Love at First Touch
Chapter 21 - Learning the Truth
"Shawn, this extra money we have from selling the truck isn't going to last long. When it runs out, how are we going to put gas, eat, or have money left over for a place to stay?" Belle questioned as she started quivering with the thought of being stranded far away, where no one would find them and that they would die of starvation.
Shawn realized that Belle had a point. He started thinking of a way to make this plan work.
"I have an idea. We need to find someone we absolutely trust to help us out; someone who won't squeal to our parents. Maybe they can be our source for food, money, and information. But whom can we trust at this point? The very people we trusted as our parents have been lying to us all along."
Belle stared out the window as Shawn kept driving down the dark and lonely road.
"I know who. How about Mimi? We BOTH know her and trust her." Belle suggested.
"That's perfect."
"I'll call her now." Belle said as she took her cell phone out of her purse.
New Voicemail was displayed on the LCD screen of her phone.
"I have a message. Strange, I didn't hear the phone ring." Belle tells Shawn as she pressed her secret code to listen to the new message.
Belle, it's Meems, give me a call back, it's urgent!
"It was Mimi. She sounded so scared, Shawn. You think they are after her, too? I don't know if this is such a good idea."
"Belle, call her back, you may be jumping to conclusions."
Belle picks up the phone and dials Mimi's number, but the phone rings and rings with no answer.
She must be looking for us. Belle thought as she now tried Mimi's cell phone.
"Belle!! Where are you?!" Mimi yelled into Belle's ear.
"Mimi, we're in trouble and we need your help."
"I see you already know what happened then." Mimi says. "Wait. how do YOU know what's going on?"
Mimi began blabbering in an overly rapid pace. "You see, I got this CD journal from Brady where he professes his love for me and well, in the background, I could hear your dad was yelling at Shawn's father. I can't believe he did that to your mom. How could Bo, the infamous Salem police officer, do that?"
"Do what, Mimi?!" Belle said as she began to get tense at what she was hearing.
"Oh shit, I thought you knew!"
"Know what, Meems? Let it out now!" Belle began getting angry as she was anxious to hear the whole story from her best friend.
"Bo Brady killed your mom."
"What? You must have misunderstood, Mimi. My mom had an accident at the pier." Belle said as she began reliving those painful memories of losing her mom.
"I'm sorry, Belle. I know what I heard. I couldn't believe it either. Your dad was saying something about Bo sleeping with your mom and then when your dad found out, Bo killed her. Supposedly he saw some pictures that proved it."
"No. That can't be!"
"Belle, I'm so sorry."
Belle moved the phone away from her face and said to Shawn, "Turn around and head to school, we need to meet with Mimi NOW."
She placed the phone back to her ear, "Mimi, bring the CD with you to school. I'll meet you there in 30 minutes. We need to talk quickly and get out of there."
They both disconnected.
How could this be? This can't be the whole story. My mom cheated on my dad? No. There has to be something missing here. My mom was pure of heart and would never hurt my family in this way. I refuse to believe that.
"Belle, what's wrong?"
"Everything. everything is wrong. It doesn't make any sense."
"What doesn't make any sense?" Shawn was puzzled.
Belle explained what Mimi had told her on the phone. Shawn's facial expression changed to that of anger and rage as he gripped the steering wheel with all his strength.
"That sick bastard! That is what he was hiding from me! I could kill him! I could kill him for ruining my life and yours."
Shawn started accelerating and found himself going 90 MPH on the road. Belle found herself getting more and more uneasy as Shawn began getting angrier and angrier.
"Shawn, please. This isn't the way to handle this. Calm down. I'm in as much pain as you."
"How could he do this to someone? How could he KILL someone? He's supposed to be protecting lives, not taking them away! He's supposed to be MY FATHER, WHOM I AM SUPPOSED TO LOOK UP TO!" He shouted.
"We're going to take care of this together, Shawn. Obviously, there's something that both of our parents are hiding. And together, we will get to the truth." Belle's eyes swelled up with tears.
Shawn glanced over at Belle and realized how scared she was, partially because of his not being able to control HIS emotions.
He slowed down to drive at a normal speed and tried to calm down.
"I'm so sorry, my dear angel. I'm so sorry my father hurt you and your family. You don't deserve this."
Belle placed her face in her palms and began crying tears of confusion and despair.
"How could my mom cheat on my dad? How could she? We need to get to the truth Shawn, my mom would never do that. Never."
Suddenly, Belle's body was thrusted forward as Shawn slammed his foot on the break.
She looked up to see a light shining towards the car but couldn't pinpoint what or who it was.
Shawn leaped out of the car and started yelling at whoever jumped in their way while they were headed to the school.
"Who do you think you are almost causing me to get in an accident? What is your problem?" Shawn said as he walked towards the bright light.
Belle stepped out as well to lend her support to Shawn, but the light blinded her vision.
The light was turned off.
"You are not going to get away this time."
Bo grabbed Shawn and handcuffed him as Hope did the same with Belle.
"I know what you did to Belle's mother." Shawn told his father. "And you are not going to get away with it."
"I can get away with whatever I damn well please." Bo replied as he pulled out a syringe and plunged it into Shawn's arm.
"What is that? What are you doing to me?" Shawn said as he began getting light-headed and finally passed out.
"Shawn!!" Belle yelled as she struggled to release herself from Hope's grip and run towards Shawn.
"I don't think so, sweetheart." Hope told Belle as she pulled out a needle and injected her as well with the mysterious substance.
Both Shawn and Belle now lied unconscious on the floor.
"It's payback time, John," Bo mumbled under his breath, "I'm going to take your life away from you slowly for trying to ruin mine."
Bo pulled out his gun and pointed it at Belle's whose body was lying lifeless on the ground.
