So excited because I finally know how the whole story will unfold! I knew what I wanted, but now I finally have a very detailed timeline and plot development (that honestly might change overtime; my plots tend to do that) so now hopefully the story will flow clearly!

Also, because I have a clear understanding of how the story will go, this chapter might have a lot of descriptions and perhaps boring stuff, however it has a lot of important details and even some foreshadowing! Let me know if you have a prediction! (But I won't confirm nor deny anything ;)

That being said, please enjoy! :) Don't forget to vote and comment!

Hailey showed us to our rooms in the big farmhouse. Erica agreed it was better if we stayed here on the farm, instead of heading back to the motel. We needed to maximize all the time we had at this place, now that the plot was thickening. Before dinner, Mike and Erica got our stuff and brought it back. We had two rooms upstairs with twin beds. I was sharing with Mike again and Erica and Zoe were together. I smiled. Everyone without an immediate family stayed in this house, so Hailey was downstairs with her two cousins, some of her older nieces and nephews and others were in this house as well. Diana, some of her uncles and other family members had their own houses on the property.

We settled in and by then, it was dinner time. In this indoor patio, there was a GIANT table. There was enough seating for about forty people, stretching over ten feet long. The entire family ate together. It was nice to see a big, happy family together. My family at home was small, I was the only child and so was my mom. My dad only had one brother so even our extended family was small. Here, it seemed like they really adapted the farm life of having many children.

Zoe, Erica, Mike and I sat with the family-less and single people towards the end of the table. We were served the best burger I had ever had. It seemed so fresh, with the freshly toasted bun, crisp lettuce, juicy meat (although I couldn't help but wonder what cow they killed on this farm for it) and it even seemed like the ketchup with homemade. I could see I wasn't the only one enjoying it. Mike and Zoe completely devoured it and even Erica seems to be loving it.

The people we were sitting with were really fun, too. Two of Hailey's cousins were sitting next to Erica and me, John and William. They were both stereotypical country boys, very polite, good looking and really fun. They were twin brothers around twenty years old and telling us stories about crazy things growing up on a farm. They got all of us laughing and swapping stories. Even Erica, who was, until this point, very reserved, got into the stories and told some crazy celebrity stories of her own. It was funny because I don't think that John or William really heard of her. They admitted that on the farm, they never watched TV or kept up with celebrity gossip. Erica listed off some things, and I think they finally realized who she was from a magazine cover shoot she did. I was worried that Hailey would be suspicious of Erica being an FBI agent and super famous, but I don't think she even put two and two together. We were all having a great time.

When dinner was over, they brought out some pies. Oh my god the pies were amazing. Fresh peach and apples pies really hit the spot. After dinner was over, I was a little bit sad that it was over. I could see that Mike and Zoe felt the same way. Since we were on some weird daylight saving time (we've been shifting through time zones these last few days) it was still light outside. John suggested we go to this nearby river and swim. I had no swim gear, but I borrowed some from William. Erica opted out, saying she was tired and wanted to get some rest. So Hailey, Zoe, John, William, Mike and I went to the river. It was so fun! The river was really calm and we could see the little fish swimming around my ankles. The kids on the farm tied a rope to a branch so we got to swing in. The water was only about five feet deep, so we played chicken in the river. I was slightly worried about hitting my head (Bridge to Terabithia and all) but it was fine. Hailey was on my shoulders and Zoe was on Mike's and we successfully dunked them many times. We were all laughing and having the best time. It was quite therapedic for Mike, Zoe and I as well. We all went through hell these last few weeks; Mike getting suspended from his dream job, Zoe breaking up with her husband and me losing my apartment. It was great just letting loose and being carefree.

Hailey was super fun to hang out with, too. She was wild and daring; always willing to try a new trick on the rope swing or dunking me and Mike. It ended up being an entire wrestling match in the water. But nothing gold can stay and the sun was setting, so we had to head in. It was around nine pm at night. We all took nice warm showers and retired to our rooms.

I had showered first and was all clean, sitting and reading in my room while Mike was showering. I heard a knock at my door and Erica entered.

"Hi!" I said cheerly, still on a high from the exciting evening, "Where were you? We missed you out there!"

Erica sat down on the adjacent bed, "I was investigating the case, like we were supposed to be doing. The whole reason we were here."

