"Look, it was right here, and this is where the maniac claimed his next victim." Kie explained after Shoupe showed up with his officers.

"His next victim? How long ago did you say this happened?" Shoupe hummed with a clear look of disbelief across his lips.

"Forty-Five minutes ago, Shoupe." JJ announced, grabbing Layla's hand as she helped him off the ground.

"Okay. So Ward Cameron just popped one off and shot him. Execution style?" Shoupe asked the four with a questionable look, shaking his head.

"If some stupid Kook assholes shows up and were accusing a Pogue of shooting someone, you'd be treating this completely different." Layla glared and spoke louder his way.

"We filmed the entire thing." Kie spoke up to side with Layla, "But we can't show you because I stepped on JJ's hand, and then he kicked Pope in the face, and then Pope stepped on Layla's head, making him drop the camera and it broke."

"This is a telphoto, and we needed a long distance image, and-and I fell, and I broke it, so the video is basically unusable." Pope explained guilty, holding the camera in his palms.

"Yeah but maybe we can put it in rice." Layla suggested, earning a dumb look, "Or not, never mind."

"So the dog ate your homework?" Shoupe rose his brows at the four once again.

"Shoupe, I know how it sounds-" Kie spoke, on the verge of tears again.

"Look, I don't know what you kids expect me to do with this. You drag me out here in the middle of the night for a whole lot of nothing." the sheriff spoke as he looked around the construction sight in disbelief, "Except for some crazy story about Ward Cameron out on a killing spree."

"Aren't you suppose to take these type of things serious?" Layla asked in disbelief before she rose a eyebrow, "Sheriff."

He gave her a look, "And aren't you suppose to not even be here?"

"I'm perfectly fine here, my lawyer knows a lot actually." Layla stated as she gave a nod.

"It's not a random killing spree." Pope cut the high tension off, saving Layla's ass, "Gavin was his pilot. Okay, he was paying him hush money because he was on the tarmac that day."

"Gavin was blackmailing Ward because he had the gun that Rafe used to kill Peterkin." Kie backed his words up quickly.

"Then he called him here and tried to pay him off. But it wasn't enough and then so he shot him!" JJ threw his hands up quickly with a shake of his head and a harsh sigh.

"Aren't you just a little bit suspicious?" Layla asked in disbelief.

"How do you know about Gavin?" Shoupe sighed.

"Pope did this thing with his phone. He, like, put it in his car and-" Kie began trying to explain before Pope jumped in.

"Heard the whole conversation." Pope nodded his head.

"You wiretapped him?" Shoupes eyes went wide.

"Like some FBI shit." Layla nodded quickly.

"Is that bad?" Popes eyes widened.

"Stop. I've heard enough." Shoupe warned as he began walking away.

"What are you talking about, Shoupe? Are you just gonna look the other way?" JJ scoffed as he was close behind Layla as they hurried down the steps.

"Just like he did when I told him what happened but no one believed me!" Layla cut in quickly with a eye roll.

"Two witnesses say you weren't." Shoupe said to her as he headed down first, "All right, there's nothing up there. False Alarm, let's go home."

"No, please don't go home." Kie begged as she looked around at the deputies, "Can you just do your job for twenty minutes?"

"Hey. I know- I know you're upset. And I know you think your friend is innocent." Shoupe spoke with a finger their way.

"He is! I was there! Why does no one believe me?" Layla asked, her voice cracking because she'd been yelling. She spent too much time begging police officers to believe her, "Ward kidnapped me and then Rafe threw him in the truck and dropped me off at the church. My dad and pastor Thibodex are lying to you! I wasn't there until after!"

JJ put a arm around her when he noticed the distress in her tone.

"Two witnesses say you weren't. And the rest of you weren't either." the man shook his head at them, "The only actual witnesses, without alibis saying they weren't, say the exact opposite. And they have a hell of a lot more credibility then any or you right now. I saw your little art project on Wards wall. Do not ever do that again. And you, Layla, you do not wanna jeopardize that law suit you've already filed."

Shoupe got in his car and began driving off with the rest of the deputies, Kie shouting in hopes of them turning back.

"I told you this would happen." JJ said in disbelief and in anger, "Like, you're the one that had to drop the camera."

"JJ, it wasn't anyone's fault." Layla cut in as she gave him a look of disbelief.

"It was your fault!" Kie defended Pope as she pointed at JJ.

"It's no one fault!" Layla spoke loudly, "But if it was then you're to blame."

"Me?" Kie asked in disbelief.

"If you wouldn't have yelled like a complete air head we wouldn't have had to rush down the latter before we were murdered!" Layla said as she pushed her finger into Kie's chest.

"JJ is the one that acted dramatic and fell on Popes face!" Kie yelled back, shoving Layla hand off of her quickly.

"Oh it's my fault?" JJ laughed in disbelief, "Why do you always take his side? Why do you never take mine?"

"Shut up!" Kie shouted back at him.

"Hey! Hey! We're not out of this yet." Pope cut their arguing short as he looked over at the drain, "We can still go get the gun."

The spare room that was JJ's once, now belonged to Layla. With Luke being in jail, JJ had been staying back home again while Henry and Layla took over the chateau. She'd stayed in here a number of times to get away from her dad or out of bible study on Wednesday, but she didn't realize how lonely it felt without John B, a touron, or JJ to accompany her.

Layla's exited the shower as she told Henry a good night, wrapping her hair in a towel as she sat on the bed. Layla scooted back in the bed, reaching for her sketch book before her phone began to buzz. The number had been unknown, making Layla drop the book and grab hold of it.

"Hello?" she asked into the phone, moving the towel to hold it to her ear more.

"Hey, stranger." the voice came through.

"Who's this?" Layla asked confused.

"Hello? Are you kidding?" they laughed in disbelief, "Do I really sound that different over the phone?"

Layla's heart sunk, "Sarah?"

"Ding ding." the Cameron girl giggled from the other side.

Layla's fece formed in a bright smile, "Are you okay? We haven't heard from you guys."

"We're okay. I found some coins on the street and stopped at a pay phone." Sarah spoke, a smile in her words, "I wanted to hear your voice."

"Yeah, me too." Layla smiled, feeling her body heat, "I- Well, I miss you."

"I miss you too." Sarah said back, "What have you been doing without me?"

"Oh, you know." Layla shrugged, "Clearing my friends name so he can stop hiding out in the Bahamas."

Sarah laughed from the other line, making Layla's heart swell, "I wish you were here."

"I don't have a passport so." Layla joked, making Sarah laugh again, "Guess what i'm wearing."

"Oh, we're having one of those phone calls?" Sarah teased her.

"I'm serious." Layla laughed at her, "It's yours."

"Did you keep my shirt from when I was at your house?" Sarah asked at her in disbelief, "So not fair."

"I'll give you one of mine when you get back." she smiled on the line, "You can have all my clothes if you want."

"I think we're the same size." Sarah confirmed, "We'll just combine our clothes in our closet."

"Yeah, in our little beach house right on the water." Layla said, laying back on the bed as she smiled, "And our bathroom will be in neon lighting just to remind us."

"Can we get a dog too?" Sarah asked from the other line, "He might take your spot as little spoon."

"I am not a little spoon." Layla said in disbelief.

"Yes, you absolutely are." Sarah laughed at her in disbelief, "I miss you."

"I miss you too." Layla frowned, "Hey, um, actually I was thinking. Do you remember that night when I snuck up to you, and you told me you loved me and I said d-"

Layla stopped when the line suddenly gave out, indicating their time had run out.

•

kylie speaks

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