Switching off the hairdryer, Ruby gasped as she caught sight of a figure in the bedroom mirror. Nathan. A jittery laugh escaped her lips as she caught her breath in relief. Here, in the home he bought for her, she could not be any safer. It had taken guts for Luddy to attend Nathan’s house last night, but it was worth providing a full statement to be allowed a late start today. Ruby had been prepared to go home, but, in his wisdom, Nathan had brought her here. He was right: it was their safe house. And she had never been more grateful for it than today. Exhausted from the emotional turbulence she had fallen into a nightmarish sleep; her dreams filled with running barefoot down empty corridors, searching for her daughter.
‘I made you some coffee,’ Nathan said, his eyes falling on her hair. It had taken three boiling hot showers to satisfy her that all traces of blood were washed away.
‘Thanks,’ Ruby said, pulling the towelling robe around her before following him to the sofa.
‘How did you find me? In the basement, I mean. How did you know where I was?’ Ruby asked. She couldn’t figure out why Nathan had smashed a window to gain entry to the back while Downes and his colleagues were at the front.
Nathan took a sip from his mug, staring straight ahead. ‘I was waiting in the car when I searched up plans of the building on my phone. As soon as I saw there was an underground basement I went in.’
Ruby smiled. That was Nathan all over. Action first, ask questions later.
‘My turn now,’ Nathan said, giving her thigh an impromptu squeeze. ‘How did you know that Chris was mixed up in it?’
‘It was little things at first. He insisted the corpses had been washed. But I could tell by Emily’s hair that it wasn’t clean. Then I saw stamen powder on his coat when I hung mine up next to his at the post-mortem.’ Ruby lifted her feet and curled up on the sofa, hugging her cup for warmth. ‘There were lilies at Emily’s address, but we wore forensic suits at the scene. Anyone can buy lilies, so I dismissed it from my mind.’
‘What about the others?’ Nathan asked. ‘Monica and Emily?’
‘He disposed of any forensics during the PM. It worked out fine, until I saw Monica’s dirty feet.’
‘It didn’t help that the bodies kept turning up in properties on our books,’ Nathan said.
‘That was just a coincidence. Chris lived a couple of doors down from where Monica’s body was dumped. Then I read the witness statement saying he used to be a keyholder for the last lot of homeowners when they went on holiday. That’s when it all started coming together.’
Nathan shook his head. ‘I’ve come across some messed up shit in my life, but that… why do it? And why did Goldie kill herself afterwards?’
‘Because she never found her happy ever after. I think all she really wanted was for her mum to love her for who she was, just like in the movies.’
‘Lots of us have crappy childhoods,’ Nathan said, giving Ruby a knowing glance. ‘We don’t all turn out to be serial killers.’
‘Think about it. Why do you carry a gun?’ Ruby asked, staring intensely into his blue grey eyes. Silence fell between them, and Ruby took another breath before delivering her next question. ‘Have you ever used it?’
Nathan averted his glance. His reluctance to respond was answer enough.
‘I’m not excusing what Goldie did,’ Ruby said. ‘Ending those women’s lives, and almost costing Sophie hers… it was brutal and a needless waste of life. But if you’re brought up to believe that someone’s warped viewpoint is the absolute truth, it’s hard to shake it off. Goldie carried the scars of her childhood like a cancer; they infected every aspect of her life.’ It was the best example she could give to make Nathan understand. Nathan carried a gun; Goldie unleashed her demons.
‘I heard they found Frenchie’s body buried in Chris’s basement.’
Ruby nodded; the excavation of Chris’s home was ongoing. ‘It’s why she sent me the death notices. When she saw I had given up my daughter, I think it triggered something inside. Deep down she wanted to be caught.’
‘Or she hated you for what you did and was messing with your mind. Why do you always see the good in people? Even after all these years in the police. Why can’t you see these nutters for what they really are?’
Ruby delivered a teasing smile, stretching like a cat as she kissed him on the cheek. ‘I see the good in you, don’t I? Thanks for coming to my rescue, Action Man.’
Nathan tried but failed to hide his smile. He looked at his watch and rose. ‘I’d better get going. There’s clean clothes in the wardrobe if you want to go to work from here.’
Ruby rose with him. ‘I’m still going back to my flat you know; this isn’t permanent.’
‘I know,’ Nathan raised a hand as he made for the door. ‘Call me if you need anything.’
She stood wanting to call him back. The sight of Nathan leaving sent a bolt of regret. Why was she joking when her daughter had come home?
‘What does she look like?’ Ruby said, the words feeling too big for her throat.
Nathan paused at the door. ‘She’s thin, dark hair. Has your eyes, my attitude. She’s a bit wild, keen to get involved in the family business.’
Ruby arched an eyebrow as he returned and took her hand. Drawn like magnets, one always returned for one last touch, one more word. She hoped that it would be the same for her daughter, that some way Cathy would find her way back to her. At least now she knew who had been visiting her mother at Oakwood. It gave Ruby hope that Cathy wanted to engage with her grandmother.
‘I’ll make sure she keeps her nose clean; help her get an education, a proper career.’
‘It wasn’t that long ago that you were telling me that being a criminal was a career,’ Ruby said, half-joking.
‘It’s not the one I have in mind for my daughter.’
My daughter. Not ours. Ruby knew she had no right to be upset by his turn of phrase, but it hurt like hell anyway. She thrust her hands into the dressing gown pockets, swallowing back the tightness in her throat. ‘Will you tell her that I’ve always thought of her? That I’d like to meet?’
‘When she’s ready to hear it I will.’ He sighed. ‘She’s a very troubled girl. And I’m going to need your help… when she comes around.’
‘I’ll be right here when she does,’ Ruby said. ‘So what about you and Leona? I’ve heard you’re getting married. I don’t suppose you’ll have much room in your life for me then.’ She knew what she sounded like and hated herself for it, but she had to know.
‘Me and Leona are through,’ Nathan said, ruefully. ‘And what about you? I guess that Jack Downes doesn’t seem that bad now I’ve met him.’
Ruby smiled at Nathan’s efforts of being diplomatic. ‘Work relationships are messy. We’re back on a professional basis only.’ It was a decision she had not been aware of until the words fell from her tongue.
Nathan reached out and touched her hair, pushing an errant lock behind her ear. His knuckles brushed her cheekbone, sending a tingle down her spine.
‘I guess I’ll see you around,’ he said, before turning and walking away.
‘Not if I see you first,’ Ruby called after him, her smile filtering through her words.
She padded to the window, opening it wide, absorbing the noise of the streets below. London. The sounds of the traffic were her lullaby; the scent of the streets her perfume. She did not know what the future held, but as long as she was here she was home. She leaned on the windowsill, basking in the morning sun. Her phone beeped in her dressing gown pocket, alerting her of a text. It was Downes.
‘Are you getting your arse back in here or what?’
Ruby smiled. Time to get back to work.