Chapter 23 Ruby

23

Ruby

The diner's coffee was hot and cheaper than Starbucks, but, more importantly, it was next door to Althea's apartment building. Ruby had long ago followed Althea home. She had been a target for Ruby, and, like her grandmother always said, knowledge is power.

Ruby took a refill from the waitress, and sat in the window booth.

She'd left the Jacksons' a few hours ago, after they got back from their appointment. Then she'd taken a bus to the Bronx.

On the way, she'd made the call to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

There were no set response times as far as she was aware. But Ruby figured they would respond as soon as they could get a couple of officers free.

‘May I have your name, please?' asked the ICE officer.

‘It's Esther Hanson,' said Ruby.

It had taken ICE an hour and a half to respond. Not bad, considering. Ruby watched the ICE van pull up at Althea's building. Saw the officers climb out of the car and make their way inside.

Ruby finished her coffee and waited. She guessed maybe twenty minutes. Five to get to Althea's apartment. Another five to get inside. It brought back memories of Ruby staring out of her childhood bedroom window on West 74 th Street as the cops pulled up at her house. Neighbors, or perhaps even a couple passing their house on the street, had heard noises. Screaming, probably, coming from her mother. The cops came to the house. One in the living room with her mom. One outside on the street with her dad.

And her mom lied every time. It was a fall down the stairs. A slip on the icy sidewalk. A misjudgment in her squash game and she got a ball in the eye.

The cops knew she was lying. And sometimes they would press her. Ultimately, they knew unless she co-operated there was nothing they could do. They couldn't arrest her husband if she didn't make a complaint about him.

So, after a while, around twenty minutes usually, they just left.

Twenty minutes after the ICE officers went into Althea's building, they were back on the street with Althea's uncle, her aunt, her mother and her two little cousins. The van filled up with Althea's people – ready to go to some processing center. Ruby didn't really know what happened when undocumented immigrants were taken away. Nothing good, she guessed. And she was unlikely to ever see any of them again.

Althea stood on the sidewalk, shaking with fear and shock. Ruby understood fear all too well. She could not say that she understood what Althea was feeling, but Althea was smart and Ruby could well imagine what she was thinking. For almost two years, Althea's family had lived in fear of the ICE agents. The fear dissipates. Althea was careful and there was no reason for anyone to report them.

What had changed in Althea's life?

She had been fired and accused of theft, but no cops had been called. A few days later, Esther visits Althea. She sits in the apartment, meets Althea's family – and the very next day ICE agents are at their door.

Fear leads to mistrust. But, even without the mildest paranoia, it would be a logical conclusion to associate Esther's visit with someone suddenly calling immigration. At the very least, Althea would not be able to rule that out. She would strongly suspect Esther was the one who had taken her family away from her.

America could be cruel.

The Statue of Liberty stood tall, with its back to New York City.

Ruby left five dollars on the table for her coffee and the tip, and made her way to the subway.

It took forty-five minutes to get to Henderson Street.

Ruby didn't do anything at first. It was still light. She wanted to wait until it got darker. But not late. Knocking on a door when it was fully dark made it more likely she wouldn't get inside, and it might attract more attention from the neighbors. While she waited for the sun to dip behind the buildings, Ruby made circles of the block. Watching the windows of the houses opposite Esther's. Making sure no one was watching her.

Her backpack felt heavy. The weight was reassuring. Her back was covered in sweat, but the long black overcoat she wore concealed it. The coat was breathable, but in this heat it was like having a furnace draped over her shoulders.

While she walked, she went over her speech. In her mind.

She would do exactly what the red priest had told her.

Esther Hanson lived in a redbrick, three-story townhouse. A basement apartment below, one set of steps up to her house. Thankfully, no lights were showing in the basement apartment. This was a really nice area to live. And, like most of these places, few people actually lived here. Probably half of this street was vacant properties, bought as investments, occasionally rented out on Airbnb, or short-term leases with stringent terms on cleaning and occupation.

These were no longer homes. They were money. Just big piles of money and, usually, if you left them well enough alone – those piles just grew bigger all by themselves, so when the property was back on the market after seven or ten years, prices had gone up and the investors could make their return.

Esther's house was occupied. And a lamp lit the living room that overlooked the darkening street.

Taking a deep breath, Ruby climbed the eight steps to Esther's front door and, covering her little finger with the sleeve of her coat, she rang the doorbell.

She waited only a few moments before Esther opened the door. No security chain. No checking through the peephole before she opened up. She was quicker than Ruby had expected, almost as if she was waiting for a caller.

The welcoming smile fell from Esther's lips as soon as she saw who was on her doorstep. Replacing it with a look of confusion, and then something else. Something approaching disgust.

‘What are you doing here?' asked Esther.

‘It's about Althea,' said Ruby. ‘I need to talk to you.'

