rr (ON HOLD)

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Hitch walked into the Redfort house.
"Hi Hitch, don't suppose you know where Ruby is? You see, she hasn't came home for two days," Sabina Redfort said.
"Yes, sorry, forgot to tell you, Sabina; Ruby's off at camp for a week. It's all sorted with the school," he added, seeing Mrs Redfort's face. "Ruby's completely fine, don't worry."
But as Hitch made his way into his room, he began to worry.
Ruby wasn't at camp, that was a lie - so where was she?
He racked his brains, trying to think if she had said anything about going somewhere two days. He couldn't think of anything.
Usually, Hitch wouldn't have began panicking so early, but the whole of Spectrum were on the watch-out for Redfort; they all knew the Count, and crazy Lorelei von Leyden, had Ruby in their sights.
Breathing heavily, Hitch set off for the Crew household. If anyone else knew where Ruby went, it'd be her most trusted ally and closest friend, Clancy Crew.

Hitch knocked on the Crew's door, and the oldest sibling, Minny, opened it.
"Hi Minny," began Hitch hurriedly. "Is Clancy in?"
"Yes sir, strange English man," Minny muttered, opening the door and disappearing through another.
Hitch blinked.
Why did all the kids think he was British? He was American, for goodness' sake!
He went upstairs - he'd memorised Clancy's room from his last visit.
Budging the door open, Hitch called,
"Crew. I got to speak to you."
Clancy turned around from where he was sitting, and got up.
"What's up?"
"Where did Ruby go two days ago?"
"She didn't go anywhere?" Clancy's face expressed puzzlement.
"Well, kid, was she meeting anyone out of the ordinary?" Hitch was getting impatient now. He noticed Clancy's one quick raise of the eyebrows.
"Kid, this is serious. I get that you and Ruby got this whole pact thing going, but if you don't tell me," he put his hand to his throat.
Clancy sighed.
"Ruby was going to meet Kaina two days ago, in the Japanese Gardens behind the Scarlet Pagoda, at eleven p.m."
Hitch began to feel really worried inside now.
"Why on earth did she do that? Why not inform Spectrum? We could have caught a murderer, a wanted murderer. We could have used her to lure the Count. We could have caught the two biggest villians we've been hunting down for years."
"Yeah, but can we remember Kaina's human too, and the same age as me and Rube," interrupted Clancy. Hitch raised his eyebrow at him.
"Okay, but you're missing the point, kid. No matter how good her reasons were, Ruby should have told Spectrum. Kaina is dangerous and unstable. Why did she want to meet Redfort anyhow?"
"Honestly, I'm not entirely sure. Hang on," Clancy began fumbling in his pocket, before pulling out a card.
"Here, apparently Kaina gave Ruby this."
Hitch looked at the business card with interest. Then he flipped it around and read the back. Or rather, tried to.
"It's a code. I'll have to give it to Blacker, see if he can read it."

Somewhere else, far from Twinford

"Did you give her the card?"
"Of course," the girl gave a mocked look of hurt. "Do you doubt my ability?"
The woman laughed.
"As soon as that fool activates the code, the scent will be released and it'll lead him straight to us."
Then the woman looked at the girl with sudden interest.
"You know he's planning something to do with you?" she said, in a conspirational whisper.
"Who?" the girl's face was blank. Then she raised her eyebrows. "Oh, the Count. Is he? Well, I suppose that explains why he's being so controlling," she scowled angrily.
"As soon as I kill that Redfort girl, I'm out of here. He really is awfully irritable."
The young woman raised her glass,
"To riches beyond imagination."
The young girl raised her glass in toasting,
"And to world power."
The glasses clinked against each other.