Ruth

Another glimpse at a character from Investing in the Afterlife, Inc.:

Their leader was Ruth. She dressed like the world’s worst dominatrix attending a business lunch. Her hair was High Street by way of a privet hedge and, around her neck, she wore a thick, thick chain, as if she’d snuck away from a chain-gang to return a whip to the boss man, or as if she were pre-paying a penance for something wicked she was bound to do in the future.

Goss ran his eye over Ruth and wasn’t attracted to her, which made it easier to do business. She was ripe for being took. If you needed a captain of a vessel to go down with the ship, she was the one willing to steer the thing onto the iceberg. She was just competent enough to plot a course for the iceberg, to arrange the band to play a rousing chorus as the hull was breeched, to ensure the right people got a lifeboat while below deck the chefs cooked them a delicious meal to take with them. She was crashing into the iceberg for the benefit of all, because at some point that’s what everyone had agreed, kind of, and she would see it through, regardless. Someone somewhere had clearly stated that they wanted her to sink the ship. They’d voted for it, sort of. And damn it, she was going to give them what they asked for. She was perfectly capable of dying for the cause and taking the whole cause down with her to show her commitment.
And Goss was perfectly capable of ensuring she paid for the privilege.