by Baxter, Cole
Since she'd chosen a respectable establishment as her hiding place, she felt somewhat safe that she was out of Ruby's reach. The downside was that she had to use her real name to check in.
Thinking quickly on her feet, Mary begged the receptionist to not let anybody know she was a guest here if somebody called or came to ask questions about her.
"Discretion is our specialty," he reassured her, probably assuming she was running away from an abusive husband, and she let him.
Her mind wouldn't give her a moment of peace, recounting all the greatest hits, everything she discovered about Ruby. Her therapist was so right about everything. That made her jump out of the bed and reach for her phone. She had failed to let Dr. Carson know what was going on. Checking the time, she realized it was too late to call, and this wasn't something she wanted to divulge over a text.
She always failed to do the most necessary of things, Mary chastised herself. What is wrong with me? Was there a short circuit in her brain wiring that made her so blind and at times scattered? The most obvious things or actions eluded her.
She managed to doze off when the morning came. Just as was expected, the phone calls and the texts started shortly after she fell asleep.
"Where are you?"
"Why aren't you picking up your phone?"
"Are you busy working? Call me when you can, kiss."
"Did something happen?"
"Mary, I'm starting to worry and it's bad for my health."
"Open up. I'm at your place."
"Can't you hear me banging?"
"Where are you?"
"You are never here when I need you the most!"
The tone of the voice messages and texts changed just as Ruby's mood changed, from polite, sweet, and witty to downright hostile and mean.
After a while, Mary simply started deleting everything that Ruby sent her without reading it since she already got the gist of it.
Mary was not stupid, usually, she corrected herself, and knew she couldn't avoid Ruby for too long. She had to return to her life no matter how messed up that life might be, and she certainly couldn't afford to hide in a hotel room indefinitely, so she came up with a plan.
She spent the whole morning thinking about the next course of action, something that could buy her some time so she could continue snooping around without Ruby figuring everything out.
Mary called Dr. Carson yet couldn't reach him. He's probably having a session with some patient, she realized, checking the time.
Of all the mistakes she'd made in her life, not listening to him was probably in the top three. Marrying Nick was definitely the number-one mistake she'd made. At the moment, Ruby was a big contender for mistake number two.
You can do this, she encouraged herself. When Mary felt like she was ready, or ready as much as she could be, she dialed Ruby's number, half praying the other woman wouldn't pick up.
Of course, she was not that lucky.
"Thank God you finally called me back," Ruby practically screeched at the phone. "I half expected that you were dead, murdered, or in a ditch somewhere."
You'd think like that, wouldn't you? Mary had a fleeting thought.
"It's been a tiring twelve hours or so," Mary replied, sticking to the truth for as long as she could.
"How come? Where are you? Why did you leave me? I needed you and you weren't here," Ruby ranted, sounding so genuinely hurt that Mary felt sick to her stomach.
She really was a terrific actress.
"Ruby, listen to me," Mary interrupted her tirade. "Something happened," she said gravely, just the way she practiced it in front of a mirror. Even though Ruby couldn't see her, Mary realized that adequate facial expression was crucial to sounding more believable.
Also, she wrote herself a script that she held in her lap so she could stay on point. It took her a while to get everything right, and she only dialed Ruby when she felt confident enough that she could pull this off.
I have to pull this off. There was no alternative.
"What happened?" Ruby demanded yet didn't let Mary answer. "Wait, don't tell me over the phone. I'm on my way."
"Don't bother," Mary replied. "I'm not at home."
"I know you're not at your apartment. I checked already. Where are you?" Ruby demanded.
Mary took a deep breath before answering. Don't overdo it, she cautioned.
"The police came last night, and they took me away."
"What?" she exclaimed. "Are you under arrest?" Ruby asked in alarm.
Arrested? Why didn't I think of that? On the other hand, that would be hard to fake since Ruby would certainly offer to come and bail her out.
"No, under police protection. I'm calling you in secret since they told me not to contact anyone."
"Why on Earth are you under police protection?"
"There was a break-in at my apartment last night. That was why I had to leave," Mary started to explain.
"A break-in?" Ruby parroted in surprise.
"Yes. My whole apartment has been vandalized."
"That's just awful. This world has gone mad. You can't be safe anywhere, not even in your own home."
"It's awful," Mary agreed.
"Why didn't you call me? I can help with the clean-up, go shopping with you," she offered generously.
"I can't go home. The police believe this break-in has something to do with Nick and his murder," Mary lied.
"That's ridiculous. It was probably a petty thief and nothing more," Ruby countered, which made Mary frown.
"This is serious," Mary insisted, really not understanding how Ruby could make light of this situation. It was true that everything was made up, but she didn’t know that.
It's not important because it has nothing to do with her, Mary reminded herself. "Listen," Mary tried again. "The police think that whoever killed Nick did this because they were looking for something."
"Like what?"