I cast my eyes down guilty. She didn't seem too mad about it, though. Erica seemed more excited to tell me what she had heard. "I was talking to Hailey's oldest sister Diana, the one who wanted all the evidence gone. It was interesting. I asked her first about Joshua. She said that he was a nice young man, very charismatic and all this stuff. Nothing bad about him, except for the fact that he was always up late, wasting electricity blah, blah blah. She ranted to me a lot about saving electricity. It wasn't anything suspicious or out of the ordinary. I then asked her about the night Mark died. This is where it got interesting. Diana said that she prepared the food that night, along with some of the wives of the brothers. She said that Hailey was in charge of plating all the food and serving it to everyone at the table. She described the same thing that Hailey did, that Mark was acting fairly normal, only complaining about pain a little bit, but not any more than he usually did. Then that night, he died peacefully. Diana then went on about an half an hour rant about how it was Hailey's fault, how the stress of her leaving and being a neuroscientist was too much for him and that caused his heart problem, since they didn't have that problem in the past. She also went on a rant saying how Hailey was associated with the devil and a bunch of religious stuff. I got lost after she talked about an entry fee to hell. Anyway, I asked her about the stuff she wanted destroyed after that night. Diana claimed that all of that stuff was possessed and that the devil had cursed it. She wanted Hailey to dispose of it because she was already associated with the devil apparently. I think Diana's clear. She's very religious and I think all of her suspicious intentions were based on her religious beliefs. But here's what I thought was interesting. You know how Hailey said she wanted to do an autopsy and not cremate the body? And how Diana really pushed for the cremintation?"

I nodded in confirmation.

"Apparently, according to Diana, Hailey was the one who wanted Mark cremated the most. Not Diana. Hailey."

I sat up straighter, very surprised, "What? Why?"

Erica looked at me, "I don't know. That's what I'm wondering. However, I'm not totally sure if Diana meant she wanted him to be cremated fast or if she wanted him to be cremated in general. Because Diana said she wanted to bury him in the ground. Burning bodies sends them straight to hell because flames equal hell is what Diana kept saying. So I'm not totally sure about Hailey's intention with the cremination. That's why I'm glad we're going tomorrow. To get some answers. I'm glad Hailey is going, too. If Hailey goes, we'll get her reaction to the dead body and see her body language towards the situation and hopefully lead us on a correct path."

"Someone here is lying," I concluded, "But who?"

Erica nodded, "That's the real question."

A bunch of thoughts swirled in my head. What was going on here? Suddenly, all these people from the Dazy's farm were acting suspicious. I thought we were only investigating Joshua. Now it seems like someone on this farm has ill intentions.

"Also, I asked Diana about this ring Hailey needs to have off Mark. It's legit. In World War I, an ancestor of the Dazy's carved a ring from the barrel of his gun. It was a band and had a really simple design, but it's been in the family for years. Diana was bitter that Hailey was getting it, claiming that she was the best child and the oldest, but it was their dad's decision so whatever. I asked her about Uncle Ed, too. Since he inherits the vast farm, I was wondering if he would knock his own brother out. He's really old, almost ninety so I don't think he's capable of doing it. And next in line to inherit the farm after Ed is Diana, so now we just went back in a circle. Something is going on here. It's not only about Joshua anymore."

Mike then busted into the room, looking refreshed. He had a huge smile on his face and his hair was surprisingly perfectly styled.

I pulled a look of disgust at him, "Do you style your hair before going to bed?"

He grinned, "Yep! And I see that you don't," Mike smirked at me. I chucked a pillow at him, which he caught. Stupid baseball players.

"Hi Erica," Mike said, as he was throwing the covers back.

"Good night, Mike," Erica said with a smile as she left the room. I got about five words into my book before there was another knock on our door. This time, Zoe entered.

Mike sat up and set his phone down. He beamed at seeing Zoe.

"Hi guys!" She said, way too cheerful for eleven thirty at night.

"Zoe and I were going to catch up, if that's alright, Ben," Mike told me, "I never actually got to really talk to her since we met up. I promise we'll be quiet." I nodded since I didn't really care. The room was big enough where I couldn't hear them if they were whispering.

After about another half an hour, I fell asleep. They were still up, talking. I heard them talking to each other about relationships, life after spy school, baseball, Kurt and a bunch of other stuff. True to their word, they were quiet.

