Chapter 7: What Ray Wanted
Arthur walked to the far end of the kitchen.
Away from the children.
"How do you know where they are?" he said.
"I've known where they were for weeks," Ray said.
"I was being patient.
Giving Sarah time to do the right thing.
But she ran out of time, didn't she." It wasn't a question.
"And now those children are in your house, which creates a problem."
"The only problem I see is a man who left two children without a word for fourteen months and is now calling himself family."
A short pause.
"I had my reasons for stepping back."
"I'm sure you did."
"I'm not the villain here, Mr.
Harrison.
I'm a man who made a mistake and wants to correct it.
Those children are my sister's.
They deserve to be with blood."
"They deserve to be with someone who wants them," Arthur said.
"Those are not the same thing."
"That's a very sentimental position for a man with no legal standing." Ray's voice stayed smooth.
"You have no formal relationship with those children.
No guardianship, no foster placement, no court order.
Sarah's letter is not a legal document.
My lawyer has already confirmed that I have a stronger claim than you do, simply by being alive and related to Donna."
"Your lawyer is welcome to file whatever he likes."
"He will.
On Friday." A beat.
"Unless we resolve this quietly before then."
Arthur turned slightly.
Leo was watching him from the table.
Arthur turned back toward the window.
"What does resolving it quietly look like to you?" he said.
"It looks like you stepping aside.
No court fight, no disruption for the children, no expensive legal process.
You hand them over to me, I take them north, and everyone moves on."
"And what happens to them in Clarkson?"
"They're family.
They'll be cared for."
"That's not an answer."
"It's the only one you're getting." The smoothness slipped, just slightly.
"You don't know me, Mr.
Harrison.
You've heard one side of a story from a sick woman who made choices she had no authority to make.
I am Donna's brother.
I am the only living relative those children have.
No judge in this country is going to hand two children to a retired building owner with a sentimental attachment over a blood uncle with legal standing."
"Then I'll see you in court," Arthur said.
Silence.
"You're making a mistake," Ray said.
The smoothness was gone now.
What was underneath it was harder.
"I will file Friday.
I will have an emergency hearing scheduled within two weeks.
And when that judge asks those children where they want to be, I will make sure they understand what the right answer is before they walk into that room."
Arthur's grip on the phone tightened.
"Stay away from them."
"They're not yours to protect." A pause.
"Yet.
And they won't be."
The call ended.
Arthur stood at the window for a moment.
Then he turned around.
Both children were looking at him.
Mia had her hands in her lap.
Leo had pushed his bowl to the side.
"He threatened you," Leo said.
"He tried to."
"What did he say?"
Arthur came back to the table and sat down.
He looked at Leo directly.
"He said he's going to file legal papers on Friday and fight for custody.
He said he'd talk to you before any court hearing to make sure you said the right things."
Leo's jaw tightened.
Eight years old, and his jaw tightened like a grown man's.
"He can't make us say anything," Leo said.
"No.
He can't." Arthur leaned forward.
"But I need you to understand something.
This is going to get harder before it gets easier.
There will be people — lawyers, social workers, maybe a judge — who ask you questions.
And the most important thing you can do is tell the truth.
Exactly what you know.
Exactly what you've seen.
Nothing more, nothing less."
"We're good at that," Mia said quietly.
Arthur looked at her.
"We've had to be," she said.
He nodded slowly.
Then he stood up.
"Get your jackets.
We're going to see your mother."
He called his lawyer on the way to the car.
Left a message.
Called Greta next.
"Ray made contact," he said when she picked up.
"He's filing Friday.
He also said he'd prepare the children before any hearing."
"That's witness coaching," Greta said immediately.
"If you can document that threat —"
"I know.
I need everything you have on Ray Marsh by tomorrow morning.
Finances, history, anything that explains why a man with no interest in two children for fourteen months suddenly wants them back."
"I'll have something for you tonight," Greta said.
"Arthur — be careful.
Men like Ray don't make threats they can't back up."
He looked in the rearview mirror.
May you like
Leo and Mia sat side by side in the backseat, shoulders touching, both looking out the window at the city passing by.
"Neither do I," he said.
