business was ri e wi h unsavory ypes.Bran kissed his wi e on he cheek. “I’ll keep an eye on her,

honey — never ear. Wha possible harm can come o her inBarnaby Clee horps’s offices?”

Sabina kissed her daugh er and hugged her as i a mon hmigh pass be ore seeing her again.

“Mom, you gota chill,” said Ruby, disen angling hersel romher mo her’s embrace and s epping in o he chauffeur-driven,air-condi ioned car.

They arrived on Third Avenue and ook he eleva or up o


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he seven y–second oor. Mr. Clee horps gree ed hem — “Niceo mee you, young Ruby”— and pumped Ruby’s good hand so

hard, she hough i migh come loose rom i s socke . “I see youhave been in he wars, bu I unders and rom your a her hayou’re qui e he brave litle lady.”

Ruby smiled he smile o a ve-year-old, which was obviouslywha Mr. Clee horps had mis aken her or. “How abou a drink orour small gues ,” he said. He urned o his assis an , who noddedand smiled and wen off o nd some hing sui able — Rubysuspec ed milk.

As i urned ou , she was righ . She rolled her eyes. Rubywas no a an o milk, unless i was avored wi h s rawberry,chocola e, or her par icular avori e, banana.

Once alone, Ruby se abou nding a good place o dispose oher beverage. There were no plan s in he recep ion area, and ididn’ seem like good manners o ip i in o one o he ornamen alglass vases. She scanned he room ur her, and ha ’s when sheno iced ha a sec ion o he window in he wai ing area couldbe opened. She s ood on a s ool, reached up, and pulled on hela ch. She pushed he window open, and a resh breeze blew inand Ruby couldn’ help wondering how nice i migh eel o siou in ha pollu ion- ree air. . . .

* * *


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And ha ’s how Ruby came o be siting on he ledge o a veryall building, seven hundred ee above s ree level, wiggling

her oes and con empla ing he whole big pic ure. She el rulycalm siting here on he edge o nowhere. Ruby Red or hadno issue wi h heigh s; she’d never suffered ver igo, never el

ha s range desire o le hersel all. Fear had never domina edRuby’s ac ions, bu now ear wasn’ even playing a par . I seemedshe had reached a s a e o earlessness.

Ruby picked up he glass and ung he milk rom i , wa chingi disperse in o iny drople s ha disappeared in o he air. Sheplaced he emp y glass care ully on he ledge and decided shewouldn’ mind aking a litle wander around he building, seeher dad schmoozing Barnaby Clee horps — why no ?

The ledge was rela ively wide, and i was easy o walk o hesou h corner window and peek in o Mr. Clee horps’s office. Aslide presen a ion was obviously in progress, since he slatedblinds were all pulled down, and Ruby could only observe whawas going on by peeking hrough he gaps. A number o heBarnaby Clee horps eam were ga hered around looking adesigns prepared by he crea ives a her a her’s agency. There,projec ed on o he screen, was he slogan he ad agency had spenweeks ne- uning: “You Have o Feel I o Believe I !”

Ruby could see Mr. Barnaby Clee horps’s ace, and i was no


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a happy one. She adjus ed her posi ion on he ledge so she couldsee her a her’s expression. As always, he looked remarkably cool,

no in any way us ered, bu she knew he mus be eeling hes rain, because he was heading oward he window, and whenher a her was eeling ense, his response was usually o le insome air. Tension brough on a sor o claus rophobia — oo muchs ress in one room made i difficul or him o brea he.

Ruby ducked down, making hersel as small as she could.No ha Bran could have seen her hrough he vene ian blind,bu she didn’ wan o ake any chances.

The opening o he seven y-second-oor window migh havehelped Bran Red or regain his calm, bu or his daugh er i haden irely he opposi e effec . The problem was ha Ruby had no

an icipa edhow he window migh open; she was expec ing i ohinge in he middle, when in ac his huge window was o hepivo ing varie y, and as her a her yanked i open, Ruby was ungou in o hin air. She landed in — or, more accura ely, dangled from — one o hose window-cleaning cradles ha ravels heleng h and bread h o skyscrapers, allowing main enance guys osqueegee he acres o glass. Luckily here were no main enanceguys in i now, hough unluckily i mean here was no one opull Ruby back in.

