Chapter 12 - The Previous Episodes
Police could not prove Ray drugged every previous episode.
No blood samples.
No preserved patches.
No direct video.
But timelines mattered.
Episode one:
Thanksgiving.
Ray present.
Mom gave me unprescribed tablet.
I fainted two hours later.
Episode two:
February.
Argument about trust mail.
Ray present.
Mom gave another tablet.
I slept twelve hours.
Episode three:
Graduation weekend.
No pill admitted.
I became dizzy after iced tea.
Ray present.
No medical visit.
Episode four:
Barbecue.
I felt nauseated and weak.
Ray had brought lemonade.
Maybe coincidence.
Investigators refused to stretch.
Only first two had admissions.
The final poisoning had forensic evidence.
Good.
Then a pharmacist reviewed Ray’s illegally possessed medication.
Some could cause profound sedation and respiratory depression.
No exact doses discussed.
The pills Mom gave me may have been from same category.
Could not prove without samples.
Mom faced potential charges for administering medication without consent and financial misconduct.
Prosecutors offered cooperation agreement if she testified fully and repaid improper trust funds.
I had no authority over charging.
But prosecutor asked my views.
I said:
“She should not walk away with nothing.”
Then:
“I also don’t think she tried to kill me.”
Both.
They understood.
Then Mom’s own bank records.
She had spent improper trust money mostly on:
Mortgage.
Utilities.
Family debt.
One vacation.
Some clothing.
Not lavish secret life.
Still misuse.
She could repay part from home equity after sale or refinance.
Daniel’s separation meant house likely sold.
That became restitution source.
Then Ray’s finances.
He had gambled heavily.
That surprised no one who knew he disappeared to casinos.
Losses:
Over $90,000 in three years.
Trust money helped.
Credit card in my name funded casino cash advances.
Now motive sharper.
He needed more.
Guardianship delay would buy time to keep access through Mom and hide debt.
Did he intend long term guardianship?
His notebook:
Need 12 to 18 months.
Enough to repay?
Maybe.
He believed one big contracting deal would fix everything.
Everyone who steals temporarily believes next deal repairs past.
Then a text to unknown friend:
If E gets statements, I’m dead.
Not literally.
Financially.
Then:
Need one more year.
The poisoning was not necessarily intended to kill me.
That mattered.
Ray’s search history after my collapse:
How long opioid patch effects last.
Could overdose be mistaken for asthma.
I had no asthma.
But family told people I did? Ray used that.
Then another search BEFORE collapse:
symptoms of panic attack vs overdose.
That looked terrible.
Prosecutors argued he intended a severe but survivable crisis to support guardianship.
But he used substances capable of killing.
Intent for death not proven.
He was charged with first degree assault/reckless poisoning rather than attempted murder? In Iowa legal terms maybe not exact. Since fiction, avoid precise statute names. Say prosecutors charged administering harmful substance causing serious injury, assault, identity theft, fraud. Fine.
Then something from Caleb.
He asked to see me.
I agreed.
He brought stuffed dinosaur.
Sat on couch.
“I’m sorry.”
“No.”
“You always say that.”
“Because you’re ten.”
“I saw the sticker.”
“You told.”
“After.”
“You still told.”
He cried.
Then:
“Uncle Ray said you were crazy.”
“I know.”
“I believed him sometimes.”
My chest hurt.
“Okay.”
“You’re not mad?”
“I’m mad at him.”
“Mom said you fake stuff.”
“I know.”
“Was Mom lying?”
Hard.
“She was wrong.”
“Is that lying?”
“Sometimes people say wrong things because they believe them. Sometimes because it’s easier. You can ask her.”
He nodded.
Then:
“Are you coming home?”
“No.”
His face fell.
“Why?”
“Because I need my own safe place.”
“Can I visit?”
“Yes.”
May you like
He smiled.
That mattered more than any trust statement.
