CHAPTER 126 She’s Back?


    Jack


    “Joy Taylor?” I croaked. My mouth had suddenly gone dry.


    Joy Taylor… hearing her namee out of Lisa’s mouth felt like a bucket of cold water was dumped


    on my head. Joy Taylor was in contact with the Big Boss of the Angels of Darkness? She had ties with


    the mafia?


    What?!


    It couldn’t be possible.


    I coughed, trying to hide the dread I was feeling. After all these years, someone hade back from


    the dead.


    “I’m sorry,” I said. “Did you just Joy Taylor? The same Joy Taylor we went to high school


    with?”


    ip to make


    “Yes, Jack,” she answered harshly. “Do you know any other Joy Taylor?” I bit my lip sure this wasn’t


    one of my nightmares.


    “Did this man tell you who the target is?” I asked, beginning to sweat. It could be any one of


    us or all of us.


    “Unfortunately, he hung up before I could ask.” She leaned forward and looked around, before she


    continued. “Jack, I have never asked either one of you, not even Cris, what happened that night of the


    Spring Formal. But think about it. Spring Formal is next week marking the ten year anniversary of Joy


    Taylor’s sexual assault by unknown men who until this day have not been apprehended. Theodore and


    Cynthia are dead, Nicole is hurt and now, Cris is missing. Although I have no idea what Cynthia


    McDowell has to do with all this, I do know Mayor Theodore Cohen used all his connections to keep


    you guys out of jail. Cris is already one off her list.” I could tell she felt betrayed by all the lies. It was in


    her voice. “That leaves her with just three left… Liam, Dan and you, Jack.”


    I grabbed her arm and squeezed it. “Let me make this clear. We had nothing to do with Joy Taylor. You


    hear me?” I quickly let go of her, before I did anything more to hurt her.


    answers


    “You’re scared,” Lisa said, massaging her arm. “I can see it in your eyes. I can see the to all my


    questions regarding that night ten years ago just by looking at you.” The corner of 6


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    CHAPTER 126 She’s Back?


    Joy Taylor is truly back to get her revenge, there is no doubt in my mind, she’lle for me too. I was


    her bestfriend, a person she trusted. And what did I do? I lured her to you.” She stood up and grabbed


    her phone. “Find my husband. I don’t care if you bring him back to me in a body bag. Just find him.


    Thank you, Undersheriff.”


    “If Cris gets in contact with you, don’t hesitate to call,” I said gruffly. “And don’t forget to


    visit Nicole.”


    That went well…


    “Oh, I will,” she said, sighing. “I can’t help, but reminisce about high school. You know, I was so lucky to


    be a cheerleader during our senior year. All thanks to Nicole, of course. For three years, I was a


    nobody, just like Joy, bute senior year, I was popr. If there’s one thing I regret, it was that need


    to be one of you guys. I should’ve just epted the fact that I could never be popr.


    Maybe Joy would still be here. Maybe instead of Bo’s, it would still be the Taylor’s supermarket. Maybe


    Joy would have married Noah.”


    Maybe Joy would have married me. I was kind of getting to know her our junior year since Abigail made


    it clear I disgusted her. But my dad was diagnosed with cancer during that time


    we needed the money.


    “Stop it, would you? You’re giving me goosebumps.” Lisa looked at me with a smug expression on her


    face. She knew she was getting to me.


    “How about a cheer before I go?” She asked, her eyes twi nkling with mischief. “You better watch your


    back, because Joy Taylor’s back!” Sheughed and turned to exit the station. I


    wanted to shoot her in the head.


    “Joy Taylor is back?” A curious voice asked behind me.


    I closed my eyes, annoyed someone had overheard us. I turned around and found Norma Martin


    standing behind me. Of all the people who could have heard, it was big mouth


    Norma.


    “No,” I said. “We were just reminiscing about high school.”


    “I’ve always wondered if she’d evere back, Norma said. “Especially after Cynthia took


    her inheritance from her.”


    “What?” I thought hard. I remember Dan telling us Pete would pay us once thend was sold to his


    mother. I didn’t know thatnd was Joy’s inheritance.


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    CHAPTER 126 She’s Back?


    “You didn’t know?” Norma said, smiling wickedly. Even though her eyes were all puffy from crying, she


    still managed to look evil. “Thend Hill Crest is built on formerly belonged to George Taylor. Cynthia


    tried everything to get thatnd, but George wouldn’t sell. He said it was Joy’s inheritance. Well, we all


    know what happened right? Joy Taylor was brutally raped and they left town, that is, after George sold


    the property to Cynthia. Cynthia, may her soul rest in peace, always got what she wanted… by h ook or


    by crook. If I were Joy Taylor, I’d definitely exact revenge on the person who started all of this in the first


    ce and the one person who covered it all up.” She moved closer to whisper in my ear. “My son is


    innocent, Jack. He didn’t murder Theodore Cohen like all of you nitwits are implying. But I know who


    did. By the way, if you can get in touch with Bo’swyer, I’d appreciate it. I fired ourwyer for being


    such a pu ssy to go against the Cohens. Do hurry. I want my son out when the sunes up.” She


    smirked and turned to walk back to the waiting area.


