I don’t think this episode can stand alone, but it does move the larger story along.
A Pillar of the Community
By Laura McHale Holland
The police chief stands at the microphone, loosens his tie and waits for the room to quiet down. Behind the podium, Carly’s parents, Janet and Jasper, sit side by side, holding hands.
Carly and her daughter, Chloe, are back home watching The Little Mermaid on video, a favorite movie from Carly’s childhood. As Chloe bounces to the song “Under the Sea,” Carly marvels at how she thought she’d always hate the junkie who wrenched Chloe from her arms. But since the arrest of D. Albert Jones, her former boyfriend’s father, Carly has felt a measure of gratitude because the junkie didn’t do what he was hired to do. Mr. Jones paid him handsomely to kill Carly and Chloe and dispose of their bodies deep in the forest, where only marijuana growers dare to go.
The police chief clears his throat and begins his briefing. “D. Albert Jones has been a pillar of the community for many years, and I know many of you think of him as a friend. But the case against him is airtight,” he says. Janet’s eyes tear up; Jasper puts his arm around her.
Meanwhile, in another room Jones breaks down, “Carly was supposed to give that baby up for adoption,” he says. “My son signed the papers, but she broke her word so she could suck our family dry. She would never have left my son alone. I couldn’t let her ruin his life.”
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All of the episodes in this series in the order in which they were posted follow:
The one he always wants to hear
strange to put a family through all this horror because of the money factor. Mr. Jones’ son should have accepted his role as a father. People do some stupid things under the pretense of love.
Thanks for your comments, Jerry. I think Mr. Jones’ son didn’t know yet that Carly hand’t gone through with the adoption at the time of the abduction. He only found out when Chloe and Carly disappeared. I expect he’s not a particularly good guy, though, and wouldn’t have wanted to be part of Chloe’s life. I think he’s probably a weak character who ultimately would do whatever his dad told him to do. And Carly just couldn’t bring herself to part with Chloe once she saw her; she wasn’t going to go after support money.
In time, even “pillars” fall from their concrete created illusions and those who put them on those pillars are delusional too. : ) I totally know what you mean by, “People do some stupid things under the pretense of love.” I don’t think Carly had any intension of bleeding the Jones family dry. She just wanted to love, be loved, and make the best world for her daughter. As you and I know, some don’t either know how to do that, or care to learn. Ah, the guise of our own little worlds! I’m loving this story and you. HUGS!
Many thanks, Susan! Wanting to love and be loved — isn’t that what life is all about? I guess life is more about power for some, but even beneath the need for power is probably a longing for love. Hugs back to you. Now, on to the next episode.
I feel Carly made a last minute decision not to give Chloe up for adoption. But what a tragedy for so many years for this family. So glad they’re all reunited and they caught the perpetrator.
That’s what I think, too, that initially Carly didn’t plan to keep the baby, but then she couldn’t bear to part with Chloe once she was born, and her parents backed her decision.
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