Ruby's Misadventures With Reality

by Samantha Bohrman

  She’s off to see the killer…

  Lawyer Ruby O’Deare might not be living the American dream, but it feels like it every time she visits her small town megamall. The shoes! The lighting! Prince Charming spotted in the food court! It’s a dream, right?

  But all dreams must come to an end.

  Ruby’s does when she wakes up after a one-night stand with the town’s sexy zoning commissioner, Noel West. Actually, that part is good. It’s the expired Dollar Store condoms she finds that feel too real.

  And then her favorite client Estelle turns up dead.

  Ruby is determined to find out the truth behind the curtains of Ozcorp, the company that owns the heavenly megamall and has the most to gain from her client’s death. She just hopes the zoning commissioner she might be falling for isn’t caught up in the danger.

  Table of Contents

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Discover more Entangled Select Suspense titles… Recipe for Love

  Nothing But Trouble

  Portrait of a Girl

  Malicious Mischief

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  Copyright © 2015 by Samantha Bohrman. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce, distribute, or transmit in any form or by any means. For information regarding subsidiary rights, please contact the Publisher.

  Entangled Publishing, LLC

  2614 South Timberline Road

  Suite 109

  Fort Collins, CO 80525

  Visit our website at www.entangledpublishing.com.

  Select Suspense is an imprint of Entangled Publishing, LLC.

  Edited by Alycia Tornetta

  Cover design by Dana Lamothe at Designs by Dana

  Cover art from Dollar Photo Club

  ISBN 978-1-63375-363-1

  Manufactured in the United States of America

  First Edition July 2015

  To Justin, Mike, and Tamika, but mostly Wendy.

  Chapter One

  Dorothy and the Dollar Store Rubbers

  Wearing nothing but a borrowed bathrobe, Ruby stood in Noel West’s high-end prefab kitchen and leaned against the granite countertop while smiling like an actress in a refrigerator commercial. Noel looked like he might speak, but he took a farm boy-sized bite of his blueberry Pop-Tart instead. She willed him to say something to explain last night—anything would do—but all he managed was a disappointing, “If you’re thirsty, the water from the fridge dispenser is ice cold.”

  “Gee. Thanks,” she said, and they went back to smiling and sipping coffee like two wayward Old Navy mannequins. It was everything she’d ever wanted, if only she knew how she’d gotten here.

  She remembered speaking in front of the Zoning Commission yesterday. She had been wearing her best approximation of a power suit while giving a local developer hell. Then, it all went fuzzy until this morning when she’d woken up in Noel’s Ethan Allen-inspired bedroom in serious need of a toothbrush and a shower. Under her borrowed bathrobe, her skin was covered in fine purple grit, as if she’d run through a sprinkler and then rolled in grape-flavored Pop Rocks. Waking up at the zoning commissioner’s house covered in what she could only assume was purple sex paste with a smooshed party hat under her pillow—it just didn’t add up, not for a temp attorney who spent most nights Facebooking in front of The Bachelor.

  Ruby gave him a coy look and giggled self-consciously. “Is it just me or are you purple, too?”

  He arched an eyebrow and chuckled, but he didn’t answer.

  Just her apparently.

  She shouldn’t have been surprised. Noel didn’t look like the kind of guy who would paint himself purple and roll around in the sheets, or admit to it, anyway. In his crisp white button-down shirt and flawlessly tailored slacks, he looked like money, like his weekend accessories might be a leggy model and a tennis racket. But he wasn’t snobby. Noel wore his fortune and looks as comfortably as Ruby might wear a leopard-print bikini and a fashion turban.

  Of course she was thrilled that she probably, might have, almost certainly did sleep with Emerald City’s most attractive zoning commissioner, but her uncertainty stopped her from breaking into a touchdown dance in front of his fridge. She’d been lusting after Noel from across the room for years. She’d been waiting for the perfect moment to get to know him, the moment when her hair looked great and she knew exactly what to say. Waking up with him was almost too good to be true. Almost. It wasn’t like Noel was a shelf from IKEA—looked good in the store, but didn’t come with directions or any of the necessary parts and would never fit in her living room. She was pretty sure that they had a fabulous time last night. It took all her restraint not to continue probing about last night, but she decided to play it cool for another five minutes.

  A crumb fell unnoticed from Noel’s lips. “When do you need to get to work, Ruby?” He’d said her name too deliberately, as if to remind himself of who she was. “You didn’t mention what time you needed to wake up…you know, last night after…”

  After what? Was he hoping she would fill in the details or did he lose his train of thought? She pulled the corners of her mouth into a premeditated smile. “Mind if I grab some more coffee?”

  “Of course. Let me.” Like a perfect host, he refilled her cup. “I’ve got a Pop-Tart in the toaster for you, too.”

  She smiled graciously, playing Emily Post to his Prince Charming—Pop-Tarts and purple sex paste notwithstanding.

  When he handed her the coffee cup, his hand brushed hers and all thoughts of gracious decorum evaporated. Her nerves stood on end and her fingers tingled where they had touched.

