“Can I help you?” She looked puzzled.
“Ruth Shepperly?” I asked.
She nodded. “Yes, but I don’t entertain solicitors. Have a nice day.” She moved to shut the door, but I extended my foot to stop her.
“I’m sorry to disturb you. I’m not a solicitor. My name is Avery Shaw. I’m a reporter with The Monitor.”
Ruth sighed. “You’re here about Cal. The police beat you by two hours. I’m aware of what happened to him.”
Well, that answered that question. “He was your husband.” It was a statement, not a question, and I was gratified when she nodded.
“Not that I want to take credit for him.” Ruth remained in the opening of the door but didn’t invite us in. “What do you want?”
“I’m looking for information on your husband.”
“He hasn’t been my husband for almost ten years.”
“In the eyes of the law, he’s still your husband.”
She bit her lower lip and fixed me with a dark expression. “I don’t know what good I’ll be to you. I know very little about Cal and what he was doing the last few years.”
“I don’t want to make you uncomfortable. I don’t want to bring up things from your past that are difficult. But I need clarification about Cal, and you’re the best person to provide that.”
“I don’t want to be in the newspaper.”
“Well, I’m sure that can be … negotiated.” The last thing I needed was another source refusing to go on the record. “How about we sit down? If there’s anything you’re not comfortable sharing, then we’ll go from there.”
She didn’t look happy at the prospect. “Or I could just call the police and have you removed from my property.”
“You could,” I agreed without hesitation. “You should know that your marriage records are public, though. I can run with that information no matter what.”
“Is that a threat?”
“It’s an explanation. Cal was involved in some bad things. I need to know how he might’ve found himself in that situation. You can help me figure things out.”
“I haven’t been with Cal in years.”
“And yet you’re still married to him,” I pointed out. “There has to be a story behind that.”
“Nothing that is any of your business.”
She was tough. I had to give her that. “Mrs. Shepperly ....”
“Oh, never mind.” She threw up her hands. “I can tell you won’t let this go. I know who you are. I’ve seen you on the news.”
Being recognized rarely worked out for me. “Most of those stories were exaggerated.”
“Really? I like you because of those stories.”
Well, perhaps this time would be different. “I think we can come to a meeting of the minds here. I just need information.”
“Fine. But be careful what you wish for.”
Because it seemed to be expected, I kicked off my shoes in the foyer, leaving them beside a pair of rubber boots that looked better suited for monsoon season than Michigan, before following our hostess. As she led us through the house, I didn’t miss the odd look she shot Sabrina as we crossed from the foyer to the kitchen. Once I was no longer the center of attention and she’d resigned herself to answering questions, Ruth seemed to relax a bit. “I know you.”
The statement was directed at Sabrina, which had my curiosity revving. “You know her?”
“I’m an intern with The Monitor,” Sabrina volunteered. “They published a short article about it in the online edition the other day.”
I made a face. “Whose stupid idea was that?”
“Marvin thought it was a good idea.”
Of course he did. I was going to have to give him a good kick in the nuts next time I saw him. He let his libido dwarf his brain far too often.
“That’s not where I know you from.” Ruth gestured toward a round table in her kitchen, her eyes never leaving Sabrina’s face. “You went to school with my daughter.”
Sabrina swallowed hard and then nodded. “Jessica. We graduated together.”
“Sabrina Holden. I remember you.” Ruth’s expression turned kind. “You were a cheerleader.”
I saw that coming.
Sabrina beamed at her. “I was captain of the squad.”
“Jessica always wanted to be a cheerleader, but she wasn’t coordinated enough.” Ruth turned to me. “What about you?”
“Oh, I made cheerleaders cry. Sorority girls, too.” I flashed a bright smile. “Sometimes I made a game of it.”
That had Ruth laughing. “I knew I liked you.” She steepled her fingers. “What is it you want to know?”
“For starters, I want to know how you ended up with Cal.”
“That’s not an easy question to answer.” Ruth hesitated, as if lost in thought. “We met when I was in college. He was taking business classes and I was going to be a nurse.”
“You’re a nurse?” That was interesting.
“I work at the main hospital in Mount Clemens.”
“It’s a noble profession.”
“It’s a job. I like helping people, don’t get me wrong, but it’s still a job. You have to understand, when I first met Cal, he seemed like a good catch. He was driven, had big dreams about opening his own restaurant — one of those places where you can drink beer and play video games — and seemed to have a good head on his shoulders.”
“Obviously that didn’t stick,” I noted.
“Not at all,” she agreed. “We dated for a year before he proposed. I wasn’t expecting it at the time. I was exhausted from rotations. Until he proposed, I didn’t think I was the marrying type.”
“I get that.”
“But when he was right in front of me, holding up that ring, I couldn’t say no. I loved him. By that point I’d figured out that he wasn’t the best at follow-through, but I figured he would outgrow it, find the proper motivation. I thought we would have a happy life.”
She seemed so earnest that pity bubbled up inside of
