Elaine Viets & Victoria Laurie, Nancy Martin, Denise Swanson - Drop-Dead Blonde (v5.0) (pdf) by Unknown (howl and other poems .TXT) 📕

Before Skye could answer, Ruby swept into the room and stated, ``There's where you're wrong. I've been married five times, and I always keep the house.''

Ruby settled onto the chair facing the sofa. She was now dressed in a bright pink jersey. The pants were tight, though otherwise not too outrageous, but the top consisted of a rectangle in front and crisscrossed straps in the back.

Simon raised an eyebrow at Skye as he joined her on the couch. She shrugged. The woman's clothes were not their problem.

Ruby relaxed back into her seat and yawned. ``What's so urgent?''

Simon growled, but got control of his temper when Skye dug her nails into his thigh. ``We want to know what's going on. It's obvious someone is after something you have.''

``I don't know what you mean.'' Ruby examined her manicure, making a moue of displeasure when she spotted a chip in the hot-pink polish.

``First the incident with the police; then your car is van- dalized, this apartment is almost set on fire; and yesterday Hacker was mugged. We may live in a small town, but we aren't stupid.'' 224 Denise Swanson

Ruby continued to avoid their eyes. ``I never thought you were.''

``Then tell us what's happening,'' Skye said, having de- cided to play good cop. ``We just want to help.''

``There's nothing to tell.'' Ruby picked at an imaginary piece of lint on her pant leg. ``I've just had a run of bad luck since coming here.''

Simon grunted. ``Does that 'bad luck' have a name?''

``No. I must have broken a mirror or something.''

Skye got up and knelt by the other woman's chair, taking her hand. ``Ruby, I know you think you can handle what- ever the problem is on your own.''

Ruby nodded.

``I know you're a strong, independent person, but every- one needs help at some point in their lives.'' Skye paused and looked into Ruby's eyes. ``People are starting to get hurt because of you, and I'm sure that's the last thing you intended.''

A single tear rolled down Ruby's cheek. ``I didn't think they'd bother anyone else.''

``When it was just your car or a false fire alarm, we could let you deal with whatever is going on by yourself. But yesterday Hacker was attacked. What if today it's Bunny or one of the children coming for the Easter-egg hunt?''

Ruby sniffed. ``I'll leave; then everyone will be safe.''

Simon offered her his handkerchief and said gently, ``No, I'm sorry, but they won't. Whoever is doing this might still think you're here, or that you left behind what he's trying to find.''

``Please, please, tell us what you're hiding.'' Skye squeezed the other woman's hand.

``Okay.'' Ruby heaved a sigh. ``I'm turning them over to the FBI tomorrow anyway.''

Skye and Simon exchanged an alarmed glance and asked simultaneously, ``Turning what over?''

``Some computer disks that just happened to fall into my possession.''

Simon ordered, ``Tell us from the beginning.''

``It all started when a friend of mine, Benny, who worked on the cleaning crew in one of the new casinos, got busted by the feds for selling land through the mail.'' DEAD BLONDES TELL NO TALES 225

``That's illegal?'' Skye questioned.

``It is when there's no land. He put ads in the paper, sent any sucker who answered a slick brochure, and then if they took the bait and wrote him a check, he sent them a fake deed. Most people who bought were yuppies looking for investments, so they never figured out all they owned was a worthless piece of paper. Unfortunately for him, someone found out, got the feds involved, and next thing you know poor Benny is back in the slammer.''

``How can you say `poor Benny'?'' Skye asked. ``He was cheating innocent people.''

Ruby shrugged. ``People with the kind of money to invest like that are never innocent. No one gets rich without screwing someone else.'' Ruby shook her head at Skye's

� � naivete. ``Anyway, this was Benny's third offense, and he was going away for a long time, so he made a deal with the feds. He would turn over a lot bigger fishes if they let him skate on his jail time.''

``He stole the computer disks from the casino, right?'' Simon guessed.

``Right.'' Ruby smiled ``The casino owners were up to something shady, and Benny figured it out.''

``What were they doing?'' Skye asked.

``I don't know, and I don't want to know.'' Ruby crossed her arms. ``I was just holding the disks for Benny. Noth- ing else.''

``I thought it was almost impossible for a casino to do anything illegal anymore.'' Simon's face was set in hard, tight lines.

``Like I said, I don't know the details.'' Ruby shrugged. ``But you know the old saying--invent a better mousetrap and the mouse just gets smarter.''

``Why didn't Benny give the disks to the FBI when he made his deal?'' Skye demanded.

``Benny's been around the block a few times, and he doesn't trust the government. He gave them to me to hold until he and the feebs could come to a mutually satisfactory agreement. I got a message from Benny yesterday that it was okay to turn them over now.''

``Then it's an FBI agent who's been trying to get the disks?'' Simon's brow wrinkled in disbelief. 226 Denise Swanson

``No. I told the FBI I would turn over the disks on Good Friday--that I couldn't get ahold of them until that day. Agent Dodd will be here tomorrow morning at eight A.M.''

``That's why Wally didn't arrest you,'' Skye deduced. ``You had him call the FBI and they told him to let you go.''

Ruby smiled serenely. ``It was purely a delight to see that boy's expression when he realized he couldn't put me in jail.''

``So what did you burn when you set off the alarm?'' Skye asked.

``I didn't burn anything.''