“Okay, we’re live in five . . . four . . . three. . . .”
The producer conveyed the countdown on his fingers as well. After what I’d been through, I didn’t think anything could scare me. But then I thought, Millions of people watch The Today Show. I pictured folks puttering about their homes, drinking coffee, getting ready for work, getting kids ready for school, with the TV on. I was about to enter many a household to share my story, and that thought put a lump in my throat and sweat on my palms.
Matt Lauer sat at the news desk with The Today Show logo projected numerous times on the blue screen behind him. I had whispered to Ruby, “Okay, I can see the attraction,” when Lauer greeted us a few minutes before our Today Show exclusive interview was scheduled to air. The guy radiated magnetism, and his charm seemed homespun authentic. He made sure we had everything we needed—water, something to eat; all in all, he proved a very gracious host.
I winced as I settled myself onto the studio couch. Stab wounds like those I suffered don’t heal completely in a month’s time. I had spent two weeks recovering in a hospital and another two weeks at home on bed rest. My mom came out for much of that recovery period. Bless her! Nothing beats a mom when you’re on the mend. I lost my spleen, and it took ten hours of surgery to stitch back all the inside parts Dobson—aka the Fiend—had punctured.
Ruby and I had gone from obscure to world famous within an ambulance ride. Meanwhile, Winnie surprised us all by taking a break from the booze to become our protector, safeguarding our privacy like a reinforced steel door. I figured Clegg would do that job, but he was off climbing somewhere. Higgins took his badge and gun pending the outcome of the internal affairs investigations, so he had plenty of time to kill. When the interview requests came—and come they did—Winnie, at our behest, declined them all. But when The Today Show called, I told Ruby we needed to take that one. The circle wouldn’t be complete unless we did.
“You should get a suit like Matt’s,” Ruby had said to me before the producer’s countdown began.
“So now he’s Matt to you, is he?” I whispered.
Ruby smiled. “Jealous?”
I looked over at Lauer and shrugged. The light on top of camera one went red. We were live.
“And now to the story of John Bodine and Ruby Dawes, the young couple at the epicenter of the SHS Killer story, which gripped the country just four weeks ago. John and Ruby are here in studio to share their story exclusively with The Today Show, but first Natalie Morales reports on their harrowing ordeal.”
They cut to Natalie, who gave a brief introduction, then cut to the prerecorded segment. A lot of what was filmed would be used for a Dateline special about the SHS Killer. The producers at NBC had done some hefty editing and in less than ninety seconds recounted for viewers Ruby’s cancer, my desperate ploy to get her medication, Dobson’s first contact with me, and my subsequent life of crime, which ended with me tossing Ruby out a window and Clegg killing the SHS Killer in front of hundreds of witnesses. Lauer joined us on the couch before the taped segment ended. Production people swarmed about, all frantic and fiddling, but Lauer ignored the commotion. He was too focused on us, settling our nerves and boosting our confidence. As the taped segment came to an end, a different producer did another countdown and once again we were live on air.
“John and Ruby are here in the studio now for an exclusive interview,” Lauer said. “Welcome, and first of all, how are you doing?”
“Thanks, Matt,” Ruby said. “We’re doing much better now that John is out of the hospital.”
Lauer looked at me.
“You suffered some pretty serious stab wounds,” he said. “How is your recovery?”
We talked about my injuries long enough for Lauer to get squeamish.
Lauer said, “Tell me, did you have any idea that when you were helping Henry Dobson off the ledge that he was the person responsible for everything that happened to you?”
“No,” I said. “Absolutely not. In fact, there were a few times that I was with Dobson when the SHS Killer contacted me.”
Lauer looked interested. “How is that possible? Can you tell us?” he asked.