Chapter Twenty-Four: Veritas et Iustitia

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(Lincoln's POV)

"So you're telling me that your mother is responsible?"

"Yes."

"How is that possible? The officers you have watching the house said no one left the whole day."

"I'm telling you, it has to be her."

The officer sighed. "Mr. Rockwell, there is no evidence proving that your mother was the one who set the fire. We can't bring her in based on your words alone."

I groaned in frustration.

Amaryllis and I spent two hours telling two officers what our situation was. We told them everything and why my mother is most likely responsible for the fire at Amaryllis's shop.

They agreed with us, but then the officers I had watching the house said no one left at all that day. There is only one way off the property, so my mother had to have been home all day.

I knew she did it though. She had to have done it.

I just had to prove it.

I left the police station and had intended to go confront my mother, but things took a turn.

A turn in the wrong direction.

My phone rang and I was quick to answer it.

"Yeah?"

"Lincoln," she cried and my heart stopped.

"What happened? Where are you?" I asked.

"My paren-" she was cut off by her own cry.

F*ck.

"Just tell me where you are, babe."

She told me where she was and I broke almost every road law to get there quickly.

When I arrived, I was instantly pissed.

Her parent's house.....was on fire.

"F*cking hell." I muttered, getting out of the car.

I spotted her standing with her parents by a firetruck and jogged over to them.

"You all okay?" I asked, checking them over for injuries.

"We're okay. We came by because mom forgot some things." Amaryllis explained.

I shook my head. "I'm so sorry." I apologized.

Her mom grabbed my hands and shook her head.

"You listen to me," she said sternly. "None of this is your fault. You can't control other people's actions. Not even if they're family. They're responsible for what they do. Not you. You understand me?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good." She smiled.

I made sure they got back to my house safely and then called Vick. I wanted him to come stay with them while I went back to the police station. While waiting for him, I sat with Amaryllis on the couch.

"How did it go earlier?" She asked.

"They can't prove it was my mother. The police watching the house said no one left that day. It has to be her though. She's lost more than anyone else. She has the most motive."

"How are you going to prove it?"

"Thinking about going to see her, confronting her, and secretly recording it."

"I'd like to know how she found out about us." She whispered.

"Me too. Julie wouldn't have told her. Harvey wouldn't have either."

It was moments later when her dad came rushing in from the kitchen.

"What's wrong?" Amaryllis asked automatically.

"I completely forgot!"

"About what?"

"The doorbell."

"The doorbell?" She asked.

"Yeah. The doorbell." He said.

He pulled out his phone, messed with it for a minute, and then handed it to me.

I couldn't believe what I saw.

It was a video.

"I forgot we had it installed when there was a series of home invasions in the neighborhood." He said. "Even thought it was destroyed in the fire, it sent the video feed to the app on my phone."

"Unbelievable." I muttered.

"What?" Amaryllis asked.

I handed her the phone.

Her jaw dropped.

Vick walked in.

"I'm here!" He exclaimed with a grin.

He noticed the looks on our faces and his grin disappeared.

"What is it?"

"We know who set the fires." I said.

"Who?"

I tossed him the phone.

"No f*cking way."

"Yeah."

"F*cking bitch." He muttered.

"I think you mean, f*cking Barbie Bitch."

"Priscilla? Really? Why the f*ck?"

"How about we go find out?" I said, standing up.

"You don't want me to stay here?" He asked.

"No. Come with me. Amaryllis, take your parents to the police station and show the police the video. Okay?"

"Okay." She nodded.

Vick and I knew exactly where to find Priscilla thanks to Harvey. We called him and he said that Priscilla was at the house with my mother eating lunch.

"Shall I wait here for more visitors?" Harvey asked, shutting the door behind us.

"Yes. I suspect we'll have visitors with a warrant arriving in the next hour or so." I said and he smiled.

"Very well then."

I noticed that there were boxes sitting everywhere. Some were filled and some were empty.

We walked outside to the back patio where everyone was sitting. My brothers, my mother, Frank, Priscilla, and Priscilla's family were all present.

"Lincoln, what brings you by?" Mother asked, smiling sweetly.

"Veritas et iustitia." I said.
(Truth and justice)

"What?"

"How did you find out about her?" I asked.

"About who?"

"My girlfriend."

Mother's face darkened. "Oh her? I'm your mother, Lincoln. I know everything about my children's lives."

"Plus she hired a private investigator to follow you around." Priscilla said.

"Really now? A private investigator?"

