At two, Ray approached the nurses’ station to drive me home. He nodded to Vi, who scowled in reply.
I grabbed my things and waved good-bye to Vi. In the car, I broached the subject with Ray. “I think you may have something with your Raychology.”
He smirked in my direction.
“I think some of the women you dated in high school are probably hating you for dating younger women because it makes them self-conscious about their aging.”
Ray tapped the steering wheel. “Well, give them the memo that I’ve stopped, okay?”
“You have?”
“You know, what you have with Joe is rare.”
His statement surprised me. “Rare?”
“Not many people stay together. Dad was never faithful.” He glanced over at me. “You wonder why I never had a serious girlfriend? Because my Dad’s advice was ‘keep it wrapped and play the field. Bail when they start to get clingy or you’ll end up a miserable married man’.” Ray shrugged his shoulders. “Who says that to an eleven-year-old kid?”
“He was wrong.”
“Obviously.”
“Look, he was an idiot, and he might still be an idiot, but he doesn’t control the choices you make now.” We neared the hair pin curve that nearly killed me and I held my breath. Ray took the curve slowly. I wiped my sweaty palms on my scrub pants and continued our conversation. “Just because a couple stays married doesn’t mean they’re happy. My mother had an affair. I don’t know who my biological father is.”
Ray looked at me, mouth open.
“I never felt like I belonged, but all kids go through that. But then Jess did a school project on blood types, I realized my Dad was not my biological father. I asked my mom about it and she freaked out.”
“I bet.” Ray’s voice was flat.
“She begged me to keep it a secret. Refused to tell me who my father is. And now, with this stuff about the kidnapped babies, I wonder if my biological father would want to know me? Does he even know about me? Would he want to meet his grandkids?”
Ray cursed under his breath.
“I’m going to do one of those DNA kits and see if I have siblings, and I was wondering if you’d help me find my dad?”
“Absolutely.” He reached out and grabbed my hand. “And your biological father would be thrilled to know you. I’m sorry your mom won’t tell you the truth.”
“I’m sorry your dad was an idiot.”
Ray barked a laugh. “He’s still an idiot. Hey, when he messes up with Evie, will you promise to tell Kristi it wasn’t my fault?”
“I promise.” I nudged his shoulder. “You like Kristi.”
“What’s not to like?” He rolled his shoulders. “I’m taking it slow.” He put the directional on and turned. “I figured I should probably have Mom situated and a job before I ask her out.”
“You could enjoy dinner as friends,” I suggested.
He winced. “Charlie, once a man is in the friend zone it’s nearly impossible to get out. And what would you know about dating? You’ve been married forever.”
“True. But I got it right.”
“Like I said, what you’ve got is rare.”
“I hope not. I hope everyone finds their perfect half. It makes life so much better.”
Ray made a gagging sound.
I punched him.
The car swerved.
“You’re worse than my sister,” he muttered.
“And don’t you forget it.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Ray followed me inside my house. Being home alone with Ray set off my spidey-senses. Vi’s earlier comment made me wonder what the neighbors thought of me being alone with Don Juan McGuffin. But then I noticed Oscar’s box was missing. The hair on the back of my neck felt like little exclamation points prickling.
“Ray,” I whispered and pointed to the dining room table.
“Yeah?” He waited for me to continue, wariness in his eyes.
“I left Oscar’s box on the table.” I stepped into the dining room, and craned my neck to see if the front door was locked. I could hear nothing but my heartbeat pulsing. I tiptoed into the foyer, looking into our family room. The air pressure felt different, but maybe I was being jumpy. Everything looked normal. I stepped into our formal living room.
Ray chuffed behind me. “Stop.”
My muscles tensed and I froze in place. “What?”
“There are footprints in the living room and they look about a size thirteen. I’m guessing they’re not yours or Joe’s?”
“Nope.” How had I missed the fat imprints on the living room carpet.
“And I’m guessing you haven’t dusted in a while?” He stared at my coffee table. A dust-free halo surrounded the books, like someone went through the two piles and stacked them into one.
“You guessed correctly.”
“Walk back toward me. Someone’s been in your house and moved stuff around.”
I stepped back out of the living room and stretched to peek into the family room. I hadn’t been imagining the air pressure difference. My sliding glass door was open. I offered Ray a weak smile. “Finally, my aversion to housework proves helpful.”
He grunted and pulled out his phone. “I’m at your house with Charlie.”
My sliding glass door wasn’t open, it was broken. Sunlight reflected off glass shards in front of the couch. I pointed to the glass. My heart beat fast.
Ray grabbed my arm and yanked me toward the front door. I threw open the door and Ray followed me outside.
He continued to speak to Joe. “Someone broke in. I’m gonna call the police next… Oscar’s box… Okay.” He raised up to his full height and searched the front yard and then scrolled through his contacts. “Stay behind me. I’m calling Tom.”
My eyes darted around my front yard. I didn’t see any signs of the yard being disturbed. Adrenaline made me extra jumpy, and I held on to Ray’s shirt and then peeked around him to see if any neighbors had come out to investigate, and found none.
“Hey Tom, I’m with Charlie Sanders at her house. It was broken into. We’ll wait at the front door for you to show up… Oscar’s box of things is missing from the