    Cynthia, Theodore, Nicole and now Cris…


    Abigail wasn’t part of the whole thing, but she did keep quiet all these years.


    But people would notice a tall, brown haired, blue-green eyed woman walking the streets.


    Hell, I would.


    She was the one girl who haunted my nightmares, every night for the past ten years.


    I decided to walk outside and make a couple of phone calls. I didn’t want Norma to eavesdrop on me


    again.


    I dialed, hoping Liam would answer. He didn’t. I decided to call Dan. Luckily, he answe


    “Jack, it’s five in the morning. Not even my mother wakes me up this early.”


    “We have a problem,” I said. “Lisa came by to file a missing person’s report. Cris has gone. missing.”


    He scoffed.


    “Like Cris hasn’t gone off the radar before, Jack, Dan said. “He’s a grown man. He’lle home when


    he’s good and ready.”


    “That’s the thing… Lisa ced GPS trackers in all his shoes. She says the one pair he’s wearing isn’t


    pinging a location, including the tracker she has on his car. We tried calling. him, but it goes straight to


    voicemail. Anyway, before I tell you more, I gotta ask, have you any idea where Pete is?” I asked.


    “No and I’m telling you the truth,” Dan replied. “Maybe Cris is with him that’s why the signal on the


    trackers you have on him are jammed”


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    CHAPTER 126 She’s Back?


    “I don’t know, Dan. Cynthia and Theodore are dead, Nicole’s in the hospital and Cris-”


    “Nicole’s in the hospital?! What the f uck! Why wasn’t I informed?” He screamed. I had to pull my phone


    away from my ear.


    “Sorry about that. I’ve been really busy with the Theodore Cohen investigation,” I


    apologized. “A truck crashed into her while she was driving her mother’s old carst night. She flew out


    the windshield. She’s stable, but from what I saw, she’s gonna need a lot of


    therapy.”


    “Poor thing… I’ll visit herter,” Dan uttered sadly. “Okay, is there anything else you want to tell me?


    Since I’m wide awake from the news of Nicole’s ident.”


    “Well, Lisa said she got a call from a man using an unknown number. She said the man told her


    Alejandro De Vega says he has nothing to do with all the s hit happening here. The man also


    mentioned she would never find Cris and that Ortiz has consented to a sanctioned hit.”


    Sanctioned hit? Did this man tell Lisa who the target is?”


    “She said the man hung up before she could ask him,” I answered.


    “And aside from Ortiz, who is the other contracting party?” He asked. I sighed.


    “Joy Taylor.” I heard himugh.


    Is this a prank? Are you and Lisa in on this together? Because it isn’t funny, Jack,” he


    scoffed.


    “Then why are youughing, Dan, because Lisa wasn’tughing when she told me,” I said.


    “Who called her?”


    “She said the voice sounded like Pete’s,” I answered.


    “That lu natic is here watching us, toying with us,” Dan muttered. “I don’t believe a thing that he says


    and you shouldn’t either. Cris must have sk ipped town to make it appear it was Joy Taylor. Pete’s


    right… you can’t find someone who doesn’t want to be found. Gosh, Jack, stop being gullible and think.


    Pete is behind all of this and he’s using Joy Taylor to mess with our


    heads!”


    S hit… Dan was right. Why did I have to give in to my fears?!


    4/6


    CHAPTER 126 She’s Back?


    impable.


    “I have another problem,” I mumbled. I heard Dan let out an angry sigh.


    “What is it this time?”


    “Norma heard Lisa, now she believes Joy Taylor killed Theodore and her son is innocent.”


    “Do I always have to do the thinking for you? Complete and utter deniability. When she uses Joy Taylor


    as Ford’s scapegoat, make it appear she’s sick in the head.”


    I smiled. Ford gets incarcerated and there’s a chance I could get Norma Martin locked.


    the psychiatric ward.


    It was a win-win. Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    up in


    I took out the business card Lincoln Murphy gave me and dialed. He answered.


    “Mr. Murphy, good morning,” I greeted him. “This is Undersheriff Jack Emery.”


    “Good morning, Undersheriff. Seems… I dozed off,” he said, obviously annoyed at being caught off


    guard. “How can I help you?”


    “Norma Martin asked me to call you. I think Bo Xavier, a client of yours, told her to get touch with you.


    She needs you to represent her son. He’s here in a holding cell at the


    Sheriff’s station.”


    “On what grounds?” He asked.


    “Murder,” I answered.


    “Does this by any chance have to do with the former mayor’s untimely death?” He asked.


    “Yes, it does.” I heard him mutter something unintelligible under his breath.


    “I’ll just check up on Nicole Davis first, take a shower, then I’ll head to the station. I’ll have my secretary


    set a bail hearing for this morning,” he rambled like he was reading a ‘to d


    do’


    list.


    “You’re still at the hospital?” I asked, surprised.


    “Yes. I wanted to make sure she was stable before I left. Tell my client not to say a word


    -546


    Tue, Apr


    CHAPTER 126 She’s Back?


    It was almost half past five, so I decided to head to the diner to get some breakfast. I was


    g my mouth with bacon and eggs when my phone rang. It was the Sheriff.


    “I’ve got some bad news.”


    S hit.


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