Flamethrower - Maggie Estep [31]
“It’s not very funny,” Ed said. “Did Triple do this?”
“Of course not,” Ruby protested. “Why would he do that?”
“He’s always been after you.”
“Not seriously. He’s just a flirt.”
“If it wasn’t him, then who? And why?”
“I have no idea,” Ruby said. “You don’t really think I was making out with Triple, do you?” Ruby was searching his face, looking for the man she trusted and who trusted her.
“I don’t know what to think. There was that whole thing last year.”
“What whole thing?”
“The jockey.”
“Attila?” Ruby was incredulous, “but he’s dead”
“That’s not what I mean. I mean it happened. You were with him.”
“And you, as I recall, were fucking some exercise rider in Florida. We hadn’t had the monogamy talk yet. Remember?”
“The exercise rider wasn’t serious. She was a distraction while I waited for you to come around.”
“Come around? Where did I go? You’re the one—you moved to Florida. That put a damper on things, remember?”
“It was my job. I was sent there.”
“Fine, but don’t blame me for sleeping with the jockey when you were in another part of the country and we hadn’t had any kind of talk about what was between us.”
“Okay. I guess that wasn’t entirely fair,” Ed said. He finally looked a little sheepish. “But this has rattled me.” He motioned at the pictures.
Ruby was still holding the photos but now dropped them onto Ed’s desk as if they were burning her fingers.
“I’d be rattled too. But you believe me, right? I didn’t do anything with Triple?”
“No matter what I believe, I need some space,” Ed said then.
Ruby was aghast. She couldn’t believe anyone still said things like I need space, and she really couldn’t believe Ed was saying it to her. It was grotesque, clichéd, abominable.
And he hadn’t even asked about her head.
“You need what?” Ruby gave him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe she’d misheard.
“Space,” Ed said.
“Why?”
“Just do. I’m sorry.”
“But aren’t you going to help me?”
“Help you what?”
“Find out why someone wants you to think I’m doing something with Triple?”
“I can’t.”
“It’s probably got something to do with what’s been going on over the last few days,” Ruby said. “Aren’t you even going to ask what happened to my forehead? I had to go to the emergency room. I lost consciousness.”
Ed narrowed his eyes to slits. “What?”
“I got bashed in the head by Tobias. Jody’s husband.”
“Why?”
“He thought I was someone else.” She launched into the story. Tobias’s leg in the fish tank. Jody Ray’s selling off Fearless Jones to come up with money for what proved to be a fake ransom. The trip to Rockaway. The kidnapper pointing a gun at her.
“Oh, Ruby.” Ed sounded more sad than angry. “Why would you keep that from me?” He actually looked close to tears.
“And I have no job. I got fired,” she added, figuring she might as well tell him everything.
“What?”
Ruby told him what had happened with Bob.
“That’s bizarre,” Ed said.
“I know.”
“What have you done, Ruby?” Ed said it softly, standing just a few inches from her.
“Done?”
“It sounds like someone is really pissed off at you.”
“I don’t know,” said Ruby, shaking her head, then stopping since even the slight movement of her head made her dizzy.
“Call me if you’re in danger. If anything else happens,” Ed said.
Ruby squinted at him. “Call you?”
“I need to take some time away. From you. From us.”
Ruby felt her mouth fall open. “Because of those pictures?”
“Those were a catalyst maybe, but no. I need to think through some things, and I can’t do that while we’re together.”
“What the fuck does that mean?”
“Don’t get angry.”
“Why not?”
“It’s a good thing.”
“How is your leaving me a good thing? Especially when my whole life has been turned upside down?”
“I’m sorry” Ed said. “I am.”
Ruby wanted to kick him. Stab him. Run him over with heavy machinery. But more than anything, Ruby wanted to die. She didn’t remember ever actively wanting to die before, but in that moment, she wanted to die. Very much.
Ruby turned and started walking away, expecting Ed to call her back, same way she’d expected Bob to call her back. Bob hadn’t. Ed didn’t either.