The Impossible Clue

by Sarah Rubin

  Mr Delgado’s office was a large, airy room. One wall was made entirely of glass, which surprised me since it had looked solid from the other side. Now I could see Sammy’s chauffeur reading the paper in the front seat of the town car. No one coming to visit Mr Delgado would ever have the element of surprise.

  ‘It’s one-way,’ Sammy said when he saw me staring at the window. ‘You can see out, but not in. They invented it here.’

  I had to admit, I was impressed. It was hard not to be. The whole room was designed to inspire awe. A large abstract painting hung on the wall behind Mr Delgado, bold splashes of paint arcing across the canvas. A gold and mahogany nameplate that read ‘Dr Samuel G Delgado PhD’ sat on the front of his desk. It looked brand new. He must have ordered it as soon as he heard the university was giving him an honorary degree. I wondered how long he’d been waiting to be able to call himself a doctor.

  ‘Dad likes to entertain clients here, that’s why he’s got the separate door. He uses it if he’s making deals with people he doesn’t want the competition to know about. That way they can come in and out without anyone knowing. And he’s the only one with a key to his office, so no one can interrupt him. My dad’s really smart about business.’ Sammy puffed out his chest.

  ‘I guess that’s why he’s in charge,’ I said.

  Mr Delgado hung up the phone and turned to the reporter.

  ‘I’m so sorry Maria, but as you can see I’m a very busy man. Now, where were we?’

  Maria smiled. ‘You were telling me about when you first decided to open Delgado Industries.’

  ‘Of course, now let me see. It all started back when I was at college . . .’

  It looked like Mr Delgado would be talking for a while. I didn’t like waiting around, but until I got the keys to Dr Learner’s lab, I wasn’t going anywhere. I stood up and started exploring the room.

  There was a large media cabinet next to the couch. It was made of black lacquer with shelves running up the left hand side and a large-screen TV in the middle. A silver tray filled with glass bottles and cut crystal glasses sat at eye level, and above it were various books and small sculptures.

  I opened the drawers of the cabinet absent-mindedly. More bottles of alcohol and packs of cigars wrapped tightly in plastic, a pack of batteries and a remote control. Several hand-labelled DVDs, presentations for investors probably. In the back of the drawer with the DVDs was a small stack of mirrors. They were perfectly square, about ten centimetres wide, with no rim or frame around the outside. They looked like they belonged inside a piece of machinery, like a telescope or laser. They seemed so out of place in Mr Delgado’s designer office that I picked up the stack to get a closer look.

  ‘What are you doing?’

  I turned around.

  Mr Delgado wasn’t smiling and looking pleased with himself any more.

  ‘Sorry. I can’t resist drawers.’ I held out the mirrors. ‘Were these Dr Learner’s? They look like they might go in one of those machines in his office.’

  Mr Delgado smoothed his hand across his hair, glanced at the reporter and put his smile back on.

  ‘Yes. Adrian asked me to special-order those a few days ago, before he went missing. I never got the chance to give them to him.’

  He didn’t move from his chair and he didn’t say anything, but I knew he wanted me to put the mirrors down. It was strange. The mirrors were easily the cheapest things in his office, so why did Mr Delgado have to special-order them? And why did he look so jumpy?

  ‘So, I hear you got a doctorate yesterday,’ I said, trying to lighten the mood. I turned around and put the mirrors back in the drawer. Well, all of them except for one. I slipped the top mirror into my bag as I turned around.

  ‘Yes, yes. It was quite an honour. Maria here is doing a profile on me for the alumni magazine.’

  That explained why she wasn’t digging for dirt. She was writing one hundred per cent puff.

  ‘Maria, this is my son Samuel Junior and his friend Alice Jones. They’re helping me look into the disappearance of my top scientist. I’m sure you’ve heard about it. Dr Learner went to the University of Pennsylvania too.’

  Maria nodded sympathetically, but I could see her eyes glittering. She was thinking she’d just found the perfect angle for her profile on Mr Delgado. Something to spice it up. I jabbed Sammy in the ribs with my elbow so he’d hurry up and get us out of there. Mr Delgado looked like he was about to launch into some long-winded story about how wonderful he was, and I didn’t want to get stuck as the audience.

