Heartless takes place thirteen years after Lucky Thirteen ends. The Raifords are a little older and a little wiser, but there is another serial killer on the loose.
Ray Reynolds gets a surprise (2 actually). Both in their 40s now, Larkin tells him she's pregnant with their 3rd child on the same day he discovers his first child was not with Larkin and he has not known about the boy until that day.
The story takes a look at surviving child abuse and dealing with addiction.
Chief Raiford
Reynolds had a hectic morning. He had dropped his kids at school and almost had
an accident when another harried parent ran the red light near the school. Next,
he signed expense vouchers for Chris and Baker to go to La Place, Metairie , and Kenner
"Okay,
boss. I won't even answer the phone if you say so. What about in person?"
"What do
you mean?"
"There's a
young man out here asking to see you."
"Is he a
reporter?"
Ray heard
muffled conversation.
"He says
he's not with any kind of media. His name is Parker Godchaux."
After a long
moment of dead silence, Ray asked, "Godchaux? Are you sure?"
"Yes, sir."
"How old
is he?"
Muffled words
echoed through the intercom again.
"He says
he's seventeen," Tanya said.
Ray was quiet
for a long time before Tanya asked, "What do you want me to do, boss?"
"Send him
back."
♥♥♥
The young man
who entered Ray's office was very polite as he extended his hand across the
desk when Ray stood. "Hello, sir. Thank you for seeing me. I'm Parker
Godchaux."
Ray simply
stared at the boy who looked just like Mia except the eyes that looked back at
Ray were reflections of his own. Parker was not much bigger than Mia at around
five-foot eight or nine and around a hundred forty pounds according to Ray's
estimate. His dark brown hair hung limply like his mother's to his shoulders
and was parted on the left side. He needed to shave since the sparse facial
hair looked scruffy. He was clean, but the clothes he wore were cheap and a bit
shabby. His gray sweatshirt was from a school in Metairie and had obviously
been laundered many times, and his jeans were inexpensive, perhaps a Fred's
Dollar Store purchase, with tears in both knees. He wore boots which looked to
be of a fairly good quality although scuffed and worn. Wonder if he picked those up at a Goodwill. Ray took all this in
quickly, but he could not get past the boy's eyes. Finally, Ray shook his hand.
"Mia's son?" Ray asked, still stunned.
"Yes, sir.
Mia Godchaux is my mother."
The words that
came from Ray's mouth next sounded as if someone else was speaking. "Am I
your father?"
The answer Ray
received was even more shocking. "I don't know, sir. My mother never said
for sure, but I would like to know. That's
why I've come. I have a few possibilities. I'd like to ask you to do a
paternity test."
Ray scowled. "Any
chance that Robert LaFontaine is one of your possibilities?"
"Yes, sir.
I already asked the Senator if he would take a paternity test, but he refused."
"Of
course, he did. That would've been a mighty big skeleton in his closet."
"What
about you?"
Shocked by
Parker's frankness, Ray gestured to a chair. "Sit down."
Parker took the
seat but held his fists in a tight clasp.
Ray responded
to his question. "You're definitely a surprise." He sat back down. "I
never even knew Mia had a child. If you are
my son, I didn't know. If I had…"
"Would you
have married my mother?"
Ray was honest.
"I don't know. I'm sure we would've ended up divorced, but I would have
been a father to my child."
"Thank you
for that," Parker said with wisdom far beyond his years. "Does that
mean you'll take the test?"
Ray rubbed his
head. Well, shit. It's not the boy's
fault, no matter what. He nodded. "Yes, Parker. Come with me. We can
get the criminology lab to do it right now. It'll take a couple of days to get
the results. I'm sorry, Parker. I swear I never knew about you."
Ray stood and
Parker followed his example.
"I know
you didn't, sir. Nobody knew about me. Thank you for admitting at least the
possibility that you could be my
father."
Ray took Parker
to the lab a few blocks away where both had blood drawn. Then, both walked back
to the police station. Ray asked, "Where are you staying?"
"I've got
a place."
"With
friends here?"
"Not
exactly."
"A
homeless shelter?" Ray's eyebrows shot to his hair line.
"Yes, sir."
"No. That
will never do. Get your things. You're coming home with me."
