Rebel Soul (26 page)

She quickly walked back to her room, grabbed her laptop and the big blue dog Billy had won her at the fair, took one last look around her room, closing the door behind her. As she turned around she ran into Dan, “I don’t know what you two got yourself into, but it wasn't us, Emily, That ran Billy off that road, if anybody did.” he simply said, then walked away.

She walked down the stairs, and past her Mom without saying a word, then out the front door.

She easily found the car, then pulled it to the end of the creek area, not caring if she was seen and loaded her belongings and the money into the trunk. Then headed toward town.

Her next stop was the funeral home where she paid for Billy’s funeral in cash, then begged the funeral director to let her see Billy one last time and say good-bye. She cried and held his cold hand then kissed him on the forehead, saying good-bye one last time to her life with Billy.

Her next stop was at the lawyer’s office. When she walked in it felt as if he were expecting her, as he stood and shook her hand. “Well Miss Johnson, you have suddenly became a rich women.” She was stunned at his words.

“Billy left you a million dollar life insurance policy.” He told her to contact him with a bank account number to deposit the money into, as he advised her not to stay around and wait for the check.

"Emily,” the lawyer told her, “I think you need to know Billy’s grandpa, left the land to him and his heirs, Billy would have inherited the land on his Twenty fifth birthday, that baby you are carrying, will inherit the Johnsons land on its twenty fifth birthday.” Then he laughed, “Also I don’t think you know that your Grandpa also left you and your first born child half of the land with your daddy it will become yours on your Twenty fifth Birthday and your first child will receive his or her part on its Twenty fifth birthday. Kind of ironic don’t you think a Johnson/Canton baby owning all that land out there, after years of the families fighting over property lines.”

He laughed and shook his head, then handed Emily a copy of both wills. “Ever since they received the land grants, years and years, now the land will all be owned by one little baby, sweet Hu Emily, right back at um Hu. Well, I just wanted you to know that,” he suddenly became serious, “ because you will have to return to Chestnut someday, The word around town is Billy stole way over a millions dollars’ worth of Mary Jane out of those farms out there on your road, and people believe, you know where the money is. There wasn’t any money found on him or Mary Jane, so either they were mistaken or you do know and if you do little girl, I think you need to get in that car out there and quickly drive out of here, like a bat at of hell.”

Then she did. She left, not heading toward Nashville, she was afraid, that word had got out where they had planned on going too, but toward Florida. The beach Emily thought. Emily knew she didn’t have all the money from the pot, someone had taken it, after Billy was ran off the road. She had taken that curve with Billy many times before and he didn’t miss that curve, she knew that. Emily didn't know when she would return, to her home town, but she knew she would, and vowed to get revenge, on everyone that was involved with Bill’s death.

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

May 30th 2013

     She set in her rocking chair looking out over the ocean rocking her two little ones, when she heard her cell phone ring, it was a message from Ed, Hey Emily, I’m making a run to Georgia today, do you care if I come on down and see the twins?

She laughed and sent him a text, sure looking forward to seeing you.

   Ever since Billy’s death Ed had been there for her every step of the way. He contacted her soon after she had arrived in Florida and had visited her often ever since. Fixing things in the house, in the little beach house she had bought, taking her to appointments, making sure she had the things she needed and was with her in the delivery room on March 1
st
2013 when the twins had decided to make their appearance into the world a few weeks early. Emily named them Josephine and Billy Johnson, she thought they looked just like Billy, although Ed would argue with her on that, saying “No Jo Jo looks just like you, Emily.”

   Sometimes he would lay with her at night, her under the covers and him on top of the covers, and he would wrap his arms around her and hold her, while she cried. He was so gentle and patient with her. Ed was always respectful toward her and had never tried to kiss her, or touch her inappropriately. Although their relationship was just as friends, she knew if she let it, the relationship could become more, and found herself very fond of Ed always looking forward to seeing him. She felt like she could love him, but she had to let Billy go first, his death was always looming over her like she was in the fog like the night of the accident. There was so much she needed to make right, before she could pursue another relationship. So she had to try and move forward, fix things, release Billy and either release Ed or move forward with him.

    Ed was the only person from Chestnut she seen or talked to since she had left, but as of late, she had been feeling the urge of revenge, and had been thinking about returning. Emily thought that Ed wanted revenge for Billy’s death also just as much as her, they both knew he hadn’t missed that curve .Someone had ran him off that road cruelly murdering him. The urgency to go back had hit her like a ton of bricks, as if drawn to the place she had spent the most exciting summer of her life. She felt as if she could hear him, Billy saying “I love you Emily, I love you” and not just in her dreams but throughout the day.

     Emily knew she had to get on with her life, but she had to free Billy first, she couldn’t live with his ghost forever. She had to pull back the tears every time she thought about her relationship with Billy. She knew now it had been domed from the start, the wildness, she had with him, the secrets he had kept. They had went about the relationship completely the wrong way. Neither was mature enough for the life they tried to live, but she had been so in love with him and drawn to him, she thought she couldn’t live without him, now she knows she could have, she’s the one that had the power from the beginning to have changed everything. Emily planned on going back and reliving that summer. She had changed the twins from breast milk to formula the week before, knowing she would be spending time away from them, maybe even drinking and smoking pot. Getting the wild mind set back if only for a few days, she had to do this, for the twins, to find their Daddy’s killer. She had to end this for her own sanity.

     Emily looked at Billy and Jo Jo, “I love you guys,” she kissed both their foreheads, “It looks like your uncle Ed is coming to visit.”