"Is that so wrong?" Mother asked. "A girl like that is the last person you should be involved with. A woman like Priscilla is much better suited for you?"

"A bitch who is partially made of plastic is better suited for me?"

"Lincoln, you don't mean that. We'll be so cute together." Priscilla pouted, walking over and latching onto my arm.

I pushed her off hard enough that she fell down and I didn't give a f*ck.

"My mother's motive was obviously money and her reputation. What was yours? Me?"

"Motive? What are you talking about?" Mother asked, acting innocent.

I pulled out my phone and brought up the video of Priscilla setting Amaryllis's parent's house on fire. I'd sent a copy of the video to my phone before we left.
I played the video and turned it around for Priscilla and my mother to see.

Priscilla went pale and my mother tensed.

"You can get anywhere from 20 years to life for arson." Vick said from behind me.

"We're family, Lincoln. All we wanted to do was protect you."

I shook my head. "No, you're just pissed that you're losing your house and your money. You're pissed that your reputation is going to plummet when your country club friends find out your broke and your dead husband left you with nothing. You're nothing but a greedy, money hungry bitch." I growled out.

She opened her mouth to say something when the patio doors opened and seven cops came out of the house.

"Priscilla Cabot, you're under arrest for arson and attempted murder." One officer said, grabbing Priscilla.

"What?! No, no. She told me to do it! It was her plan!" Priscilla screamed, pointing at my mother.

"Arrest her too." The officer told another.

They dragged Priscilla and my mother out to the front in handcuffs. Priscilla kicked and screamed the whole way while my mother was silent.

She was silent until they went to put her in the back of a car.

"That's my money. This is my house. I'm the one who stuck by that man while he worked to build the company from the ground up. I'm the one who spent countless days and nights alone while he focused on that f*cking company. I deserve all of it as repayment! Not that stupid bitch and her f*cking parents. They're nobodies." Mother spat.

What happened next surprised the f*ck out me and everyone else.

Amaryllis and her parents suddenly appeared beside us and her mother backhanded my mother across the face. Hard.

My mother tried to lunge for her mother, but the cop forced my mother into his car and slammed the door shut.

My brothers, Priscilla's family, and Frank all followed the cops back to the station probably in hopes of bailing them out. They wouldn't though. I made a call to a...specific lawyer on the way over and he would be waiting for them. There would be no getting out for them.

I smiled at Amaryllis's parents and motioned to the house.

"Shall I give you a tour of your new home?" I asked.

All three of them smile.

"Lead the way."

We walked up the steps and Harvey opened the door wide.

"Welcome home." He smiled at her parents.

They walked in with huge smiles on their faces.

Amaryllis grabbed my hand, stopping me from walking in behind them.

Then she kissed me.

"Thank you." She murmured against my lips.

"For what?"

"For coming into my life."

I smiled. "Thank you for coming into mine."

She kissed me again and stunned me with her next words.

"I love you."

I'd never smiled so hard in my life.

"I love you too."

I moved to kiss her, but was stopped by someone yelling.

"Lovebirds, get in here and make-out later!"

I sighed. "I'm going to fire him."

Amaryllis laughed. "That won't get rid of him."

"Doesn't hurt to try."

"Let's go!! You have a house tour to give!"

"I have some friends who could take care of him for me." I muttered and she laughed again.

"Today people!"

"Vick, shut the hell up before I have you arrested!"

"For what?"

"For being loud!"

"I'm not loud. I'm....energetic."

"You're a moron."

"I take offense to that."

"Good."

Amaryllis joined her parents as they spoke with Harvey and I smiled. I had Harvey give them a tour of the outside first and I quickly went to my dad's old office. I smiled up at the photo of my father that hung on the wall.

"Thank you for....everything. We will make you proud. I will make you proud, dad. I love you."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(Amaryllis's POV)

I stopped by the rose bushes in the garden as Harvey and Vick took my parents around showing them everything.

I gently reached out to touch one of the flowers just as a butterfly landed on that same flower. I held out my hand and it crawled onto my finger.

"Hey there little guy."

It crawled further along my finger and then took off.

I watched as it flew off and smiled.

"Thank you, Lachlan. Thank you for.....Lincoln. We love and miss you so much. I'll....We'll do our best to make you proud. We will make you proud. Just...keep watching over us." I whispered with tears in my eyes.

With him watching over us and us having each other, I knew we'd be okay.

We....

We would live like flowers; wild, beautiful, and drenched in sun.

And we would bloom. We'd bloom dangerously, beautifully, loudly, or softly; however we needed to bloom.

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