Page 70 of Freeing Ruby

“She’s not his daughter!” His words reverberate like gunshot in the quiet apartment.

“What are you talking about?” I sound as shocked as I feel.

Darren shakes his head. “She’s not his child—not biologically, anyway.”

“How?”

“After his wife died, Allen arranged for a paternity test. He’d always suspected Ruby wasn’t his. After Helen died, he wanted to find out for sure. The test came back negative.”

“Why did he suspect Ruby wasn’t his?”

“Allen and Helen had a falling out at one point, and Helen moved out. They were separated for a couple of months, but they ended up getting back together. Helen was already pregnant then. She told Allen the baby was his—that she hadn’t been with anyone else. Allen told me he didn’t believe her, but he desperately wanted her back, so he kept his mouth shut. Then, after Helen died, he wanted to know for sure.”

“If Allen Foster’s not Ruby’s biological father, who is?”

“Allen told me it was Edward McCall.”

“Edward?” My mind is reeling with the implications. Helen Foster and Edward McCall? “Are you sure?”

“Allen seems to think so. He thinks they hooked up while he and Helen were separated.”

“Does Edward know?”

“No. As far as I know, he has no idea. Neither does Ruby. Allen’s the only one who knows. Well, besides me.” Darren lays his hands flat on the table and looks me in the eye. “Please, you have to believe I’d never knowingly hurt Ruby. I—”

“Wait, why would Foster want Ruby dead?”

“He didn’t, at least not in the beginning. But he wanted to gain control of her trust fund. The initial plan was for me to seduce Ruby and marry her. When that didn’t seem to be working, Allen decided to scare her into moving back home with him.”

“So, you’re the stalker? You put the roadkill outside her door? You left the threatening messages in her mailbox?”

Darren nods. “But none of that seemed to be working, and Allen was running out of time. Ruby’s birthday is in two months. Once she turns twenty-five, the trust fund money will be hers. He needs control of that money, desperately, before it’s too late.”

I feel almost numb as the pieces start to fall. “Why?”

“Allen’s been stealing from his clients’ investment accounts for years, and he needs to replace the funds before anyone finds out. But Allen’s broke, and he can’t pay the money back. If he gets caught, he’ll spend the rest of his life in prison.”

“And he’s willing to kill Ruby to get her money?”

“I guess so—he’s desperate. But I never signed up for anything like this. I thought we were just scaring her. Allen’s her only known next of kin,” Darren says. “If she died without a will, her trust fund would automatically go to him.”

“How does Edward McCall come into this?”

“He doesn’t know anything. As far as he knows, he’s just her godfather.”

I let out a long sigh. “So, you were the one terrorizing Ruby all along.”

Darren nods. “Partly me. Allen hired some kids to help. I was supposed to be her knight in shining armor. Her protector. And then you showed up.”

I shake my head in disgust. “When I told Ruby you were at the top of my suspect list, she defended you. She said you were a good guy, that it couldn’t be you. She thought I was nuts for suspecting you.” I pick up my phone. “I’m calling Detective Cartwright of Chicago PD. You’re going to tell him everything you told me.”

Darren shakes his head. “No way. I can’t. I’ll lose my job. I’ll lose everything.”

“It’s too late. You’ve already lost everything.” I show him my phone screen.

He grows pale. “You’re recording this?”

“Yep. Every word.”

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