"Traffic was bad," he scoffed. "I saw Dina along the road with the 'auto club'. She seemed fine, but Diesel's a little p.i.s.sed about the car." He then looked at his deputy and best friend. "You never were good at tying loose ends, Tucker. So I figured I'd help you out. You off my girlfriend; I off yours."

Casey and Grey stared at Vaughn with surprise.

"Really?" Casey gasped. "The mayor's wife and your deputy?" She managed to eye Tucker partially behind her and suddenly grimaced. "Ewe, you slept with your ex-girlfriend's mother! That is so nasty."

"Yeah," Vaughn announced and smirked. "She was surprisingly talkative after I bounced her head off the steering wheel. She was the driving force behind keeping her husband in office. It seems Lance had no clue what she and Tucker had been doing behind his back--in and out of the bedroom."

It seemed out of character for Vaughn to a.s.sault Mrs. Mayor, but he'd obviously had a rough night.

"When she stumbled upon my accident, something she said earlier about Casey's teenage crush on me finally registered. Half the town knew I had a thing for Casey many years ago, but only three people knew about her teenage crush on me. Casey, her mother, and Dina. Abby could only have known that if she read Catherine's journal, which she had stolen from my desk."

Casey stared at Vaughn with surprise and hostility. "She stole my mother's journal? When did you intend to tell me it was stolen?"

Vaughn sharply raised his brows at her. "I think we're getting a little off subject, Casey," he remarked.

She glared her disapproval. "Fine, but we'll finish this discussion later."

"Shut up, both of you!" Tucker appeared enraged while clutching the gun he held to Casey's head. "You won't shoot Abby, Vaughn, but you know I'll do Casey."

There was a tense moment. Casey stared at Vaughn and knew d.a.m.ned well Tucker was right. There was no way Vaughn would ever shoot Mrs. Mayor without being provoked. Casey showed no emotion while staring at Vaughn.

"Shoot him," she announced sternly.

Vaughn stared back at her and appeared stunned. "Are you crazy?" he gasped.

"I'm pretty sure she is," Grey remarked simply while casually leaning against the banister to which he was handcuffed.

"Do it," Casey said firmly.

"Shut up!" Tucker shouted while clutching her shoulder and dug the barrel of the gun into her temple.

Vaughn tensed but didn't take the gun from Abby's head. Casey stared into Vaughn's eyes from across the kitchen.

"There's one bullet in the chamber, but the clip is empty," she quickly informed Vaughn then raised her brows sharply. "Shoot him!"

Tucker suddenly appeared alarmed at the prospect of only having one bullet and aimed the gun at Vaughn. Vaughn shoved Abby aside and shot Tucker in the head as Casey ducked. Tucker's head snapped back as his gun clicked empty. Abby screamed and bolted toward the garage door just past Grey. Grey suddenly kicked her in the chest, throwing her backward. She roughly hit the floor and didn't move. There was a loud thump from upstairs. Mitch.e.l.l tumbled down the stairs, landed roughly at the bottom, and lay unconscious. Ruger casually walked down the steps and a.s.sessed the situation in the kitchen.

Vaughn stared at Ruger with surprise. "Where did you come from?"

"From upstairs," he said innocently while pointing up the steps, "just now." Ruger casually tossed Grey the handcuff keys.

Diesel entered from the living room with Dina just behind him and looked around. "What did I miss?" he asked then eyed Tucker lying on the floor as blood spilled from his head wound.

Dina saw Tucker and gasped with horror.

Diesel nodded his approval and grinned. "Nice shot."

While avoiding the spilling blood, Dina ran past Tucker's lifeless body and toward Grey, who removed the handcuffs. He gathered her into his arms and clung to her while sighing his relief. Vaughn approached the dead man and glared at Casey. She innocently watched him as he picked up the small gun by the barrel.

"Did you know the gun was empty?" he suddenly asked.

Casey casually shrugged, folded her arms across her chest, and maintained an innocent look. "No, I actually thought there was one in the chamber."

"What former Special Forces keeps a gun with a bullet in the chamber but an empty clip?" Vaughn demanded.

All four looked at him while smirking but none responded. His question was silently answered. Vaughn rolled his eyes and shook his head. He crouched down alongside Tucker and unb.u.t.toned his shirt to expose the bulletproof vest. He lightly ran his finger along the indents in the chest of the vest.

"Three indents," Vaughn remarked with a soft sigh. "Same vest he wore two years ago."

"Didn't do him much good tonight," Diesel muttered then grinned.

Vaughn stuck his finger in a hole near the side of the vest and glanced at Casey. "I think this was your handy work. Looks like a .357 Magnum. If he hadn't been wearing, he wouldn't have gotten up when you shot him."

"My shot was a little obstructed," she casually remarked. "If he had stuck his head out though, I would gladly have blown it off."

Vaughn slowly straightened and allowed his eyes to fall on her attire. He casually walked past her and murmured softly, "I like the outfit."

