Page 9 of Sins of Leo

Why didn’t Ruth love her? Ruth did, but as she got older, she also got tired of having to parent her mother.

College provided the escape from the ups and downs of her mother’s mood. It had been a guilt-ridden relief when Mom died a few years ago in a car accident. In going through her mom’s things, Ruth found all the letters her father had mailed throughout the years. Mom kept them all, even the ones meant for Ruth. Angry at the sight of them, Ruth had trashed the majority of the missives, keeping only the drawing—which, for some reason, fascinated—and his journal—which she’d never read. Avoidance? Yes, because the little girl who longed for his affection feared his diary would have no mention of her.

Despite her 8 a.m. having cancelled, there was a buzz at her office door from someone in the waiting room. It led to her frowning. It was much too early for her 9 a.m. Given the incident with the thief the night before, she found herself hesitant to answer. It might be time to get a camera. There would be no patient privacy issues if she erased the footage every day.

She chose to not answer. She didn’t do walk-ins.

Knock.Knock.Knock.

The firm tapping had her gripping a pen in a fist, as if her ball point could protect.

“Open up, I know you’re in there,” a man yelled. The soundproof door and walls muffled, but despite its faintness, she recognized Leo’s voice.

The fact he’d returned arched her brow. How surprising, but it also gave her hope. Perhaps he truly did want to change. She rose to answer, letting him into her office, and was reminded anew of his size.

Unlike yesterday, he didn’t reek of stale booze and his eyes were clear. His jaw had been freshly shaven. Given the clean shine of his hair, he’d obviously showered and wore clean clothing.

She knew better than to think their one short session was the reason for his improved hygiene. “Leo, I wondered what happened to you. Did you catch the thief?”

“I did.” The smile he offered took her aback, not only because he knew how to smile but because it turned the sullen man into a handsome one. “And I managed to get back something he stole from you.” He reached into his leather duster—which she just noticed. Impressive how he managed to find a supple leather floor-length coat in his size. Must have cost a fortune.

He handed over an envelope. “Sorry, but the frame got busted when I tackled his ass. But I managed to save the picture.”

“Thank you.” She slid out the pencil drawing and stared at it before tossing it onto her desk, which, oddly enough, dropped his jaw.

“I thought you’d be more excited.”

“It’s just a picture.”

“That someone obviously made for you.”

“I doubt my father drew that just for me. Most likely this was the imperfect version. Knowing him, he made another more to his standards.” Oops, she sounded a tad bitter there.

“Your dad was an artist?”

“Archeologist, actually. He mailed that to me while on his last trip. Last thing I ever got from him.”

Leo gave her a sharp glance. “He died?”

Her shoulders rolled. “Most likely. I received this a week or so after he went missing. According to the local guide he was working with, he walked into the jungle one day and never came back out.”

“Any idea what this is?” He pointed to the picture.

“A door.”

He snorted. “No shit. Neat-looking door, though. I wonder what those symbols mean.”

“They’re ancient zodiac signs, which means that image most likely wasn’t even drawn on his last trip, seeing as those symbols didn’t originate in South America.”

“Where do you think he saw it then?”

“Who knows? I stopped keeping track of him at a young age. My father wasn’t one to stay in a place for long once boredom set in. He moved around constantly. Dig to dig. Always looking for that big discovery.”

“The thrill of adventure.” He nodded. “I get it. I worried about getting caught up in my missions, er, work, too, when Olivia was born.”

“Olivia was your daughter.”

She hated how his face fell. “Yeah. I’d like to think I would have made her a priority if given the chance.”

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