drips of blood. Her attempts to wipe the images seemed to make them worse. A guttural sob brought a stream of tears.
Alfred joined her on the floor, where she held a picture helplessly. He drew her in, and she let him, the photo falling free. He rubbed her back and spoke in her ear. For a moment, Ellis felt intrusive enough to back off. But with an abrupt shove, Sylvia scrambled away to stand, angling toward the window.
Ellis dropped down. From this distance in the dark, his view of Lily and Geraldine was indiscernible, but he could sense their gazes trained on his every movement, anticipating, questioning.
“Victoria!” Sylvia’s summons traveled easily through the panes. “Victoria, come now! It’s time to leave!”
Oh Christ.
There was no sitting back and waiting. Tracking down Max would take far too long. Ellis couldn’t risk the chance of Sylvia sneaking Ruby out. The bargain was off.
He marched over to the front door and pounded with his fist. Pounded again.
The door swung open. Alfred’s face sparked with relief, snuffed out by his recognition of Ellis. “What are you doing? You shouldn’t be here yet.”
The hell he shouldn’t. “Where’s Ruby?”
“Alfred,” Sylvia called out, “who is it? Who’s there?”
Alfred shifted into a hush. “You have to wait outside,” he told Ellis. “Now, go. Go.” He was shutting the door, his hands and pajamas tainted with blood from the frames, when Ellis pushed forward and stopped him.
“You want me to go? Then hand Ruby over.”
Sylvia appeared at the door and forced it open the rest of the way. Tears had streaked her makeup, blackening the rims of her eyes. Her gaze ricocheted from her husband to Ellis and back. “You phoned him…” She was exasperated, accusing. “You told him to come early.”
“Darling, no. Don’t be silly. I thought it was your brother at the door.”
She shook her head, backing away, betrayal further darkening her face. The situation was on the brink of a free fall.
Ellis stepped toward her in the entryway. “Mrs. Millstone, let’s just sit down and talk. Could we do that?” He needed to keep things calm, for Ruby.
But Alfred raised a hand to hold Ellis off, a signal to let him manage this. “Please, Sylvia, don’t make this more difficult. We’ll get through this together, the two of us.”
“The two of us?” The phrase had a souring effect. She stared at him, a sudden revelation taking hold. “That’s it, isn’t it? It’s what you’ve wanted all along. To get Victoria out of the way.”
Alfred gaped at her, stricken. “That’s absurd. How could you suggest… You don’t know what you’re saying.”
“You told me to say it was me. That I was the one driving, because you drank too much brandy. But it wasn’t me at all.” Her voice sharply turned to ice. “It was you. You’d planned all of it, didn’t you?”
“What? No. I wouldn’t… It was an accident.” Alfred grew more flustered, emotion choking his voice. “The roads were slippery. You were there. You know this. I never meant to hurt our daughter. I loved her…”
For Ellis, the staggering exchange only cemented that the Dillard kids never belonged with these people. He glanced around for Ruby, prepared to tear the house apart to find her.
Sylvia abruptly bellowed toward the stairs. “Claire!”
“Darling, listen to me.” Alfred proceeded toward Sylvia, who went scuttling to the staircase, a wild animal evading a trap. Blood from her fingers dotted the white floor.
The housekeeper emerged above, already dressed in her uniform. “Ma’am?”
“Where is Victoria? I instructed you to bring her down!”
“She’s collectin’ her belongings. They’re…not quite ready.” Claire spoke with her gaze low, but it wasn’t solely from being timid. Ellis recognized the effort to stall. He envisioned Ruby hiding somewhere in a corner, a closet.
Would she try to slip out a back way, venturing alone in the dark?
“You deliver her this instant, or I’ll come and get her myself!” Sylvia commanded, spurring Ellis to intervene.
“Claire, you keep her right where she is.” He was about to start for the stairs, hoping force wouldn’t be needed to keep Sylvia back, when Ruby’s small, groggy face poked out from behind the housekeeper.
“Ah, Victoria,” Sylvia said. “There you are.” She sighed with a smile, a disturbing switch of mood. “Come along, my dearest. We’re going back to California, our real home.”
Claire subtly stiffened her arm over Ruby, standing guard.
“Victoria.” Sylvia was struggling against an onset of frustration. “Be a good girl now and listen to your mother.”
“Ruby, it’s okay,” Ellis piped in. “I’m taking