Casey grinned and raised her brows l.u.s.tfully.

Ruger rolled his eyes, turned away, and scoffed, "I'm going to be sick."

Chapter Thirty-one.

One week later. There was a large crowd standing before the stage at the fairgrounds. Just about the entire town had showed up for what would be the turning point in history of their small town. They had been under a cloud of corruption for decades and finally things were going to be different. Grey stood behind the podium as the crowd cheered and applauded. He proudly looked over the cheering crowd while realizing his father's dream. Brandon would have been proud of his son.

"As acting mayor, I'm making a promise to end corruption in our town," Grey announced. He barely got the words out when the crowd cheered wildly.

Ernest was seen off to the side with his three sons. Fred was conspicuously missing. He motioned to his sons and all four walked away.

"And in order to do that," Grey continued from behind the podium, "we need a strong police department. At this time, I'd like to call to the stage our very own Sheriff Holt, who bravely saved mine and Casey's life not once but twice now."

The crowd applauded and cheered as Vaughn made his way onto stage, once again embarra.s.sed by the spotlight. He approached Grey at the podium and shook his hand.

"Mayor Remington," Vaughn cheerfully announced.

Grey grinned in response. "Our town is going to be in the best of hands," he announced to the crowd then looked at Vaughn. "Sheriff Holt, would you please introduce our new deputies."

Vaughn stood behind the podium and looked out to the crowd, who waited anxiously for his announcement. "I'd like the good people of Darwood Falls to meet our new and improved police force," he announced cheerfully. "Please welcome Deputy Diesel Mann and Deputy Ruger Quinn."

Ruger and Diesel walked onto stage in their new police uniforms and badges. The crowd applauded wildly. Vaughn walked down the steps as both men soaked in the attention. Casey rode up to the stage on her gray horse and smiled at Vaughn. He grinned, climbed onto the horse behind her, and they rode across the fairgrounds as he clung to her. Grey watched them leave, smiled proudly, and stepped behind the podium.

"Let's hear it for Sheriff Holt," Grey announced cheerfully and clapped. "My soon-to-be future brother-in-law."

As the crowd cheered, Grey joined Dina offstage and hugged her affectionately. Diesel and Ruger also left stage. Melanie walked past Diesel, gave him a l.u.s.tful smile, and nodded toward the ticket booth. She flashed a box of doughnuts. Diesel grinned and nearly trampled Ruger to get to her and the doughnuts. A group of women approached Ruger and swarmed him. He appeared startled by all the female attention and looked at Grey with Dina.

"Grey, a little help?" Ruger announced.

Grey smiled deviously at him and gave his best royal wave. Casey and Vaughn were seen riding off on her gray horse across the field and out of sight.

Ernest entered the foyer of his mansion with Wayne, Ryan, and Blain following behind. All four appeared disgusted. Wayne slammed the door.

"Now what?" Wayne demanded.

"First, I want that traitorous brother of yours found," Ernest snapped then looked at his watch with a frown. "Lance has some nerve insisting he meet us here."

"I can't believe he resigned as mayor," Ryan snorted and collapsed onto a bench in the hallway. "Then to throw Aunt Abby under the bus like that--"

"I could kill him on that score alone," Ernest scoffed. "If Grey Remington gets his way, I'm going to be broke within a year."

"What can we do?" Blain demanded.

"We're going to finish what Abby and Tucker started," Ernest snapped. "We're going to get rid of those Remington kids once and for all. No kid gloves this time. I want them eliminated."

"That's not as easy as it sounds," Wayne retorted. "They don't roll over easily."

"So, we'll solicit some professional help," Ernest remarked. "I know some people. It won't be cheap, but it'll be worth it. I just need to make a few phone calls."

Blain suddenly sniffed the air and looked around. "Do you smell something?"

The other three looked at him then smelled the air. Ernest shook his head.

"You're imagining things," he remarked.

Blain walked into the living room, smelled the air, and approached the propane fireplace. "It's propane," Blain announced as the others approached. "There's something wrong with the fireplace."

Wayne looked at the coffee table and appeared puzzled. A cigarette rested on the ashtray with a book of matches holding it up.

"What the h.e.l.l--" Wayne began to speak.

The book of matches caught fire and the propane fumes suddenly ignited, turning the entire living room into a ball of fire. From outside Ernest's mansion, there was a loud explosion as the front windows shattered and flames shot out of the house. Wiley stood casually on the sidewalk while watching the flames engulf the front of the house. He looked at the gray cat in his arms, affectionately petted its coat, and continued on his way past the mansion.

The End.

Other books by Holly Copella!.

Reviews left on Amazon are appreciated!.

"Insanely Deadly"

When the dead return to life, it's up to an admiral's daughter and a mildly insane, former war hero to save their small town.

