Chương 5 - The Sister Who Didn't Trust Her
Diana Romano arrived without warning on a Wednesday morning, wearing a pale designer coat and the expression of someone who had never lost an argument unless she chose to. Ruby met her in the breakfast room, where Lily was proudly feeding imaginary soup to Bunny.
"You're the new caregiver," Diana said, looking Ruby over as if she were checking the seams of an expensive dress.
"Ruby Jenkins. It's nice to meet you."
"We'll see."
Lily looked up. "Aunt Di. Soup."
Diana's severe expression melted instantly. She accepted an empty plastic spoon and pretended to swallow with enormous enthusiasm. Ruby watched, surprised. Clearly the woman loved her niece. Unfortunately, that love didn't extend to the unknown woman currently holding Lily's plastic teapot.
"May I speak to you privately?" Diana asked.
They went into a sitting room overlooking the garden. Diana shut the door and placed a thin folder on the coffee table.
"You owe more than forty thousand dollars," she said without introduction.
Ruby felt the air leave her lungs. "I haven't hidden my financial situation from payroll."
"I didn't say you had. I said you owe a great deal of money while living under the roof of one of the most targeted men in Boston."
"And therefore I'm a criminal?"
"Therefore you could be approached by one."
The accusation stung precisely because of the message waiting on Ruby's phone. For the past week she'd been deciding whether to tell Vincent about it. She feared sounding paranoid; she feared Diana's obvious conclusion even more.
"I have been approached," Ruby said.
Diana went very still.
Ruby showed her the photograph taken outside the estate and the message beneath it. Diana read it twice, her lips tightening. Then she did something Ruby hadn't expected. She called Gabriel immediately and asked him to preserve the image and obtain the original security records.
"Why didn't you report this?" Diana demanded when she hung up.
"Because I was ashamed," Ruby admitted. "I thought someone had found out I was behind on bills. The first message sounded like a collector. I didn't realize the second one was different until I saw where the photograph had been taken."
Diana picked up the folder again. "Your reluctance to speak up is exactly the problem."
"Then let me fix it. Check my background. Speak to my former employer. Contact the lawyer Vincent recommended. But don't make Lily believe every person she loves has to pass a secret loyalty test."
Diana's eyes flashed. "My sister-in-law was killed because somebody got close to this family. I watched my brother lose his wife and my niece stop speaking for days. I will not apologize for being careful."
"I didn't ask you to apologize for being careful," Ruby said. "I asked you to be fair."
The silence afterward was sharp enough to cut.
Vincent entered before either woman could speak again. "What's going on?"
Diana showed him the anonymous photograph. He read it, then turned to Ruby. He wasn't angry, which somehow made his expression worse.
"How long have you had this?"
"Since last Friday."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I was afraid you'd think I'd brought danger into your house."
Vincent passed the phone to Gabriel, who had appeared behind him. "Secure the staff entrances and pull the gate recordings. And Ruby—" He stopped, apparently choosing his words with care. "You need to be able to tell me when you're frightened. I can't protect you from something I don't know exists."
"I don't need a bodyguard," she said.
"This isn't about deciding what you need. It's about giving you information so you can decide what to do."
Diana folded her arms. "At least we agree on one thing."
In the awkward silence that followed, Ruby asked a question that made both siblings stop. "Do the people who clean the guest rooms have the same protection as the people who own them?"
Diana frowned. "What do you mean?"
"If someone is watching me because I work here, they may be watching the kitchen assistants and the gardeners too. None of them have a private security detail. Some have children waiting at home."
Gabriel looked up from the photograph. "The staff security procedures haven't been updated since the bombing. We focused on the family and the principal vehicles."
Vincent's expression changed. Ruby expected him to be defensive. Instead, he turned toward Gabriel. "Set up a briefing for everyone. Paid time, not after hours. Ask them where they feel exposed."
Diana studied Ruby as if she had discovered an inconvenient fact that would require revising an entire argument. "You could have asked us to pay your debts," she said.
"That wouldn't stop the person taking photographs," Ruby replied. "And it wouldn't make Lily's home safe."
For the next two days, Ruby answered uncomfortable questions. Gabriel confirmed her employment history, the hospital bills, and the details of Elaine Jenkins's illness. Her former supervisor said Ruby had quit only after taking every available shift and selling her own car to cover a final round of treatments.
Diana read the report in silence.
Meanwhile, Lily noticed the tension immediately. She followed Ruby through the nursery and refused to let her leave even to fetch a clean blanket. At bedtime, Ruby knelt beside the crib.
"I'm not disappearing tonight," she promised. "Marta will be right outside if you wake up."
"Ruby stay?" Lily asked.
"I live here now. Remember?"
Lily nodded, unconvinced. Ruby stayed until she fell asleep, then found Vincent waiting in the hall.
"My sister is wrong about you," he said.
"Your sister has reasons to be frightened. She's wrong to let that fright turn into a verdict. There's a difference."
Vincent leaned against the wall. "You sound as though you've spent your whole life mediating unreasonable families."
"Just one. Mine."
His expression softened, and for a second Ruby saw the exhausted father beneath the powerful man's practiced composure. She wanted to touch his arm. Instead, she stepped away.
"I care about Lily," she told him. "But I won't stay here if being poor automatically makes me suspect."
"Understood."
The next morning, Diana appeared outside Ruby's room carrying the folder. She handed it back, unopened, along with a small envelope.
"The attorney's contact details," Diana said. "I arranged for her to review the collection notices. I didn't pay anything. I thought you'd prefer it that way."
Ruby accepted the envelope. "Thank you."
"This doesn't mean I've stopped being cautious."
"I'd be disappointed if you did."
May you like
For a moment, Diana nearly smiled. Then her phone rang. She glanced at the screen, answered, and listened without speaking. Her face drained of color.
"Gabriel found something," she told Ruby. "The picture of you came from a camera across the road. The account paying for that camera is connected to a company we've been tracking since Sophia's murder."
