Chapter 50 Daphne

I look at Daisy Ann in shock. I thought she was helping me. "What did you do?" I say, my voice shaking. She doesn't answer me as Jackson strides into the house.

The girls stand behind me; I square my shouldersup.

He sneers at me. "Did you really think you'd get away with it?" He shakes his head and lowers his voice, leaning in to whisper in my ear. "You are going to pay for what you did back at the house."

I glance over at Daisy Ann and see she's texting something on her phone.

"Dad, that's enough!" Tallulah comes to my side, her eyes blazing. "We know what you did to Mom. How could you? What kind of a person are you?"

Jackson's face turns crimson, and he narrows his eyes. "How dare you lie to my children about me." He tries to take Tallulah's hand, but she snatches it back.

"Lu, I promise I didn't do anything. I told you Mom has problems she—"

"Stop it. I know you're lying. I'm not a baby, and I don't believe anything you say."

I take a step toward him, putting myself between Tallulah and him. "I have a recording where you admitted what you did. My lawyers are straightening everything out. You're the one who's going to pay for what you did."

He pokes a finger at my shoulder. "You're going to prison for kidnapping. The FBI agents are on their way. Right, Daisy Ann?"

"I'm afraid so."

As if on cue, there's a knock at the door. Daisy Ann opens it, and four federal agents barge in and flash their badges.

"FBI. We're here from the fugitive task force."

"Come in," she says.

Jackson smiles at me. "Say bye-bye, Daphne."

The taller of the two walks up to me. "Daphne Parrish?"

"Yes,"

"I'm Agent Preston; your ex-husband is accusing you of parental kidnapping."

"Leave my mom alone," Bella cries and rushes in front ofme.

Preston nods toward the two men still standing at the door. One of them walks over to Jackson.

"Jackson Parrish?"

"Yes, and let's get this over with. Arrest her so I can take my children home."

"Sir, you're the one who's under arrest."

"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 the bathroom 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.

"You scared the hell out of me. I thought maybe Jackson had you tricked, and you'd turned on me."

She shook her head. "No chance of that. But I didn't want to tip you off. I had to make sure he had no idea and stayed here. I wasn't sure how long it would be before they arrived to arrest him. I know a snake when I see one. Like, something just didn't sit right with me when he got in touch and told me Amber's plan. Of course, I knew she couldn't be trusted, but I found it hard to believe he was this innocent man he claimed to be. And then when your friend Meredith called me and told me all about your history, well, I knew I had to help."

"Jackson told you that Amber framed him and got him put in prison, right?"

"Yeah. I looked everything up. Years of tax evasion going back before she knew him. Things have a way of working out for the godly. Or at least that's what Mama used to say. Clean living and all that." Daisy Ann laughs.

"So now there's a conundrum," she continues.

"What's going on?"

"Jackson transferred four and a half million dollars into my account for that fake stock. He said it was money Amber stole from him. So I was supposed to give it back to him, but that doesn't really seem right now, does it?" Daisy Ann said.

"What are you suggesting?"

She shrugs. "After what I read about his initial arrest, he wasn't supposed to have many assets left. The government took everything but the house and some other assets. So I'm guessing that money was come by illegally. We could turn it over to the authorities, or…"

"Or?"

"Donate it to a women's shelter."

I think a moment. "You said that Amber's going to be arrested for your father's murder, and now Jackson will likely go to jail for his new crimes. That leaves Jax with no parents. What about putting half in a trust for him and donating the other half?"

Daisy Ann nods. "Yes, I didn't even know they had a son."

"Yes, he's innocent in all this. Only two years old. Such a shame." I take a spoonful of chili. It tastes especially good in this moment. "This is heavenly."

We spend the next hour chatting and getting to know each other while the girls take showers and change into the clothes Daisy Ann brought for them. Her thoughtfulness knows no bounds. Despite not being arrested, I'm still nervous about returning to Bishops Harbor. Who knows if DCF is going to understand why I ran with them. They could decide that I'm unfit. After everything I've been through, I can't lose my children.