The Murder Of 1998

Chapter Forty-One

3 years later, December 31st, 2001

Sofia, Ray's mother, smiled up at him, gently caressing his face. It was the first time in a very long time that he looked happy.

"Oh, mi hijo... you finally smile," she said. Ray chuckled and hugged his mother tightly. "I'll be back with some pan," she said as she walked off, humming to herself. Today was special. Today he could take a break from life and just spend time with his family that he hadn't seen in several years.

Ray slid the photo of Emily out of his pocket, looking down at it with a sad smile. He held it close to his heart, a tear slipping out.

Ray was with his family in Texas, which was where the majority of them lived. This was the first time in years that he went to Texas. And for some reason, he felt at such peace, especially from the fact that he wasn't in New York where he had to constantly be reminded of his dead wife, or what happened back in September

"Ray," a male voice said with a Spanish accent. Ray turned around to see his dad, Lorenzo, walking towards him.

"Papa!" Ray shouted. He was wearing a cowboy hat and had another one in his hand. He handed it over to Ray who took it and placed it on his head. He felt so happy to be with his family.

"So," his dad started off by saying as he straightened out his shirt, "how do I look?"

Ray chuckled. "You look great, papa. Um, what are those shirts called again?"

Lorenzo raised a brow and shook his head. "Ay dios mio. It's called a guayabera. I've told you this millions of times. You even used to wear them to school."

Ray missed those times when he would show up to school wearing a guayabera, thinking it made him look muy macho as he tried to impress Emily. But of course, she wasn't interested in looks.

Sofia came back with a plate full of pan, offering some to Lorenzo and Ray who both took one happily.

"Lorenzo, you shouldn't be eating so much harina. Te vas a poner mas gordo."

All Lorenzo did was laugh and pat himself on the stomach as Sofia stared at him with her fist on her hip.

"¡Ay por favor! You're the one that offered me some! I can't refuse," Lorenzo replied with. Ray stood watching his parents give each other a dirty look. Ray grabbed a bread, looking down at it with misty eyes. He ran his thumb across the top of it, dusting off a bit of the sugar that was sprinkled all over it. He already had a few earlier, so he decided he would give them to his kids.

He walked out of the living room and out into the backyard, seeing all the kids playing with each other and the adults laughing and having corona's. He hopped off the deck and walked along the path to where his kids were dancing along to the music that was playing off of a radio. They looked happy and full of life.

"Kora, Mitch," Ray called out to his children. The two children, now seven and five, ran over to their dad, smiling. Ray got down on one knee to be on their level. He broke the bread into two, handing one half to Kora and the other half to Mitchell. The two kids munched on it, getting sugar all over their face.

"Thanks, dad," Mitchell said as he munched on his bread. Kora just smiled and nodded her head. Ray laughed and ushered them to go back to dancing.

It was such a wonderful thing to see. His kids happy and dancing to the mariachi music. It wasn't really dancing, but more of just jumping around and stomping their feet. But regardless, they were happy and that was what was most important to Ray.

His family members were all relaxed and enjoying a good time. One of his uncles noticed him and waved at him.

"Ray, come! Enjoy a beer with us!" The man said. Ray noticed that Tanya and Ricky were among the adults, smiling and drinking as well. At least Ricky was. Tanya was sitting and feeding her baby she gave birth to last year. He might as well have gone to them since even though they were all speaking Spanish and he couldn't speak it, it was still nice to be spending time with family that he hadn't seen in years. He walked over to them, as his uncle handed him a beer. Ray popped off the cap, raising his drink. Everyone else followed.

"To a new year, and... to those who couldn't be with us."

Everyone glanced at Ray, comforting him as he just smiled. He learned to cope over his loss, even without alcohol, and he learned to accept it all. Everyone clinked their bottles together. Ricky looked to Ray and gave him a nod. The two brothers wrapped their arms over the others shoulders. It was the first time in a while that they laughed and thought about their loved ones without crying.

This year was going to be much better.

-x-

As the day became darker, the sun about to set and everyone busting out the fireworks, Sofia was helping her sister fix the decorations of her house to make them look more presentable.

A man walking on the sidewalk looked around, trying to find someone or a place. He kept looking down at the letter in his hand, scratching his head. He looked up and saw Sofia and her sister talking with each other. The man walked up the path that followed to the front entrance.

"D-disculpe, senoras," he said. Sofia and her sister both looked over their shoulders to look at the man who had a mustache and sunglasses.

Sofia glanced at her sister before walking up to the stranger. "Si?"

"Hay un hombre que se llama, 'Raymond'?"

Sofia wondered why the man was wondering about Raymond. She never met this man before. She also didn't live in Texas so it was possible that he was just a friendly neighbor or so. But it didn't seem that her sister knew him either.

"Un momento," Sofia said as he walked back into the house. She looked out into the backyard, seeing her son dancing along with others. She whistled towards him, catching his attention. She gestured for him to come over to her.

Ray looked at his cousin and gave her a warm smile. He took her hand and bowed, kissing the back of it. His cousin giggled and gave Ray kisses.

After departing from his cousin, Ray made his way to his mom who leaned in close to him.

"What's the matter, mama?"

"Ray, there is a man asking for you. I'm not sure if you know him. But he's waiting out front."

Ray furrowed his eyebrows, scratching his head as he wondered who it could be. He didn't know anyone in Texas, so he was just as puzzled as his mom. He walked to the front entrance, confronting the stranger. It wasn't anyone who he knew.

"Eres Raymond?" The man asked. Ray nodded as the man handed him the envelope and quickly walked away as if he was afraid. Ray looked down at the envelope and flipped it over, seeing the red wax stamp with the rose imprinted on it.

He thought he was done. He thought he was finally moving on. But Jack was pulling him back into the dark hole he was trying to hard to escape.

Ray's hands became shaky as he opened the envelope. He slowly took out the letter and unfolded it.

To Raymond Hunter, the loneliest man in the world,

Happy New Years.

Yours truly, Jack 

(A/N) Y'all know that video of the girl screaming when Dr Phil takes off his jacket? Yea, thats me rn. CAUSE I FINISHED THIS FUCKING BOOK.

I don't know if I'll make the second book right away cause I still gotta plan it 'n shit. Hey, maybe I'll write a different book, unrelated to this series. Idk. (i'll try my hardest to make the second book better than this one, no promises)

Anyways, thank you so much for reading! Please vote and comment it helps me out a lot. And make sure to follow me to get updates. Thanks for sticking around and hopefully you come back for book 2 :)