I smile at her, wondering why Jack would go through this charade if he planned to kill me—would he? It would make a good alibi. “That’s wonderful, I can’t wait to see it.”
“Well, you can take a peek of it from the roof if you’d like?” Ruby grins at me. “Jack said you can see it clearly from up there. It overlooks the beach. It’s a large white building surrounded by manicured grounds. There’s a tennis court and a go-cart track the kids will love.” She glances at Sue and Amy. “Staff quarters and it has all very modern conveniences. He figures you’ll love it. The owners purchased it and only lived there for three months before they moved to Florida.”
What if Jack sent Tom to do the deed? Tom will never find me on the roof with Ruby. I nod, wanting to be anywhere else but here with him right now. The house sounds like my dream home but what if I never get to live there? I force my face into a smile. I need to get out of here. “It sounds wonderful. How do we get to the roof?”
“Via the staff quarters.” Ruby walks away, swinging a bottle of water. “It’s quite a climb but it’s worth it. The view is spectacular.”
I picture the roof in my mind. It’s all peaks and slate tiles. “I’m not planning on climbing up the side of a roof. It’s too dangerous.”
“There’s a flat bit between the peaks, where the AC units are.” Ruby looks over one shoulder at me. “It’s a tar and gravel area and perfectly safe. You’re not scared of heights, are you?”
Taking a glance behind me to make sure Tom isn’t coming, I follow her through the staff quarters. “I don’t like heights but I’ll manage.”
The staircase leading to the roof is behind a plain door. The creaky wooden steps seem to go up forever and I’m out of breath by the time we reach the top. The moment I step onto the roof, the wind catches my hair and blows it around my face. I stand to one side as Ruby places her bottle of water on an AC unit and pins back the door on a hook. The scenery is spectacular and I take a deep breath of the salty sea air and scan the area.Seagulls glide and dive, their familiar noise like people calling comes above the crash of waves on the beach. It’s a beautiful day, sunlight dances on the ocean and in the distance, yachts’ sails billow as they tack the waves. As the wind swirls me, pushing me toward the edge, my stomach knots. The area wasn’t built as a lookout; I see the edge of the metal gutters and it’s a sheer drop to the ground. Anxiety grips me but I push it down. I so want to see the house. “Which way is it?”
“To the right.” Ruby moves up behind me. “The huge white one tight against the coastline.”
I move around chimney pots to get a better view and, after taking another drink, place my water on the top of an AC unit. I take a firm grip around a pipe and then shield my eyes from the sun and peer at the dazzling white structure that spreads out in all directions. I hear a crunch of shoes on the gravel behind me but I don’t move. In my peripheral vision, I see Ruby swap the bottles of water. A shiver of apprehension grips me. The threat isn’t Tom after all, and the answers were right under my nose—Ruby drugged Laura.Ruby—I can’t believe it and now she’s trying to do the same to me, but why? My pulse quickens but I try not to react as the puzzle pieces drop into place. Ruby who’s always been there, doing Jack’s bidding, but is she an accomplice to murder—or is she acting alone? I take a breath and will my mind to work faster. I feign interest on the view but keep one eye on her. The knowledge it’s her is rocking me to the core. If I hadn’t seen her, I’d never have believed it.
Clarity of mind breaks through the panic and suddenly it makes sense that whoever suggested the party on the yacht must be the killer. It was the perfect opportunity to dispose of Laura. I turn around, putting my back to the ocean. The wind whips my hair all around like Medusa.
“I was talking to Jack about the party on the yacht. It’s nice to know that Laura had one wonderful evening before she died.I know she’d been unwell for a time. Whose idea was it to hold it on board theLaura?”
“That would be me.” Ruby smiles. “I do everything for Jack. He couldn’t manage without me.”
I nod, keeping my expression neutral. “I understand that Laura had a few problems over the last few months before she died?”
“She did and that reminds me.” Ruby’s lips curl into a smile. “Did you find your phone? It’s strange your phone went missing. Laura’s did too and then she kind of unraveled mentally. You know Jack was worried about you. He said you were searching your pockets all the time and not sleeping.”