  ‘Actually, Adrian and I were at college together. In a lot of ways, he was my inspiration.’ Mr Delgado handed Maria a framed photo from his desk. ‘There’s me and Adrian before we graduated. We always dreamt about doing research together.’ His voice trailed off.

  I looked over Maria’s shoulder. The picture showed Dr Learner and Mr Delgado about thirty years ago, younger and with more hair. The two of them were onstage and Dr Learner was pulling a rabbit out of a hat.

  ‘That was from the Physics Department talent show. We won first prize that year.’ He gave the photo a wistful smile and then laughed. ‘I remember one time—’

  ‘Dad!’ Sammy cut him off. I got the feeling Sammy heard a lot of stories about Mr Delgado’s glory days. Either that or he sensed me gearing up for another elbow jab.

  ‘Yes, Sammy? What was it you wanted to see me about? You wanted to have another look at Dr Learner’s lab?’

  I ignored the look he gave the reporter over our heads. A look that said aren’t kids the cutest.

  ‘That’s right,’ I answered. ‘I just want to check a few things.’ Mr Delgado pulled open his desk drawers and rooted around until he found his keys. I waited until he put them in my hand before I continued, ‘I also thought I should let you know I went to Dr Learner’s apartment yesterday.’

  ‘You did?’ Mr Delgado looked a little surprised. So maybe the silver Mercedes wasn’t his after all. ‘And did you find anything important there?’

  ‘Not exactly,’ I said. ‘I was just wondering . . .’ I realized there was no nice way to ask it, so I just blurted out the question. ‘Well, you were friends with Dr Learner. Was his place always such a dump?’

  Mr Delgado laughed. ‘She doesn’t sugar-coat things, does she?’ he said to Maria, smiling again. Then he turned back to me. ‘The truth is, Adrian has always been all about the science. When he’s working on an experiment, he can go for weeks without going home. He’ll sleep on the floor here, or in his car. And he’s been so busy on this project, especially after his breakthrough six months ago. It doesn’t surprise me that his place was a mess.’

  I nodded. Sammy looked miserable.

  ‘Is that everything?’ he asked.

  ‘No. After I left, there were some people from the FBI watching the apartment. They stopped me and asked me some questions. I told them what I know. I’m sorry if you didn’t want me to, but I didn’t feel like lying to the federal government.’

  ‘No,’ Mr Delgado said. ‘That wouldn’t do at all. No, you did fine, better than fine. I’m very pleased with what you’ve done so far.’

  ‘But I haven’t done anything,’ I said.

  ‘But I’m sure you are making great progress. Sammy keeps me updated. Now if you’ll excuse me, I think Maria has some more questions she wants to ask before we tour the facility.’

  It occurred to me that Mr Delgado had planned for me and Sammy to run into his tame reporter. It was exactly the kind of publicity he wanted. It kept Dr Learner’s disappearance in the paper, but it also made Mr Delgado look pretty good. The kind of great guy who lets his son and friends play at being detectives. But I wasn’t playing. If I was looking into the case at all, then I was looking into the case for real. I thanked Mr Delgado for his time and said goodbye. I wanted to have another look at Dr Learner’s office as soon as possible.

  ‘Oh, one more thing,’ I said as I stood in the office doorway. ‘I’ve noticed a car following me. I think it m
ight be someone from Chronos R&D.’

  Mr Delgado stood up quickly, knocking his state-of-the-art swivel chair backwards into the wall.

  ‘Chronos? Are you sure? Why do you think it’s them?’

  I didn’t think it was a good idea to tell Mr Delgado how my dad had hacked into Dr Learner’s emails. So I told him I heard the name from the FBI.

  ‘This is very serious, thank you for letting me know.’ He picked up the phone, nodding an apology to Maria. ‘Alice, if you see those men again, don’t talk to them, don’t tell them anything. Just call for help right away. They are not nice people and I don’t want you to get hurt.’

  It wasn’t what he said that scared me. It was the way he said it, like he was afraid of them.

  ‘Sammy, you make sure Alice gets home safely.’