Now, suspended seven hundred ee above he down own


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raffic ha crawled and oo ed benea h her, she could see heirony o he si ua ion — her a her, in en on keeping her sa e,

had almos brough abou her demise.Bu a his precise momen she was s ruggling o see he

unny side.


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HANGING THERE BY HER FINGERTIPS, Ruby looked down ahe map o s ree s. She could see he ci y’s amous old moviehea er, he Scarle Pagoda; he Japanese garden in ron o i ; he

lamppos s decked in bun ing and ligh s o celebra e his year’sTwin ord Film Fes ival: A Da e wi h Thrills.

The es ival was o be a celebra ion o roman ic hrillermovies o he kind ha she and Mrs. Digby loved, and hesi ua ion Ruby curren ly ound hersel in was no doub one seenin many o hese pic ures.

Only, or Ruby, his was no s un ; here was no sa e y ne ,and she needed o ge a grip be ore someone raised he alarm.She heaved hersel in o he window-cleaning cradle and ound

he con rols ha would carry her back o her original window.She knew which one i was because i had an emp y milk glasssiting in ron o i .

CHAPTER

Small Talk


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She was jus clambering ou o he cradle when she hearda voice.

“Hey, kid, would you come in rom here?”Ruby looked up o see a all, well-groomed man in a well-

cu sui s anding in he room. He appeared modera ely anxious.“Am I making you nervous?” asked Ruby.“The only person making me nervous is he me er maid on

Third Avenue, where I’m double-parked.”“Geez, Hi ch, why don’ you jus nd a parking spo like a

normal person?”“You hink i ’s easy parking in his ci y?” Hi ch replied.Ruby sighed, swiveled hersel around, and dropped back

in hrough he window. She landed on he long elegan coffee

able, he main ea ure o he sleek recep ion room. Pens wenskidding across i s sur ace and a bowl o marbles over urned,i s con en s spinning in all direc ions and disappearing under

urni ure.Hi ch rolled his eyes. “Good going, kid.”“OK, OK,” said Ruby, ga hering up he pens and plonking

hem back in heir pen po . “Don’ have a o al baby abou i , man.”

HITCH: I ’s no me who’s going o have he “baby.”

Mr. Barnaby H. Clee horps is a very par icular man.


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RUBY: Wha ’s he gonna do, dangle me ou of he window

by my oes?

HITCH: Probably.RUBY: Boy, his guy mus really like his pens idy!

HITCH: You beter believe i , Redfor .

RUBY: So wha are you doing here? You back from

summer vaca ion?

HITCH: Some hing like ha .

RUBY: Where have you been, anyway?

HITCH: I ’s classied.

RUBY: Your vaca ions are classied?

HITCH: I wasn’ on vaca ion.

RUBY: Bu you jus said you were.

HITCH: No, I didn’ ; you did.RUBY: Boy, have I missed small- alking o you. So where

are we going?

HITCH: Eleva or.

RUBY: You know I can’ leave — my dad won’ le me ou of

his sigh .

HITCH: I’ve cleared i ; your fa her has en rus ed me wi h

your safe y.

RUBY: He clearly doesn’ know your safe y record — so

wha are we doing?


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HITCH: I’m going o have a cup of coffee, and you are going

o be grilled.

RUBY: Huh?HITCH: Our boss, she wan s o alk o you.

To he ou side world, Hi ch was he Red or s’ householdmanager, bu o he ew in he know, he was ac ually a highly

rained Spec rum agen , living undercover a he Red or home,s a ioned here o men or and pro ec Ruby Red or , Spec rum’syounges recrui . Their boss was LB, head o Spec rum 8.

They ook he eleva or down o s ree level. I wasn’ hequickes ride, since he building was an old one and he eleva orcars were ar rom s a e-o - he-ar .

“I hough I was on sick leave,” said Ruby.“No anymore,” said Hi ch.“Any hing going down a Spec rum?” asked Ruby. “A new

case?” Ruby had been a Spec rum agen and exper code breakersince April, and in ha ime she had worked on hree cases. All

hree had nearly goten her killed. Bu hen evading dea h soro wen wi h he erri ory.

