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"There must be a mistake. I already have my gift." She held the bag of candles aloft.
Todd looked at the tag hanging from the brightly wrapped box in his hands. "No, this says To: Ruby Kincaid, From: A Secret Admirer."
A chill walked up her spine. Maybe it sounded romantic, but in her mind a secret admirer was just one step away from a stalker.
"That's weird," she said softly as Todd offered her the gift. "I don't think I want it."
Todd and the professor both seemed surprised. "I thought women liked gifts," Benedict said.
"Me, too," Todd said.
It occurred to Ruby that the only two unmarried men in the room were with her, and if the box really did come from a secret admirer it was likely one of them. Oh, she hoped it wasn't Todd! Weird as the professor was, he wasn't a forty-four-year-old man living in his mother's house, living off of unemployment combined with money and prizes from radio and television contests and one long-ago moment of glory on a network game show.
"Fine." Curious, she offered her hand for the box. Best to open the thing and get it over with.
Both men watched curiously as she carefully unwrapped the box. She had never been one to tear into pretty paper, but instead picked away the tape with care and removed the wrapping paper in one barely wrinkled piece to reveal a sturdy white gift box.
She placed the paper aside and opened the box, finding that whatever was inside had been protected by white tissue paper. She removed the tissue as carefully as she had the gift wrap. At the bottom of the box sat a pale green figurine of a cat, perhaps two inches by three. She lifted the figurine out of the box and studied it carefully, noting the incredible detail and the heaviness of the stone. Jade, perhaps? Whatever it was, this was no cheap knickknack.
"Wow," she whispered. "This must be some kind of mistake."
"Interesting," the professor said. "May I?" He offered his hand.
"What is it?" Todd asked. "A doodad? Not very romantic, considering it came from a secret admirer. Perfume or jewelry would be better. I won some really expensive perfume when I was on television, but I gave it to my mom."
"I like it," Ruby said defensively as she finally placed the cat on Benedict's palm. Neither of the men acted as if they knew anything about the cat, which was odd. Who else would've gone to so much trouble to give her an anonymous gift? Who else would've signed the card "secret admirer?" It didn't make any sense. If the secret admirer was one of the married men who lived on the street—that really was creepy.
The professor studied the figurine as if it were made of solid gold. He turned it this way and that and studied all sides, taking in every aspect. "This appears to be quite old," he said. "The work is incredibly detailed. See the hairs here, and the shape of the mouth? Extraordinary." He lifted his head and looked at her, his dark eyes deeper than before. "Would you mind if I borrowed this piece for a few days?"
"Why?"
"I'd like to do a bit of research if you don't mind. Classes are out for the holidays, and I have some time on my hands."
"It's just an ornament," she said. "It's pretty and intricate, and I agree that it's interesting, but if it were worth studying I doubt it would've ended up in a box with my name on it."
"Please," the professor said softly.
"Hey, Ruby!" Todd called too brightly.
Her head snapped around. She had forgotten that he watched. "Yes?"
"I have tickets to a concert in Birmingham on Thursday. Won them in a radio 99.1 contest." He told her the name of the popular band and grinned. "I was the tenth caller. They're really good seats."
"Thanks, but I can't." At least once a month Todd won tickets to something, and he always asked her to go along. Maybe her love life was nonexistent. Maybe she did spend her nights alone. She had a feeling if she ever said yes to Todd, she'd be stuck for life. Lonely as she sometimes was, that was entirely unacceptable.
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure."
"I don't want to ask someone else, then have you change your mind." It sounded almost like a threat.
The professor did not take his eyes from the figurine in his hand as he said, "For heaven's sake, Todd, she said no. Go away."
Todd looked annoyed, but he did leave. In the crowded basement, he didn't have far to go before he ran into another victim. He honed in on poor Mrs. Logan, the very shy widow who lived on the other end of the cul-de-sac.
"So, can I borrow this?" Benedict lifted his head and looked at Ruby expectantly.
He looked so anxious, so excited, she almost gave him an instant yes, but something stopped her. "Well, Professor . . ."
