While Emily stood at the sink washing her hands, her phone buzzed in her pocket, signaling a text.
Leaving work now. See you soon.
Avery’s message instantly made her blood run cold. Whoever was parked in her driveway wasn’t Avery. Fuck!
She stood up on the toilet, peering out the window only to see a white Acura sports car parked in her driveway. A car that was not familiar to her at all. Instead of texting Avery back, she immediately dialed Detective Denton in a panic.
On the second ring he answered, “Emily?” Denton asked through the line.
“Detective. There is a suspicious white Acura parked in my driveway. Avery isn’t home yet and the alarm system is off. Can you please come check this out?” She slowly unlocked the door while Denton kept her on the line.
“I’m on my way, and I am calling Ponce Inlet police now on the radio. Stay on the line with me.” He instructed as she heard his sirens come to life.
Emily slowly walked out of the bathroom and into the hallway leading to Gran’s bedroom. That was when his voice stopped her dead in her tracks.
“You thought I would just let you go? You thought you could go on and have a happily ever after with someone else?”
Detective Denton frantically spoke to her on the line, “Emily? Who is there? EMILY! SPEAK TO ME!” he yelled, his voice becoming louder with each word as she stood with her back toward the voice frozen in horror.
This was it, the end of her life. There was no way Jared was going to let her walk away from him. After the murderous look on his face earlier in the afternoon, this would be the end of the road for her. Her hands began to shake uncontrollably and her cell phone fell to the floor, shattering into pieces.
Jared’s footsteps came closer as she continued to stand still, careful not to make any sudden movements as she lifted her arms into the air, signaling a truce.
“Jared, I don’t know what you want from me, but you’re scaring me.” She slowly turned to face him, tears falling from her eyes. “You walked away from me years ago. You left me. I was broken for a long time.” Her sobs got louder as he watched her suspiciously.
“I didn’t want to, Emily. But he made me. He made me do it. He covered it all up. He held it over my head,” Jared rambled on, and that was when Emily saw it for the first time. The large butcher knife that was missing from her kitchen after her apartment had been broken into was in Jared’s hand. His white knuckles gripped the black handle as the steel blade waved in the air.
“I had no choice Emily. I didn’t mean to do it! I didn’t mean to do any of it!” His words got louder until he was shouting at her. “I DIDN’T WANT TO KILL THEM! IT WAS A GODDAMN ACCIDENT!” His words made no sense. Emily continued to watch him.
“Jared, who? What are you talking about?” she asked in a caring and sympathetic tone. Maybe if he believed she was on his side, he would let her go free without hurting her.
“Your parents, you dumb bitch!” He ran his free hand through his dark hair as he started to pace back and forth in her hallway.
“I didn’t mean to do it! I panicked and that’s why I walked away. I couldn’t look you in the eye knowing he would never let me tell you how he covered it up.” A tear started forming in Jared’s eye as he continued to relieve his conscience. He mumbled to himself before he looked up to meet Emily’s eyes.
“Jared, we can get through this. Talk about it. Please just tell me who made you do this?” She prayed her desperation and fake sincerity would hold him in his place until someone came to her rescue.
“BEN! Ben covered it all up!” His arms started waving in the air again, flashing the knife into her view once again. Her stomach churned, as her heart jumped into her throat. She was going to be sick. She was going to vomit right there in the hallway and leave herself even more vulnerable for him to hurt her.
He started walking toward Emily, slowly just like one of those serial killers on the big screen. One step at a time, taunting her with his speed, or lack-there-of.
“Fuck! I have already told you way too much. FUCK!” he yelled. Only a few feet separated their bodies. With each step he took, Emily slowly started to back up, until she hit the wall with a thud.
“I’m sorry, my love, but I just can’t let you go,” he whispered as he continued toward her, lifting the knife from his side.
“I suggest you back the fuck up, Boy.” Gran’s voice broke the silence as she cocked the shotgun in her arms, the chilling sound echoing through the first floor of the house.
