Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Miguel

Darren’s eyes narrow on me. “Talk about what?”

“Ruby. Who do you think?”

“What’s your business with Ruby?” he asks.

“She told you—I’m a friend. I’m just visiting.”

“That’s bullshit. Ruby doesn’t have any friends.”

Since I can’t really refute that, I ignore it. “Ruby tells me you’ve been helping her out with mail and trash.”

“Yes. So?”

“I wanted to thank you. I’m sure you know Ruby doesn’t get out much.”

Darren frowns as he tries to figure out where this is going. “It’s no big deal,” he says. “Ruby’s a sweet girl. I’m happy to help her out.”

I nod. “I appreciate it. I was wondering, have you noticed anyone hanging around Ruby’s apartment door? Maybe leaving things on her welcome mat?”

“No.”

“I see. Well, if you notice anything odd, would you let me know? And, now that I’m here, I’ll take care of Ruby’s mail and trash.” I pull a fake business card from my back pocket and hand it to him. It contains just my name and cell number, no other identifying information. “Here’s my number. If you see anything suspicious, give me a call.”

As I walk away, he calls after me, “Hey, I don’t mind helping her out. It’s no problem. I’m happy to do it.”

“That won’t be necessary. I’ll take care of anything she needs.”

Scowling, Darren closes his door and locks it.

Well, that wasn’t weird at all. Unfortunately, I can’t strike Darren off my list of suspects. The guy seems a bit possessive where Ruby’s concerned.

Before returning to the apartment, I make a quick detour and head downstairs to the front lobby, where the mail room is located. I easily find Ruby’s mail compartment, 2B, built into the wall. The mail room is pretty bare… just the boxes for the tenants, a white plastic chair, and a trash can filled with junk mail.

It’s easy to see how someone could slip an envelope into her mailbox. These old mailboxes aren’t secure. They all contain slots so the mail carrier can just slide the mail into each box.

I glance out the front window at the street, which is bustling with traffic. There’s a steady flow of pedestrians on the sidewalk, most of them likely on their way home from work. Ruby lives in a mixed-use area, combining apartments with small businesses and restaurants. Across the street from Ruby’s building is an old Catholic church with a tall steeple. It’s the top of the hour, and the church bell rings seven times. A couple of blocks away is a large playground.

On my way back upstairs to Ruby, I get a text message from my friend Philip.

Philip – On my way. I’ll be there in ten.

Me – thanks

I race up the stairs and knock quietly on Ruby’s door. “Ruby, it’s me, Miguel. I’m back.”

A moment later, she unlocks the door and opens it. I slip inside, and immediately she relocks the door.

“How was your meeting with Darren?” she asks.

“Inconclusive. He’s an interesting guy. How much do you know about him?”

She shrugs. “Not much. He’s an accountant.”

“That’s it? That’s all you know?”

“Pretty much. We don’t really talk much. He just brings me my mail and takes away my trash.”

“Okay. By the way, my friend will be here soon to install the security system.” She doesn’t look happy, so I add, “It’s for your protection, Ruby. If anyone were to try to break in, the police would be notified immediately. There’s also a panic button that you can use to instantly summon emergency services—police, fire, or paramedics. I’ll be here with you the entire time he’s installing the system. It’ll be quick and painless, I promise.”

Those crystal clear blue eyes glance up at me, and indecision is written all over her face. Impulsively, I reach for her hand, but she steps back.

“It’s in your best interest, Ruby. If I had to leave for any reason, you’d be perfectly safe here. The door and all the windows would be armed with sensors.”

She nods reluctantly. “Okay.”

“Good. He’ll be here any minute.”

Her eyes widen, but she doesn’t say anything.

A few minutes later, there’s a knock at the door.

“That’ll be Philip,” I tell her. “I’ll get it.” I open the door and let him in. He’s loaded down with a box and a tool kit.

Ruby takes one look at Philip—he’s a mountain of a man at six-six—and points down the hall. “I’m sorry, but I have to—” And then she looks at me. “I have work to do.” Ruby rushes off and disappears into her studio, closing the door behind her.

I hate putting her on the spot like this. She had little warning that Philip was coming over so soon. Two strangers in her apartment now in one day—that’s a lot for her to deal with.

Philip sets his supplies down. “She doesn’t seem too happy that I’m here.”

I sigh. “Yeah, she’s not comfortable around strangers.”

“I’ll get right on this so I can get out of your hair.” Phil gets busy installing the main control panel beside the door. Then he moves quickly through the apartment attaching sensors on each window. He does the kitchen window, the balcony doors, the living room window, and Ruby’s bedroom window. He saves the art studio for last. We both stand in front of the closed door.