  If Noel’s fingers tingled, she couldn’t tell. His face was inscrutable. “Sorry to leave you so soon, but I’ve gotta run. I have a hearing in an hour.” He glanced at the time. “I’d be happy to give you a ride, though. If you need one.”

  “No, I’ll be fine.” As she said this, she realized she didn’t even know where his house was or how she’d gotten there. All she knew was that she needed a shower. “Mind if I stay and use your shower? That must have been a pretty wild night!” She gave him a wide-eyed “Please, tell me something about anything” look. The desperation must have radiated off her a little too strongly.

  He shifted on his feet awkwardly and said, “Thanks for agreeing to keep it professional
. It’s so important to remain impartial in zoning decisions.”

  Ruby nodded, wondering if this was how he ended all his dates. She also wondered when the professional and impartial zoning decisions conversation had taken place. If she wasn’t mistaken, there had been two crumpled party hats in that bed.

  With the uncomfortable zoning bias issue out of the way—he really did look relieved—Noel took her hand. He started to give it a squeeze, but must have thought better of it. He pulled her into an embrace instead.

  With his thick butterscotch hair and chambray eyes, Noel looked like her vision of Prince Charming. He could have passed for Prince William, except he was even better looking, with a more outdoorsy vibe. More royal. More charming and probably even more daring when it came to helicopter rescue and such. When he took her in his arms, she didn’t want to be anywhere else ever. She tilted her chin up to meet his eyes and her heart began to race. The space between them sizzled with desire. Ruby stood on her toes and closed the distance. When she pressed herself against him, his breath hitched. Issues of zoning bias aside, when their lips met he reciprocated in a very un-business-like way. The kiss he had meant to be a good-bye felt more like a reason to climb back into bed and let the variance applications wait for another half an hour, at least to Ruby.

  In a husky voice that made her wonder why they had to “keep it professional,” he said, “I’ll see you at work, Ruby O’Deare.”

  She nodded. She’d like to try this scene again, maybe when her head felt better and she’d combed her hair. But Noel headed for the door.

  Left alone in his stainless steel kitchen with nothing but the hum of the refrigerator, Ruby felt like she’d been picked up by a twister, spun around, and dropped in Oz. And it was only Wednesday.

  After showering, she found yesterday’s clothes in a pile on the floor. She looked at herself in the mirror and immediately wished she hadn’t. The way her glossy coat of auburn hair dye contrasted with her hung-over pallor made her look life-like, but not quite alive, which was exactly how she felt. With a deep breath, she thought, I can do this. I just have to make it until five. But first she needed a ride. She dialed Ming, her best friend and roommate, but some guy named Todd answered instead. “Is Ming there?”

  “Nope. I’m answering her phone today.”

  “If you see her, ask her to call Ruby right away. I need a ride.” She had no clue where her car was, but it wasn’t at Noel West’s house.

  “Ruuuby!” he yelled into the phone, as if greeting a drinking buddy at the local bar. “Where you at, girl?”

  “Do I know you?”

  He laughed uproariously, as if it was a funny question.

  “Seriously, do I know you?”

  “I’m crashing on your couch for a while.”

  “Okay, I guess.” Ruby gave him Noel’s address, which she found on a piece of mail in the entryway, and told him she’d meet him at a nearby bus stop.

  She hobbled down the street to the stop in her four-inch heels, where she sat on the only portion of the bench not occupied by one of Emerald’s latest art installations, a cluster of Norman Rockwell-inspired bronze statues. This one featured a woman and two toddlers sporting cheesy grins and holding lollipops. It was an attempt to boost Emerald’s snob cred with “real” art. To save money on bronze, the statues were less than life-sized. The end result—munchkins awkwardly lurking at bus stops and on street corners.

  As she reached the stop, a bus pulled up. When she didn’t move to get on, the driver asked, “You getting on?”

  “Um, no I’m waiting for a ride. A different one.” As if that made any sense.

  The driver shook his head. “Whatever, lady.”

  Ruby felt the sting of tears behind her eyes when the bus drove away, but she took a deep breath and reminded herself that she had probably had the night of her life. Hopefully, Noel would explain everything and they’d have a good laugh. Hopefully.

  In her blue-checkered blouse and a pair of black sunglasses, Ruby sat next to the munchkins. She regarded them with mild disdain and fished through her purse for lipstick in the hopes of looking less like a wax figure of Judy Garland. She came across a receipt from the Dollar Store—not somewhere she normally went. To her knowledge, she had never been to the Dollar Store. The receipt said otherwise. It was dated yesterday and the purchased products gave hints about what might have transpired during last night’s debauchery. At eleven p.m. she’d purchased one box of Night Light Condoms and a Pepsi. The question was: Had Noel been with her at the time of purchase, or had she arrived on his doorstep unannounced with a Pepsi and glow-in-the-dark condoms?

  Chapter Two

  Over the Rainbow, Pantyhose Required

  For once, Ruby felt relieved to be back at work. Her fifteen-minute ride with Todd, who inexplicably introduced himself as her new roommate, only added to her sense of displacement. At least at work she recognized everyone and knew the rules: no open-toed shoes, pantyhose required, 1,300 billable hours a month minimum. For once, she took comfort in this clarity.