Emily eyed Gran standing behind Jared with a giant shotgun pointed at his back.
“Drop the knife!” she demanded. His arm slowly lifted into the air, still holding onto the knife before turning toward her voice. He stood with the knife in his hand, eyeing the old lady.
“I told you, boy. Drop the damn knife,” she demanded once again, moving the barrel of the gun so it squared with his face.
The knife fell to the floor as Jared continued to stare at Gran. To her right hand side, she noticed a large vase her mother had given her for a housewarming gift when she moved into her first apartment. She remembered how much Jared loved it, as a flood of memories washed over her. Jared’s friendship with Ben, Ben being missing the night their parents had died, Jared turning up the morning after their death unable to look her in the eye—everything of their relationship rained down on her absent mind.
Without thinking twice, she grabbed the bulky white vase and ran, crashing it into the back of his unsuspecting head. His body fell forward, face first onto her hardwood floor with a loud crash. Gran followed his body with the barrel of the shotgun, as Emily leaned in closer to examine his eyes.
A loud crash startled both women when the front door was kicked in.
“DAYTONA BEACH POLICE!” Denton’s voice echoed through the first floor of the house as relief finally started washing over her.
Emily took a few steps backward before falling to the floor. She pulled her knees to her chest and slowly began to sob. Gran called out to the police officer in the distance.
“Over here.” She placed her shotgun down on the floor, backing away from Jared slowly while putting her hands up in the air with caution. Denton rounded the corner to see Jared on the floor as Emily rocked back and forth sobbing in the corner of the scene. She mumbled under her breath as she cried for her mother.
“This son-of-a-bitch had her at knife point.” Gran started to explain as Denton radioed for backup and two uniformed Ponce Inlet police walked in the door. The officers swarmed the scene, handcuffing Jared before radioing for an ambulance.
Emily’s mind ran wild with the thoughts of his words. He had killed her parents? He had been the asshole behind the wheel of that car that evening? And what exactly did Ben have to do with any of it? Nothing made sense, none of it. He had only left her with more questions.
He wouldn’t stop talking, though, thinking back to just a moment ago when she lunged at him with the vase. It wasn’t about stopping him from hurting her, or hurting Gran. But it was revenge. She wanted him to hurt as bad as she did the night she learned of her parents’ death. She wanted him to live in the pain she had the past weeks, she wanted him to be afraid like her, looking over her shoulder everywhere she went because he’d become such a threat to her. Her days of being sad and helpless morphed into raw, primal rage. She’d never ever been this mad. It was like he had reached down into the bowels of hell and brought something out of her she’d never had the displeasure of feeling before.
She’d snapped, lunging the vase at his head as hard as she could. It took every ounce of strength she could muster up, but it had accomplished everything she wanted. Hurting him in a way he would never forget. If she could have gotten away with killing him like he got away with killing her parents, she would have, right there with innocent ol’ Gran watching her every move.
“WHAT THE FUCK?” Boomed Avery’s voice from the front door as his footsteps pounded through the house. The uniformed police officers s
wiftly moved toward him in an attempt to stop him before Denton spoke up and they retreated.
Emily continued to sit on the floor, back against the wall, rocking back and forth. Avery knelt down in front of her and pushed her disheveled hair out of her face. He cupped her chin, lifting her vision to his green eyes. When her baby blues connected with his concerned eyes, her arms instinctively released her knees and reached for Avery.
“I’m here, Baby. It’s okay. It’s all okay. It’s over.” He sat down next to her and pulled her into his lap. Her body curled into the fetal position as he ran his hands down her back with reassurance. All he could do was hold her and try to make everything okay, even if it wasn’t.
***
“We’re going to be taking him to the station. We would like Miss Taylor, your Gran, and you to come along, Avery.” Denton snapped Avery back to reality. Emily looked up at the officer and stood from the comfort of her lover’s lap. The strength of this woman would never cease to amaze him. After the evening she had, to just jump up and put on a brave face so she could take care of business. Emily Taylor was something else.