  Then again, if he trusted Sammy to keep me safe, how scary could they really be?

  I spent the next hour searching Dr Learner’s office, trying to see if there was a blind spot I’d missed. I was certain there had to be another way out of that office. A way that got Dr Learner past the security cameras. Sammy stood at the doorway, like he was some kind of bodyguard. I didn’t know what he thought he’d do if trouble actually did show up.

  There was no blind spot. No hidden alcove. Nowhere Dr Learner could have hidden in that room when Graham Davidson came to check on him. I even stood on the work surface and checked the ceiling to see if Dr Learner could have crawled out through an air vent. But it was no good.

  ‘I got nothing,’ I said to Sammy. ‘Let’s get out of here. I feel like my brain is going to implode.’

  Sammy walked me back through his dad’s office and out into the car park. Mr Delgado was gone, probably giving Maria a five-star tour of the building. The driver was waiting for us. He’d got out of the car when we’d left the building and was holding the door open for Sammy by the time we made it to the car.

  ‘Can you take Alice home for me?’

  It must have been weird for the driver, taking orders from a kid. He looked about forty-five.

  I climbed into the car. Sammy didn’t follow me.

  ‘Aren’t you coming?’

  ‘I’ve got my own job, remember?’

  I stared at Sammy blankly.

  ‘You know,’ he said, leaning closer and shielding his mouth so the driver couldn’t see. ‘The device that was on the security camera. The one that might be a clue to how Dr Learner got out of his office. I’m gonna search for it while my dad’s giving the tour.’

  He stood back, pleased with himself. I felt a pang of guilt as I remembered sending Sammy on that rainbow frog chase. But he looked so happy I didn’t have the heart to tell him to give up.

  ‘I’ll call you later,’ Sammy said and started to close the door. He shut it halfway and then opened it again. ‘Do you think we should have a secret password for when we call each other? Just in case?’

  I looked at Sammy, dumbfounded. That kid read way too many spy novels.

  Sammy waited for a moment, but when he realized I wasn’t going to answer he just shrugged. ‘Well, think about it,’ he said, and slammed the door.

  On the way home, I found out that the chauffeur’s name was Ellis. He had a wife and three kids and obviously didn’t get the chance to talk to a lot of people. By the time we got to my house, I knew about eighty per cent of Ellis’s life story. He parked the car and I climbed out. I liked Ellis, but not enough to stick around and hear the last twenty per cent.

  ‘Thanks for the ride.’ I ran up the steps before he had a chance to reply.

  I gave Ellis one more quick wave goodbye, then I turned around and froze.

  The door was open.

  Not unlocked. Open.

  It wasn’t even latched. I could see a small slice of kitchen between the edge of the door and the frame. It was propped open by the mat Dad insisted we wipe our feet on. It must have been kicked up when someone left in a hurry. At least I hoped they had left. Deep gouges cut into the wood where somebody had used a crowbar to pry the door open.

  My hands were shaking as I pulled out my phone.

  ‘Come on, Dad. Pick up.’

  I pushed the door open slowly. Someone had been through our house, and they hadn’t been careful about it. All of the kitchen cupboards were open, the couch cushions were on the floor. The few family pictures that were still hanging on the walls were crooked. I stepped inside.

  ‘Hello?’ Dad’s voice on the other end of the phone made me jump.

  ‘Dad, someone broke into our house.’

  ‘What? Are you OK? Where are you?’

  ‘I’m fine. I just got home. I don’t think they’re still here.’

  ‘Get out of the house. And call the police. I’m coming.’

  ‘But Dad, what about Della?’

  ‘I’ll call her. But she said something about some extra vocal coaching at the university. I think she’s there. Just get out.’

  I did what he said. I got out of the house and called the police. Whoever I talked to kept telling me to calm down. Eventually they said they’d send someone over. When I hung up, there was a text from Dad saying Della was fine. She was at her music lesson in the city. I was so relieved I almost cried.

  I waited on the other side of the street for the police, just staring at the door to our house. It was the way I’d stared at my cupboard door at night, back when I was a kid and still believed in monsters. As if the second I stopped watching, the door would open and something evil would come out. It was ninety degrees in the shade and I was shaking like a leaf.

