Hissy Fit (Possum Creek #2)

by Gen Griffin

  “We wouldn't do that.” Ian didn't sound 100 percent sure he believed himself.

  “How do you think that report wound up in the trash?” Kerry asked. “Do you think the Sheriff threw it away because he knew it was total crap? Or did it get thrown away because it was impractical to frame me for a murder when you had already caught the real killer?”

  Ian swallowed but said nothing to defend himself or his friends.

  “Intentionally framing me for murder is so far beyond dislike. It’s beyond cruel high school pranks and hurt feelings. Framing me for murder can only be explained by hatred. Plain and simple. Addison hates me enough that he's willing to ruin my life by charging me with a murder he knows I didn't commit.”

  “I'm sorry.” Ian's apology seemed genuine but Kerry brushed him aside.

  “You better warn your buddy that he better start watching his back,” Kerry told him. “He wants to hurt me? Guess what? Two can play this game. Tell Addison that he's picked the wrong fight. This is going to be war.”

  “You don't want to do that,” Ian said. “I know this looks bad but I'm sure Addison didn't really mean anything by it.”

  “I don't care what he meant by it,” Kerry was surprised by the vehemence in his own voice. “He put it out there. He started the fight. I'm going to finish it, so he better watch his ass. Addison Malone is going to live to regret the day he tried to ruin my life. Forgiveness just isn't going to be an option.”

  Chapter 45

  “You're just going to walk away, aren't you?” Kelsey crossed her arms over her breasts and glared daggers into Gracie.

  “I'm dropping out,” Gracie replied. “You should be happy. You've told me since day one that I didn't belong at State. I've decided you're right.”

  “You think you're in the clear now, don't you?” Kelsey sat down on the edge of her own bed. She was wearing a slinky blue dress with a slit that went all the way up to her waist on both sides and left almost nothing to the imagination.

  “I don't know what you're talking about.” Gracie wished Cal hadn't gone ahead of her with the last load of her belongings. Gracie had promised him she'd be right behind him. All she had to do was go up to Patty's office and turn in her room key. Gracie had intentionally timed their trip so that she could pick up her belongings without running into Kelsey. Unfortunately, it appeared that Kelsey's English class had gotten out early.

  “Brett. I'm talking about what you did to Brett.” Kelsey held up a piece of newspaper that had been lying in the middle of Gracie's desk. It was the only piece of paper left on the desk.

  “I didn't do anything to Brett,” Gracie lied. “He ran off. Maybe he got in trouble over the drugs.”

  “You are such a lying bitch.” Kelsey held the newspaper article up and began to read directly from the paper. “The disappearance of Governor Mitchell Parker's nephew has authorities questioning the entire Parker family after evidence of drug trafficking, illegal prescription authorizations, and insurance fraud were recovered from Brett Parker's bedroom in the Phi Luta Betta fraternity house at State University earlier this week.

  Brett Parker was reported missing by the Parker family after he failed to appear at a birthday dinner for his mother, Anita Parker, last Sunday night. An investigation by State University Police revealed that Parker was allegedly actively engaged in a variety of illegal activities at the time of his disappearance.

  An investigation by State University Police Lieutenant Fredrick Smith into Brett Parker's activities prior to the time of being reported missing uncovered multiple prescription tablets and other drug paraphernalia that were stored in Parker's room. An official police report regarding the seizure of the drugs revealed over $700,000 dollars’ worth of street-value narcotics had been taken from the Phi Luta Betta House as a direct result into the investigation into Parker.” Kelsey raised her eyebrows at Gracie and took a deep breath before she continued to read from the newspaper.

  “Charges against Anita Parker, a well-known cardiologist, are currently pending but are expected to include unauthorized issuance of prescriptions and failure to prevent or report illegal drug activities. Anita Parker could not be reached for comment. It is currently unknown whether Anita Parker was aware of her son's activities or whether she will lose her license to practice medicine as a result of his actions. If Anita Parker is found to have played an active role in obtaining the prescription medicines her son reportedly sold to numerous classmates and fraternity brothers, she could face up to 20 years in federal prison,” Kelsey read. “State University Police have theorized that Brett Parker may have fled from State University following a classmate's threat to report his illegal activities to authorities after the two shared a disagreement last Tuesday.”

  “I don't have anything to do with Brett's disappearance.” Gracie felt it necessary to claim innocent. “Right there is your proof. The cops are saying someone else was threatening to report him for drug dealing and he ran.”

  “No one is going to run away from a multi-million dollar trust fund, Gracie. Not just because of a couple of lousy drug charges.” Kelsey continued on with the last bit of the article. “Lieutenant Smith says Brett Parker may have a significant amount of money on his person and may attempt to flee the country in order to avoid charges. “As of this time, the Parker family has withdrawn their missing persons report and has requested that the investigation into the disappearance of Brett Parker be halted,” Smith said. “However, warrants have been issued for Brett Parker and a reward is being offered for any information that leads to his arrest.”

  “Shame you don't have any real information, you could collect that reward they're offering.” Gracie snapped at Kelsey, trying not to show how relieved she felt every time she read the last sentence of the article. “Now, if you're done, I'm leaving.”

  “I'm not going to forget what you did, Gracie.” Kelsey held the newspaper article in the air. “You may think this is over, but it’s not. I won't forget about you. I won't forget about how you were the last one to ever see Brett Parker alive. You'll pay for what you did, Gracie. One day, you're going to pay. I'll make sure of it.”

  “Go to hell, Kelsey.” Gracie turned on her heel and walked out the door, letting it slam closed behind her.

  Epilogue

  “Y'all didn't have any problems getting the rest of her stuff from the dorm, did you?” David leaned against the hood of Gracie's Camaro as Cal grabbed the last box of Gracie's belongings out of the bed of the Chevy.

  “Nope,” Cal grunted as he shifted the box onto his hip. “Everything was quiet.”

  “No problems with the roommate?” David asked skeptically.

  “Nothing I wasn't expecting. She threatened me. She promised I'd never get away with killing Brett,” Gracie shuddered. Cal wrapped one arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to his chest.

  “Ignore her, Gracie. She's just being a bitch because she knows it bothers you.”

  “But she knows the truth,” Gracie voiced her deepest fear. “Or at least, she's guessed it.”

  “She doesn't have any evidence.” David propped himself up by leaning against the side of the truck. “Cal told me about the newspaper article y'all found in your dorm room. Sounds like the cops are working pretty hard to connect his disappearance with his drug dealing activities.”

  “Are you really saying that everything is going to be okay now?” she asked. “Is the nightmare truly over?”

  “No,” David responded before Cal could even open his mouth.

  “No?” Gracie blinked at him in surprise. “But the article says-?”

  “I know what the article says. Don't get me wrong, it’s good news. But over?” David had a distinctly depressed look on his face. “No. Crime is never over, Gracie.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You're always going to remember how he died. You're going to have nightmares with his face on them for the rest of your life.”

  Gracie swallowed visibly. “I can deal with nightma
res.”

  “I know. I deal with them all the time,” David shrugged. “The problem is that, once you've done something really horrible, you can't undo it. You can't ever really move on. You're always going to wonder if some part of the body will turn up or some relative will get the case reopened. If some little piece of evidence exists somewhere that you didn't know about.”

  “You're saying I can't just walk away from it.”

  “No one can,” Cal said. “But I'll promise you that anyone who tries to come after you will have to come through me first.”

  Gracie twisted so that she could wrap her arms tightly around Cal's neck. “I love you so much.”

  “I love you too,” he said. “And everything will be okay.”

  “But David just said?”

  “I said you can't make it go away,” David clarified. “I didn't say you had to let it rule your life or that you couldn't move on. You have a future.”

  “A really awesome future,” Gracie relaxed against Cal's chest. “Assuming Mom ever forgives me.”

  “She still all worked up?” David asked.

  Cal nodded and Gracie groaned. “She's threatening to skip the wedding.”

  “She won't miss your wedding.”

  “If she does, at this point, it’s her loss.” Gracie sighed. “I'm making my own choices based on the future I want to have with Cal.” She laid her head against his shoulder. Cal held her close to him and rubbed his hands up and down her spine.

  “She'll come around,” he said confidently. “Even if she doesn't, my parents are ecstatic.”

  “Your parents are happy no matter what you do,” Gracie pointed out.

  “Not always.” Cal stroked her hair back out of her eyes. “Mom was pretty damn mad at me when I screwed up my relationship with you.”

  “I was pretty damn mad at you for that one too,” Gracie grinned at him.

  “Well, I won't do it again.”

  “You better not.”

  Cal cuddled Gracie close. “Never again. Nothing but blue skies and roses from here on.” He tilted Gracie's chin up to him and kissed her gently. She cuddled closer to him and returned his kiss passionately.

  “Sunshine and roses,” she said with a laugh. “With my luck, it’s going to be more like alligators and swamps. But only with you.”

  “Always with me.” Cal held her close. “You always belong with me. No matter what. In sickness and in health. In good times and in bad. When we're young and when we're old. I love you and you belong with me. And that's all there is to it.”

  “That's that, huh?” Gracie kissed him gently.

  “That's that.”

  COMING SOON

  HOT SOUTHERN NIGHTS

  A POSSUM CREEK NOVEL

  Dark choppy waves slammed against the bow of the large speedboat as it headed back to the safety of the marina. The vicious roar of the twin outboards made conversation impossible as the boat repeatedly rose up on the crests of the waves and then slammed back down into the swell.

  Trish clung to the life-preserver with both hands. She kept her eyes closed tightly against the cold spray of the water. It was a constant struggle not to upchuck her seafood pasta all over the gleaming white deck of the vessel that was her husband's pride and joy. Curtis would be furious if she barfed shrimp and scallops all over his precious boat less than two days after he'd paid some kid at the marina $300 to scrub the craft to spotless perfection.

  “Open your eyes.” Curtis yelled to make himself heard over the approaching storm and the pounding waves.

