Page 40 of Together at Ruby's

Liza blinked. “You have a key?”

“Yes. She gave it to me a couple of years ago,” Tate said. “When I asked her why, she grinned and said, ‘just in case.’”

Feeling a little more optimistic, Liza rubbed Tate’s leg. “Maybe there’s something there that could tell us who to call,” she said. “She has to have some sort of address list or something.”

“But should we go look?” Rey asked. “I mean, she’s super private.”

Everyone was quiet for a few moments. “We won’t look yet,” Tate said. “Not until we hear from the doctor about how serious Nikki’s prognosis is. Contacting them without something to tell them wouldn’t be fair.”

“When Nikki is awake, she could just tell us who to call,” Liza added just as she saw a black man in scrubs coming their way.

By the way he walked with authority, Liza guessed he was the doctor. “I’m looking for Rey Madrona,” the man said.

Rey stood. “I’m Rey.”

“Good,” the man said. “I am Dr. Saulsberry. I have an update about your friend, but I would really prefer to give the information to a family member.” Liza watched everyone look from one to the other and she realized they might have a problem. Without someone from Nikki’s unknown family, they would have to wait longer for information. It might even be impossible to find Nikki’s parents, or someone related to her.

Taking control of the situation, Liza raised a hand. “I’m Nikki’s sister, Liza,” she said. “Please tell me how she is doing.” The doctor paused, giving her face a once over. His reaction was not a surprise. Nikki was tall and blonde whereas Liza was small with dark hair and dark eyes.

The doctor nodded. “All right,” he said finally. “Well, in that case I will let you know the good news is your sister was very lucky. She was wearing a bicycle helmet, and it saved her life. There’s no serious head trauma.” Liza felt like she could breathe for the first time since Rey’s phone call earlier.

Unfortunately, the doctor wasn’t finished. “The bad news is her body took the majority of the impact. She had internal bleeding that required surgery, and we removed her spleen. Also, her pelvis bone was broken as was her left leg and right arm.”

“Poor Nikki,” Liza heard Allie moan, but Liza gathered herself. There would be time to cry later.

“How is she now?” Liza asked, hoping they could see her.

“She’s stable and medicated, so she will sleep. I suggest you go get some rest, and I can have a nurse notify you.” The doctor paused, his face softening. “I can tell you right now, Nikki’s road back will be long and challenging. I am glad to see she has a large support network.”

“Yes,” Liza replied. “We all love her.”

Arriving at Nikki’s building,Tate and Liza walked through the lobby to the elevators. As they waited for it to arrive, Tate was filled with mixed emotions about invading her friend’s privacy. As if reading her mind, Liza put a hand on Tate’s shoulder. “Are you sure this is the right thing to do?” she asked, and Tate sighed.

“I don’t like it,” she said. “But I keep thinking about my parents. I know if I was in an accident as serious as Nikki’s they would be desperate to find out.” The elevator doors opened, and Tate led them aboard. “We need to see if there’s any sign of family members to contact.”

Apparently convinced, Liza nodded and when Tate opened the door to Nikki’s apartment, they stepped into a small, but beautifully furnished room. The space looked like something out of a decorator’s magazine, yet there was a feel of Nikki in the air. “Where do you want to begin? Liza asked, and Tate thought about it.

“I’d say her office if she has one, but from the few times I’ve been here, I don’t remember her having anything but a bedroom.” Glancing around the space her eyes landed on a small desk half hidden in the corner. “I guess with that.” She pointed in its direction. “Maybe she’ll have an address book or something.”

Liza walked with Tate. “Something tells me our friend is not the type to have an address book laying around.” Tate knew she was right. Everything about Nikki was modern and sophisticated, but they had to find something. Sitting on the tidy desk was a closed laptop.If I was Nikki, any addresses I had would be on there,Tate thought.But there’s no way it’s not password protected.

“Let’s start with this,” Tate said sitting in the black, leather desk chair. Opening the laptop, she powered it on only to be met with a password protection screen.Just like I expected, Tate thought.And I have a sneaky suspicion it’s a very complicated password.

“What do you think that would be?” Liza asked, looking over Tate shoulder. “It’s not like she has any pets.”

Tate half smiled at her comment. “No, that is true,” she replied. “And I doubt it’s her birthday.”

“What now?” Liza asked, and Tate reached for the first drawer on the desk, pulling it open.

“Maybe there’s something here,” she said but after a quick search of the desk they found nothing but the usual pads of paper, pens, and paper clips. No address book.No pictures of anyone either,Tate thought.Not even an old Christmas card or something personal.It felt off to Tate. Although she kept her desk organized, it was nothing compared to Nikki’s.

Standing, she swept the condo with her eyes. Two tall bookcases stood on one wall and were filled with books. It was primarily nonfiction about a variety of topics. Everything from autobiographies, to philosophy, to true crime. There were a wide range of classics sprinkled in too.How much do I really know about Nikki?She wondered.How much do any of us know her?Nikki never hosted a game night or any of the other get-togethers, always claiming her space was too small. Frustrated, Tate wished she had taken the time to dig deeper and truly get to know her friend.

After a quick look through the simple, but efficient kitchen, opening some of the drawers hoping for some clue, they turned up nothing. There weren’t even notes stuck under magnets on the refrigerator. That left only one place to try—Nikki’s bedroom.

Although Liza had never imaginedwhat Nikki’s bedroom would look like, once she saw the room, it was a perfect fit. Decorated in black, grays, and chrome, everything about the bedroom said sleek, sexy, and capable. A king-sized bed sat in the middle flanked by nightstands. “I’ll take that side,” Liza said as she moved to the far side of the bed. A clock radio sat on the nightstand as well as a lamp, along with a pair of reading glasses and a thick paperback book. Picking it up, Liza read the title. “Atlas Shrugged” by Ayn Rand.That’s some deep bedtime reading, she thought.Not something I would envision Nikki picking.At least not the Nikki I thought I knew.

Liza slowly pulled the top drawer open and froze. What she saw was the last thing she would’ve expected. Inside the drawer was what was clearly a handgun. “Tate,” Liza said keeping her voice even. “Can you come look at this please?”

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