‘You better be because you look about nine.’
Clancy decided he did not like this woman.
She resumed her telephone conversation. ‘Look, I’m going to have to go in a minute Bobby, I need to wash this tint out before my hair turns scarlet.’
While Clancy was pretending he knew how to set up a room service trolley, the woman disappeared into the bathroom. Ruby hearing the door close and the sound of the shower being turned on stuck her nose out from under the tablecloth.
‘All clear,’ said Clancy.
Ruby looked around. ‘So what are we searching for?’ asked Clancy.
‘I don’t know, evidence.’
‘Of what?’
‘How should I know Clance, you’re the one with the hunch – would you stop asking questions and get looking.’
Ruby was by now rifling through papers and notebooks while Clancy tried on some overly large tinted glasses he had found lying on the table. There were several pairs, all equally huge but in different shapes and colours.
‘Cool,’ said Clancy.
After about five and a half minutes Ruby came to a pile of photographs scattered on the desk – they were pretty boring and they appeared to have been taken in some sort of bar or lounge which looked to be part of an airport. She flicked through them quickly until she came to a picture of some people she recognised standing in a crowd at the bar – even though it was a back view and even though one could only see part of their heads, there was no mistaking that the people in the photograph were her parents.
It was perfectly obvious that the photographer had not intended to snap the Redforts, they had just gotten in the way. No, the subject was someone else some distance away from the photographer. A small man with a huge grey moustache was staring straight into the camera and when Ruby looked into his eyes she felt a cold shiver shoot up her spine – she had no idea who the man was but the look on his face was one of pure terror. The following pictures showed the man turning, pushing through the crowd, knocking into a woman – her mother? Making for the doors, disappearing from view – and two men in dark suits – were they tailing him?
‘Look at this Clance.’ Ruby was holding the photo, the one of her parents. ‘Recognise anyone you know?’
Clancy stared at the picture for a full thirty seconds before saying, ‘Well yes I do actually – that man in the background, the one with the huge moustache I saw him the other night.’
‘What do you mean you saw him the other night?’ exclaimed Ruby, her voice full of surprise.
‘It was when I came over – while you were making fruit cocktails in the kitchen. Your mom and dad were going through their slides – boy, were you ever right, it was super boring. Remind me not to do that again… I mean maybe I’m wrong, but to me, one picture of snow looks very much like another?’
‘Clance would you just get on with it.’
‘Well, this guy with the moustache was in one of the slides – he’s the guy who spilled that drink all over your mom’s jacket.’
‘But why would this woman in the shower have pictures of a funny-looking guy like that?’ said Ruby
‘That’s the other thing,’ said Clancy, ‘the woman – I’ve remembered where I saw her before, she’s in the background of one of your mom and dad’s pictures.’
Ruby said nothing, she was staring hard at the photograph. ‘So what you are saying is that the man with the moustache, my mom, my dad and the redhead were all at the same airport together.’
‘I didn’t say they were together,’ said Clancy, walking over to the sideboard.
‘No, that’s right, they weren’t together but they are connected somehow, so what’s the connection?’ said Ruby.
‘They were all flying to Twinford?’
‘Well we don’t know that for sure, we know my mom and dad were, and we know the redhead lady is here but the moustache guy, well, he could be in Hong Kong for all we know.’
‘Hey Rube, look at this!’ Clancy held a small diamond encrusted revolver in his hands.
‘What are you doing? Will you put that down!’
Clancy went to put the gun back where he had found it, but it slipped from his fingers and clattered noisily onto the floor.
‘Hey, what’s going on out there?’ shouted the woman.
Ruby jumped, the photos tumbling out of her hands. ‘Let’s get outta here,’ she hissed.
‘Sorry Ma’am!’ called Clancy, grappling to replace the gun. ‘All done! Just leaving!’
The two of them made a dash for the door. Once in the corridor they ran like crazy. They took the back stairs, which led them out into a narrow alley, which joined Derwent Street, then they ran through Twinford Square and all the way along Chance, they ran and ran until they turned the corner of Amster Street and collapsed, out of breath outside the Double Donut Diner.
‘Oh boy… that was… close,’ said Clancy barely able to get the words out. ‘Remind me never… to get involved in one of your… hair-brained schemes… again.’
‘You can talk – it was your hunch, and if you hadn’t been so clumsy then—’ she stopped mid-sentence.
‘—Clancy, where did you get those glasses?’
Clancy looked at his reflection in the window of the Double Donut Diner. ‘Whoops,’ he said, ‘I forgot to put them back on the table – I guess they belong to that lady. It’s OK, though, she will probably think I picked them up by accident, thinking they were mine.’
‘Oh yeah, Clance, that’s highly likely, they are after all exactly as big as your whole entire face – I’m sure she will think it’s a simple mistake. Some spy you are, I would recognise those glasses anywhere… a-n-y-w-h-e-r-e…’ Ruby broke off. ‘I take it back. You’re a genius Clance my old pal, a genius!’
‘What? What did I do?’ stammered Clancy.
‘I just realised where I saw those glasses before – this woman today, she practically ran my mom off the road. Well, she was wearing those glasses.’
‘But why would she try to run your mom off the road?’ asked Clancy.
‘That’s what I gotta figure out,’ said Ruby. ‘Hey look, I gotta go, I need to do some thinking – there’s a lot I’ve been missing Clance, A LOT.’
When you’re out, you’re out
WHEN RUBY FORCED HER WAY THROUGH the yard gate and hurtled up the path she saw the back door was standing open. She bolted through and up the kitchen stairs. ‘Where’s Hitch?’
Consuela just looked at her and said, ‘Why is everyone in such a big hurry?’
Ruby didn’t have the breath to answer questions. ‘Hitch… where?’ she repeated.
‘He’s loading the car,’ said Consuela sulkily.
‘What?’
‘He’s leaving – goodbye – adios!’
Ruby turned and ran, back down the stairs and out to the garage. She found Hitch pushing his case into the trunk of the silver convertible.
‘Where you going?’
‘That’s confidential kid.’
‘What? I read every one of Lopez’s