“Don’ ask me. I’m jus he bozo driving he car,” repliedHi ch.

Ruby gave him a look, aware ha i anyone was going o


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Hi ch leaned agains his car and began alking — well, noso much alking as chating. The me er maid shifed her weigh

and relaxed her arms so she now s ood wi h one hand on herhip — was she ac ually smiling?

Man, you’re good, hough Ruby. Hi ch could alk his way ouo a maze.

The conversa ion, or ha ’s wha i had become, wen on orsome ime. Wha is he elling her?

The me er maid looked over o where Ruby s ood, hen shes uck her icke pad back in her pocke . She laughed and nodded.

She raised an arm as i o high-ve Hi ch. He wasn’ hehigh-ving ype, Ruby knew ha , so ins ead he gave her a kindo salu e. Happy wi h ha , he me er maid walked off whis ling

a merry une.Ruby climbed in o he car. “Wha did you say o her?”“Jus explained wha a grea kid you are,” replied Hi ch as

he slid in o he driver’s sea .“Yeah, righ — apar rom ha ?” said Ruby.“I said I could ge her cour side icke s o he Twin ord

Sneakers play-offs.”“And can you?”“Sure — he organizer is an old riend o mine.”“I hough you secre agen s didn’ have riends.”


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“No, you’re hinking o ax inspec ors,” said Hi ch, s ar inghe engine. “I’ve go more riends han I can handle.”

“Funny,” said Ruby, “I’ve never me any o hem.”“They’re all he shy and re iring ype,” said Hi ch.Ruby looked a him. “You sure hey’re no he invisible,

imaginary ype?”“Oh, hey’re jus quie ,” said Hi ch. “A game o cards and an

early nigh .”“Sounds like a hoo — wish I could mee ’em.”“Ah, you wouldn’ like ’em, kid,” said Hi ch. “No one o hem

has an in eres in bubble gum.”


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CHAPTER

−8

IT WAS NO REAL SURPRISE TO RUBY ha Hi ch himsel wasbringing her in o HQ oday. Sure, she had been in o he building’shub many imes and worked endless long hours in i s securesurrounds, bu even so, knowledge o he “way in” was no a given.The spy agency’s en rance moved requen ly, and Ruby was noamong he privileged ew in ormed o Spec rum 8’s plans and

archi ec ural changes. Hi ch was her link o his undergroundworld, and wi hou him, she could very easily nd hersel shuou in he cold. You mess up, you’re ou or good.

Las ime Ruby had visi ed was by way o he oddlerplayground in he middle o Cen ral Ci y Park, and o Ruby’shuge annoyance and humilia ion, Vapona Begwell — ellowpupil, school-yard enemy, and major irri a ion — had observedher crawling in o he kids’ ca erpillar unnel. Ruby s ill hadn’lived i down, and Bugwar (as Ruby called her) wasn’ abou ole anyone orge i — ever.


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O course, Vapona had no idea wha “Litle Red Riding or ”was ac ually doing in he ca erpillar unnel, and she never would.

To ell he secre o Spec rum was orbidden. Tha said, herewas one person ou side he organiza ion who did know, and hewas Clancy Crew, he mos loyal ally a schoolkid could have, andRuby Red or ’s closes riend. He would par wi h body par sbe ore divulging a sworn- o secre .

“So where is he Spec rum por al his ime?” asked Ruby.“I I old you i was he oddler playground, wha would you

say?” replied Hi ch.“You have o be kidding!” said Ruby. “You’re elling me I

have o walk in o he litle-kid playground and crawl in o haunnel again ?”

Hi ch said no hing.“Man, I be his was your idea. You ge a big kick outa his,

don’ you? Humilia e he kid, wa ch her s ree credibili y sinkbelow zero — I be you’re laughing all day long.”

Hi ch looked a her ou o he corner o his eye.“You really serious abou his?” asked Ruby.“Nah, I’m jus messing wi h you, Red or . You should see

he look on your ace. You know, you can really whine whenyou wan o.”


