Chapter One
Ruby Atwood stepped off the plane at the Louis Armstrong International Airport in Kenner Louisiana a little before noon.
She glanced around at the familiar scenery with a heavy heart. Though Louisiana would always be her home, it would never be the same after today.
Trailing off toward baggage claim, Ruby fought the tears that had been threatening since landing. She’d been notified by the New Orleans Criminal Investigative Division that a man resembling Charles Atwood had arrived in the morgue after a shooting at Barone’s Gentlemen’s Club the night before.
As her father’s only living relative besides her nine-year-old brother, Cameron, it was left up to Ruby to identify the body. And she had little doubt that it was her father lying in that morgue. She’d been frantically calling him all night and morning to no avail.
Poor Cam, Ruby thought, grabbing her bag and heading toward the front to hail a cab. He must be terrified.
Cameron’s mother, Lucy Peters, a known prostitute and heroin addict, had left only days after Cameron’s birth, leaving Ruby and her father alone to raise him.
The fact that Cameron hadn’t suffered any obvious adverse effects from the drugs his mother had taken during her pregnancy was a miracle in itself.
“Excuse me,” a woman murmured, pulling Ruby out of her reflecting. “Do you have change for a dollar?”
Ruby shook her head. Growing up in New Orleans, she knew just about every scam that could be run. And this woman was definitely a con. “I’m sorry, but I don’t carry cash.”
Without bothering with a thank you, the woman scurried off in search of her next victim.
The hot Louisiana sun baked the sidewalk with its scorching rays as Ruby made her way outside in search of a cab.
Keeping her fingers wrapped tightly around the handle of her bag, she brought her hand up and flagged a taxi that sat along the curb.
The cab driver quickly pulled forward and rolled down the window. “Where to?”
“Southside Medical Center on Canal Street,” Ruby returned, climbing into the backseat.
The cab took off with a jolt, darting in and out of the airport traffic like a seasoned NASCAR driver. “Here for a visit or heading home?”
Ruby met the cabbie’s gaze in the rearview mirror. “That all depends on what I find when I arrive.”
But she knew. Somewhere deep in her heart, she knew that her father would be lying on a cold slab in the basement of that hospital.
Obviously sensing that she didn’t feel up to chatting, the cabbie shifted his attention back to the road and the manic drivers in his path.
Ruby turned to stare out the window, a feeling of dread settling in her gut. What was she supposed to do without her father? Moreover, what would Cameron do?
Twenty minutes later, the cab slowed to a stop in front of Southside Medical Center. “That’ll be forty-five dollars.”
Ruby dug two twenties and a ten out of the pocket of her jeans and handed it over the seat.
“Would you like for me to wait?” the driver murmured, looking over his shoulder.
Hesitating, she glanced at the hospital’s entrance before gripping the door handle, grabbing her bag, and stepping out. “No, thank you. I don’t know how long I’ll be.” She closed the door behind her.
The hospital loomed in front of her, an overwhelming presence of death and gloom. Though most would see it as a beacon of hope, Ruby only saw finality and despair.
A homeless man sat propped against the wall, unwashed and obviously hungry, if the size of his wrists were any indication.
Ruby wondered if he had family somewhere who missed him, or if he was alone in the world with nowhere to go and no one who cared.
She fished out another twenty-dollar bill from her pocket and handed it to him. “Get yourself a hot meal.”
His faded brown gaze lifted to meet her own. “God bless you.”
Ruby managed a weak smile, activated the sliding doors, and stepped inside.
“May I help you?” an elderly woman asked from behind a small brown desk.
Ruby noticed she wore a volunteer’s vest. “I’m looking for the morgue.”
The older woman’s eyes flickered with compassion. She stood and half turned her frail body toward the hall. “Do you see the elevators?”
At Ruby’s nod, she continued, “They will take you to the basement. Once you get off the elevator, take a left, and the morgue will be down on your right.”
“Thank you,” Ruby murmured, trailing off in the direction of the elevators.
She pressed the Down arrow, waited for the doors to open, and then stepped inside, switching her bag to the other hand.
The elevator lurched downward with a quickness that rolled Ruby’s stomach before jerking to a stop in the basement.
Ruby steadied herself while waiting for the doors to open, then stepped into the hall and took a left.
Passing several doors along the way, she finally came to the one that read Morgue.
Her hand shook as she lifted it to knock.
It opened a few moments later, and a balding man wearing a white coat stood in the entrance. “What can I do for you?”
Ruby stared at the mask hanging askew around his neck. “I’m Ruby Atwood. I’m here to identify my— One of your…”
“Yes, of course, Miss Atwood,” he interjected, saving her from speaking the words aloud. “Right this way.”
Stepping inside, Ruby waited for the door to close before allowing her gaze to scan her surroundings.
Two stainless steel tables sat in the center of the room. A set of matching sinks was perched nearby, and large shiny drawers lined the opposite wall.
“I’m Doctor Crowder,” the man announced, waving a hand toward the rows of drawers. “You will be doing this alone, then?”
Ruby pinched the bridge of her nose. “There is no one else.”
“Very well.”
Following him across the room, Ruby stood back as he gripped the handle to one of the drawers and slowly tugged it open. “Are you sure you’re ready?”
At Ruby’s nod, he gently pulled the sheet down to the man’s chest and took a step back.
Fear of what she would see damn near took Ruby to her knees. She inched forward until the dead man’s face came into view.
“Oh God,” she moaned, her hand going to her mouth. Tears sprang to her eyes, instantly spilling over to track down her cheeks. “Daddy…”