Free Breaking Matthew by Jennifer H. Westall Page B

them.”
    He put down his pen and leaned back in his chair, looking me straight in the eyes. “All I can say is that she’s got things working against her. If you’re truly her friend, you tell her to tell the whole truth so we can put this all behind us.”
    The whole truth. Therein lay the problem. Ruby’s story had holes in it, and the sheriff knew it. But if Ruby was determined to keep quiet, there wasn’t nothing on God’s green earth that could change her mind. No question about that.
    “Can I see her?” I asked.
    “Sure, sure.” He walked over to the rusty door on my left, pointing into the back room. “She’s in the last one on the right. Just knock on this door when you’re ready to go.”
    He closed the door behind me, and I made my way down a narrow path between four cells—two on each side. On my left, a man lay on a cot snoring, his right arm and leg dangling to the floor. Just ahead of me, Asa and Mrs. Graves looked in on Ruby, held behind bars like a trapped and wounded animal. Mrs. Graves sat in a chair, her back rigid as she swiped at a tear. Asa stood behind her, his hands on her shoulders. When I reached them, I could see why they were so upset. Just looking at Ruby—knowing what she’d go through to help people in need—made my head swim. She was the absolute last person I’d have ever thought to see behind bars.
    “You doing all right?” I asked.
    She stood in the middle of the cell with her arms wrapped around her stomach, like she wasn’t quite sure of what to do with herself. “I’m fine. I think it’s Mother who might need some tending to.”
    Mrs. Graves dismissed her with a wave of her handkerchief. “No, I’ll be all right. It’s you I’m worried about, sitting in this place like a common criminal. It’s ridiculous.”
    Asa met my gaze over Mrs. Graves’s head. “Matthew, would you mind staying with Ruby for a bit while Lizzy and I go get some fresh air?”
    “I don’t want to leave her till we know if they’re going to indict her,” Mrs. Graves said. “Maybe they’ll dismiss this ludicrous charge, and we can all go home.”
    Ruby stepped over to the bars and knelt down. “Mother, please. Uncle Asa’s right. You need to get some fresh air. Matthew can stay for a bit. I’m just fine, really.”
    “Yes,” I said. “I’ll stay until we find out something for sure. And then I’ll come let you know. Don’t worry, I promise I’ll stay with her. She won’t be alone.”
    I glanced down at Ruby to see her large brown eyes staring up at me with just a hint of doubt. A stab of guilt ran through me. Reckoned I deserved that.
    Mrs. Graves stood and took Asa’s elbow. “Just a short walk, all right?”
    “Of course,” he said.
    I watched them leave, Mrs. Graves clinging onto her husband’s arm, then I stole a look at Ruby to see if she really was all right. She observed her mother and Asa’s departure with a stoic calmness that surprised me. In fact, I realized that since the moment the sheriff told her she was under arrest, she’d almost seemed…relieved. Almost as if she was ready and willing to head off to prison.
    After the door closed, she went over to her cot and sat down on the edge. “You don’t really have to stay. I just wanted Mother to get out of here before she fainted or something. I know you must have a lot to do.”
    “I meant what I said. I ain’t leaving.”
    She sighed as she met my gaze, an acknowledgment of our mutual inflexible natures. I took a seat in the chair her mother had left. After a few minutes of silence, I started getting antsy. “I still don’t understand how you ended up in jail for defending yourself,” I said. “What exactly did you tell the sheriff?”
    She shrugged as casually as if I’d asked her about the weather. “Just told him what happened.”
    “Well he seems to think you left some things out.”
    “I told him everything.”
    “You sure?”
    She glanced at me. Then she dropped her gaze to her hands