‘You can talk to my daughter, your employer, about Althea. I have nothing to do with it,' said Esther, coolly, and she stood back, started to close the door.

‘Wait, it's because of Alison that I'm here. There are things you don't know. Alison cried for two days after she lost that necklace. The silver lace one that you had given to her. She was inconsolable. I didn't want to tell you because she was so worried about how you would react. When she found out it was Althea who stole it, I knew Alison would do anything to get that necklace back from the person who took it. But she didn't do anything . . .'

She paused then, for dramatic effect, and in an effort to let what she had said sink in. Esther was not stupid, but perhaps she wasn't the quickest. She just shook her head and started to close the door again.

‘Wait, please, do I have to say it out loud? Alison should have called the cops. I think Althea made sure that Alison couldn't call anyone. I'm pretty sure Althea is blackmailing your daughter. I think it's something to do with John and the gun the police found in the house.'

The door's path had already concealed Esther's face. It was an inch from shutting when it stopped, and gradually Esther pulled it open again. She had finally put together what Ruby was saying. Even if Ruby had to spell it out. Of course, Alison had to call the police. She would do that a hundred percent. Esther knew her daughter. A family heirloom with so much pain and history and love attached to it – it didn't make any sense for Alison to just let that go.

‘How do you know Althea is blackmailing her?'

‘Can I come in? I don't want to talk about this out here?'

Esther thought about it. Cast her eyes from side to side to see who else was on the street. It was quiet. No one around. But, still, she didn't want the neighbors gossiping.

‘You'd better come in,' said Esther.

She turned away, and Ruby stepped into the house and closed the door behind her. Ahead of her, in the hallway, Esther's shoulders slumped as she exhaled. Perhaps she was thinking that she had been a foolish person, being taken in by Althea. Not only had this woman stolen from her family, but Esther had been stupid enough to get fooled again.

Turning right into the living space, Esther disappeared from Ruby's view.

Slowing her pace, Ruby had a few seconds to put on her gloves before she went through. She managed to get them on, then put her hands in her pockets to conceal them.

Esther moved through the living room, and approached a table in the dining area where she pulled out a chair. As the legs dragged across the solid wooden floor, Esther paused again. Second thoughts, maybe. Perhaps Althea had been right all along, and it was Ruby who was playing her now.

Ruby saw the look of doubt creep in. The expressions on Esther's face were easy to read, even for someone who didn't have the greatest understanding of emotions.

‘You need to explain yourself right now. Because, if my daughter is in danger from anyone, I need to know,' said Esther, gazing into Ruby's eyes for the first time.

‘Why don't you sit down. I think John and Althea are having an affair and that has something to do with that gun. I think Althea is trying to get money from Alison. This is really complicated. Do you mind if I get a glass of water?'

Waving a hand at the kitchen behind her, Esther sat down, a confused expression on her face.

Ruby wanted Esther confused. She had deliberately told her something so complex and strange, but with it an implied threat to her daughter, that Esther would have no choice but to hear Ruby out. Even if it was to confirm in her own mind that Ruby was full of shit.

Ruby moved behind her into the kitchen.

She ran the faucet, fast.

Loud.

She slipped off her backpack.

Took an apron from it and slipped it over her head.

‘I don't understand what you're saying, Ruby. This is really confusing,' said Esther, shaking her head.

Ruby took the five-pound hammer from the backpack and then set the bag on the floor.

She stepped closer to Esther, who had her elbows on the table. Her back to Ruby.

Raising her arms, Ruby swung the hammer high above her head.

‘I don't know if I should trust you . . .' said Esther.

Ruby took another step toward her.

‘I saw you, one day, talking to the picture in Alison's house. The one with the cardinal. You were . . . whispering . . . to it. You want it, don't you? I see you. You want the life my daughter enjoys – the money. But you're not like us, Ruby. You can never be one of us. If you say my daughter or son-in-law are being manipulated – I don't believe you. I want proof.'

Esther angled her body, to look behind.

Ruby took another step. She was close now. Just two feet away. Esther must've sensed her approach.

She froze as she saw Ruby with the hammer.

‘I wasn't whispering to it. I was listening. He tells me things, the red priest. He's very bad, you see. Mostly, I just do what I'm told . . .'

Esther tried to get up, but her legs caught beneath the table and it lifted an inch off the ground before she lost her balance. She fell back on the seat, then tried to stand and twist out of the chair, desperate to move, to get away.

As the hammer hit the back of Esther's skull, Ruby continued to talk.

‘He told me I had to kill you. This isn't my fault. This is your fault. You could've really messed things up for me.'

She raised the hammer. Let it swing down again.

The left rear chair leg buckled with the force of Esther's body being pummeled. The chair collapsed, sending Esther to the floor.

She was already dead.