I see triumph in her eyes. She believes she’s pushing me off balance but right now I hold all the cards. “I found it, so no big deal.”
“Is it true you believe people are watching you and talking about you?” Ruby shook her head. “I told Jack he should take you to see a psychiatrist. He left it way too late for Laura.”
Knowing that Jack had been talking to Ruby about things that I told him in private upsets me but I stand my ground. “Did you know that Laura left a diary? It details everything about the last six months of her life. She believed someone was trying to kill her and it was the same person who killed Caroline.” I stare right into her evil eyes and see a flicker of doubt. “Are you going to try and kill me now too?”
“You think you’re so damn clever to have figured it all out, don’t you?” Ruby looks away and then back at me. “You know nothing.”
I swallow my rising fear. “Obviously I figured it was Tom.”
“Tom? He wouldn’t hurt a fly.” Ruby snorts with laughter and then her eyes turn to black beads. “Have you any idea what it took to get where I am today? I’m the only one Jack needs, but first he flaunts that spoiled brat, Caroline, in front of me, thenLaura, and now you. He never loved you. You’re just a toy—a distraction.”
Relief floods over me. My kind and gentle Jack is innocent. A great weight lifts from my shoulders but I can’t let my guard down—not for a second. It’s suddenly clear that Ruby’s been manipulating him for years and, from her expression, she plans to take me out of the equation. I won’t let her win. I must fight. I scan the roof for an escape route but there’s one way on and two ways off—and one is falling over the edge. I swallow hard and my dry tongue rasps over my lips.
There’s no one to help me and no one will hear my screams until I fall to my death. I must out-think her. My heart pounds so loud I can hear it in my ears. If I can just reason with her, she might change her mind. I take short steps backward as she moves closer. “No, you’re wrong. I know Jack loves me. Think about it, Ruby. You’ve had years with him. Don’t you figure he’d have married you by now if he cared for you?”
The words have fallen from my mouth before I realize.
“That’s a lie!” Eyes wild with rage, Ruby leans closer and drops her voice to a menacing whisper, her lips curl slightly. “You ignorant fool. He needs me to protect him. Caroline was a selfish manipulative little princess and when Laura came along—” she barks a laugh “—I mean, surely you’d know what she was like if you’ve read her diaries—treated him like dirt. I needed to drug her to keep her out of my way.” She laughs maniacally. “She was so out of it, she didn’t remember it was me who put Noah in the bathtub. I did it right in front of her and then told her to leave and she did. She was my puppet.”
I stare at her horrified. “You tried to kill Noah?”
“No, there was no need to kill him. I told Jack Laura left him crying in the bathtub.” She moves closer, invading my personal space. Her eye twitches. “Now you come along playing thedetective.” She pokes me in my chest. “You don’t get to take him from me. Not you. Not any of them.”
I can see her unraveling before me and know she’ll push me over the edge but I’m ready for her. I must keep her talking and edge away from her. “So, you pushed Caroline into the waterfall, pushed Laura off the boat and now you’re planning on tossing me off the roof? Why? I’m no threat to you.”
“Jack has me, so you need to die. I’ll tell him you jumped. Everyone knows you’re crazy.” Ruby moves closer and laughs. “Laura was pathetic and it took nothing to shove her on the wet deck. I chose just the right second as the wave hit. It was so easy. She just slid right under the railing and vanished in the breakers. I figured it was over but then I heard her screaming. I threw a life buoy at her head to shut her up. It hit her right in the temple and it was bye-bye, Laura.”
I step back and wind rushes around me. I’m dangerously close to the edge. Movement over Ruby’s shoulder catches my attention. Jack is standing in the doorway and emotion fills his expression. I move my attention back to Ruby. She expects me to argue but I won’t give her the satisfaction. “I think you’ve been working too hard and you’re stressed. Why don’t we go back to the kitchen and we’ll talk this through? I’m sure there’s a good reason why you killed Caroline and Laura.”
