Free The House of Puzzles by Richard Newsome Page B

before,’ she said. ‘I knew he wasn’t a nice
person. But when I saw him for the first time last night…’ She grew quiet, tucking
her hands in deeper.
    Ruby put an arm around Felicity’s shoulders. ‘I know,’ she said. ‘He is completely
vile.’
    Felicity sniffed back a tear. ‘Would he really injure the professor? Would he actually
do that?’
    Ruby squeezed her arm tight. ‘He would absolutely do that.’
    Felicity dropped her gaze to the tabletop.
    ‘The last time we saw Mason Green he was trying to find a way to control the future,’
Sam said, ‘like he was a god, or something. Whatever he does, he doesn’t do it by
halves.’
    Felicity sniffed again. ‘Then what is he doing this time? What could be so desperately
important about this code that he would actually kill someone to solve it?’
    Gerald chewed on the tough skin at the end of his thumb. ‘You can bet it’s more potent
than a few recipes from the Voynich manuscript,’ he said.
    Gerald yelped in pain as a heavy hand clamped onto his right shoulder. He looked
up to find Alex Baranov beaming down at him. ‘If it isn’t Gerry Willy and his happy
crew,’ Alex said, his eyes sparkling. ‘I hear you guys actually had a comfy time
of it last night. Half your luck. We were stuck in a leaky tent and had to dig our
way out of the snow this morning.’ He looked straight at Ruby. ‘I wouldn’t have minded
sharing an open fire and some marshmallows with you.’
    Gerald glanced at Ruby. She was biting the end of her pencil and he was sure her
cheeks had turned pink.
    He brushed Alex’s hand off his shoulder. ‘It was an interesting night,’ Gerald said.
‘Hot food, soft beds…all the comforts of home.’
    Alex gave an indifferent shrug. ‘Who cares. At least we got this.’ He dropped a map
onto the table. There was a large red stamp in the middle, shaped like an egg with
a band of stippled dots running around it.
    Felicity picked up the map. ‘Is this it? The symbol we’re meant to find?’
    The twinkle returned to Alex Baranov’s eye. ‘That’s it,’ he said. He looked again
to Ruby. ‘That’s the first leg of the Triple Crown done. You should have joined the
winning team. It’s not too late, you know. After a night in a tent with Gretchen,
I’d be happy to dump her.’
    ‘You would do that?’ Ruby said.
    Alex nodded. ‘You would not believe the snoring.’
    Gerald plucked the map from Felicity’s fingers and shoved it back at Alex. ‘You’ll
just have to get used to the noise,’ he said. ‘Our team won’t be changing.’
    The corners of Ruby’s mouth flickered upwards. ‘You seem very sure of that, Gerald,’
she said. ‘What makes you so confident?’
    Gerald pursed his lips and frowned. ‘Because you chose to be on this team and I am
reliably informed that you are always right.’
    A broad smile broke out on Ruby’s face. ‘Quite right. Sorry, Alex. It looks like
I’m stuck with this bunch.’
    Alex tilted his head. ‘Ah, well. That is my loss. I suppose I’ll see you on the second
leg—that is, if you manage to finish the first one.’ He turned to go. But just as
Gerald was preparing to unleash his thoughts about Alex Baranov and his team, the
blond boy swivelled in his tracks. ‘Oh, Gerry Willy,’ he said, clamping his hand
on Gerald’s shoulder again. ‘I almost forgot. You and I have to go and see Rice Crispies.’
    Gerald spun around and jumped to his feet, coming nose to nose with the other boy.
‘Stop calling me that,’ he said.
    ‘Oh, I don’t think so. It’s a bit like Gretchen’s snoring,’ Alex said, a snide smile
on his face. ‘You’re going to have to get used to it.’

Chapter 9
    Gerald Wilkins and Alex Baranov sat outside the closed door of the headmaster’s
office, waiting. Alex spent the time regaling Gerald with tales of his summers in
the south of France. Gerald spent the time ignoring him.
    A woman at a tidy desk on one side of the room typed at a computer. She looked