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A plastic smile formed on her face. “Nothing about your father was ever punishing. Except in the bedroom.”
I really wasn’t up for hearing about my father’s bedroom antics with this woman. Really, there were some things I didn’t need to know. But if it would shed some light…
I had to force the words out. “What do you mean by that?”
“He liked bondage, your father. And so did I.”
Big TMI. “Is that so?”
“Yes. He loved to tie me up. Didn’t like being tied up himself, though.”
I cleared my throat. “Oh?”
“No. Not at all. These last several years have been hell for him.”
What? I stood. “You have my father tied up somewhere? As a prisoner? You vicious bitch!”
Back to her plastic smile. “Ryan, is that any way to talk to your mother?”
I looked to the orderlies. “We’re done here. This bitch should be in chains somewhere. I won’t be back.”
I walked out as my phone buzzed. Two texts from Ruby, the first one telling me she wouldn’t be able to make dinner tonight. The second one had just come in.
I’m at Valleycrest ER. My boss has been shot. We need to talk.
* * *
“It crossed my mind at first,” Ruby said, after explaining what had happened, “that somehow Mark was in cahoots with my father. Then I took the thought out of my head. I’ve known him for three years. He’s a good cop. I wanted to respect his integrity.”
“You might not have been wrong,” I said. “If he’s as good a martial artist as you say he is, he should have been able to disarm your father. And how did Mathias get into the station with a gun, for God’s sake?”
She shook her head. “I can’t go there. I can’t play the ‘what if’ game and figure out every scenario. My boss was shot, and it’s all my fault.”
“Christ, Ruby, haven’t we had this talk? How the hell is this your fault?”
Ruby stood, pulling at a few locks of hair that had come loose from her ponytail. “Because he’s my fucking father! When will this all end, Ryan?”
Wouldn’t I like to know? I had no answer to that question, so I said only, “You know it’s not your fault.”
“He was there. Right within my reach, but I let him go to save my boss, who might have been in on the whole thing. I made the wrong decision.”
“You did what you thought was right. No one can fault that.”
“But if I let him go to save a man that might be in on it with him?”
“So you believed in your boss. You’ve known him a while. He’s always been a good cop, hasn’t he?”
“As far as I know. Not a spot on his record. But obviously that doesn’t mean shit.”
“You’re not clairvoyant, Ruby.”
“I should be. When it comes to Theodore Mathias, I should be a fucking mind reader after all this time.” She sat back down. “Damn! I should have gone with my first instinct. I had the feeling I was being played, that Mark was somehow in on it. Why didn’t I go with that? I’ve always trusted my intuition before.”
“Is his wife here?” I asked.
She nodded. “She’s with some family over there.” She gestured to a woman flanked by several others in the corner of the large waiting area.
“What’s the prognosis?”
