At 5:24am, Beth’s phone rang. She had completed three consecutive 12 hour shifts at the hospital the night before. She had done her best to refuel and hydrate before bed. As usual, she had not had time to take her breaks and had only managed to escape the floor for 15 minutes to inhale a yogurt and banana around 3pm. As she struggled to clear her head, she heard a young woman on the line, clearly upset.

“I’m sorry”, said Beth. “Who is this?”

“It’s Connie”, said the young woman. “Have you heard from Ray?”

Of course Beth hasn’t recognized the caller. Although her brother Ray had married Connie 15 years ago, Beth and Connie had never been close. Ray was five years younger than Beth and had married in his thirties. Beth had been busy with two young children and had been on the opposite coast from her brother and his new wife.

“I haven’t talked to Ray in weeks,” said Beth, “not since we got together on Coronado. What’s going on Connie?”

Connie explained that Ray had not returned home from work the previous evening. She had tried calling his work phone and cell, but Ray hadn’t answered. Ray, who thrived on routine, who never failed to fulfill his obligations.

“Beth, Ray told me he’s been seeing a man outside his office all week. Very strange. The man just reads and looks at his phone, but Ray said, “I’m probably being dramatic, but it feels like he’s keeping an eye on me.”