"Money. Apparently, Nick owed some shady character a large sum of money, and right before he died, he won a substantial amount of money playing poker. Instead of paying his debt, he tried to skip town again."
"Listening to you speak of him, I'm glad he's dead."
"The police believe he was killed because of the debt, and now the criminals think I know where the money is." Mary stuck to the script, ignoring her remark, spinning her web of lies and hoping she wasn’t going too far with all the details.
"That is quite a tale," Ruby commented.
Mary couldn't agree more. The question that mattered the most at the moment was whether Ruby bought it?
"I think the police are wrong, and you're overreacting by agreeing to go with them."
"I had to."
"I believe Nick's murder had nothing to do with the mafia or whoever the police are suspecting," Ruby said dismissively.
"We shall see," Mary replied, not knowing what else to say. Ruby's response to all of this really confused her.
"You should tell the detective, or whoever is in charge and holding you, that you want to go home," Ruby advised in all seriousness.
"I can't go home, it's a mess. Besides, I might be in danger." From you.
"You can move in with me for the time being."
Mary cringed, too late realizing her mistake. She fell right into that trap.
Shit. Nice work, Mary. "Ruby, I can't do that."
"Why on Earth not?"
Yeah, why not? That was a good question. Because I don't want to? She couldn't quite say that. It would negate the purpose of everything she was doing at the moment.
"I can't," she repeated.
"You can and you will. What are friends for?" Ruby insisted. "You will come with me to the country house where I can keep you safe," she said as if it were a done deal.
Mary shuddered at the thought of going anywhere with Ruby. The last thing she wanted was to be alone with Ruby at some house in the middle of nowhere.
"I appreciate the offer, I really do, but I can't accept it, and not just becaus
e the police officers guarding me would freak. I don't want to bring any danger to your doorstep." She expressed her worry, hoping that sounded genuine enough.
"Nonsense," Ruby replied on the brink of hysteria.
Mary feared something like this might happen. She hoped Ruby would see reason if Mary faked danger, but as it turned out, she had to control everything and snapped when things didn't go her way. Her next words proved as much.
"Mary, listen to me, you need to come to your apartment right now so I can pick you up, and together—"
"No," Mary interrupted her. "It's better this way."
"Better?" Ruby exploded. "Better for who? I am trying to save your life and you're ignoring me," she started to rant. "You should only listen to me and not some useless cops. I know you, I care about you, not them. I only think about what is best for you. Apparently, you don't care about me or what I think one bit."
"Ruby, please."
"If you don't come with me then I'm afraid something terrible is going to happen," Ruby professed.
"Like what?" Mary asked before she could stop herself.
"If you don't return to me right now, I will kill myself. It’s better than slowly dying from worrying about you."
Instantly, Mary remembered that Ruby was prone to saying things like that. It was the ultimate manipulation. And it's not going to work on me.
"Ruby, don't say things like that, it's wrong. Look, I have to go. Don't call me again." Mary hung up before Ruby said anything else. Then she blocked her number.
What just happened? she wondered.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Fifteen minutes passed since Mary talked with Ruby, and she was still in disbelief of how things escalated. She only wishes to control me and nothing more. Something else occurred to Mary in those moments as well.
I am in way over my head, she thought with dread. Mary thought she was so smart, coming up with this plan. She imagined it would make Ruby back down for a little while so Mary could have a little bit of free time and find a way to permanently remove Ruby from her life without doing anything drastic.
Sadly, as it turned out, Ruby was ten steps ahead of her every time, so Mary didn't have a chance of winning. That's because she mastered this game of manipulation. She'd done that all her life.
The crazy is her life, Mary mused, yet I am not going to allow it to become mine as well.
Coming to her senses, Mary did the only thing she could at a time like this one. She called the police and then hung up. She didn't know whom to turn to for such problems, and the only person that came to mind was Detective Decker.
Mary hoped he could help her since she didn't want to speak with anybody else about her problems. Not that she and Detective Decker were BFFs or anything. The only time he was at her house, he practically accused her of murder. Putting that aside, she believed he was a true professional and would hear her out.
Thanking the heavens she had enough presence of mind to actually keep his business card and put it into her wallet for safekeeping, Mary fished it out and dialed his number.
"Detective Decker," he answered almost instantly.
"Hello, Detective. This is Mary Wright, I mean Orville," she corrected herself. "I don't know if you remember me —"
"You're Nick Orville's widow."
"Yes."
"What can I do for you, Mrs. Orville?"
"It's Wright, or Mary is just fine." This time, she simply had to correct him.
"Changed it back, eh? Can't say I blame you," he commented.
"Yes, well . . ." Mary really didn't know how to respond to that.
"What can I do for you?" he repeated.
"I think I'm in trouble and I need your help."
"What kind of trouble? Is it related to your late husband?" Detective Decker asked, his tone changing in an instant. He was all business now.
"No, no," she was quick to reassure him. "I have someone who is causing difficulties in my life," Mary said with care.