I got about two more hours of sleep when I was woken by loud snoring. Right, I forgot Mike was the world's loudest snorer. I tried relentlessly to get back to sleep but it was no use. After a half an hour, I got up and went downstairs, intending to get some fresh air.

Once I reached the living room, I pushed the screen door open. The night air was crisp and refreshing. An owl hooted in the distance. Surprisingly, I wasn't alone. Hailey was sitting a few feet away, staring up at the night sky. It was a beautiful sky. For the first time in a long time, I could see all the stars, undisturbed by the city lights.

Hailey looked surprised to see me, but welcomed me with a smile. She was sitting on a rocking chair on the porch, and gestured for me to sit on the other one. I did, happily.

We sat in comfortable silence for the next few minutes, observing the sky, listening to the crickets and wildlife. It was relaxing and wonderful.

"Couldn't sleep?" Hailey asked after a while.

"Yep," I said with a smile, looking over at her, "Mike snores like a boar. You?"

"Same. Not the boar thing." she assured with a small laugh, " Not being able to sleep."

I smiled yet again.

"Do you want some warm milk?" She offered, "It was freshly milked a few days ago."

"I'm okay," I said, "But thank you."

Hailey gave me a relieved smile, "Good. Because when I'm here, I try to act like a farm girl. Like the whole family wanted me to become. But truth be told, I'm a city girl. I love all the fancy restaurants in New York and the expensive never-going-buy-but-fun-to-look-at designer stores. Oh times square. I miss Times square."

"Yeah, Times square is super cool," I agreed, "With all the bright billboards and fun atmosphere."

She nodded eagerly. It seemed like she couldn't talk about how much she loves and misses New York with the people here. It seemed like they were all farm people and didn't love city people, even based on what Erica told me about Diana. Hailey seemed relieved to talk about it as well.

"Yes! And the food stands! Ymm!" She turned to me in her rocking chair, "You know, everyone here treats me like an outsider because I'm a scientist in New York. But I think everyone forgot that Dad also did the same thing. He works in Washington DC half of the time. They aren't complaining about that! My dad told me he was proud of me for leaving home and pursuing something I enjoyed like he did. Dad and I sometimes drove and got coffee, meeting in the middle of New York and Washington DC at this little coffee shop. It was amazing. We never told the family about it because they'd get jealous of all this 'extra' time I was getting with Dad and it would create a rift. We only did it like three times, but still. My family is the jealous type."

"I get that,"I said, listening intently. It was great to hear these stories from different types of people. In Washington DC, all I heard was politics and it was the most boring thing ever.

"And my dad was working himself into the ground, I'm telling you," Hailey continued, "He should have retired way sooner than he did. He had enough money for this crazy huge farm and we were all well off. We didn't need the money or for him to work. I guess he loved it so much, he wanted to keep going, but I think it was taking a physical toll on him. He was more tired than usual these last few years he was alive. I think that's why he agreed to mentor Joshua. As like a designated successor. To leave Boulder and all of Nebraska in the best hands possible. Dad was planning for retirement. And then he died." She was quiet on that last part, "Dad died in office."

I could feel the tears coming, so instinctively, I reached out and put my hand comfortingly on hers. It seemed to do the trick. She calmed down and smiled at me with a grateful smile through glossy eyes.

We got off that subject and talked about work. I told her about the new mutual bonds our company was taking in, and how that didn't really work with our projected margins but if it does work, it'll be really financially profitable, and if not, we'll be in debt coming into the next fiscal year.

Amazingly, she actually understood what I was saying and asked some really insightful questions, and even pointed out some things I didn't even think of. Apparently, she studied Advanced Econ and BC Financial Advisory at Brown.

Hailey then spoke to me about her work with molecular science and neurotechnology. It was quite fascinating what her company was working on. It was a reinvented way of cell regeneration and surgery. Her company also made some world-renowned discoveries about neuroscience and tech in the past, and she is working on another one. I studied chemistry a little bit in college, so I knew all about her company.

I think we both really loved to talk about work. It was great speaking to someone with the same intelligence level, so that we could understand and even challenge each other on certain topics. It was refreshing. We had some great, stimulated conversations. Erica's warning and conversation was still in the back of my mind. I was wary when I gave away any super personal information, but still opened up to Hailey in ways I didn't with many people.

But thinking back to that conversation with Erica, I was wondering about the ring she wants. Why she wants it and why she inherits it, I guess, instead of Diana.

