Page 43 of Truth is the Ultimate Weapon

“The journal?” Devyn asked.

“I’ve never seen that in my life. Didn’t even know Lilah journaled.” Glen answered.

“Finally, a truth.” Owen chuckled. “You see, he didn’t know about Lilah’s journals until you told him about them, Devyn.”

“I told him?” Devyn inquired.

“The night he came over to tell you about Tommy. You see, you were all getting far too close when you found his remains and the story he gave you… it was only half true. Tommy did attack your mother, but it wasn’t your father who shot him. It was Glen. They didn’t cover it up to protect Ben. They covered it up to protect Glen.”

“How do you know this?” Devyn whispered tearfully.

“Because I was there. For all of it. I refused to take part in protecting him though ––I did it for Lilah. I knew Lilah before I knew Ben. Our mamas were best friends. She’s the reason I became friends with him and the twins, as we all called them. She was like a sister to me.”

“The journal tells you the whole story. Lilah's journal was kept in an area that suffered a flood, resulting in extensive damage to its contents. To preserve the information, she spent the last year meticulously documenting everything in a new journal, ensuring that you would know the events that transpired after her passing.”

“They were damaged. You couldn’t have known that unless…”

“Unless I knew about the journals. Your Mama journaled from the time she could read and write until the day she died. When you mentioned them around the firepit with Glen that night, he panicked. He knew what was in there because there was no way she’d not write about the biggest secret of all… So, he stole it. The night of the murders in the garden when he set up Nora. That wasn’t even part of his plan. It just worked to his benefit. You were all distracted, and it worked out for him.”

“Tell them, Glen. Tell them why you didn’t want them to know the truth.”

“I told them the truth. They know about Tommy.”

“No, tell them the rest.”

“Uncle Glen?” Kenzie begged. “Please.”

“I found that journal here, on the ranch. He hid it on the boat, where you’ll find the remains of Ellis Steele wrapped in plastic and duct tape. The journal was going out to sea with Glen and Ellis where it would have been buried at the bottom of the ocean with God knows how many other corpses, including Steele’s.” Owen seethed. “The thing in this journal he couldn’t let you figure out was that your Mama took out a large loan she couldn’t afford, bought land she didn’t need, and grew crops she didn’t even know about because this bastard blackmailed her.”

“Uncle Glen.” Kenzie pleaded. “Please say it isn’t true.”

“Rip?” Coy questioned.

“It’s all true and verified. I followed a series of leads, and I was able to confirm all of it.” Rip said. “Including Steele’s death and whereabouts, the other murders and deed transfers, the drug ring, and the pharmaceutical receipts we found. Owen was able to give me the rundown. It was the missing piece to the puzzle he’d already put together… he used those pharmaceuticals to advance his plans and grow his business by obtaining lands left in trusts to him. Those murders include Ben Stone, George Stoddard, and Emily Bridges.”

“My mother,” Charlotte stated.

“I’ve been suspicious for a long time and never quite had what I needed to bring him and his crime ring to its knees until now. Every time I got close, I had to pull back and find a new way because I didn’t want it to come back on you kids or Delilah.”

“You were protecting her and us,” Devyn said.

“Honey, I have been for years. I’ve watched you all grow up and kept you safe from the sidelines the best I could. Delilah and Ben Stone are the best friends I’ve ever had. It was the least I could do. Lilah and I, well, we had a standing weekly coffee date that would always end a lunch date for years. And when she fell ill, we still made time in those final days. I promised her to see this through.”

Glen clapped his hands slowly, “Wow, hand this guy an Oscar. That was… beautiful. I’d say a large percentage of that was true, except you have the wrong guy. This is nothing but a desperate attempt to deflect blame and responsibility and smear my name to try and salvage yours. Owen, fess up. Tell them what you did.”

“Coy, I’m having a real hard time trying to figure out who the bad guy is here,” Nash said. “Who should I have in my crosshairs, brother?”

“Son, I’ve been particularly hard on you.” Owen said to Nash, “And this here is why. I knew this day would come, and I wanted Charlotte far away from it because I knew it would end in a blood bath. I know you’re a good man, son. You’re the spitting image of Ben at your age, and he was one of the best men I knew.”

“Then why weren’t you around?” Nash asked, finding Owen’s story suspicious. “I don’t have a single memory of you from back then or in recent years, for that matter.”

“Because of this man. Or should I say coward because of what he did and how he liked to drag people down with him? Look what he did to your daddy, son. I stayed away to protect what was left of my family so someone would be around to protect yours when the time came.”

“Yet, I’ve been the one seeing that these kids grew up with a male figure in their lives and supported Lilah through the ups and downs that came with being a single mother and a rancher.” Glen shrugged. “Are they really supposed to believe that the man who was a constant in their lives is the monster and the man they barely knew was their savior?”

“I’m not trying to convince them of anything other than to trust their mother.” Owen held up the journal. “They know her words, and they know her heart. This journal tells them everything. They’ll make their own decision. The evidence at this point is indisputable.”

“How much more of this monologuing martyr shit are we going to have to endure?” Glen seethed. “It’s getting old and fast. Kenzie, you need to arrest this man. I’m sure you have all the evidence you need now, given all I shared.”

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