chapter thirty four
over my dead body
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The girls had royally messed up this time, they really thought they were on the right path this time but of course, they weren't. They hadn't said anything since they were brought into the police station. The silence was disturbed by the door opening, making Aria, Spencer, Hanna and Josie look up, seeing Detective Wilden enter the interrogation room. "Did you miss me?" Wilden asked smugly, making Josie shrink into her seat, she hated this. "This doesn't just look bad, it is bad." he said, leaning his hands on top of the table, to get closer to the girls. "Homicide is a capital offence in the state of Pennsylvania," he told them, looking at the four of them "And you girls are going down." he said, almost like he wanted this, which Josie knew he probably did.

12 HOURS EARLIER

Josie rings Dr. Sullivan's doorbell as Hanna, Spencer and Aria try to see inside through the windows and the front door and Emily tries calling her. "Dr. Sullivan, are you home?" Hanna yells out, hoping she was safe and inside. "you've reached anne sullivan. I've been called out of town on a family emergency. if you need immediate attention, please see your physician for a referral." Dr. Sullivan's voicemail rang out as Emily had her phone on speaker. "I got the same voicemail." Aria said, walking away from the door. "yeah, she probably sent it to all of her clients." Josie said as she leaned against the front door of Dr. Sullivan's house.

"She's not here." Hanna said walking back to her friends. "Looks like she didn't come home last night either." Spencer said, as she crouched down and picked up newspapers off Dr. Sullivan's front porch. "She hasn't checked her mail or picked up her papers." she added. "Maybe we should call the police." Emily said. "And say what to officer Garrett when he starts asking questions?" Josie asked as she turned to Emily. "Josie's right. Garrett, Jenna, Ian, Jason, they're all connected, and we can't trust any of them." Spencer said as she crossed her arms.

"Look, the last time somebody thought they knew who 'A' was, she got hit by a car. Sorry, hanna." Spencer said, quickly apologising to Hanna. "Okay, so what do we do?" Emily asked, frustrated. "We go into terror alert red and hope that our phones don't ring." Spencer told them just before Emily's phone went off. "That did not just happen!" Spencer said in shock. "It's Maya." Emily told them as she looked at her phone. "Look at you suddenly, all Happy," Hanna said with a smile as the others smiled at their friends' happiness as well.

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"Still no word on Dr. Sullivan?" Richie asked from the other side of the line. Josie had called Richie once she got home, catching him up. "No, she wasn't home, and there wasn't a sign of her being home for at since we last saw her." Josie informed him as she paced around her bedroom, phone against her ear. "Well, you've got to have hope Jo," Richie said, trying to be positive. "Hope's a dirty four lettered word Richie." she breathed out. "We shouldn't have told her anything, at least that way she wouldn't be in this situation." Josie said as she finally sat down on the edge of her bed. "I-I just don't want anyone else to be caught in the crossfire of all this." Josie said sadly. "I'm sure she's fine, she has to be, I don't think this person would kill Jo-" Richie started but Josie cut him off. "This person ran Han over with a car, I think we're highly underestimating this person." Josie snapped just before her phone went off, indicating she had a message, "Hold up, got a message," Josie breathed out as she pulled her phone away from her ear to check what it was, hoping it wasn't 'A'

Spencer Hastings
Get to mine, got something
from 'A', i already texted the rest of the girls.

Josie sighed as she put her phone back to her ear. "Look, Spencer needs me but i-i'll call you later, okay?" Josie said as she got up from her bed and grabbed her keys from the hook on the back of her door. "Okay, I love you Jo, be careful, please?" Richie asked from the other side of the phone. "I will, I promise, I love you too," she said before she hung up and walked out of her bedroom, making sure to leave a note for her mother in case she came home and she wasn't there.

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10 HOURS EARLIER

"I walked Toby outside, and when i came back inside, it was here." Spencer said as the five of them stood around a box that was sitting inside Spencer's living room. "Here? like, in the middle of your kitchen, or here on your porch and you brought it inside?" Josie asked with crossed arms as she looked from the box to Spencer. "I haven't touched it." Spencer answered as she stared at the box. "Guys, I never told you this, but Dr. Sullivan really helped me." Hanna said softly as she looked at her friends. "Yeah, that was the reason that we trusted her. She helped us all." Spencer replied, just as soft as Hanna's voice was.

"You don't think her ear's in here, do you?" Hanna asked fearfully. "Ohh!" Spencer said as she ran her hand down her face in frustration. "It's a big box for an ear." Emily said, still staring at the box, not looking away before the girls unlocked the locks on the side of the box to open it and to see what's inside of it, once they did, they saw a note, which looked like it was created from letters of magazines. Josie pulled the letter out of the box. ""You have until seven p.m. to save her. these are my demands."" Josie read out the letter before Spencer reached inside the box again and pulled the cloth off what was inside of it, which were dolls, which had necklaces with names on them. "Dolls?!" Hanna asked in shock. "Kay," Spencer whispered as she reached into the box again.

