Flamethrower - Maggie Estep [63]
NANCY COOLEY was a small woman in her forties. Her graying brown hair was cut in a choppy punk do that wasn’t unflattering. Her blue eyes held mischief. Ruby liked her right away.
“Yeah, I hired Elliott a few days ago,” Nancy said. “He seems all right. But what are you telling me—he’s in some kind of trouble?”
“No, nothing like that,” Ruby said. “I’m looking for a friend of his. I think she’s with him.”
“The redhead,” Nancy said.
“Yes, Jody Ray.”
“Yeah, now there’s trouble if I ever saw it.”
“Oh?” Ruby said.
“I’m just speculating. Seems like she’s on the run from something.”
“Do you know where they are now?”
“Elliott’s cleaning tack down the aisle.” Nancy motioned in the distance. “I don’t know where the redhead is. Probably he’s got her locked up in his room. She didn’t look well last I saw her.”
“Okay if I go talk to Elliott?”
“Knock yourself out.”
Ruby walked down the barn aisle, passing the horses as she did. Some had their ears forward and were interested in Ruby; others made faces and pinned their ears.
Elliott was whistling as he ran a sponge over a bridle that hung from a hook. He didn’t look up from his work until Ruby was right in front of him.
“Oh,” he said when he saw her.
Ruby recognized him, so she assumed he recognized her too.
“Hi, Elliott. I’m Ruby, a friend of Violet’s.”
Elliott looked sheepish. “Violet send you to find me?”
“No, though she is wondering why you took off. But I’m actually looking for Jody Ray.”
“Oh,” Elliott said again as he turned back to wiping the bridle down. He was a nice-looking guy. Thin but strong looking. Big dark eyes.
“She’s with you, right?” Ruby asked.
“Yeah,” Elliott shrugged and met Ruby’s gaze. “Flamethrower’s here.”
Ruby was surprised to hear him call Jody by the nickname she’d assumed was a private thing between her and Tobias.
“She’s in bad shape,” Elliott said. “I mean crazy.” He’d stopped what he was doing and was looking right at Ruby. “I mean bad crazy.”
“Where is she?”
“In my room.” Elliott motioned toward a little green bungalow almost identical to the one he’d lived in at Belmont.
“Can I go see her?”
“It’s fine with me but be careful. She was violent last night.”
“Violent?” Ruby was getting seriously alarmed now.
“I told you. She’s bad crazy.”
“Okay,” Ruby said. “Thanks.”
Elliott shrugged.
Ruby walked over to the bungalow and put her ear to the door. She didn’t hear anything. She knocked.
Nothing happened.
She knocked again.
“Elliott’s not here,” a muffled voice finally said.
It was her. Ruby was relieved.
“Jody, open up. It’s me, Ruby.”
The silence was thick.
“Jody?” Ruby called out. “I need to talk.”
“Ruby?” Jody’s voice sounded weak.
“Yeah, can you open the door?”
“Just a minute,” Jody said, barely audible.
It was more than a minute. A lot more. As Ruby listened to the muffled sounds of Jody rustling around, she started worrying about Spike locked inside the Mustang. It wasn’t too hot a day, and she’d left the windows open a few inches, but still, she didn’t like leaving him alone. Someone might break into her car to steal him. He was that cute.
“Jody?” Ruby ventured after three or four minutes had passed. Nothing. Ruby was about to knock again when the door opened a crack.
If Ruby hadn’t known the face belonged to Jody, she never would have recognized her psychiatrist. The once-lustrous red hair was dull and snarled. The face was so puffy the features were blurred. The vivid blue eyes were barely visible under swollen red lids.
“Why are you here?” Jody whispered. She hadn’t opened the door more than a crack.
“Tobias asked me to find you.”
“What does he want?” Jody was blinking wildly, as if she hadn’t seen daylight in weeks.
“To know you’re okay, for one. Can I come in?”
“I’m not okay and I’ve had enough.”
“Enough of what?” Ruby asked.
“Enough of people bothering me.”
“Just let me come in for a minute,” Ruby insisted. It wasn’t like her to insist, to infiltrate someone’s hideous private moment like this. But Jody looked bad off.
Jody slowly opened the door, moving aside