DON'T BREAK THE RULES

Chapter 28 - Jamie's Truth

"She came to visit for a few days," Jamie raised an eyebrow when both of them remained quiet while staring at him with gawking eyes. Until he remembered what Joe had told him, and turned back to Bridgette, "Oh, apparently there's missing posters of you or something? That's why they said at least."

"Oh," Bridgette chuckled, the tiny freckles becoming more apparent from the flush of red on her cheeks. She was clearly embarrassed from the raucous it had caused in towns and she waved her hand sheepishly. "Don't worry about those. I went to the police to have them removed. My family reported I was missing."

Joe was in such shock, that he had no idea where to even look. His throat felt as if it had clamped on itself, and even Connor, who repeatedly glanced from the missing poster to the woman standing in front of him, could not deny that it was in fact her.

Even the mole on her chin was the same.

"Anyway," Jamie took the lead, his eyes sharpening as he glanced towards Joe and then Connor. "Weren't you both just leaving?"

Joe was in such shock that he stayed quiet and it was Connor who replied, gripping Joe by his wrist. "Yes."

"Then leave," Jamie opened the door for them, motioning towards the hallway. "I hate every second of you being in my home."

"Stop with this whole act, Jamie," Connor growled, narrowing his eyes in rage.

"What act?" He didn't want to argue with him, but he had enough of the rumours that had been believed. That was why he pointed to Joe and shouted, "You've spread lies to Joe about me." He faced Joe. "So you still believe your delusional ex-husband?"

"What about going to school everyday? You don't go to Everson University—"

"Because I don't go to a University?" Jamie chuckled in disbelief. "You think University is the only option around here?"

"You told me you go to a university—"

"I told you that I go to school," Jamie interrupted Joe harshly, a menacing step towards them. "Not a university."

Connor stepped in front of Joe, blocking Jamie's view of him. "So where do you go then?"

"Richardson, the cooks academy?" Jamie glanced towards Joe, his face started to contort. "It's half an hour from here. You thought I was smart enough to be in university?" His eyes glanced down at Connor's feet before meeting his gaze again. "How stupid do you feel? Making up all these rumours about me to get your ex-husband back?"

When neither of them answered, Jamie broadened his shoulders. "Weren't you the one that left him anyway?"

"You shut up!" That had hit a nerve for Connor, who stepped forward as well. "You have no idea what you're even talking about!"

"You and your broken marriage can leave my house, how about that?!" He pushed the door further too hard that it hit against the wall.

Connor was losing his mind; he had done his research. He had found every single information he possibly could even before Joe had been in the picture with him. He knew about Jamie for years prior, therefore there was no way he was wrong.

But the way Jamie had an answer to everything throughout the entire interrogation was enough to tell him that there were a few key points he had missed, or overlooked. Until he remembered there was one detail he hadn't yet shared, and he knew this would trap him.

"Well then what about your parents?" Connor spat. The moment Jamie's eyes instantly darkened when he mentioned them, he knew he had won. He practically smiled when he spat, "The Willas—all this money; it's from them isn't it? The case remains unsolved but you killed them, didn't you?"

Jamie didn't answer right away, lowering his gaze towards the ground and his hands folded into fists. His eyes had darkened so deeply that Joe nor Connor could see the colour on them anymore.

Connor widened his arms. "Both were found dead in their master bedrooms, burned alive along with that room. But only that room meaning—the fire didn't spread anywhere else." He even chuckled when he added, "And you were nowhere to be found when officers got there. How could you possibly say that wasn't you?"

There was a long moment of silence, even Bridgette's eyes widening from the mentioning of Jamie's parents. It was a topic Jamie always dodged and even Joe, who had forgotten all those details of this case, widened his eyes and took a step backwards.

Connor was right, the case never made any sense. It had been all over the news, across the entire nation. Famous Willas found dead in their master suite and the fire had only been severe in their bedroom. It had also mentioned that their son had disappeared and was found a couple days after the incident, but he was released from custody a couple hours later. There had been no other news from him and as time grew, the murderer was never caught and the public stopped to care about that story.

Connor knew he had finally proven his point, shown to Joe his true colours. Until Jamie began to laugh, pointing towards a Connor as if he was a complete fool for even reaching to that conclusion.

"A seven year old kid? Murdering his own parents in a house fire?" Connor's victorious smirk fell. After a few chuckles, Jamie's eyes returned to a rage funk glare and he stepped towards Connor. "I do believe my parents were murdered by someone jealous of them. They were locked in their bedroom while they slept and their room was set on fire."

His eyes became red, the veins on his forehead showing as his bottom lip began trembling. Joe had never seen such emotion evoked within Jamie, as if Connor had breached boundaries that should have never been touched. His shoulders broadened as he stepped even closer towards Connor.

"My parents did not die in vain and I devoted my life to finding who killed them. But for you to assume it was me because I was the only survivor, with no trace of fucking empathy of what I've been through as an orphan, then you deserve to rot in hell."