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“You shouldn’ kid around wi h people ha way. I in er ereswi h a rus ing rela ionship.”

“You shouldn’ ge wound up so easily, Red or . You’ll ge arepu a ion or being igh y.”

Ruby glared a him.I had been around ve mon hs now since Hi ch had walked

hrough he Red or s’ ron door and aken up work in heirs ylish modern home under he guise o household manager.Ruby’s mom s ill insis ed on in roducing him as he bu ler, even

hough Hi ch had on many occasions more han hin ed ha hewould pre er her no o.

This kind o undercover work would ordinarily be benea hsomeone o Hi ch’s s a us, bu Ruby Red or was no ordinary

assignmen . The reason: she was he brigh es code breakero s ep in o Spec rum since he la e Bradley Baker. Bradley

Baker had begun his career as a boy, had died a man, andwas o his day a hero mourned by every agen a Spec rum.Bradley Baker was a legend and — o Ruby — a pain in hederriere.

I was hard o ou do a dead super-agen , bu Ruby wascer ainly in he business o rying. She was ambi ious — no jusde ermined o ou class Baker’s code-breaking abili y bu also o


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become a leas as good a eld agen . Whe her she would or noremained o be seen.

So Hi ch, or now, was her official pro ec or. He had been aeld agen or a long ime now and was highly rained in manydisciplines. I hadn’ exac ly been his idea o a whole bunch o

un. Wa ching over a schoolkid was no wi hou i s rus ra ions,par icularly a schoolkid wi h a big mou h. Bu Ruby had grownon him. Tha was he hing abou her — you jus ound yourselwishing she were here even when you wan ed her o go jumpin a lake.

She was sharp as a ack and keen as a kni e, de ermined,hardworking, loyal, and — luckily — prety unny as well. Therewere ew Spec rum agen s Hi ch could say all ha abou .

Hi ch’s wa ch beeped. He ook he call hrough his earpiece,and Ruby had no idea wha was being said. All she knew was

ha hree seconds la er, hey were heading back in he direc ionhey had come and were now making heir way once again ohe down own ci y cen er.

“Wha ’s he deal?” asked Ruby.“I guess Spec rum is ramping up securi y,” said Hi ch.

“They’ve moved he ‘way in’ again.”“Some hing happened?” she asked.“Some hing’s always happened,” he replied.


35/38


Down own, all he buildings were all, even he shor ones.Imposing s one depar men s ores, offices, governmen buildings,

banks, and apar men buildings. Skyscrapers rose up hundredso ee , and when you looked up, he ci y apered away in oblue. The older Twin ordi es ofen re erred o his par o heci y as Mini Manhatan or Litle L.A., because i bore a cer ainresemblance o bo h: a sor o mix ure o up own New York anddown own L.A. Al hough in erms o square mileage i was noon he same scale as ei her.

The buildings were by and large atrac ive, many da ingback o he 1920s and ’30s. There were newer ones, o course,all glass and s eel, bu when one s ood in jus he righ spo andlooked up beyond he modern s ree signage and billboards, one

could imagine Twin ord Ci y pas . This was why down ownTwin ord was ofen used or ea ure lms depic ing ano her age,when 1930s mobs ers screeched hrough he s ree s and elegan lydressed couples danced hrough he nigh .

This par o own was an area ha Ruby loved — i wasexci ing somehow o lose one’s sel , o become anonymous, in

he crisscrossing s ree s, an -like o someone looking down romhe op o he gargan uan archi ec ure.

Hi ch parked undernea h he building known as heSchroeder, in a single emp y space among he seemingly endless


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s epped in o he rough wide box. He punched he buton marked“−8,” and a second or seven la er, hey began o move uns eadily

oward he botom o he eleva or shaf, he dark li up by a singlenaked ligh bulb ha swung above hem, cas ing eerie shadowsas hey descended.

How many would guess ha his ired-looking eleva orwi h i s s ingy ligh source migh lead o one o he world’s mossophis ica ed in elligence opera ions? Well, Ruby Red or migh ;she had seen i all be ore.


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Ruby Redfort Feel the FearLauren Child

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