“You want to tell her I need in here?” he asks.

I knock, then open the door wide enough to poke my head in. “If you don’t mind, Philip needs to come in here to install the last window sensor.”

Ruby jumps up from her chair and walks out of the studio, disappearing into her bedroom.

After attaching the last window sensor, he configures the main control panel. “What four digits do you want me to use for her access code?”

“Good question. Just a sec.” I head down the hallway and knock on her bedroom door. “Ruby? Can I come in?”

The door opens, and she’s right there, peering up at me. “Yes? Is he gone?”

“Not quite. I need to know your birthday.”

“August 30th.”

“Thanks.” And then I head back to Phil, who’s waiting by the control panel. “Make it zero-eight-three-zero.” That’ll be easy for her to remember. She can always change it later if she wants to.

After Phil tests each of the sensors, he leaves. I set up the monitoring app on my phone for the security system. I’ll need to set the app up on Ruby’s phone, too.

I wait for Ruby to come out of her room, but she doesn’t seem to be in any hurry. I knock on her door. “Ruby?”

There’s no answer.

I try again, knocking quietly. “Ruby, he’s gone. You can come out now.”

Still nothing.

She’s overwhelmed—too many strangers in her space lately. First me, and then Philip.

So I sit on the floor and lean on her door. “I’ll wait until you feel like coming out.”

When I hear the quiet shuffle of footsteps, I suspect she’s close to the door. Maybe even sitting on the other side. “I know it was stressful having a stranger—another stranger—in your apartment, but it’s worth it. You’ll be so much safer now. No one can get into your apartment without your knowledge. And if he does, the police will be summoned.”

“You believe me?” Her voice is muffled through the door, so quiet I almost didn’t hear her.

“Yeah, I do.” The truth is I don’t know anything with certainty—not yet anyway. There’s no indisputable evidence of a stalker, but I’m not going to tell her that. Right now she needs to feel like someone believes her. More than anything, she needs a friend.

I feel bad for stressing her out. “How about we watch a movie?”

A full minute passes with no response. Then her bedroom doorknob turns, and the door opens. I jump to my feet and face her.

She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear and nods. “Sure. I’ll watch a movie with you.”

I motion for her to proceed down the hallway to the living room. “What do you want to watch?”

When she glances back at me, her waterfall of red hair bounces over her shoulder. I see only her profile, a soft round cheek with scattered freckles, a partial curving lip. “What kind of movies do you like?”

I shrug. “Action and sci-fi, mostly. Or thrillers.” I wonder what she’s into. Romantic comedies? Jane Austen? Most of the ladies love those Jane Austen movies.

Her nose wrinkles as she considers my question. “I have a suggestion. How about an action film about a giant shark?”

I can’t help laughing because it’s so unexpected. “You mean Jaws?”

“Sort of, but from this century. It stars Jason Statham. He’s a big action hero.”

“I know who he is. Sure, that sounds good.”

We sit on the sofa, and Ruby reaches for the remote. She calls up a streaming service and locates a movie called The Meg. We watch the trailer, and it looks like it’s got a little bit of everything—action, suspense, a giant shark, and yes, a little bit of romance. I figured there’d be some romance in there somewhere.

As the movie starts, she asks, “Would you like a beer?”

I shake my head. “Still on duty.”

“But it’s late. Surely your workday is over.”

“It’s never over.”

She gets up, walks to the kitchen, and pulls a bottle of sparkling water out of the fridge. “Would you like one of these?”

“Sure. Thanks.”

She returns to the sofa, hands me my water, and sits, leaving plenty of space between us. She puts her feet up on the coffee table and wiggles her toes in her socks. “Take your boots off and make yourself comfortable.”

“That’s okay.”

“Because you’re on duty?”

“Yeah. I might have to move fast, you know? If something happens.”

The movie starts, and we turn our attention to the screen. But Ruby seems a bit tense.  She flinches at every single noise she hears—neighbors’ doors opening and closing, the sound of a young child crying next door, a dog barking, footsteps in the hallway. She’s hypervigilant, but I guess that’s to be expected under the circumstances.

I watch her profile out of my peripheral vision, noting that she’s sitting as far away from me as possible. Her arms are crossed over her chest. I hate that she lives in this constant state of anxiety. I need some clear evidence soon so I can confirm her claims and ID the perpetrator.

It’s the least I can do for her.

A door slams somewhere on this floor of the building, and Ruby jumps. Immediately, she looks at me, but doesn’t say anything. It’s almost as if she’s saying, “You heard that, too, right?”

I don’t think she trusts her own judgment anymore.