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Ruth
Vivian was unable to catch even the smallest break. She used the coins from the pouch she’d taken with her to the observatory to make a long-distance call from the payphone in front of the tavern. but Becca’s grandfather answered and said she was out shopping with her grandmother.
“I guess we’re going to Encino,” Vivian said as she got into Preston’s car. “Becca wasn’t home.”
“I’m sorry, Vivian, but if the coins are in the box, we’ll at least have the leverage we need to end this sooner, hopefully without any more bloodshed.”
“You’re right. What’s bothering me is Ruth divorced George three years before I met him. Even so, I’m going to get the sticky feeling she’s looking at me like I’m one of the women he was seeing when they were married. Let’s just get this over with.”
Preston started the car and drove off. The two of them said very little during the half-hour ride to Magnolia Boulevard. After Preston turned onto the road, Vivian pointed to the large ranch made of stucco and fieldstone four houses down.
“Drop me off here, Preston. I’ll walk the rest of the way. Then park down the road and watch for me. If she sees me get out of a fancy red Jaguar, it will only instill her already tainted opinion of me.”
He pulled over and glanced down at her handbag. “Maybe you should leave your pistol with me. Ruth might give you good reason to use it.”
Vivian cracked a smile, but it was short-lived. She took a deep breath, opened the door, and got out. As she walked down the road, she kept her eyes peeled on Ruth’s house.
When she reached the long sidewalk that led to the front door, she paused for a minute. Stiff and mechanical, she headed up the cement pathway that was edged with rows of small flowering cactus plants while her mind choked with a hundred different things to say to Ruth...if she answered the door.
Vivian climbed up the steps. She swallowed the lump in her throat and knocked softly. Instantly, the door swung open, and Ruth stood there but said nothing.
“Hello, Ruth.”
“What do you want, Vivian?”
She expected a harsh reaction from the woman and her look of disdain, yet it hurt all the more. “I apologize for showing up unannounced, but it’s important. I had given Becca...I mean, Rebecca...a box of family photographs that I found in the closet. There might be something of mine inside.”
Ruth swung the door open. “I put it in the basement.”
“Do you mind if I take a...”
Before she could finish asking the question, Ruth spun around and marched through the living room, muttering, “It’s this way.”
Vivian caught a frown as she closed the door. Boy, she spotted a red flag right now. Ruth’s obvious anger toward her was in direct conflict with her sudden cooperation. Vivian braced herself for the unexpected, if that was even possible. She followed behind Ruth with the dreaded sense that this visit was going to blow up in her face, just like her brief visit to Bullock’s.
After they climbed down the cellar stairs, she noticed the storage containers, furniture, lawn tools, and children’s toys were all neatly arranged and stacked in an orderly fashion. All except for the lone cardboard box sitting in the corner.
Ruth pointed to it. “Help yourself.”
With extreme trepidation and a few uneasy peeks at Ruth, Vivian went over and got on one knee to look through the box. She carefully pulled out framed photographs along with loose packets of photos and set them on the floor. Most of them were pictures of Becca or her and her father, but a few included Ruth.
As Vivian grew closer to the bottom of the box, she noticed Ruth wandering over to an old oak dresser on the other side of the basement. She continued her search, far more swiftly now since she wanted to get the hell out of here, but the second she reached for the last photograph in the box, Vivian snapped her head around.
Ruth stood directly behind her. “Is this what you’re looking for?” She held out a single photograph. “It was taken last summer.”
Vivian was almost afraid to look at it, and rightly so. It was a picture of George, Tilly, David, and a blonde woman she didn’t recognize on a beach in their bathing suits. “Becca didn’t see this, did she?”
“No, I went through the box as soon as she brought it home.”
Vivian took it from her and stared at it. “It never occurred to me that there might be something inappropriate inside.” She stood up. “I’m sorry, Ruth. I should have looked through the box before I gave it to her.”
Ruth seemed taken aback by her words. The stern lines on her face eased, and she looked more puzzled than anything else, but she didn’t respond.
“Honestly, I just found out about the woman in the picture this past week. I had no idea.”
“A leopard doesn’t change his spots,” Ruth stated. “How did you find out?”
“She called me.”
“Oh, my, that took a lot of nerve.”
“Ruth, you don’t know the half of it. George was up to his neck in trouble, and it all just came crashing down. That’s why I’m here. I was looking for something else in that box, but I couldn’t find it.”
“Did he owe someone a lot of money? Is that the reason he was killed?”
“Why do you ask that?”
“When I finally woke up and realized George was seeing someone else, I hired a private detective to follow him,” Ruth told her. “I found out George spent a lot of time at the horse races in Santa Anita Park. I couldn’t figure out where he got the money for his secret little pastimes, so I assumed he was using his cash winnings, but we all know gamblers don’t always win.”
“This just keeps getting better. Our bank records were all in order, too, and I wondered how he managed a secret life. That explains it. In answer to your question, I think his death had more to do with the woman in the photograph than any gambling debt, but I can’t be sure.”
“What were you looking for in the box?”
Vivian hesitated. “It’s best if I don’t tell you, at least not right now, but believe me, if at all possible, I’m going to do everything I can to prevent Rebecca from finding out about it.”
“She’s all I care about,” Ruth stated. “It’s my turn to apologize to you, Vivian. I showed you that photo on purpose. I didn’t think you knew about George’s...shall we say, indiscretions? It was a long time ago and even after his death, I guess I can’t let go of my resentment toward him. That was a rotten thing to do to you. I’m sorry. Would you have time for a cup of tea?”
“I wish I did, but someone is waiting for me outside.”
“Leave everything here. I’ll take care of it.” Ruth led the way upstairs. “Rebecca will be home on Sunday. Why don’t the two of you spend a day together next week? She’d like that.”
“I would, too. Thank you, Ruth.” After Vivian left and walked to the road, she crumbled the photograph in her hand into a tight ball and stuck it into her handbag. She motioned to Preston, and he pulled the car up.
“Well?” he asked.
Vivian got in. “The coins weren’t in the box, but it wasn’t a complete waste of time. Ruth and I had an interesting conversation. We’ll never be close friends, but we’ll get along better now, I think, and I’ll be able to see Becca more often, which is important to me.”
“That’s good, I guess.”
“All’s not lost. Ruth told me something else about George that I didn’t know. He liked to gamble at the racetracks in Santa Anita Park. I’m wondering if that’s where he met the man posing as Gary Rutherford. I’ve never seen him before, so he wasn’t a work associate or a close friend.”
“Okay, well, that’s a start. I’ll have Freddie look into it after you sketch a portrait of him.”
“Can we go to your estate now? I’m anxious to hear from Lucky.”
“Vivian, I’ve got to ask. How do you know this Lucky fella? His name alone makes me think he’s not on the up-and-up.”
“I see,” she said, nodding her head. “So, everyone named George, Joe, David, and Gary are all straight arrows?”
He chuckled. “Point taken.”
