Chapter 10
But unlike Jonathan, Ray Cranton had a much calmer demeanor.
He was pensive, quiet, with a pair of intense eyes that were a little too close together.
Sean suspected he was made fun of at school when he was younger.
He reminded Sean of a quiet boy from his public school days.
The boy kept to himself, reading, and never played with the other kids.
He had jet-black hair, like Ray, that made his paleness all the more striking.
“What brings you to The Bonnie, Mr. Cranton?” Sean asked.
“Vacation,” Ray answered.
“And when did you check in?” Sean asked.
“Wednesday,” Ray answered.
Sean nodded, jotting the information down. “Have you had any interaction with the Grayson family?”
“No,” Ray answered.
Sean looked up from his notepad. The one-word answer schtick was getting old, so Sean tried to throw Ray off his game. “Can you walk me through your evening last night after dinner?”
Ray sighed. “I finished eating around seven, then took my dessert to my room.”
“And did you leave your room after that?” Sean asked.
“No,” Ray answered.
“Did you notice anything strange last night?” Sean asked.
“Just that bachelor party getting loud and rowdy,” Ray answered. “I heard them in the hallway at like three o’clock this morning.”
Sean frowned, remembering how Julie was adamant she and her sister went to bed by two. “You’re certain it was three?”
“Yeah, because I reached for my phone and checked the time,” Ray answered. “I’m not a very heavy sleeper.”
“Can you tell me what you heard?” Sean asked.
Ray shrugged. “It was hard to hear exactly. But it sounded like someone was upset.”
“Could you tell if it was a man or a woman?” Sean asked.
“A woman,” Ray answered. “I think.”
Sean scribbled that down, then put a question mark next to the time when the bachelorettes said they went to sleep, followed by 3 am?
“And you didn’t hear anyone else?” Sean asked. “Notice anything else?”
“About that little girl? No,” Ray answered. “But if you’re curious about who might have done something, I would look at the parents.”
Sean frowned. “Why do you say that?”
“It’s always the parents, the guardians, or someone the kid knows,” Ray answered.
“Have a lot of experience working missing person cases, Mr. Cranton?” Sean asked.
“I know what it’s like to be a kid who’s scared of the people who are supposed to take care of them,” Ray said flatly. “I’ll leave it at that.”
Sean glanced around the room one more time. “And you’re sure you didn’t go out last night after you came back to your room at—” Sean glanced down at his notes for good measure—“seven o’clock?”
Ray sighed. “I’m sure.”
Sean nodded. “Why’d you pick this place?”
Ray frowned. “I’m sorry?”
“The Bonnie is a very boutique hotel,” Sean answered. “Not cheap. I should know because I had to take out a loan for the weekend.” He shrugged. “This is a place typically reserved for couples or families. Why’d you pick this spot for your vacation?”
Ray stuttered and struggled to find his footing, and then eventually cleared his throat and straightened up. “I just thought it looked nice,” Ray said.
“What do you do for work, Mr. Cranton?” Sean asked.
“Social work,” Ray answered.
Sean raised his eyebrows. “You must have taken out a loan, too, then, huh? Public service isn’t exactly a lucrative career.”
Ray had tried to remain stoic, but when he answered, Sean caught the hint of a smile on his face as he replied, “It was worth every penny.”