A pillar of the community

I don't think this episode can stand alone, but it does move the larger story along.

A Pillar of the Community
By Laura McHale Holland

The police chief stands at the microphone, loosens his tie and waits for the room to quiet down. Behind the podium, Carly's parents, Janet and Jasper, sit side by side, holding hands. Carly and her daughter, Chloe, are back home watching The Little Mermaid on video, a favorite movie from Carly's childhood. As Chloe bounces to the song “Under the Sea,” Carly marvels at how she thought she'd always hate the junkie who wrenched Chloe from her arms.

But since the arrest of D. Albert Jones, her former boyfriend's father, Carly has felt a measure of gratitude because the junkie didn't do what he was hired to do. Mr. Jones paid him handsomely to kill Carly and Chloe and dispose of their bodies deep in the forest, where only marijuana growers dare to go.

The police chief clears his throat and begins his briefing. “D. Albert Jones has been a pillar of the community for many years, and I know many of you think of him as a friend. But the case against him is airtight,” he says.

Janet's eyes tear up; Jasper puts his arm around her. Meanwhile, in another room Jones breaks down, “Carly was supposed to give that baby up for adoption," he says. "My son signed the papers, but she broke her word so she could suck our family dry. She would never have left my son alone. I couldn't let her ruin his life.”

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All of the episodes in this series in the order in which they were posted follow:

Back pocket wishesCascading to the seaRight through the heartAway today?A dime a dozenShe doesn't know themOn the seatA pillar of the communityHe needs a friendDouble rainbowThe one he always wants to hearGive it some timeIt gives my life meaningSmilesExtenuating circumstances The four of us