  Smith, Dworkin, and LeBlue provided nothing, if not clarity. When they’d hired her last month, they’d been very clear about her role. Her supervisor, a woman unapologetically named Destinee Childs, had told her, “The job will last nine months. Tops. Don’t expect an invitation to the Christmas party.”

  Ruby sat down at her desk, started up her computer, and surveyed her little space. Her glass-topped desk’s neatness verged on sterile. She had no family pictures or kid art, only a framed photo of a dog that pre-dated her arrival. A motivational poster hung above her desk. It pictured a businessman riding a dollar bill over a rainbow like a magic carpet. Not long ago, she’d tried to trade her coworker Ted for his soaring eagle “Persevere!” poster, but he wouldn’t go for it, so she was stuck with the man on the dollar bill mocking her in 36-point font, “Follow your dreams! Way up high!” As if. She was just staving off the inevitable. At the end of nine months, she expected to be serving jalapeno poppers and mudslides at Applebee’s. Such was the fate of a middle-of-the-pack law grad in a tepid economy. Come to think of it, Todd might come in handy if he contributed to the rent.

  Before getting down to business, she tried Ming again, hopeful her friend could explain something, how she ended up in Noel West’s bed covered in purple grit or anything about Todd. When Ming didn’t answer, she checked her email and made a list of things to do: catalogue evidence, file an answer in an insurance case, and call Estelle Harris, a pro bono client assigned by the court. The court must not have realized Ruby was a temp attorney.

  Before calling the pro bono client, she picked up the case file. The prosecutor had accused Ms. Harris of robbing a grocery-store branch of the Giddyup Bank. He had charged her with armed robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery, possession of an illegal handgun, and growing a shitload of pot in her basement. From what she could piece together, the prosecutor’s office had charged three other people in the same conspiracy: Marcus Johnson, Jermaine Harris, and Trudi O’Kiefe. Ruby read with increasing dismay. Estelle was in deep.

  As Ruby stared at the assignment wondering where to even start on a case like this, her supervisor walked in. Just like when you spot a cop and slam on the brakes, Ruby sat up straight and minimized the window on her computer screen. Destinee Childs was a woman as outrageous as her name. She had Anna Nicole’s looks and Dick Cheney’s demeanor. Ruby wasn’t sure who her puppets were, but Destinee was certainly pulling someone’s strings. In a frozen tone that iced over her sultry looks, Destinee said, “I saw that you were assigned a pro bono case. If you don’t mind, I’d like to take it.”

  “Really? Why do you want it?” Destinee never so much as made a new pot of coffee when she took the last cup. Whatever was motivating her interest in the case, Ruby assumed it wasn’t charity.

  “No reason.” Her tone said it was no big deal, but Destinee was staring at Ruby with enough intensity to flash-freeze a package of hamburger. Ruby shivered.

  “If you d
on’t mind, I think I’ll keep it. I really need the experience before I go back on the job market.”

  Destinee looked puzzled that Ruby hadn’t immediately complied with her request. Without a word, she turned and stalked off in the direction from whence she had come. The woman never wasted energy on the little things, like hellos and good-byes, probably to save her voice for harassing her next victim.

  More eagerly than she would have fifteen minutes ago, Ruby picked up the phone to dial her new client. Estelle Harris was at home with an ankle bracelet due to overcrowding in the jail and lack of flight risk. After about ten rings, an elderly woman with a wavering voice answered. “Hello.”

  “My name is Ruby O’Deare. I’m calling for Estelle Harris.”

  “This is she.”

  “Hello, Ms. Harris. I’m an attorney with Smith, Dworkin, and LeBlue and I’ve been assigned by the court to represent you.”

  “Is that right? Isn’t that just wonderful!” She said this as if Ruby were an angel from heaven, rather than an inexperienced, court-appointed attorney.

  “Yes. I was wondering if we could schedule a meeting.” Ruby started to say that the office secretary, Marvel, handled scheduling and could give Estelle directions to the office when Estelle broke in and said, “Well, I’d be happy to come down and meet with you, but I don’t think I can. I don’t have a car and my grandson isn’t home to give me a ride, not to mention this darn ankle bracelet.” Estelle laughed a little when she mentioned the ankle bracelet, as if it was a pretty good joke.

  “The ankle bracelet is no problem. You’re allowed to meet with your attorney. Would your grandson be able to drive you tomorrow?”

  “No, he’s in jail. Jermaine is my only family.”

  “I guess I’ll have to come to you. Will three o’clock work?”

  “That’d be fine. I appreciate you going out of your way, sweetie.”

  Ruby got down to her morning business before her meeting with Estelle. After putting in an unspeakably dull morning of billable hours, meaning that she spent only a quarter of her time on Facebook, Petfinder, and Zappos, she gleefully packed up fifteen minutes before she stopped billing. On her way out of the office, she stopped by Marvel’s desk. “Heya, Marvel, do you mind if I borrow your car? I need to run out and visit a client.”