"Shawn, this extra money we have from selling the truck isn't going to last long. When it runs out, how are we going to put gas, eat, or have money left over for a place to stay?" Belle questioned as she started quivering with the thought of being stranded far away, where no one would find them and that they would die of starvation.
Shawn realized that Belle had a point. He started thinking of a way to make this plan work.
"I have an idea. We need to find someone we absolutely trust to help us out; someone who won't squeal to our parents. Maybe they can be our source for food, money, and information. But whom can we trust at this point? The very people we trusted as our parents have been lying to us all along."
Belle stared out the window as Shawn kept driving down the dark and lonely road.
"I know who. How about Mimi? We BOTH know her and trust her." Belle suggested.
"That's perfect."
"I'll call her now." Belle said as she took her cell phone out of her purse.
New Voicemail was displayed on the LCD screen of her phone.
"I have a message. Strange, I didn't hear the phone ring." Belle tells Shawn as she pressed her secret code to listen to the new message.
Belle, it's Meems, give me a call back, it's urgent!
"It was Mimi. She sounded so scared, Shawn. You think they are after her, too? I don't know if this is such a good idea."
"Belle, call her back, you may be jumping to conclusions."
Belle picks up the phone and dials Mimi's number, but the phone rings and rings with no answer.
She must be looking for us. Belle thought as she now tried Mimi's cell phone.
"Belle!! Where are you?!" Mimi yelled into Belle's ear.
"Mimi, we're in trouble and we need your help."
"I see you already know what happened then." Mimi says. "Wait. how do YOU know what's going on?"
Mimi began blabbering in an overly rapid pace. "You see, I got this CD journal from Brady where he professes his love for me and well, in the background, I could hear your dad was yelling at Shawn's father. I can't believe he did that to your mom. How could Bo, the infamous Salem police officer, do that?"
"Do what, Mimi?!" Belle said as she began to get tense at what she was hearing.
"Oh shit, I thought you knew!"
"Know what, Meems? Let it out now!" Belle began getting angry as she was anxious to hear the whole story from her best friend.
"Bo Brady killed your mom."
"What? You must have misunderstood, Mimi. My mom had an accident at the pier." Belle said as she began reliving those painful memories of losing her mom.
"I'm sorry, Belle. I know what I heard. I couldn't believe it either. Your dad was saying something about Bo sleeping with your mom and then when your dad found out, Bo killed her. Supposedly he saw some pictures that proved it."
"No. That can't be!"
"Belle, I'm so sorry."
Belle moved the phone away from her face and said to Shawn, "Turn around and head to school, we need to meet with Mimi NOW."
She placed the phone back to her ear, "Mimi, bring the CD with you to school. I'll meet you there in 30 minutes. We need to talk quickly and get out of there."
They both disconnected.
How could this be? This can't be the whole story. My mom cheated on my dad? No. There has to be something missing here. My mom was pure of heart and would never hurt my family in this way. I refuse to believe that.
"Belle, what's wrong?"
"Everything. everything is wrong. It doesn't make any sense."
"What doesn't make any sense?" Shawn was puzzled.
Belle explained what Mimi had told her on the phone. Shawn's facial expression changed to that of anger and rage as he gripped the steering wheel with all his strength.
"That sick bastard! That is what he was hiding from me! I could kill him! I could kill him for ruining my life and yours."
Shawn started accelerating and found himself going 90 MPH on the road. Belle found herself getting more and more uneasy as Shawn began getting angrier and angrier.
"Shawn, please. This isn't the way to handle this. Calm down. I'm in as much pain as you."
"How could he do this to someone? How could he KILL someone? He's supposed to be protecting lives, not taking them away! He's supposed to be MY FATHER, WHOM I AM SUPPOSED TO LOOK UP TO!" He shouted.
"We're going to take care of this together, Shawn. Obviously, there's something that both of our parents are hiding. And together, we will get to the truth." Belle's eyes swelled up with tears.
Shawn glanced over at Belle and realized how scared she was, partially because of his not being able to control HIS emotions.
He slowed down to drive at a normal speed and tried to calm down.
"I'm so sorry, my dear angel. I'm so sorry my father hurt you and your family. You don't deserve this."
Belle placed her face in her palms and began crying tears of confusion and despair.
"How could my mom cheat on my dad? How could she? We need to get to the truth Shawn, my mom would never do that. Never."
Suddenly, Belle's body was thrusted forward as Shawn slammed his foot on the break.
She looked up to see a light shining towards the car but couldn't pinpoint what or who it was.
Shawn leaped out of the car and started yelling at whoever jumped in their way while they were headed to the school.
"Who do you think you are almost causing me to get in an accident? What is your problem?" Shawn said as he walked towards the bright light.
Belle stepped out as well to lend her support to Shawn, but the light blinded her vision.
The light was turned off.
"You are not going to get away this time."
Bo grabbed Shawn and handcuffed him as Hope did the same with Belle.
"I know what you did to Belle's mother." Shawn told his father. "And you are not going to get away with it."
"I can get away with whatever I damn well please." Bo replied as he pulled out a syringe and plunged it into Shawn's arm.
"What is that? What are you doing to me?" Shawn said as he began getting light-headed and finally passed out.
"Shawn!!" Belle yelled as she struggled to release herself from Hope's grip and run towards Shawn.
"I don't think so, sweetheart." Hope told Belle as she pulled out a needle and injected her as well with the mysterious substance.
Both Shawn and Belle now lied unconscious on the floor.
"It's payback time, John," Bo mumbled under his breath, "I'm going to take your life away from you slowly for trying to ruin mine."
Bo pulled out his gun and pointed it at Belle's whose body was lying lifeless on the ground.