"Tell me everything," he commanded.
So she did. Mary told him how she’d befriended this older woman, a retired actress, and that with time, things started to change. She changed.
"Is this the same person who confronted Nick that night he came to your apartment?" Detective Decker asked.
"Yes. He ended up breaking her wrist."
"I remember. Continue."
"I found out she is a convicted killer with multiple restraining orders filed against her, and now she won't leave me alone, shows up at my door, calls, sends texts non-stop."
"I see."
"I don't know if I'm just being paranoid, but I've started to fear for my life."
"Did she threaten you in any way?"
"Not exactly. She insisted that I move in with her, and when I refused, she threatened to take her own life."
"What's her full name again?"
"Ruby Geraldine Thompson."
"Do you have any other information about her?"
Mary had a whole file. She recited her address, date of birth, and things like that. "Do you believe I'm just paranoid and she's not a real threat?"
"I'll look into it and call you back," he promised.
"Thank you, Detective."
"No problem, and stay in that hotel for the time being."
"All right."
More than twenty-four hours passed before Detective Decker called her back. Mary was on pins and needles while she waited for any kind of feedback from him. Her thoughts varied from being frightened for her life to downplaying everything and accusing herself of extreme paranoia.
You're wasting that detective's time with something you should be able to handle yourself.
Thankfully, the detective called and wanted to see her, to speak with her in person, which meant he was about to end her suffering. Even if the news wasn't good, at least she would have concrete proof that she was not going insane and could deal with everything else afterword.
Mary gave the detective the hotel address and room number and he promised he would be there in an hour. She informed the receptionist that a detective was coming to meet her just to be on the safe side.
In the meantime, a lot of unknown numbers called her, and she ignored them all, figuring it was Ruby trying to reach her, clearly realizing that Mary had blocked her actual number. In the end, she simply turned her phone off.
When someone knocked on the door, Mary jumped a little. It's the detective, she reminded herself. Letting him in, she had to fight the urge not to start barraging him with questions before settling in.
Luckily, she didn't have to wait long.
"I spoke with one of my colleagues and he's very much aware of Miss Thompson’s record."
Miss? "Ruby's a widow. She had a daughter who passed away as well," Mary corrected.
Detective Decker frowned. "Not according to our records. She's never been married nor had children."
What? That was yet another shock Mary wasn't prepared for. Did she lie about that as well? What kind of person would do something like that? Clearly, a very disturbed one.
"Also," Detective Decker continued, unaware of her reverie, "there's an active case she’s involved with."
"Active?" Mary repeated.
"Yes, she's a person of interest in an ongoing investigation."
"What kind of an investigation?"
"A missing persons case."
"What?" Mary exclaimed.
Detective Decker nodded. "At least one woman who got a protective order against her went missing," he explained.
Mary's blood turned cold. "And you think she had something to do with it?" Mary forced herself to ask.
"My colleague thinks so," he replied with a noncommittal shrug.
"Oh, my God." Was that the real reason Ruby didn't want to turn Nick in? Because she was already known to the police? Mary's mind spiraled. What happened to that poor woman? Am I next? What am I to do?
"Don't panic," Detective Decker started, clearly guessing where her hea
d was. "Stay calm and here for the time being, and I'll look into everything some more."
She found that somewhat reassuring. "Thank you, Detective. I really appreciate your help."
"It was wise that you asked for help when you did. Now just let me do my job."
"Of course."
"Oh, and regarding your husband's case, I'm afraid we have no leads," he informed her on his way out.
"Thank you for informing me. I really do hope you find whoever killed him."
The detective simply nodded in return, saying his goodbyes.
Staying put, without any contact with the outside world, wasn't as easy as she’d hoped. It was like being married to Nick all over again. But this time, I can eat whatever I want, she tried to joke.
Mary stayed in the hotel room and tried really hard to focus on her work. At first, it was extremely hard, but after she had a serious chat with herself about her future and the imminent poverty she was rushing toward, she got with the program.
This self-isolation had a bright side other than finally catching up with her job. Mary finally got in touch with her therapist. She might be wrong, but it looked like he was genuinely relieved to finally hear from her.
Scared you lost such a lucrative client? She wanted to joke but didn't. It would be too inappropriate, and besides, despite their relationship being completely professional, he’d never made her feel as though she was only a paycheck.
"I have so much to tell you," she confessed.
"Is everything okay?"
"Not really," she replied.
"Do you want us to have an emergency session right now?"
"No, I would prefer it if we had it face to face tomorrow."
"All right."
For the briefest of moments, she wondered if she should leave the room to go and see Dr. Carson. Maybe it would be prudent to have a session over Skype. She ruled against it as being too neurotic.
Ruby didn't know she was staying at this hotel, and she certainly couldn't watch over Dr. Carson's office day and night hoping Mary would appear. Come to think of it, Mary wasn't sure she’d ever mentioned her therapist's name to Ruby in the first place.