Complex sentence: Opal was fearful that the child, an interracial baby, would be abused--or worse--if Ray got his hands on the infant so she claimed she was babysitting and walked out on the child.
Split into simpler sentences: Opal was fearful that the child, an interracial baby, would be abused--or worse--if Ray got his hands on the infant. So she claimed that she was babysitting and walked out on the child.