  It was the men in the silver car. They were from Chronos R&D. They had to be. And that’s why they didn’t follow me that morning. They were waiting until I left the house. I hugged my messenger bag to my chest. They were looking for the Delgado file. Police sirens sounded in the distance and then moved closer. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anything so sweet.

  The squad car pulled up, its blue lights flashing, and two officers climbed out. A young man and a middle-aged woman.

  ‘I’m Officer Ross, this is Officer Tulley. Are you the one who reported the break-in?’ the woman asked. Her dark hair was pulled back tight against her skull, but her eyes were warm. I started breathing again. Officer Tulley stayed next to the car. He looked like the kind of guy who wasn’t comfortable dealing with kids.

  I nodded and pointed to our house. ‘It’s that one.’

  ‘Is anyone inside?’

  ‘I don’t know. I didn’t go all the way in. No one’s come out, though.’

  ‘OK, you stay here while we clear the building. Are your parents here?’

  ‘My dad’s on his way.’

  I watched the two of them go into our house.

  Put your hand on a hot stove for a minute, and it seems like an hour. Sit with a pretty girl for an hour, and it seems like a minute. That’s relativity. That’s how Einstein explained it anyway. I finally understood what he meant. Every second I stood there alone felt like a year. Putting my hand on a hot stove would have been a picnic.

  My dad pulled up about a minute after the cops went in, but it felt like a lot longer. He parked on the wrong side of the street, pulling up on to the curb so he didn’t block traffic completely. He was out of the car and had me in a bear hug in two steps.

  ‘Are you OK?’ Dad kept his arm around my shoulders and held me tight against his side.

  ‘Yeah. The cops just went inside. What about Della?’

  ‘She’s fine. She’s on her way home too.’

  Officer Tulley stuck his head out of the door and waved for us to come over.

  ‘The house is empty.’ The words should have made me feel better, but they didn’t.

  ‘Can you see if anything’s been stolen?’

  Dad started to move, then stopped and turned to me.

  ‘I’m fine, go check.’

  Dad looked in his office and then went upstairs to check the bedrooms. My knees felt like jelly.

  ‘Is it all right if I put the
cushions back on the couch? I need to sit down.’

  Officer Tulley shrugged. ‘Sure. We can’t get fingerprints off corduroy anyway.’

  Dad came back a few minutes later. ‘I don’t think they took anything. The computer’s still here, and the TV. Besides that, we don’t have anything worth stealing.’

  ‘Whoever broke in did a pretty thorough search. Can you think of anything someone might have been looking for?’

  Dad shook his head.

  ‘I think I might know.’ I opened my messenger bag and pulled out the Delgado file. It was everything Delgado had given me, plus the pictures I’d taken at Dr Learner’s apartment and all of my notes. ‘It doesn’t say where Dr Learner is, but the guys who were following me don’t know that.’

  Dad took the file and flipped through it quickly before handing it to Officer Tulley.

  ‘Wait, someone’s been following you? Why didn’t you tell me?’

  ‘Sorry Dad, I meant to tell you about the car this morning, but you were gone before I had a chance. I didn’t think they’d break into the house. I mean, there’s not even anything in the file really.’

  ‘Still, you should have said something.’

  ‘This is about that missing scientist?’ Officer Ross took the file from Officer Tulley and shook her head. ‘What a mess.’

  The door opened again and I jumped, expecting the two men from the Mercedes to storm in and rip the file out of Officer Ross’s hands. But it was just another group of officers wearing dark-blue shirts with ‘CRIME SCENE TEAM’ written on the back instead of the regular police uniform. Officer Tulley went to show them where to dust for fingerprints.

  Officer Ross ignored them and kept talking. ‘We’ll have a patrol car drive by every hour tonight. There’s a chance they might try to come back if they didn’t get what they were after the first time. If I were you, I’d find somewhere safe to keep that file. And try to let people know it isn’t here any more. Make sure you use the deadbolt and the chain. They had an easy time popping the door open because the only lock used was the Yale lock.’