Lauren Child - THE RUBY REDFORT COLLECTION - 1-3 - Look into My Eyes; Take Your Last Breath; Catch Your Death

Chapter 12. The silent G

Chapter 13. As good as gold

Chapter 14. Don’t erase me

Chapter 15. Strictly confidential

Chapter 16. Don’t look now

Chapter 17. Strange and uneasy

Chapter 18. If in doubt, say nothing

Chapter 19. One little lie

Chapter 20. Unlikely but not impossible

Chapter 21. The blink of an eye

Chapter 22. Don’t breathe a word

Chapter 23. Funny peculiar

Chapter 24. A total yawn

Chapter 25. Some likely suspects

Chapter 26. The little brown box

Chapter 27. A formula for murder

Chapter 28. Secretly super

Chapter 29. A Regular Girl

Chapter 30. Room Service

Chapter 31. When you’re out, you’re out

Chapter 32. The advantage

Chapter 33. Crisp and lean

Chapter 34. ‘They could feed my toes to a pack of vultures but I would never blab’

Chapter 35. Nine Lives

Chapter 36. A colony of vultures

Chapter 37. Time waits for no man

Chapter 38. The sands of time

Chapter 39. Lucky twice

Chapter 40. Look into my eyes

Cat Woman

Acknowledgments

There was a girl called Ruby Contents Cover Dedication Epigraph There was a girl called Ruby An Ordinary Kid Chapter 1. You can never be completely sure what might happen next Chapter 2. There’s a lot of truth in fiction Chapter 3. ‘Sounded like dessert’ Chapter 4. Full of nothing Chapter 5. More of nothing Chapter 6. Fifteen dollars and forty-nine cents Chapter 7. Don’t call us we’ll call you Chapter 8. Getting Lucky Chapter 9. A small dark space Chapter 10. The voice Chapter 11. The eyes followed the hands Chapter 12. The silent G Chapter 13. As good as gold Chapter 14. Don’t erase me Chapter 15. Strictly confidential Chapter 16. Don’t look now Chapter 17. Strange and uneasy Chapter 18. If in doubt, say nothing Chapter 19. One little lie Chapter 20. Unlikely but not impossible Chapter 21. The blink of an eye Chapter 22. Don’t breathe a word Chapter 23. Funny peculiar Chapter 24. A total yawn Chapter 25. Some likely suspects Chapter 26. The little brown box Chapter 27. A formula for murder Chapter 28. Secretly super Chapter 29. A Regular Girl Chapter 30. Room Service Chapter 31. When you’re out, you’re out Chapter 32. The advantage Chapter 33. Crisp and lean Chapter 34. ‘They could feed my toes to a pack of vultures but I would never blab’ Chapter 35. Nine Lives Chapter 36. A colony of vultures Chapter 37. Time waits for no man Chapter 38. The sands of time Chapter 39. Lucky twice Chapter 40. Look into my eyes Cat Woman Acknowledgments

IT WAS A CRISP OCTOBER DAY in Cedarwood Drive and a two-year-old girl was standing on a high stool in front of a huge picture window. She was watching the leaves fall, studying the patterns they made as they whirled their way through the air. Her eyes followed them until her gaze was caught by a single yellow leaf, almost exactly the shape of a hand. She watched as it swooped down into the yard and then sailed up high over the fence and across the street. She watched as it danced up and down in the breeze and then slapped flat onto the windshield of a passing truck.

The truck pulled up in front of old Mr Pinkerton’s grey clapboard house. The driver climbed out, walked up the path and knocked on the door. Mr Pinkerton stepped out onto the porch and the driver produced a map – the two men struck up a conversation.

Exactly one minute later an elegant woman turned the corner, carrying a large green picnic basket. With a glance to the house and the slightest nod from the driver, the woman slipped out of her heels, scooped them up and nimbly scaled Mr Pinkerton’s fence. Mr Pinkerton was busy studying the map and noticed nothing; the child saw everything. Forty-five seconds passed and the woman reappeared: she was carrying the same basket but it looked much heavier than before and its contents seemed to be moving.

