Vallejo looked up, deliberately making eye contact with the camera lens before reaching under his mattress and pulling out a newspaper. Ruby’s brow furrowed as she watched, her attention rapt. He angled the paper expertly so the camera could read over his shoulder. It made Ruby feel exactly like the nosy voyeur she was. He wanted her to take notice and she did.

Vallejo read slowly, practically leisurely. Ruby’s frustration rose with every casual flip of the page. Whatever he was trying to say, she was missing the point. Perhaps, Vallejo only intended to distract her, just like what had happened with all the false leads.

Then, Ruby froze. She stopped the video, inhaling sharply the moment she was certain of the image on her screen.

There were careful, deliberate sections torn out of the newspaper. Just like the magazines at Pearl’s house, the images the killer used to frame the butcher. It was a sign. It was Vallejo telling her he was involved, but no one would believe her just on that fact alone.

Of course, Vallejo’s plans rarely worked on just one level. Ruby zoomed in until she could just make out the blurry name of the newspaper. She double-checked the video’s timestamp—recorded the previous day.

Ruby’s heart thumped in her chest as she got up. She walked to the break room as if in a trance, flicking on the harsh fluorescent lights that had already been turned off for the night. There was still half a pot of coffee on, undoubtedly cold. The room was empty, not enough people left in the building to occupy it.

It wasn’t cold coffee or a snack that she was looking for, though. Ruby turned immediately to the paper recycling box against one wall near the garbage can.

One newspaper in a cell may have seemed inconsequential to Vallejo’s guards. Maybe they believed that no harm could possibly be done with a few sheets of paper. After all, Vallejo had no pen and no ability to send off correspondence. He was smart, though. Too smart.

Ruby reached into the bin, pushing away the shredded scraps of paper, letterhead, and other recyclables that made it into the bin. Under it all, she found what she was looking for.

The previous day’s newspaper.

“What do you want to say?” she asked, solely to herself in the empty room. There was no one else to witness her. It was probably better that way. Ruby looked unhinged digging through garbage without an obvious reason.

She folded out the paper across the breakroom table, leaning over it like a pirate searching for the buried island treasure.

Dealing with Vallejo felt that way as he and his underlings led her down a pre-determined path.

She flipped hastily through the paper, counting out the pages until she came to the same page Vallejo tore into.

Ruby stilled, gripped suddenly by something more than just frustration.