She’d betrayed me so deeply for so long. Lied to me, hidden things from me, imprisoned Liam—when none of it was even my fault. It was hers. This madman was tormenting me for her crimes. Her secrets. She’d destroyed his family, and now he was destroying hers, and mine. And also destroying Liam’s to spite me.
Yet, she was my mother, and I wouldn’t do to her what she had done to me. I wouldn’t abandon her—I had to save her. I stared at the phone in my hand, weighing my options.
Go in alone, like he said.
Call 911 for help.
Trust Mathews—my dad’s best friend, my mom’s ally, the man who used to be like a second father to me but still refused to speak to me. Even after he came to the hospital after the fire.
Maybe all three. I would do whatever it took to bring Silver to justice.
I touched the screen over Mathews’s name and waited for the ring.
“Jane, why haven’t you been answering? I’ve been calling—”
“It’s Ruby.” I stopped him. “She’s gone. He’s taken her.”
He paused, like he needed some extra time to process my voice.
“Ruby? What happened? Where are you?”
“I’m at home—in her room,” I said. “There’s blood, and papers. A man called and said to come to where my father tried to bury the truth. Grissom Island. And if I called the police, she’d be dead.”
I switched hands holding the phone, thinking my hand was sweaty from nerves. But when I looked down at my pants, I realized sweat wasn’t making my hand slippery—it was blood. Her blood.
“Listen, Ruby,” he said calmly, just like my dad used to even when he was stressed. “Don’t move. I’ll send a team to your house to protect you. I’ll take care of this.”
“No, that’s not how it’s going to happen,” I said with surprising authority. “I’m going in. Alone. That’s what he wants. He’s too smart. Too prepared. Anything else and she dies. Wait for my call. Then and only then you can move in.”
“Honey, please don’t—”
“Don’t call me honey!” I snarled into the phone. “I’ve been through too much to be treated like a child. And you know me better than that.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that,” he said, backtracking. “I just need you to understand who you’re dealing with.”
What? Did he know about Silver, too? Did everyone but me know my mom’s secrets?
“Oh I understand who I’m dealing with all right,” I snapped. “I think you and the whole police department are the ones who don’t understand.” I felt a wave of long-building anger rolling in. “It’s been nearly a year since my father was murdered, and you and your SWAT brothers have conveniently forgotten about him and his case. So much for honor, courage, and commitment.” I felt for the Challenge Coin in my pocket. “You let him die, and now you’ve let his memory die by ignoring the justice he deserves. I thought you loved him. I thought you loved me! How could you keep denying me the information I deserve and…sleep with my mom?”
Wow, where did that come from?
“Wait right there, Ruby.” Mathews’s tone shut me down. “First of all, I am not sleeping with your mother. That was Detective Martinez’s mistake, not mine. Second, I did love your father. He was the most courageous man I ever knew. He taught me honor and commitment. And I love you, too. It was your mother who forbade me—forbade us all—to speak to you. She told us to stay away. That in your emotional state you couldn’t bear it. I respected her wishes to keep you protected from the darkness surrounding their very public lives and your father’s very public death. I see now that it was a mistake, and I’m sorry. As soon as I get the chance, I’ll give you the whole truth. But not now. So please, just let me take care of this. Do you hear me?”
My mind raced to take it all in: First, Mathews wasn’t the traitor I thought he was—and maybe I could even trust him. Second, there was no end to my mom’s betrayal. And third, I had to get to Grissom Island before Mathews.
“Don’t move in until I call you,” I said before hanging up.
I ran to my bathroom to wash the blood off my hands, and then to Gladys to change into black clothes and shoes. Everything was already laid out—gun, holster, and all—just in case. I didn’t bother with the window this time—just ran downstairs, opened the sliding back door, and bolted for the wall. I didn’t even care if the obviously incompetent guards saw me. As soon as I made it to my neighbor’s Ducati, it wouldn’t matter anymore.
CHAPTER 28
When I was a kid, my third-grade class took a field trip to Grissom Island. I remembered learning three things that day:
1. Grissom Island was one of four man-made islands on the Long Beach coast named after fallen astronauts.
2. The islands were built to hide some of the nation’s largest and most productive oil-drilling rigs.
3. From shore, they all looked like something you might see at Disneyland. Grissom Island was definitely eye candy—encased in an elaborate facade decked with swaying palm trees, huge waterfalls, and castle-like towers…all built to mask the dirty rigs.
I’d once asked my dad if princesses lived on the islands, and he said, smiling, “Only when they’re on vacation.”
I doubted he was smiling the day he went there and got blown to pieces.
Shaking off the image, I pulled into the harbor parking lot nearest the island. The sleek digital clock on the Ducati’s dash read 4:46 a.m. It had only taken me twenty minutes at 100+ miles per hour to get here—even against the wicked wind trying to blow me back. The sun wouldn’t show up for another ninety minutes or so, but the harbor security likely would. I had to move if I didn’t want to be seen.
In thirty seconds flat, I parked the bike, removed the helmet, and took cover behind a building marked “Shoreline Yacht Club.” I reached into The Cleave for my phone and pulled up the waiting messages.
One from Mathews read:
Don’t do this. Call me immediately.
The next from Sammy read:
On my way.
I shook my head, not believing what I’d done. Halfway to Long Beach, I’d stopped and sent him a text.
I’m coming thru on our agreement. If u want the story of ur life, u and ur cameras better get to Grissom Island asap. Tell Sgt Mathews I told u to come. I need this on film.
Even seeing his name on the screen made me want to jump into the harbor and wash myself off. But he was my insurance. Like Liam pointed out all those weeks ago, the police would never believe me if I didn’t have any proof. This time I planned to give them footage they couldn’t ignore. It was a long shot—not just because Mathews might not let Sammy and his camera tag along, but because I could bet my life that Silver wouldn’t strike a pose for me. But I had to try if it gave me a way to exonerate Liam.
I skipped to the last text, from the unknown number:
Find Boat Slip K-11—Gate K is wedged open. Take the orange kayak to southern rim. Meet us in the large white building at the heart of the island.
Great. I took a long hard look at the obstacle course before me.
The coastline was in darkness. But not Grissom Island. The decorative pink, yellow, and blue lighting lit up the sea. The sound of the crashing waterfalls consumed the area. If I hadn’t known better, I could’ve mistaken this place for Fantasy Island. Too bad I knew exactly what it was—a veneer. A good place to hide secrets. Or even better, a great place to dig them up and bury them again.