The little girl attempted to grab her parents’ attention but since her use of language was still limited she could not get them to understand. She watched as the woman pushed her feet back into her black shoes, walked to the rear of the truck and out of view. Mr Pinkerton chatted on. The girl jumped up and down, pointing at the window. Her parents, sensing she might be eager for a walk, went to put on their coats.

The child drew a truck on her chalkboard.

Her father smiled and patted her on the head. Meanwhile, the driver folded his map, thanked Mr Pinkerton and returned to his vehicle – waving to him as he drove off. The yellow hand-shaped leaf fluttered to the ground. The woman, now minus the picnic basket, walked on by. She had a fresh scarlet scratch on her left cheek.

The child spelled out the truck’s license plate with her alphabet blocks.

Her mother tidied them away and dressed her in a red woollen bobble hat and matching mittens.

The family left the house and strolled down Cedarwood drive. When they reached the grey clapboard house, the little girl paused to pick up the yellow leaf, and there underneath it, found a small tin badge embossed with an image of something. What was it?

A sudden cry shook the stillness of Cedarwood Drive. A cry that cut right through the heart of the child. She gripped the badge tightly and felt the pin dig into her palm. The neighbours came spilling out onto the street to find the kindly Mr Pinkerton doubled up with grief. Despite the best efforts of the Twinford Crime Investigation Squad – a search which continued for sixteen weeks – Mr Pinkerton’s prize-winning Pekinese dog was never seen again.

It was on that October day that the little girl resolved to dispense with the toddler talk and brush up on her language skills. More importantly, that was the day she set her sights on becoming a detective.

The little girl was Ruby Redfort.

An Ordinary Kid Contents Cover Dedication Epigraph There was a girl called Ruby An Ordinary Kid Chapter 1. You can never be completely sure what might happen next Chapter 2. There’s a lot of truth in fiction Chapter 3. ‘Sounded like dessert’ Chapter 4. Full of nothing Chapter 5. More of nothing Chapter 6. Fifteen dollars and forty-nine cents Chapter 7. Don’t call us we’ll call you Chapter 8. Getting Lucky Chapter 9. A small dark space Chapter 10. The voice Chapter 11. The eyes followed the hands Chapter 12. The silent G Chapter 13. As good as gold Chapter 14. Don’t erase me Chapter 15. Strictly confidential Chapter 16. Don’t look now Chapter 17. Strange and uneasy Chapter 18. If in doubt, say nothing Chapter 19. One little lie Chapter 20. Unlikely but not impossible Chapter 21. The blink of an eye Chapter 22. Don’t breathe a word Chapter 23. Funny peculiar Chapter 24. A total yawn Chapter 25. Some likely suspects Chapter 26. The little brown box Chapter 27. A formula for murder Chapter 28. Secretly super Chapter 29. A Regular Girl Chapter 30. Room Service Chapter 31. When you’re out, you’re out Chapter 32. The advantage Chapter 33. Crisp and lean Chapter 34. ‘They could feed my toes to a pack of vultures but I would never blab’ Chapter 35. Nine Lives Chapter 36. A colony of vultures Chapter 37. Time waits for no man Chapter 38. The sands of time Chapter 39. Lucky twice Chapter 40. Look into my eyes Cat Woman Acknowledgments

WHEN RUBY REDFORT WAS SEVEN YEARS OLD she won the Junior Code-Cracker Championships – solving the famous Eisenhauser conundrum in just seventeen days and forty-seven minutes. The following year she entered the ‘Junior Code-Creator Contest’ and stunned the judges when they found her code impossible to break. In the end it was sent to Harvard University professors, who eventually managed to solve it two weeks later. She was immediately offered a place for the following semester but declined. She had no interest in becoming, as she put it, some kind of geek freak .