"So what's the story about the ring? What's it's importance?" I asked.

"It's been in our family for generations. My great grandfather actually carved and sculpted the ring in his bunk during World War I. Our family has had it for generations and I want to get it back so that it can keep being in our family. When Dad had so many children, it was kinda a question about who would get the ring. I was so surprised when Dad said I was going to inherit it. I wasn't always the best child growing up."

"When did he tell you?" I asked curiously.

"Only about three weeks before he passed away. We were both at the coffee shop we go to when we meet up, in between New York and Washington DC, and he told me, and I'll always remember: 'Hailey, life is too short for regrets. Life is too short for petty arguments and disagreements. I'm proud of you for standing up to the family and pursuing what you love. That's what I did. And that is why I want you to have the family ring when I die. No matter what happens, what people say or what people do. I want you to have it.'" Hailey looked into the distance and with a little sad scoff said, "It's like he knew he was going to die."

Yes it did. It did sound like he knew he was going to die. It also, however, sounded like he was just assuring her to follow her career and the life she wants, despite the family pressure to work on the farm. It sounds more like a father saying that he accepts and is proud of her decision. And that's probably why he gave her the ring, because she had the courage to break out of the family business and create her own life. Like Mark Dazy did.

We spoke about more random stuff. Even when the subject got to politics, I was happy discussing it with her because she had such insightful and interesting positions on the government and politicians that it wasn't boring. It was unlike the dreadful conversations I have in Washington DC about politics, where people just scream at you and rant about their opinion, and don't let you talk or have your own thoughts on the matter.

Finally, the subject switched to relationships. I wasn't going to lie, I was very curious if she had a boyfriend or anyone here or in New York. But to my delight, she asked me if I was single before I had to ask her.

"So... are you with someone?" Hailey asked me very timidity, like she was shy to ask so. I found it quite endearing.

"Nope," I replied with a sad smile, "You?"

She scoffed, "No. I was with someone about a month ago, maybe three weeks ago, but they wanted to move too fast without consulting or even talking to me about it. Like I am ready for that next step in life, even ready for an engagement and I thought he was the one. But then he wanted to make this drastic life change and didn't even talk to me about it. When I said that I wasn't ready and didn't want to uproot my life like that, he left me."

I winced for Hailey. That was rough. He must have been a complete jerk. Yet again, without even second-guessing myself, I put a comforting hand on hers. She gently held on to my hand back.

"How are you handling it?"

"Pretty well," Hailey replied, "I am fully over him now. It took a few weeks, but I am. I am glad I didn't go with him or dedicate my life to him. I now know what type of person he is and I want to stay away as far as I can from him."

"Good," I said comfortingly, "I'm glad you realized that."

"Plus, he was always so weird about clothes. I'm totally fine if he didn't want to, you know, do it. But I genuinely never saw him without a shirt on, without pants on, or even in a bathing suit. The entire time he was here, I never saw him swim or go in the river. In fact, now that I think about it, I never saw him with even short sleeves or shorts on. And you know how hot it can get on the farm," Hailey looked curiously at me, "Huh, I never realized that."

That really was weird. "Wow, that's different I wonder why." He must have been a strange guy. Wanting to uproot her life, but not even wearing a bathing suit?

It seemed like Hailey was happy I was listening to this because it seemed like she didn't have many people she could confide in. She gave me a huge smile.. Suddenly, in the distance, a rooster crowed. I looked up, very startled. I was so engrossed with our conversation that I didn't even notice the sun peeking up from behind the faraway mountains.

Hailey looked up as well, "Oh wow, it's already five am. It's been like two and a half hours. Roosters crow at five, which starts the whole day. I don't know what time your friend wants to go to the freakin moruage, but we should get some sleep before then."

I nodded in agreement and we both stood up. We stood there on the porch, staring at each other for an awkward second, before Hailey hugged me, and I hugged her back. She had to stand on her tippy toes to reach my neck and she warmly embraced me. She smelled wonderful, like strawberries. After that, we both went back to our rooms. Luckily, Mike was sleeping soundly for once and I got back to sleep fairly quickly.

XXX

I woke up much later in the day. To my absolute delight, they had let me sleep in. I was up at around eleven thirty, got quickly dressed and went downstairs. At the breakfast nook, Hailey, Zoe and Erica were eating, talking and laughing. Even Erica seemed to be enjoying talking with them, about life and whatever. Hailey motioned me over when they noticed me.