"Guess this is yours." Spencer added as she pulled out the one with Aria's name necklace on it and handed it to her as Spencer reached into the box again and pulled out some papers, making Josie look over her shoulder to see what it is as Aria looked at the doll, before seeing something on the back of the doll. "Wait." she said before pulling the string. "Make Jackie go away," the doll's voice said, creeping them all out.

"Is there a creepier word than 'creepy'?" Josie asked as she looked inside the box and looked at the dolls as Aria put the doll down and reached for the papers that Spencer had in her hands. "Wait, this is the paper Jackie's getting published on theodore... " Aria trailed off. "Géricault?" Spencer filled in. "He's this french painter..." Spencer started saying when Hanna spoke over her. "who painted." she said, making Spencer nod as Josie stifled a laugh. "Yeah, in word. but 'A' also gave you this french article on géricault, and..." Spencer said, but cut herself off, once she looked at them side-by-side.

"It's identical to Jackie's paper. She plagiarised this." Spencer finished as Hanna reached for her doll and pulled the string. "Stop the wedding," it said, creeping the five of them out more. Spencer reached inside of the box, grabbing her doll. "Keep Toby safe." it said, making Spencer's gape as she looked at the girls. "Oh, my god." She said in shock. "Toby was driving his truck this morning and his brakes went out. That wasn't an accident. that was 'A'" She said, still in shock as Josie reached out and rubbed Spencer's shoulder for comfort as Spencer sat down in shock before reaching inside the box and taking her out, she hesitated before pulling the string.

"Share your secret." the doll's voice said, making the girls turn to Josie before she sighed. "I have a half-brother, here in rosewood," she revealed, making the girls gasp. "Why didn't you tell us? Who knows?" Aria asked, making Josie sigh sadly, trying not to cry out of frustration. "Only my mum and Richie know and Because I don't know who it is and neither does my mum and my dad hasn't been answering my calls and when he was he didn't say anything and didn't tell me a name," she said in a rush, making the girls frown, and Emily, noticing she didn't want to talk about it anymore, she changed topic as she reached into the box, searching for her doll.

"I didn't get one." Emily said, confused. "You've been 'A's target for weeks, Em." Aria said, hoping to comfort her before sitting next to Spencer and pulling her into a side hug as Josie sat next to Hanna in front of Aria and Spencer. "Yeah, maybe 'A's bored with you and I mean that as a good thing." Hanna said as she looked at Emily, who was still standing. "If 'A' wants to shut me up, she found a way to do it." Aria said sadly as she hugged Spencer. "I mean, we finally tell someone the truth, and now Dr. Sullivan's gone." Aria said frustrated as Emily sat next to Josie. "'A' can do that to anyone that we care about." Aria finished. "So we do these things, and 'A' gives her back?" Hanna asked.

"Is that what we're supposed to believe?" Hanna added with a frown. "I get that this is a game, but I don't understand it." Josie said, pulling her hair out of its ponytail, and ran her hands through it as Spencer made a noise. "Spence." Aria said, turning to her. "No, it's brilliant, actually. 'A' is being our ultimate "frienemy," forcing us to get what we want, but knowing that when we do..." she trailed off. "All hell breaks loose." Hanna finished Spencer's sentence. "Believe me, I really want to get rid of Jackie, but if I use this to do it, Ezra may never forgive me." Aria said sadly, making their friends frown.

"There's a reason we can't just go around telling the truth: 'cause it comes back to bite you, hard." Aria added, making the girls go silent as Spencer looked up at a clock in her living room, before speaking. "Okay. we've got five hours to obey our chucky dolls or..." she trailed off, looking at the box again before continuing. "I saw 'A' push Ian off that bell tower, and there was no hesitation." she finished. "Spence, what are you saying?" Hanna asked. "She's saying that it felt like it was easy for 'A' to kill someone," Josie said in shock as she looked at the floor wide-eyed. "And I only know one way to keep Toby safe, and that's to keep him away from me." Spencer said sadly, making Josie get up and pull Spencer into a hug and kissed the top of her friend's head in comfort.

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6 HOURS EARLIER

"You told them?" Richie asked as he and Josie were in her room getting ready for Hanna's father's wedding. "Yeah, I did, it felt good," she said with a smile before she entered her room again, fully ready as Richie fixed his suit jacket before looking at his girlfriend. "Wow...." he said in shock as she looked at her. "What?" she asked with a laugh. "You just looked really beautiful." he said in a whisper, making her blush. "Thank you," she said as she walked over to him and pulled him into a kiss, before pulling back and going to her bedside table, grabbing her necklace, "Apparently Caleb's back," she said, making Richie turn to her. "Really?" he asked and she nodded.

"Yeah," she said as she clipped her necklace on and turned to him. "You gonna talk to him about your theory?" he asked and she shook her head. "No, i-i don't know if i can do that, plus i don't think he remembers his dad and he'd have no reason to believe me, plus if i'm wrong, i don't wanna give him hope, so i'm gonna do some research first." she said before sighed as Richie nodded. "Well then are you ready for a wedding?" He asked and she nodded. "Yeah, let's hope it happens at all," she muttered as she grabbed Richies hand and together they left the Carmen household and drove to the church where everyone else was.

Soon enough Josie and Richie were standing with Caleb and Hanna, as the four of them looked at Tom and Isabel. "They really do look happy." Hanna observed. "Try to contain your enthusiasm." Josie teased as Caleb turned to Hanna just as Kate-Hanna's evil step-sister walked up to them. "Why so glum, hanna? feeling a little hung?" she said teasingly, making Josie grip Richie's hand tighter as Hanna's phone went off. "I think your purse is ringing." Caleb said, making Hanna walk off to answer it as Kate turned to Caleb. "That's a very handsome suit." she flirted, making Josie and Richie cringe. "And that is a very pretty dress. but you should know it gives you back fat." Caleb with a smirk, making Kate's face fall as Josie laughed as Caleb walked away, Richie and Josie following, leaving Kate alone. "Good one," Richie said as he gave Caleb a high-five before the couple sat with Spencer and Aria. "Where's Emily?" Josie asked, making the two girls sigh. "She's not here and she's not answering," Aria revealed, making Josie freeze and turn to them. "Oh god," Josie muttered as she leaned back into the seat and soon enough the wedding started and no sign of Emily.

"Love one another, but not make a bond of love. let it be as a moving sea between the shores of your souls. fill each other's cup, but drink not from one cup. give one another of your bread..." The priest said, before the girls noticed Hanna looking at them, mouthing something to them, but Josie couldn't understand what she was trying to say. "But eat not from the same loaf. sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone, even as the..." the priest said but Hanna interrupted. "Isabel?" Hanna said, gaining their attention. "Can I talk to you for a moment?" Hanna asked, making Josie wince lightly, knowing whatever she's about to do, her dad will never forget. "Uh, hanna, whatever it is, it can wait." Hanna's dad said, hoping to get on with his wedding. "Um, no, it can't, dad." Hanna said, wanting to get this over with. "Uh.." Isabel said, clearing her throat. "Let's go into the rectory." she said, as she and Hanna walked off, the girls shared a look.

"I think Hanna's about to need a getaway car." Josie whispered to her friends. "Yeah. Let's go." Aria whispered back as the three of them walked out of the church, going towards Spencer's car, not noticing Richie had followed them. "Josie!" he said, gaining her attention as the girls were about to get in the car, gonna wait for Hanna. "Where are yo–" he started but Josie cut him off. "Don't follow us, please, I can't have you hurt," she said, grabbing her keys out of her purse and handing them to him. "Wait for me at home, please?" she asked and he nodded hesitantly. "Okay," he whispered before she pulled him into a kiss before going back to the girls.

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3 HOURS EARLIER

Hanna had gotten an address once she had stopped the wedding, and when they got there, she found Emily on the ground, unconscious, making the girls rush to her, hoping she wasn't dead. "Emily!" Hanna shouted, as she crowded around Emily, on the floor, not caring about the dirt getting on their dresses. "Em, are you okay?" Hanna asked as Emily started waking up, making Josie sigh in relief, knowing their friend wasn't dead. "What happened?" Josie asked as Emily came to. "She's still alive," Emily breathed out before sitting up. "She was here," she said, confusing the girls. "Did you see Dr. Sullivan?" Spencer asked as Emily reached up to her lips. "I saw Alison," Emily confessed, making the girls share a look.

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The girls were still in the integration room, all silently wondering where Emily was just as the door opened and Emily walked in, making Josie sigh in relief at seeing her friend was okay. "Em, are you okay?" Aria asked. "I haven't said a word to anyone," Emily said, standing in front of her friends. "They're...watching us." Spencer whispered to her as she discreetly pointed to the window in the room, knowing it led to another room, where people could see and hear what was going on in the room, making Emily turn to it before turning back to her friends. "What did the doctor say?" Hanna asked as Emily sat at the table with the rest of her friends. "He gave me some oxygen," she said with a shrug of her shoulders. "I'm fine," she added, leaving the girls in silence again.

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2 HOURS EARLIER

"You blacked out, maybe you just don't remember getting the doors open." Spencer said before Emily spotted something not far from them. "that wasn't there before." she said, making the girls turn to see a shovel leaning against the side of the barn before the girls walked up to it while Spencer grabbed it and turned it over to see a note with numbers on it. "it's a set of latitude-longitude coordinates." Spencer said, as the others read over the note. "The text 'A' sent me in the church said she was about to run out of air." Hanna said, in shock as she looked at her friends.

"Did 'A' bury Dr. Sullivan alive?" Josie asked fearfully, stunning the girls into silence and soon enough the girls were walking around the woods, trying to find Dr. Sullivan. "Okay, I think we have to go left up here, and then it's not much farther." Spencer said as she led them through the woods. "Not much farther" in these heels is like a marathon in flats." Aria said, not wanting to be out here anymore, much like the other girls. "Can't do it." Emily breathed out, seemingly out of air, making the other girls worried.

"Here." Spencer said as they stopped and the girls took their shoes off. "Wait. it says that this is it." Spencer said, looking at her phone. "We're here." she added. "Uh... there's nothing here." Josie said, looking around and observing. "Guys." Hanna said, gaining their attention, looking at something sticking out of the ground. "Could she be under there?" Hanna asked just before her phone went off. "She's still alive, but we should start digging!" Hanna rushed out as the girls ran forward. "Dr. Sullivan!" Josie and Emily exclaimed as they ran forward and started digging, hoping to save Dr. Sullivan. "There's something down there!" Spencer said as they kept digging. "Oh, my god! her boots! Those are her boots!" Hanna exclaimed. "Go! Fast!" Josie shrieked as they all panted and out of breath as they kept digging. "Come on!" Josie said, as they started yelling out. "Those are her legs!" Spencer yelled out as they started digging faster but stopped once they noticed a mast laying in the dirt.

"What the hell?" Aria breathed out as a helicopter was heard, hovering. "There over here," a cop called out. "This is the police. stay where you are!" A cop called out, making the girls stand up. "There's nowhere to run! you're surrounded. don't try to get away." Officers called out to the girls as they stopped digging, finally as realisation settled upon them. "'A' set us up!" Spencer said in shock. "Yeah, but for what?" Josie asked, confused. "Ten-Four, They're all on the ground," a cop said, getting closer to the girls.

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"Well, Veronica's in with them now. she'll see that they're protected, but they're gonna need a criminal attorney." Peter Hastings said to the parents as they stood in the lobby of the Police Station while Veronica was with the girls. "I thought detective wilden was fired." Hanna asked, confused as she looked at Spencer's mother. "He was suspended for his actions, but he's been reinstated as the chief officer in this investigation." Veronica answered,. "How could that happen?" Spencer leaned forward and asked. "He has evidence to back up his allegations." she said, making Josie scoff. "And it's significant, or you wouldn't be here." Veronica continued. "Has anyone called my parents?" Emily spoke up. "They're on their way." Veronica assured the girl but the comfort that Veronica gave the girls ended when Wilden walked in.

"When Alison DiLaurentis was murdered, she was hit so hard, it made an indentation to her skull." he informed the girls as they looked at him. "I've given you guys so many chances to just be honest with me, evidence doesn't lie" he added as he grabbed what the other officer was holding, the shovel, the one Spencer picked up and put it on the table. "We've known all along what the murder weapon was. Tonight we caught you with it." he said, making the girls share a look.

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Hours later, the girls were released, Veronica Hastings had managed to get the girls community service hours. "How are you Honey?" Jennifer Carmen asked as she and Josie got out of the car, and walked towards their house. Josie was still in her dirty dress. "I don't know," she muttered, making her mother frown. "We didn't have anything to do with Alison's death," Josie added as they walked inside of the house. "I know sweetheart, I believe you now there's someone in your room, waiting for you," she said, before walking into the kitchen, probably going to call Josie's dad. Josie walked into her room, seeing Richie pacing around her room. "Rich," she breathed out, snapping him out his pacing, looking at his girlfriend and didn't hesitate to pull her into a hug. "Oh jo," he uttered as he heard her crying into his shoulder. "'A' set us up, told us where to "find" Dr. Sullivan." she said, pulling from him, him keeping her at arm's length.

"I know, love, i know, i had a feeling, but for now, how about you take a shower, change and we'll watch something, i'm not going anywhere, okay." Richie said and Josie nodded, wiping her tears away as she grabbed some pj's before having a much needed shower as Richie changed into clothes he kept there for when he slept over and once Josie had gotten out, they didn't talk, they didn't need to, she slipped into her bed, next to him and he held her, as she fell asleep, knowing that things were about to get worse, so much worse, this was just the beginning.

⎯ AUTHORS NOTE
new chapter <3 next episode is the halloween flashback which means Josie's birthday!!