Page 148 of The Five Year Lie

“There’s no need to martyr yourself. Four is little. He accepts things, as long as you make him feel safe.”

“And how do I do that?”

“By reading picture books and watchingToy Story.”

He flashes me a smile over his shoulder. “I love that you named him Buzz.”

“I guess I wasn’t ready to let go of you.” Another rare admission from the queen of not caring. But I’m working on it. “Nobody else knows the significance. My mom took it in stride.”

“Hey—you’d better check your email.” He hands me his phone. “Maybe your mom replied to you. Or Ray. The VPN is already on.”

“Okay.” When I open up my new account on his phone, there’s a message from Officer Barski of the Portland PD. “Noway.”

“What is it?” Jay moves to read over my shoulder.

Ariel—I just went by your family’s home on Chadwick Street, and you weren’t there. Your mother is very worried about you and your son. She’s on the verge of filing a missing person report. If you get this message,please call your mother and then me, in that order.

I’m also looking for your uncle Ray, with regard to an ongoing investigation into the death of your coworker Zain. But we can’t find Ray, either. Your mother is worried about him, too. And I would like to interview him.

Please call when you receive this.

Jay lets out a low whistle. “Ray is in the wind? Or else the cop could be lying. Are you going to reply?”

“I sure am.”

Dear Mr. Barski, I have no idea where my uncle Ray is. But if you can’t find him, he’s either running for his life or running from law enforcement. You should absolutely take it seriously.

I’m pretty sure the break-in to my apartment, and Zain’s death, are the result of me asking too many questions about illegal activity at Chime Co. Hence my trip out of town.

Here’s a sample of what I know: There’s an ex-employee named Bryan Zarkey who I suspect is a violent criminal. He and his sister are probably drug dealers. I think Zarkey used inappropriate access to Chime Co. technology to pull off a variety of illegal activities. But now that Zain is gone, I’d have trouble proving it.

Ray is the one with all the answers, and I no longer trust him. I have not explained any of this to my mother because she will lose her mind. I don’t think she’s in any danger, though. She doesn’t know anything about Zarkey. And Ray would never have told my mother anything that reflects badly on himself.

If you find Ray or the Zarkeys, please let me know. Until then, I’m staying put.

“We can rig up a VoIP call,” Jay says as I tap endlessly on his screen. “You can call him instead of writing all that.”

“Next time,” I grumble.

“How’s your mom been, by the way?”

“Fine up until now. She’s planning to marry Ray in October.”

“So they’re making it official.”

I lift my head. “You heard about them?”

His mouth twists. “Well, remember that Fourth of July party at your parents’ pl—”

“Marker! We lost a camera,” Woody calls from inside the house. “South perimeter.”

My heart leaps in fear. “Oh God.”

Jay shakes his head. “Don’t panic yet. Those cameras eat batteries. I’ll check it out. Come inside, though?”

I follow him into the house, where Woody is studying the other camera views with a new intensity. “Better suit up,” Woody says. “Just in case.”

“You know it.” Jay heads upstairs.