Page 5 of Rascal

“So he did. And Golden Boy is a liar. Ain’t that right, Sheriff?” I turned and grinned.

“I can’t discuss an open case, Hallie,” Bentley replied weakly. Both Kingston and I laughed.

“You can’t? What a shame, because I fuckin’ can as your victim. You were quick enough judging my guilt publicly,” I snarled.

“Because you were!” Ivy shouted.

“See, the funny thing is, I wasn’t, was I, Sheriff?” I held Bentley’s eyes.

The diner fell deathly silent.

I continued, “When a cop buries evidence, it always comes to light, ain’t that right? Either you or your motherfucking deputies buried my alibi because Shane Morris couldn’t be wrong. Not Shane! The town’s good boy.” I placed a hand on my heart and looked around dramatically.

“You didn’t anticipate me to keep digging, to continue pushing for the truth. Whoever hid my alibi did a damn sloppy job. Then again, what else could I expect from a bunch of cunts who set an innocent woman up?” I shouted the last and stood, slamming my hands on the table.

“You got released on a technicality!” Bentley bellowed.

“I got out because part of my alibi was proven and you buried it. What else did you bury? What other lies did you tell? How many innocent people have you sent to jail?” I yelled right back at him. “My lawyer won’t stop. Lynch is going to dig out the rest of the truth, and then I’ll sign a fuckin’ movie deal and let the entire world know what you did. Shane Morris will rot in prison by the time I finish, along with the whore he’s protecting!”

“You’re different,” Ivy said weakly.

I turned on Ivy in fury. “Try doing five years for a crime you didn’t commit. Or having the man you love protect some unknown bitch and send you to jail. Too damn right I changed.”

“You are lying,” someone whispered. Then, “Hallie has to be lying!”

I sneered. “What’s the matter, Elise? Just remembering how you perjured yourself?” I demanded of my former friend. “Yep, you’ll be hearing from my lawyer too!”

“Innocent?”

The word struck daggers into my heart. King held my gaze as I steeled myself and turned. He rose next to me, all Black Knight to my Raging Queen.

“Yeah, Mom, fuckin’ blameless,” I stated, letting disgust drip out.

My mother flinched. My dad sat beside her, looking as pale as a ghost, with my two brothers and their wives.

“Aw, King, look at what a happy family they are. All sweet and cosy, and heroes of the town for denouncing their child as a wicked, evil killer. Tell me, was sacrificing me worth it? Did you get your dignity back?” I nodded with a sarcastic grin. “Good, I’m glad. Everyone in this entire place knows what you are. I stand here, a free woman, vindicated that I was telling the truth. You lot, you’re the assholes who abandoned their innocent daughter to support her lying boyfriend. There’s only one reason Shane Morris would have lied about his attacker. That’s because Shane knew and loved her more than me.

“You supported Shane. Took his side over the child you raised. Refused even to come and visit me. And when I pleaded not guilty, you jeered and demanded life imprisonment. Backfired, didn’t it? Yeah, you screwed up big time. But shit’s fine. You didn’t want me in your family; you got your wish. I came to get my inheritance—you know—the one you tried to break and claim for yourselves. Greedy fucks. Now I’ve got it, and looked you all in the eye, I’ll be leaving.”

King held my gaze; he knew I was hurting. Slowly, he winked and clapped. “That told them, my queen. You all took Shane Morris’s word over Hallie’s. None of you asked how a tiny woman like her could have stabbed Shane where she supposedly did. Nor how she landed five more blows that he could have fought off. Nah, you all bought into his bullshit, and here you are! Hallie will find the bitch who set her up with Shane, and you can all kiss her skinny, white ass!

“By the way, the whole of America, thank you for showing your true faces. No doubt tourism is going to increase as people turn up to witness what genuine, prejudicial assholes look like! Hey, I bet the Milton family gets the most lookie-loos. Who turns their back on an innocent woman without a single question? You guys did! Huge thumbs up, motherfuckers. Smile, you’re on camera. Take a bow!” King crowed.

“Let’s go, King, I’ve done what I set out to.” I grabbed his hand and walked out, head held high.

King hit send, and the video went to social media—burning this godforsaken town forever.

Rascal

“What do you need, prospect?” Chance asked.

“Don’t know yet, Prez. The bitch who attacked me has been released. I reckon Hallie is going to return to finish what she started. Hopefully Hallie’s gained some common sense while being locked up, but my gut’s telling me trouble is coming.”

“All charges were dropped?” Chance checked.

“Yes. Hallie’s out free and clear with no conditions on travel or anything.”

“That doesn’t mean she’ll come after you,” Chance stated.