Avery eyed the mess of glass all over the hallway, catching Emily’s attention as she headed for the kitchen to grab her car keys and purse. “Leave it, Avery. We’ll worry about it later.” She dismissed the mess. Her heart ached at the loss of such a precious gift from her mother, but she could have sworn she heard her mother egg her on in a desperate attempt to take further control of the situation.
Walking down the steps into the driveway, the unfamiliar white Acura sports car was being placed on a flatbed. Avery stopped, taking in the details of the car before he turned to Detective Denton who was scribbling some notes down in a small notebook next to his unmarked police cruiser.
“Why is Quinn Daniel’s car in the driveway?” he questioned Denton.
“That’s how Hart made it past us at the hospital. Apparently some nurse let him take her car, not knowing his plans. He slipped right past us, that son-of-a-bitch.” Avery stood in shock for a minute before turning back to the car and shaking his head. What the hell does Quinn have to do with Jared?
“That’s Quinn’s car?” Emily’s voice snapped him back to Earth. A puzzled look spread across her face at the simple connection. Her mind was running wild behind her tired eyes.
“Yeah, it is,” Avery answered her simply before they continued to Emily’s car. Gran sat in the front seat next to Avery. Emily huddled into the backseat, unable to get behind the wheel of her own car. Her mind continued in overtime, when something hit her like a ton of bricks. Amelia. Oh, God, what would her sister do? She pulled her iPhone out of her bag and called her, repeatedly ringing the phone until she finally picked up.
“What, Ems? I’m busy.” Her tone was harsh, distressed, and she could sense a hint of sadness. Was Ben there with her? Did he know what Jared had confessed?
“Amelia, listen to me. This is extremely important. Do not let Ben know or let on that anything is wrong. Get in your car, and meet me at the Ponce Inlet police station, now. I will tell you everything when you get here. Please, hurry.” Just like that, Emily disconnected the phone, praying she would listen to her baby sister for once instead of her dick wad, two timing husband.
***
Gran, Avery, Emily, and Amelia sat on the other side of the privacy glass in the police station. On the other side, Jared sat alone in a plastic chair at an empty table, handcuffs still holding his hands together, only in front of his body now. The whole scene reminded Emily of Castle. She loved the crime drama, but never wanted to find herself smack dab in the middle of one as long as she lived.
Emily and Amelia held each other’s hands tightly, without speaking a word. They didn’t need to talk to communicate everything transpiring between them. For years Ben had poisoned their relationship, a bond that had once been so tight. Detective Denton and another detective walked into the interrogation room. They all collectively held their breath, waiting to see what would transpire between Jared and the police.
Detective Denton placed a small recorder on the table and began.
“Today is July 14th 2013. This is Detective Denton of the Daytona Beach Police, and Detective Glen of Ponce Inlet Police. This is the interview with Dr. Jared Hart. Dr. Hart you have been read your rights, correct?”
Jared stared around the room before answering, “Yes. I plan on making a full statement.”
Emily squeezed Amelia’s hands, listening to his words, while Avery rubbed his strong hand along her back. Her breathing kicked up and her stomach started to churn.
“Please, start when you are ready.” Detective Denton sat back in his chair, looking at Jared while folding his arms across his chest and tapping his foot on the hard tile flooring.
“My name is Dr. Jared Hart. This is my confession, starting all the way at the beginning. Two years ago I was involved in a hit and run car accident. I killed Mr. and Mrs. Taylor of Ponce Inlet on the Dunlawton Bridge. I fled the scene.” He paused, rubbing the heels of his hands against his eyes. The scars on his arms were visible to everyone watching.
“Ben O’Connor helped me conceal my involvement in the accident. He fixed everything somehow, under the pretense that I would fix everything by marrying Emily and living happily ever after with her parents’ money, while he slowly cleaned out her bank account to continue funding his lavish lifestyle since Amelia’s parents had cut her off.” He took a deep breath, pausing the story for a minute.
Emily turned to Amelia, tears slowly starting to pool in her sister’s big blue eyes. Her body started to shake as a sob broke through. She wailed like a baby as Emily continued to hold on to her hand.
“I couldn’t do it. A few days later I walked away because I couldn’t face Emily knowing I killed her parents, let alone marry her. That was almost two full years ago, give or take some time. I don’t remember those dates accurately. A few weeks ago, Emily was in a car accident and she was brought into the Emergency Room. When Ben learned of her condition, and that I had treated her...” He trailed off, looking toward the glass wall. “He insisted I try to re-connect with her. But due to her amnesia, she had no idea who I was. It hurt, but I continued to pursue her at the urging of Ben. He threatened me with the secret of the car accident, saying he would expose me.”
Tears started flowing down Emily’s cheek as Avery wiped them away with the pad of his thumb, before returning his hand to her back, trying to console her alongside her inconsolable sister. Avery and Emily both felt bad for Amelia, she had been so incredibly blind to everything going on right under her nose. Ben had lied to her for years. Did he ever love her?
“When I saw Emily get involved with that fireman, I became enraged and scared. Desperate. I didn’t know what I could do, since there was someone new in the picture. She had been blissfully happy as a single woman since we’d gone our separate ways. I kind of lost it. I was sure Ben would expose me and my life would be over. I went to her apartment when they were out of town. I had been to her apartment every day that week and her car hadn’t moved. I broke in the door and entered her apartment.”
Hearing the details of the break in made Emily sit straight up in her chair, the hair on the back of her neck stood on end and a chill ran over her body. She slowly began to shake as her sister and Avery started trying to comfort her. Unable to hold down the bile rising up her throat, she ran for the garbage can in the corner of the room and emptied whatever she had left in her stomach. Avery held her hair back as she continued to dry heave until her body calmed down once again.
Taking a bottle of water, she rinsed her mouth spitting the remnants into the garbage can before walking back to her seat like nothing had happened. Morning sickness was going to be a bitch.
“I’m okay. I promise,” she said to Avery while she sat back down in her chair. Amelia and Gran both eyed the couple before Jared began speaking again.
“When I entered the apartment, I looked around for anything that might help me or Ben. There was no
thing, no pictures of us together from our relationship, nothing I could have used to remind her of our time together. Ben had suggested maybe looking for bank statements if she would ever let me back inside the apartment. I tore the whole apartment up looking for anything. I was desperate. That’s when I saw the knives in the kitchen. I wasn’t in my right frame of mine and I reverted to cutting like I had in high school. I had been a cutter for years.”
The scars on his arms were testament of that. The distant memory of him sharing that with her in another lifetime ran through Emily’s mind. A minor memory of Jared lost in her car accident.
“I cut my arms several times; I let the blood pour all over me, and her bed. I was startled and dropped the knife while in her apartment. I don’t know what I wanted to accomplish that night. Maybe I just wanted to scare her into thinking the other guy was a weirdo or something, desperately hoping she would run back to me. I don’t know, I was just desperate.”
He started to pant behind the glass. Sweat beaded on his forehead and lip while he ran his fingers through the loose strands of his hair which continued to dangle down into his face. “This afternoon I saw her in the hospital. She ran right into me. I could see the pure fear on her face. She was scared of me and it broke my heart. I was a broken man. I am a broken man. I saw her holding a strip of ultrasound pictures and I panicked. I really could never get her back now. She was going to be a mother, and she would live happily ever after with her knight in shining armor. I am the villain of the story. I killed her parents, she could never have her happily ever after with me. I went to her with every intention of just telling her what happened. Telling her about Ben.”
A sob ripped through the room Emily sat in as Amelia continued to crumble. When Jared spoke of Ben once more, Emily could see her sister coming apart at the seams. Her life was crumbling. Everything she had carefully built around Ben was being ripped out from under her and there was nothing any of them could do about it.
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