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

until her death—which meant the man Henry referred to as his dad—the man who had choked his mother, deprived him of food, and locked him in his room—could have been his mother’s boyfriend. Sonia had decided she would give it a day or two for Ray’s memory to fully recover and then ask him outright. If she was wrong, she could still go to the police with her concerns after that.

She glanced up at a sharp rap on the passenger window. Ray opened the door, tossed a black bag into the back and slid into the seat next to her, shaking his hair like a drowned dog. The drooping bags under his eyes only added to his weather-beaten look. He didn’t appear to be sleeping well.

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” he said. “It took longer than I expected to get an Uber.”

“Are you sure you still want to do this? It’s dumping pretty hard,” Sonia said. “I’m happy to take you another day when the weather’s better.”

“It’s supposed to clear up a little later,” Ray replied. ”Besides, I came prepared with my boots and waterproof rain gear. I really want to do this today.”

“Your call,” Sonia said with a shrug as she put the car in gear and pulled out of her parking spot. She set the wipers to maximum speed, but it made no difference to the visibility. Hopefully, Ray’s prediction about the weather was right. She didn’t like driving in heavy rain. Nevertheless, she’d volunteered to help him and she was determined to see this through. She was as eager as Ray was for answers. “Any new memories since?” she asked, reaching for her coffee.

Ray frowned, staring straight ahead as though wrestling with how to answer. “I think that trail I highlighted on the map leads to a cabin—my brother’s cabin, to be precise.”

Sonia’s jaw dropped. “What? Tom’s … alive? Are you sure?”

Ray interlaced his hands and rested them in front of him. “As sure as I can be. I remember hiking up to his cabin. I can see every detail in my mind. I’m pretty sure that’s where the fight happened. I told you I knocked someone out, right?”

Sonia gave a perturbed nod. “You said you thought you did.”

“I was half-afraid I’d killed my father—believe me, I thought about it enough growing up,” Ray went on. “But it’s Tom’s face my fist slams into every time the images come to mind now.”

“But you thought Tom was dead,” Sonia said. “How did you find him?”

“I must have found the coordinates to his cabin when I was going through our mother’s stuff. Evidently, I drove out there and confronted him about … something.” Ray turned and stared out the side window into the battleship-gray morning that stretched out in every direction like a seething ocean.

”Are you sure it’s wise going back up there if you two were throwing punches?” Sonia asked.

Ray smoothed a hand over his jaw. ”I don’t have a choice. Our mother’s wishes were that the estate be divided equally between the two of us. I need to talk to him to figure out how we’re going to handle the money.”

“Do you think that’s what you were arguing about?” Sonia asked.

Ray’s expression darkened. “That would be my guess. I probably hit him up about the money he was siphoning from our mother’s account. I keep thinking the only thing he could have been using it for was drugs or alcohol. Maybe I even accused him of being an addict and wanted him to give me power of attorney. He might have thought I was trying to screw him out of his rightful share. Who knows what was said? I just need to get back up there and sort things out with him.”

“I hope you’re not making a mistake. You could do this through lawyers, you know,” Sonia said. “It doesn’t sound like Tom wants anything to do with you.”

Ray shifted uneasily in his seat. “I have to try and reach out to him again. We were close as kids. Tom’s all I’ve got left.”

Sonia narrowed her eyes at him. “What about your son?”

“Well, yes, of course I have … Henry,” Ray said hastily. “I meant, you know … Tom’s all I have left from my past. He and I went through a lot together.”

“What if he won’t listen to reason? He might pull out a gun or something.”

Ray gave a sad shake of his head. “Tom and I were best buddies once. We can work this out.”

Sonia slid him a discreet glance, hearing a wobble in his voice. “So, tell me more about the cabin,” she said brightly.

Ray squeezed his forehead between his thumb and forefinger. ”I can see it clearly in my mind. It’s a small log cabin, built by hand—Tom’s a good craftsman. Completely off grid. No running water, no sewer, no power, no modern amenities whatsoever. We always talked about doing stuff like that as kids, but I was never as handy or outdoorsy as he was.” He paused before continuing, ”I can’t remember much about the trail to the cabin. I recall getting hopelessly lost, going in circles at one point. Thankfully, I bumped into a hunter who took me the rest of the way to Tom’s place. I think he might have lived up there somewhere too. Big guy, all kitted out with a rifle and a wicked-looking knife.”

They fell silent for a while, listening to the rain pounding on the roof. Before long, they found themselves turning onto the gravel road that led to the Deep Creek Campground marked on the map. It turned out to be little more than a root-ridden dirt parking lot replete with an outhouse, a couple of fire pits and a bear-proof trashcan. Sonia switched off the engine and turned to Ray. ”Looks like the rain is easing up a bit. Do you want me to come with you?”

“No, I need to be alone so I can think. You don’t have to wait here, either,” Ray