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Chapter Thirteen
Don didn’t hold back. “What the hell was all that about, Ruby? I wanted to talk with Agent Storm.”
“I can tell you what you need to know.”
He shook his head, his voice biting, “I’m sorry to disagree, but no… you can’t. That man is trained to observe, and I would suggest he has information that could be helpful.”
Ruby experienced shame she knew was well earned. Hadn’t she been downright bitchy in the way she’d treated the man who’d only been helpful? What the hell was wrong with her? Other than still reeling from that stupid kiss, she had no reason to behave with all her barriers cemented in place.
Trying to make up for her earlier behavior, she calmed her voice. “What more do you need to know, Don. My house was broken into by the same men who were here earlier. And neither I nor Agent Storm could see them in the dark.”
“Look, calm down and start from the beginning.” He purposely took a notebook from his pocket and held it in readiness to jot down the facts.
Gathering her thoughts, she took her mug of tea and sat next to Don on one of the stools. “You’re going to find this to be one of the strangest stories you’ve ever heard, but I swear every word I’m going to tell you is true. I had intended to call you even before this latest incident because I’m in trouble and I have no idea why.”
With as much clarity as she could manage, Ruby explained the details starting from her first doctor’s visit when she’d found out about the baby. By the time she’d come to the present, the only portion she’d left out was her kissing Kurt Storm.
Go figure, it would be the one point of the discussion Don would zero in on. “How did you actually meet Agent Storm again?”
“He delivered my phone to the restaurant.”
“Right? I’m wondering why the bar didn’t just call to tell you it was there and for you to pick it up.”
“Yeah, I wondered that too.”
“So, you say that night you were spooked when you recognized a Chinese fellow who you suspected had been following you earlier.”
“Right. I saw him when I left work and again when I came from the doctor’s office. It seemed weird for him to show up later at the bar. It was too uncanny to be random. Or at least, that’s what I figured.”
“Have you seen him since?”
“I can’t be sure, but I thought one of the men in the backyard was Chinese. Everything happened so fast. He came up behind me so I could be wrong. The other man had his sweater hood pulled low and it was impossible to make out any details.”
“See… I’m sure Agent Storm could fill in some facts about that incident. I’ll eventually need to talk with him. Do you have his address or phone number?”
“No. Look, he troubled me, and so I let him believe that – well, that you and I were married.”
“Excuse me?” Don’s shock filled his face and his eyes widened.
Ruby’s head swayed one way and then another as she tried to figure out a plausible explanation. All she came up with was a stupid response that a child might make. “Don’t be mad.”
Don grinned, “Hell, I’m flattered. Now quit beating around the bush. Tell me why you felt you needed to lie.”
“Hey, I never said I lied… I, ahh, I felt I needed the… the, you know… the security and let him believe we had a relationship. At the hospital, I’d told him my partner would be home later to stay with me, and he could just leave. Of course, he didn’t – just stuck around and caught me getting into a cab, which I might add, Mr. Know-it-all took upon himself to dismiss. When you eventually showed up, he put two and two together and got five. Not my fault.”
“Yet you linked arms when we entered the kitchen, a misleading action if I ever saw one.”
Sick of trying to beat about the bush, she grumbled. “Hell, Don, I’m pregnant. And let me remind you, I have no idea how it happened. That stuff kind of spooks a girl.”
Don’s expression lightened and he reached out to pat her clenched hands. “You’re right. No more teasing. It all started with your doctor’s appointment. Let’s go back there. How far along are you?”
“The doctor figured it would have happened approximately three months ago give or take a few days either way. He said from the size of the baby, I’m in the beginning of the second trimester.”
“I’m sure you’ve already thought back to where you were and what you were doing then, right?”
“Of course. I’d won a spa weekend and decided to go with a girl from work. We figured to spoil ourselves.”
“Did you meet any men there?”
