Page 81 of The Next Mrs. Parrish

“What are you talking about?”

“We have a warrant here for you.”

“What the hell do you mean?” He points to me. “She’s the one who took the kids.”

“Sir, you’re under arrest for perjury, assault, and public corruption, parental interference, the list goes on.” He looks at the paper in his hands. “Says here you bribed a judge.”

“This is ridiculous.”

Daisy Ann walks over and puts an arm around me. “Everything’s going to be okay now.”

Jackson turns to look at Daisy Ann. “You tricked me? We had a deal.”

Daisy Ann laughs. “I don’t make deals with men who abuse their wives.”

I look at her in amazement. “You did this? How?”

Before she can answer, the agent with the warrant speaks again. “You can have your lawyer call this number.” He hands Jackson a card. “We’re going to the federal courthouse for a venue hearing and then you’ll be taken back to Connecticut.”

“Can I at least take a piss first?”

“Make it quick.”

Jackson looks at Daisy Ann. “Where’s the bathroom?”

She points and the agent follows him.

“Am I under arrest?” I ask Agent Preston.

“No, ma’am. The federal prosecutor has dropped those charges in light of the evidence your lawyers presented. But we do need to get you back to Connecticut safely to get all the paperwork taken care of there.”

“Daisy Ann, I don’t know how I can ever repay you.”

While I was Jackson’s prisoner at the house, I took every opportunity whenever possible to surreptitiously listen to his phone conversations. That’s when I overheard him talking to Amber about their plan to take over Daisy Ann’s company. I snuck into his office on a day he’d gone out and discovered the papers of his bogus LLC and Daisy Ann’s contact info. I asked Meredith to get in touch with her, and the two of them worked together to hatch the escape plan for me and the girls.

“I was happy to help. When Meredith told me about the doctor you saw all those years ago, I had my detective track him down. The man is dying, and a dying man has the need to die with a clear conscience. He signed an affidavit admitting that he falsified your medical records at Jackson’s behest to have you committed. Your ex is almost as despicable as Amber. They belong together. As we speak, agents are going to her hotel to arrest her.”

“You called them about the Missouri warrant?”

She shakes her head. “Murder. I have proof.”

My attention is pulled to the agent standing outside thebathroom door, now pounding. “Mr. Parrish, open up. You’ve been in there long enough.”

There’s no answer from the other side. One of the other agents yells across the room before the three of them sprint out the door. “He’s getting in his car.”

We all run to the door and watch as Jackson races toward his rental car.

Daisy Ann throws her hands up, yelling after him. “Did it not occur to y’all that he’d go out the window? Come on!”

I watch as Jackson is thrown to the ground and handcuffed. My heart feels like it’s beating out of its chest. The other agent puts him in the car and two of them get in and drive away. The third agent returns and stands next to Agent Preston. Preston shoots him a look, but says nothing. After an awkward silence, I speak.

“When do we go back to Connecticut.”

“We’ll fly back with you this afternoon. We’ll wait outside and let you have some privacy.”

“Let’s go in the kitchen. I’ve got some chili warming up. I imagine you all are starving,” Daisy Ann says.

We follow her and sit around a rectangular table. Daisy Ann pours drinks and fills bowls. The girls eat greedily, and I take a sip of coffee and lean back in the chair.

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