Jetta Cross, a Navy Admiral's daughter, is tasked with keeping her father's comrade, a former war hero turned town crazy, grounded in the real world. Capt. John Hunter is still fighting the war in his head, where imaginary dead people are part of his world. When a viral outbreak brings about a zombie uprising, Hunter is left to his own devices. He must resume his role as a one-man commando unit in order to destroy the ravenous undead. With Hunter still fighting his own inner demons as well as the undead, the townspeople fear their zombie neighbors may not be the only threat. Stranded at the island's luxurious resort with a handful of workers, Jetta is forced to live up to her father's reputation and take charge of the deteriorating situation at the hotel. She must wage her own war against the infected before the government declares her hometown a total loss.

"Deadly Inst.i.tution"

A town recluse suspected of killing his wife teams up with a young woman in order to stop a killer.

After being accused of murdering his wife, Konrad Asher turns his back on the town that once adored him. Ten years later, he still holds his grudge and the t.i.tle of the most feared man in town. With the reopening of the burned mental inst.i.tution, where his wife had died, former employees are now murdered one-by-one, throwing suspicion back on Asher. A young local reporter, Jacey, is forced to reveal her long-time friendship with the infamous recluse in order to clear his name not only in the recent murders but to exonerate him in the death of his wife as well. Will Jacey's relationship with Asher invite the killer closer to her? Or is the killer already in her life?

"Death Displacement"

A grief-stricken man travels back in time to seek revenge on the woman who murdered his girlfriend but inadvertently falls in love with her.

Kane is about to marry the woman he loves. His life is perfect. A few weeks before the wedding, a vindictive woman from his girlfriend's past mysteriously arrives and kills her. He learns of a traumatic accident that happened five years earlier, which triggers Riley's hatred for his girlfriend. Distraught over his girlfriend's death, Kane uses an antique time machine to travel into the past in order to find and destroy the woman responsible. When he runs into Riley's younger self, he realizes she's not the monster she later becomes, and he can't bring himself to destroy her. With a little help from his oddball friend from the past, they formulate a plan to prevent the accident that sends Riley down her destructive path. Kane's plan backfires when he falls for the younger Riley. His new tortured existence is further complicated when future Riley, his girlfriend's killer, shows up with her own devious agenda that doesn't include him. Will he be able to stop the time ripple, which ultimately ends with his girlfriend's death? Or will future Riley take him out of the timeline forever-- "The Battle for Andrea Maria"

A cruise ship attack turns six survivors into overnight celebrities after they take credit for the heroic act of a stowaway who died saving them.

The cruise is just what Jess needed--a bit of harmless fun far from her daily grind. But what begins as a relaxing vacation turns into a desperate fight for her life when terrorists take over the ship and start piling up bodies. Teaming up with a mysterious stowaway, Jess attempts to send out a distress call but knows they cannot wait for help to come. If she or the few remaining pa.s.sengers have any hope for survival, Jess must act now. The papers dub it "The Battle for Andrea Maria," but to Jess it is the moment she fought side-by-side with her enigmatic Romeo, saving the ship--and losing him. She thinks the story ends there, but really, the nightmare is just beginning...

"Screenplays: The Island Collection"

"Jungle Princess", "A.L.F. Resort", "Brighton Island"

Discover how romance and fun in the sun can be downright chilling!.

"Jungle Princess" is a romantic/thriller that leaves a teenage girl stranded on an island with two male shipmates and a creature of "unknown" origin. She soon discovers the island is home to an abandoned prison with several prisoners roaming free. What really killed over one hundred prisoners? And is it still out there--?

"A.L.F. Resort" is a romantic/thriller set on an island resort with Artificial Life Forms as the main draw. At this resort, all your fantasies come true...until a malfunction removes safety inhibitors on the A.L.F.'s. Zombies, biker gangs, and mobsters run amuck, turning fantasies into nightmares. A young reporter gets more of a story than she antic.i.p.ates, but will she survive long enough to write the story?

"Brighton Island" is a romantic/thriller set on a private island. When the owner's niece brings her psychic friend to the mansion, his presence awakens the spirits' tortured souls. As the psychic attempts to solve the old murders, the niece is confronted with the possibility that she's next to join the mansion ghosts. Stranded on the island with a crazed killer, he uncle wages his own war to save them. Will his "shock and awe" tactics actually save them or get them killed?

"Reaper of Souls" A fantasy short story.

A young woman must outwit an evil sorcerer in order to save her brother or become one of his minions forever.

Unwilling to believe her brother is dead, Reggie discovers an underhanded deal made with Kahn, a less than ethical sorcerer, who collects humans to serve as slaves in his kingdom. In order to rescue her brother from his horrible fate, she must complete his failed task or be forced to serve Kahn forever. After being transported to his world, Reggie realizes that even if she beats Kahn at his own game, she's at his mercy for him to uphold his end of the deal. All seems lost until Kahn's discontented, self-serving brother, Helsing, arrives. Can Reggie convince Helsing to help her? And at what cost?.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR.