Page 21 of Deception and New Direction

Ruthie’s deep sigh of frustration could be heard from the back seat.

“That wasTyroneIjust talked to, and he saidMalis still in prison,”Archertold us. “Myguess is he didn’t order the flowers directly, but someone could have done it for him and had them delivered.”

“Do you think it was my dad?”Ruthieasked. “Like,Malasked my dad to order the flowers and send them to me since he couldn’t from prison?”

“Yes, it’s very likely he did, but the real question is how did he find you?”Archerpointed out.

Hopefully we would get the answer to that question when we talked to her granddad.

Dash had been reluctant to leaveRuthie’sside, so we’d brought him along with us.Whenwe arrived atHank’shouse,IhelpedRuthiegetDashout of the car so she could focus on her crutches.

As we walked up the front porch,Hankmet us at the door.

“Now you’ve brought ‘em both here?”Hankhollered down at us. “Darlin’, if you can’t decide which one you like better,I’mhappy to help ya.NotthatIdon’t appreciate the first one bringing you out here toGeorgia, but my gut tells me theArmyone is a better fit.”

Archer andIchuckled as we realized he was referring to us as potential suitors forRuthie.

“Judging by the looks on y’all’s faces when you got here,I’mguessin’ this isn’t a casual visit,”Hanksaid as we walked up the stairs. “Comeon in, andI’llget ya something to drink.Thenwe can talk.”

I tookDashoutside to let him roam around withHank’sother dogs, and then we all got situated in the living room.Wegave him the brief summary of what happened with the flowers and our thoughts of her dad,Floyd, likely being the medium for the flower purchase.Wealso letHankknow thatMalwas still in prison but that it was likely he could get out early with good behavior.

Hank sat there a while, listening but not saying anything.

“Granddad?What’sthat look on your face mean?”Ruthieasked.

“Money is a powerful motivator,” he said, his hands clasped together in his lap as he sighed. “Sweetheart, when you turn twenty-four next month, you’ll inherit a trust fund from your mother.”

“What?”Ruthie’shead jerked back at hearing the news.

“MyRuth-Annecame from money,” he said. “Callme old-fashioned, butIwanted to provide for my wife and family.Sowhile we spent some of it when the kids were growing up, most of her money went to investments and such.Whenshe died, she left me enough to have the house taken care of ‘til long afterIdie, and the rest went to the kids.Mydaughter used some of it to pay off the house she and your father had, butI’mguessin’ she had already started to sour on that jackass, because she hurried up and put the rest of it in a trust for you before she died.”

“I had no idea,”Ruthiesaid, shock written all over her face.

“Far asIknow, your sperm donor and half-wit brother got nothing when she died, but that’s when your dad found out about the trust in your name.Yourdad tried to get the money, butIcalled our attorney,RonaldO’Reilly—a good friend of mine—after my granddaughter moved toGeorgia.Iwanted to make sure everything was still set and he hadn’t tried to get his grubby hands on it.Ronaldassured me there was nothing her dad could do to get around her will—it was ironclad.Nobodycould touch it but you, and you could only get it when you get married or turn 24, whichever comes first.”

“I don’t mean to be morbid, but what happens if she dies?”Archerasked, but my thoughts went there too, especially after her dad tried to have her killed after she turned the jewelry in.

“Don’t remember all the details, butIbelieve the money then goes to charity,”Hankresponded.

Ruthie, who had been sitting there in shock for most of this, spoke up. “Ayear afterImoved out,Igot a promotion at work,”Ruthiespoke slowly, as if she was recalling a memory. “Theytalked about sending me toPhoenixto help open a new salon location there.Iwas talking on the phone to one of my friends about it whenIwalked up to my door, andMalwas standing there.Itold him to go away, butIknew he overheard me, because an hour later my father called screaming at me, saying it was my duty to the family to stay close and eventually help out the family business.”

“My guess is he wanted you to stay close until your twenty-fourth birthday so he could convince you to invest in the pawn shop once your trust money was released,”Hanksaid.

“My brother came to visit me later that night.Hesaid he had calmedDaddown but begged me not to leave.Hesaid we were family and he wanted to keep me close.Hedidn’t wantDadto push me away any more than he already had.”

“Is your brother a part owner of the pawn shop with your dad?”Iasked, trying to figure out if there was any motive on his side.

“No, but when my father dies,Jasonwill inherit the business,” she answered then paused as if she remembered something important. “OhGod.Malused to joke about us eloping and getting married, but it always creeped me out, soIjust ignored him.Imentioned it one time on the phone to my brother—whoIdidn’t realize had me on speakerphone—and my dad announced thatIshould do it.HesaidIhad his blessing and it was whatIshould do for thebenefit of the family.”

“What the hell does that mean?”Iasked angrily.

“He said it would help keep the business in the family.”

The moreIlearned about her dad, the more and moreIhated the man.

“I always thought the comment was weird because he made it very clearIwould only mess things up at the pawn shop, but now suddenly he wanted me to marryMaland be a part of the business.”

“I’m guessing this trust isn’t exactly chump change if her dad was that pushy,”Archersurmised.

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