“I do understand. Probably better than Ava does.”
“Ava has always had her own way of looking at things,” Ruby says. “Even when she was a little girl, I knew she was different. She was so in tune with nature, with the animals on the ranch. Quite frankly, I was surprised she didn’t stay on the ranch, take more interest in Joe’s or Talon’s professions.”
“Interesting. She never told me any of that.”
“This ranch is a beautiful place,” Ruby says. “And I think she considered staying. She loves all nature, but I think, in the end, she couldn’t stay because of her love for animals.”
“I see.”
“I’ve always been surprised that she still eats meat. When she was nine years old, she stopped going out to the north and northwest quadrants, where the cattle graze. She couldn’t bear the thought of…” Ruby shakes her head.
“So she cut herself off from it.”
“Yes, that’s exactly what she did. But it was okay, because she got close to Marjorie, and she learned to cook, to bake. That became her new passion.”
“Still, it’s apparent, in her love for the tarot and what it represents, that she still puts a lot of stock in nature and the universe.”
“She does. And she found a way to exercise those loves in a way that didn’t torment her.”
“Did she ever get close to any of the animals?”
“When she was a little girl, yes, she did. I remember one time, a calf was born, and she and Brock and David—our own Huey, Dewey, and Louie—were present at the birth with Joe and Bryce. She fell in love with that little calf. She named him Buster. But Buster grew up, Brendan. And he wasn’t good enough quality, by Joe’s estimation, to stable as a bull to impregnate the breeding stock. So of course, that meant…”
“That meant he became a steer. And we know what happens to steers on a beef ranch.”
“Exactly.”
“Jesus.”
“Ava took it better than I expected. But she never went up to the quadrants again, never went to see the animals that she loved. She started getting close to the horses on the ranch and, of course, all the dogs. She loves dogs. I’m surprised she doesn’t have one of her own, except that it would be difficult in that tiny apartment where she lives.”
“Her family means a lot to her,” I say.
“I know that. So this is going to be difficult for her. That’s why I want you to stay and wait for her.”
“I will.” I grab my phone. “I just need to make a few quick calls.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Ava
I gulp as icy chills poke at me. “Why would the rest of the family be in danger?”
“Wendy Madigan, at least from the little I know about her, was an evil genius.”
“Dad, this isn’t a Scooby-Doo cartoon.”
“No, it isn’t,” he says, his expression serious. “I’m not being hyperbolic. She had a genius level IQ, and she was inherently evil.”
“Do you really believe people can be inherently evil?”
“I never did. Until Wendy Madigan.”
I swallow again. “There are no absolutes in this world, Daddy. That’s what you always taught me.”
“I did, and I believe that. There was some good in Wendy Madigan. Her love for me transcended everything. Her love for my father. But it was an obsessive love. Not a nurturing, kind love.”
“I don’t understand. I don’t understand how any of this happened. Why would your father…”
“Like I said, most of the answers died with him. I’ll never understand the hold that Wendy had on him. It was strong, but the bond he and my mother shared was ultimately stronger.”
“And she was mentally ill.”
“She was. But so was Wendy. Or so is Wendy, I guess I should say, if she is truly alive.”
“You said you watched her die.”
“I did. Or thought I did.” He closes his eyes and shakes his head. “That day, Ava. That day was one of the most horrific of my life.”
“I’m so sorry. Can you tell me about it? Or is that asking too much? Especially after the panic attack?”
He nods. “I don’t see how I can’t tell you about it now. Wendy, if she is indeed alive—and at this point I’d bet my life that she is—has reached out to you. She’s had someone else reach out to you through these bizarre messages you’ve been receiving. So I’ll tell you the truth. Brace yourself.”
I bite my lip, tug on my lip ring. Then grasp the arms of the recliner, my knuckles white. I breathe in deeply through my nose and out through my mouth three times, just like Aunt Melanie advised.
When I feel relaxed, or as relaxed as I’m going to get, I turn to my father. “Tell me, Daddy. Tell me about that day.”
He begins, and I find my eyes closing, images forming as my father speaks.
Something was wrong. I was living in the guesthouse behind Talon’s house at the time, and Ruby was with me. I went running from the bedroom clad only in boxer briefs.
“Ruby, are you all right?”
Then I saw my mother standing in the entryway to the kitchen. She was supposed to be locked up in a psychiatric ward.
“What the fuck?”
“Watch your language, Ryan. And for goodness’ sake, put some clothes on. You’re clearly just like your father.” Wendy nodded to Ruby. “You too. It’s the middle of the day.”
“Spare me any information about my father’s sex life, please. What are you doing out of psych?” I demanded.
“Really? You think they can hold me there? I could have gotten out long ago, but it suited my purpose to be there.”
I had no idea what she was capable of, how she could escape a locked facility, but clearly she got what she wanted, no matter the cost. I was proof of that. I slowly inched forward, placing myself between Wendy and Ruby. No way was she going to harm the woman I loved.
“Then why are you here? What do you want?”
“I came to see your father, dear. I know he’s home.”
“How do you know that?”
“Do you really think your father makes a move without me knowing it?”
Ruby and I stayed silent. Brad Steel, my father, was smarter than any of us had given him credit for. He’d allowed Wendy to find out what he was doing. That way, she thought they had no secrets, and it gave him the chance to hide Daphne away without Wendy knowing.
I’ll be damned.
“She’s armed, Ryan,” Ruby said.
“No, I’m not.”
“You are.”
Mom moved slowly.
“You’re carrying on an ankle strap,” Ruby said.
“I’m not. Where would I get a gun, coming right out of the mental hospital?”
Good question. However, according to both my father and Ruby’s father, this woman could make just about anything happen. I strode cautiously toward her. I didn’t think she would harm her own son, but she was a madwoman.
I pushed up both legs of her sweat pants and found the strap. I grabbed the weapon and examined it. “Loaded too. Any explanation, Mother?”