  Trish shook her head no.

  “Stop being such a cry baby. If I'd known how whiny you were going to be today, I would have invited Becky to come with me and left you at home. Becky loves a good storm. She says the lightning makes her horny.” There was no mistaking the implied threat in Curtis's nasally voice. Be more fun, or be replaced by his new secretary.

  Trish opened her eyes, squinting behind the expensive sunglasses she was using to keep the salt water from doing horrible things to her contacts. “You know I don't like storms. You saw the weather report. You knew today wasn't a good day to take the boat out.”

  “You worry too much,” Curtis replied. He was standing behind the wheelhouse and grinning like a maniac as the big boat smashed through the waves. His thin, bright yellow fishing shirt was pasted to his slightly flabby chest. He looked like the losing entrant in a wet t-shirt contest. “We could be making love right here on the deck if you weren’t so busy worrying that we’re going to sink. You don’t trust me.”

  “You have to earn trust,” Trish mumbled under her breath. The dark waves might have looked enticing and exciting to Curtis, but the deep, choppy water intimidated the hell out of her. “I can barely dogie paddle well enough to keep my head above water. I'll drown if I fall overboard.”

  “You don't think I'd really let the woman I love drown, do you?” Curtis gestured broadly to the very front of the boat. “Stand up in the bow. Tell me the wind blowing through your hair isn't the best feeling you've ever had.”

  “No way.” Trish kept her attention focused on the marina in the distance.

  Curtis abruptly slowed the engines. He frowned at her as he propped both elbows on the steering wheel. “Stand in the bow, Trish.”

  “I don't want to,” she replied. “I'm fine right where I am.”

  “Why do you always shut me down cold when I try to be romantic?” Curtis crossed his arms over his wet shirt and radiated wounded disappointment.

  “You know I don't like boats,” Trish reminded him. She made no move to budge from her carefully chosen seat. “If you wanted romance then we should have gone to a concert like you promised. What happened to floor level seats at the coliseum?”

  “We've been to a dozen concerts, Trisha. I'm bored with concerts. I wanted us to have a memorable night together. I have this fantasy I've been wanting to try out in real life. All you have to do is stand in the bow with your shirt off. Hold your arms out wide and let the waves crash over you.”

  “Curtis, please. Just get us back to the marina as quickly as possible.” Trish flinched as another big wave slammed into the side of the boat. She could see the line of rain approaching from out over the water. She did not want to get anywhere near the bow of the boat.

  “If you love me, you'll stand in the bow.”

  “You know I love you,” she said. “I don't want to ruin our day by arguing with you. We've barely seen one another since you were hired on full time with the law firm. Last night's fight was bad enough. If we're really going to stay together and work our problems out then I need to have a good time today. I need to remember why I married you.”

  “If you really want to prove that you love me then you'll indulge me here,” Curtis whined. “Stand in the bow for me. Be the beautiful goddess of the sea that I know you can be and then let me fuck your brains out here on the deck”

  “You can make love to me when we're back on dry land. All night, if you want,” Trish promised tiredly.

  “You're no fun, Trish. All I'm asking is for you to trust me. Live a little. We're not even a mile from the marina. I'll make you a deal,” Curtis offered.

  “What kind of deal?” Trish asked.

  “If you'll stand in the bow and ride all the way back to the marina, we can wait to have sex until we're back at the apartment. We don't have to have sex on the boat.”

  “I get to keep my shirt on, too.” Trish eyed the bow of the boat unhappily as a big wave crashed over the short metal railing.

  “Fine.” Curtis pouted at her. “But I'm starting to doubt how much you really love me.”

  “My being on this boat in a storm should be enough proof of my love for you.” Trish swallowed nervously as she forced herself to release her death grip on the seat cushion. She got unsteadily to her feet and walked very carefully across the deck.

  “That's my girl.” Curtis grinned at her as she reached the bow of the speedboat.

  “I'm scared.” Trish had
to struggle to keep from falling as the deck rocked with the waves.

  “Don't be. You only live once.” Curtis hit the throttle and the big boat careened forward in the water. Trish grabbed the slick metal railing with both hands.

  “Slow down!” Trish forced herself to stay standing as icy cold water began pounding her face and skin. Her shirt, which had been slightly damp, was soaked instantly when the first large wave hit her squarely in the face.

  “Let go of the railing,” Curtis had to yell to make himself heard above the roar of the outboards. “Let yourself go, Trish. Be free. Have fun with this moment we're living in. You never know if it might be your last.”

  Trish twisted around slightly so that she could look over her shoulder. She intended to tell him that being terrified and wet in the front of a boat was not her idea of fun. As she turned to face the wheelhouse, Trish was startled to see that Curtis was no longer holding onto the steering wheel that controlled the boat.

  Had he been hit by a wave and fallen overboard?

  Trish forgot to hang onto the railing beside her as she spun around and came nose-to-nose with her smiling husband.

  Relief washed over Trish instantly. “Curtis! You scared me. You're supposed to be driving the boat!”