Never Tell Them, N.L. Hinkens [unputdownable books txt] 📗

As he’d hiked up to the cabin, the dense trees had slowly begun to close in around him, shutting out the light and sounds of the outside world—sealing in the scent of pine and the chittering of squirrels. Just when he’d begun to fear he was hopelessly lost, he’d bumped into a hunter. The stranger had been wary of him, and Ray had been equally cautious, noting the rifle casually slung over his shoulder and the large hunting knife strapped to his person. But, after explaining that he was Tom’s brother, the hunter’s demeanor changed—in fact, he’d gone out of his way to direct him to Tom’s place.

Ray flinched out of his reverie when the door creaked open.

Henry pottered into the kitchen. “I’m hungry.”

Brushing a hand over his jaw, Ray hurriedly tried to disentangle his brain from the muddled memories it was sifting through and focus on the more mundane task of feeding his son. “All right, let’s see what we’ve got here.” He opened the refrigerator and assessed his options. “How about a cheese stick?” Without waiting for an answer, he peeled off the plastic and held the string cheese out to Henry, who stared at it in bafflement before accepting it. He clutched it like a toothbrush and asked, ”What is you doing?”

Ray gave a nonchalant shrug. “Nothing, buddy. Just … thinking.”

“Why is you not working?”

“Why are you not working?” Ray said, with a wink. “I am working in a way. It’s work that I do in here.” He tapped a finger on his head for emphasis.

“Okay,” Henry said, before taking a bite of his cheese stick and exiting the room.

Ray held his breath for a long moment and then tiptoed after him, peering into the family room to make sure Henry was safely back in position in front of the television. He padded quietly down the hallway to his bedroom and pulled the backpack out of the closet once more. He urgently needed to return to the cabin and find his brother. Whatever they had been arguing about, it couldn’t be more important than reestablishing their relationship now that they’d found each other again. It had likely been about the money—not that Ray cared about their mother’s money. Maybe Tom had some kind of addiction problem. Whatever it was, it could be resolved with the right kind of support. And Ray intended to give it to him. He loved his brother fiercely. They had been through so much together. Tears spilled freely down his cheeks. He felt a twang of guilt that he didn’t feel the same level of connection to his own son. Then again, the brother he’d thought was dead was alive. Under the circumstances, his whacked-out emotions were understandable.

His heart lurched against his ribs when he suddenly remembered the driver’s license. Slipping shaking fingers into the inner pocket of his pack, he pulled it back out and stared into the innocent eyes gazing up at him. A cold sweat broke out on the back of his neck as another thought struck.

Was Katie Lambert the reason he’d fought with Tom?

19

Sonia threw herself down in an armchair opposite her mother. ”Any chance you can watch Henry for a few hours tomorrow? I have to go out to a job site, and I’ll be gone most of the day. I’ve organized a ride home from school for Jessica.”

Evelyn narrowed her brows. “Why? Where’s Ray going?”

“He has to go to the hospital for a follow-up appointment. And he needs to sort some things out at the bank afterward. He’ll be tied up most of the day.”

“I take it he hasn’t located Henry’s birth certificate yet,” Evelyn said in a prim tone.

Sonia hesitated. When she’d questioned Ray about the documentation the preschool needed, he’d told her his files were still at his old place. Sonia suspected he was lying, but she’d let it slide. His memory was still a mess—his whole life was a mess at the moment. He’d probably forgotten where he’d put the birth certificate and was too embarrassed to admit it. “He left it at his old place,” Sonia said breezily. ”Once he gets the all-clear from the doctor to drive again, he’s going to pick up the rest of his stuff. So, can you watch Henry tomorrow?”

Evelyn let out a dissatisfied humph. “I suppose I could bake some cookies with him.”

“You’re the best,” Sonia said, getting to her feet and hugging her mother. “Don’t feel you have to do anything special with him. It’s fine if he watches cartoons while you knit. It’s only for one day.”

Evelyn sighed, a wistful look in her eyes. ”It’s the least I can do for Celia after all the kindness she showed Jessica. I sure do miss her.”

Shortly before eight the following morning, Sonia was huddled in her car outside The Busy Bean coffee shop, hands wrapped around a paper cup of steaming French Roast, listening to the drumming of the rain on the roof. She could barely see past the wipers swishing back-and-forth across her windscreen. It was hardly an ideal day to hike up into the mountains. She’d done her best to dissuade Ray from attempting the hike until the weather cleared—she couldn’t imagine it being a healing experience in this downpour—but he was insistent they stick to the plan.

Sonia had thought long and hard about going to the police to report the things Henry had told her, but something held her back. Maybe it was the fact that Ray genuinely seemed to care about Henry. It just didn’t seem plausible that he had done some of the things Henry said he had. But what really settled the matter in her mind was when Henry pointed at the photo of Tom and called him, dad. Tom and Ray did look remarkably alike, and it had made her think that perhaps Henry had only ever seen Ray in photos before. If Ray and his wife had been divorced, Henry might have been living with his mother up