I grabbed a plate of food that was on the counter, and slid into the booth next to Erica. Hailey and I both missed breakfast, so we were eating lunch. Mike apparently went to chop some wood with John and William.

After a little bit of discussion, it was evident that Zoe and Hailey were having a fun conversation and Erica was just pretending to so that she could interrogate Hailey on some topics, like Joshua or Diana or Ed. Hailey didn't seem to notice or care, but I did.

Anyway, an hour later, Mike, Zoe, Hailey, Erica and I were all squished into our tiny five seat rental car, with Erica driving, Mike in the passenger seat and Zoe squashed in the middle. The Boulder Morgue was about a half an hour away, so we drove all the way into town. When we got to downtown Boulder, it was a very quaint and cute town, with small shops and family-owned diners. We turned a few corners however, and the quaint town was replaced with a sketchy area. We parked alongside the street and double checked to make sure that the car was locked. I wasn't worried about being mugged or anything, since Erica was with us, but I was still worried about the car.

The morgue had a small storefront, but it opened up in the back, so that trucks carrying the bodies could unload straight from the bed of the truck from the alley. Hailey wrinkled her nose at where her father was being kept. Because this was such a small farmtown, there weren't any other options. In fact, most people bury their family on the farm itself, so it took out the need for such a store.

When we walked in, the man behind the counter seemed surprised at us. The man was creepy (not surprising because, you know, we were in a morgue.) He was an older man, with sunken eyes and dark circles under his eyes. He was very bony and thin and walked with a slight limp. He seemed extra surprised that a group of young people entered. He gave me very creepy vibes.

"What do you need?" He asked in a dark and deadpan voice.

Zoe was trying his hardest to not laugh. She kept muffling her laugh and buried her face in Mike's shoulder. I wasn't doing much better. He was really creepy, which somehow made it really funny.

Erica seemed a bit amused as well, "We want to look at the body of Mark Dazy."

He gives us a blank stare for about two seconds, then focuses back on the computer, tapping away. This did not help my laughter. It was really awkward and super funny.

"Do you have identification?" He said without emotion.

"Yes," Hailey stepped forward, "Here, I'm his daughter." She showed him her ID.

He glances at it for a second, then nods curtly, "Follow me please." Without even making sure we were coming, he wheels around and pushes the back door open.

Oh my god. It smelled AWFUL. It was like rotting flesh mixed with disinfectants. It was gross. I wasn't the only one gagging. Erica and that creepy guy were the only ones who seemed unaffected. It was a bright, white room with silver hatch-lock cabinets on the walls, in a 5 by 8 formation. It was hard for me to comprehend that there were dead bodies in there. The whole place gave me shivers.

The creepy guy heads over to one of the cabinet doors. On the placard next to the cabinet door, it said MARK DAZY. He unlatches it and pulls the tray out.

We all, including the creepy guy, were in complete shock. Not because the body was gross, but because it was gone completely.

Erica immediately whirles around with ice in her eyes, "What the hell is going on here?!"

The creepy guy looked shocked and finally showed emotion, "I-I really don't know!" He said this very sheepishly.

"You don't know?!" Hailey snarled, getting very angry, "You LOST my father's body?! Are you kidding me?! How incompetent are you?!"

"Look, miss, please calm down!" The guy looked very stressed. He had one job, to take care of dead bodies, you know, to make sure they don't run away, and couldn't even do that. "Perhaps I mislabeled it. Let's look in the other cabinets."

This is where Mike put his foot down, "Oh HELL no. I didn't want to come here in the first place. There is no way I'm opening cabinets with these little pull out trays with dead bodies on them. No. Absolutely not."

Trust me, I wasn't game opening the cabinets either. But I sucked it up and opened a few. Luckily, in the cabinets, they were covered in a white sheet, so I just had to pull the top of the white sheet back, revealing the face, and take a quick glance. I had to give props to Hailey, though. With our spy experience, we weren't completely unused to dead bodies. They still gave me the creeps, but I was more prepared than if I wasn't formally a spy. She looked horrified to be doing it, but she did. Also, it being her own father probably motivated her as well. Mike stood in the center of the room, not doing anything.

There weren't too many body slots so we finished fairly quickly. No use. Mark Dazy's body was completely gone. Where was it and what did this mean?

Predictions?