“Mr. Thomas arranged for some women to drop by and try their luck, but Mr. Hunt had one condition: If Ray didn’t reject the woman and took the initiative to approach her, then she could stay and try to build a connection with him.”

Rachel usually wasn’t the type to enjoy gossip, but when it came to Tyler’s bizarre quirks, she was all ears. Her eyes practically sparkled with curiosity as she leaned closer to Wanda, eager to know more.

“And? What happened then? Don’t tell me none of those women made the cut?”

Wanda nodded. “Not a single one.”

Rachel gasped. “So how did Ray decide? Ray can’t just go by appearances like a person, right?”

Wanda gave it a moment’s thought. “No, Ray goes by scent. He sniffed them.”

Rachel raised an eyebrow. She knew dogs were big on smell, but this still struck her as a bit weird. “So, what kind of scent is Ray into?”

Wanda shook her head. “No clue. But since Ray seems to like you, whatever you’ve got going on must be what he likes.”

“My scent?” Rachel blinked and lifted her arm, sniffing her sleeve. “I smell like regular soap and shampoo.”

Wanda tilted her head to think it over.

“Or maybe he smelled you somewhere before. I heard you and Mr. Hunt knew each other a long time ago—something about your mother? Perhaps Ray picked up your scent at some point and just stuck with it. Who knows, I’m just speculating.”

Rachel didn’t dwell on it. Honestly, it sounded a little too mystical to take seriously. She quickly moved on from the topic.

“Alright then, I’ll go get Tyler for the meal.”

“Mm-hmm.”

Rachel walked to the door and knocked.

“Tyler, food’s ready.”

There wasn’t an answer. She pushed the door open and heard the shower running. He was still in the bathroom. Figuring he would be a while, she sat down on a chair and decided to make a quick call. She dialed an unknown number.

“Hey, I need you to look into something for me. Ten years ago, there was a fire. I need to know if there were any other people present and, specifically, where Tyler was at the time.”

She figured it shouldn’t be too hard to trace. Tyler wasn’t exactly an unknown figure. This wasn’t about hard proof—it was gut instinct. She knew William too well. The moment she caught him in one lie, it usually meant there were ten more waiting behind it.

“Actually, I’ve already started digging. Someone claimed the guy who rescued you was struck by a wooden beam when the roof collapsed. If that’s true, he should have a scar.”

Rachel’s brows furrowed. “Are you sure?”

“Positive. After you mentioned it last time, I started digging. It wasn’t easy, but I found traces of something being deliberately covered up.”