Parker shook
his head. "No, sir. At least not until we know the truth. I'll come by
your office in a couple of days but thank you for the offer." Back in
front of the police station, Parker got on a motorcycle and left.
Ray turned
around in circles a few times, feeling his life was spiraling out of control.
He jogged inside the station and spoke to his assistant.
Ray went home.
Larkin had not
called him. Obviously, there was nothing seriously wrong, and he needed a few
moments in the arms of his guardian angel at that point in time. Oh, my God! How do I tell Larkin? Ray
asked himself as he drove.
♥♥♥
Ray walked into
his house to the scent of his favorite meal. He remembered the first time he
had tasted Larkin's rotisserie chicken and how beautiful she had been across
the table from him. She had changed very little in the thirteen years they had
been married. She was short and slight, and she might have gained five pounds. Moreover,
there was not a strand of gray in her auburn hair. She was forty-one, but she
didn't look a day over thirty.
Larkin came
into the foyer where Ray always left his shoes. "Welcome home," she
said brightly as she slipped her arms around her husband.
"Oh, this
feels good," sighed Ray. "Where are the kids?"
"Spending
the night with Uncle Raif. Come on. I made your favorite meal." Larkin
took Ray's hand and led him to the cozy dining area off the kitchen. He sat
down quietly as Larkin spread dinner.
"Are you
feeling better?" he asked.
"A bit. At
least I'm really hungry tonight." She looked Ray over. "You look so
tired though," she observed. "What's wrong?"
"I need to
talk to you about something that happened today."
"All
right, but I have something for you first. Do you mind?"
She's so happy. He could not douse her
enthusiasm. "No, I don't mind."
Larkin handed
Ray his gift. "Open it."
He opened the
box and took out the baby shoes. "What's this?"
"What does
it look like?"
"Baby
shoes."
"Uh-hum."
"Why do I
need baby shoes?"
"You don't."
Blue eyes
looked at his wife who had a Cheshire-cat grin on her face. He exhaled, "Oh,
my God!"
Larkin came
around the table and sat on Ray's lap. "Yes, it seems we forgot something
after the masquerade ball. You don't seem as excited as I thought you would be."
"Oh, Larkin,
of course, I'm happy. It's just that you don't know what happened today." Ray
rubbed his head.
"Are you
getting a migraine?"
"Yeah."
She went to the
kitchen and came back with Ray's prescription. He took a pill as she said, "Maybe
you had better tell me what happened
today because this is not the
reaction I expected from you."
"I don't
know how to tell you, especially now."
"Just say
it." Her tone was a bit brusque.
"I met a
young man today. His name is Parker Godchaux. I'm almost a hundred percent
certain it should be Parker Reynolds."
"What?"
She sank into her own chair.
"He's Mia's
son, and I think mine."
Larkin looked
at Ray in total disbelief before she whispered, "Is he the right age?"
Ray nodded.
"And he
knows he's not Robert's?"
"No, he
doesn't know. Mia might not know. He asked me to take a paternity test, and I
did. Robert refused. We'll know for certain in a couple of days."
Her head
leaning to one side she asked, "What does he want, Ray?"
"Just to
know who his father is. He wouldn't even come home with me. He's staying in a
shelter, Larkin."
"Where's
Mia?"
"I don't
know. I don't think he knows. Please, say something to make me feel better."
"I don't
know what to say, Ray. If he's your son, it happened before I ever met you. I
can't be angry or jealous about that, but I'm scared Ray."
"I would
never leave you and the kids. I love you, Larkin."
"I know
that. I also know you and your sense of justice. If he is your son, then you'll want to be his father. And you should. I'm
not afraid of Parker. I'm afraid of Mia."
"Why?"
"She has
kept this secret from you for nearly eighteen years. Your kid is sleeping in a homeless
shelter. I'm sorry, Ray, if this doesn't sound like me, but that woman is a
heartless bitch. If I ever meet her, I will give her a real piece of my mind."
Larkin stood. "My
husband's child will not sleep at a
homeless shelter tonight. Even if that child turns out to be Robert's, he will not sleep in a homeless shelter tonight.
Come on. We're going to find him. It's time for him to know his father."
Come on. We're going to find him. It's time for him to know his father."
Cover by Christopher Chambers.
How I see the Raifords in their 40s and one of Ray's surprises--Parker.
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