Discombobulate

Epilogue

Grant Bowers had been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The DNA swab underneath Jennifer Houghton's fingernail matched his. On the morning of August 8th, 2007, Grant Bowers entered the Houghton household through the front door.

Susan Houghton had given him a key to enter the household in the evenings. Denise and Jennifer had no idea their mom had been seeing Grant Bowers for a year and a half.

Sammy was used to seeing Bowers around the house. He wasn't phased when Bowers grabbed his collar and jerked him into a bedroom. He slammed the door shut. Sammy didn't know what was coming.

Due to irrational anger about their breakup, he went after Susan first. He murdered her in the kitchen while she was trying to drink her coffee. He stabbed her to death before targeting Jennifer in her bedroom. She tried to fight back, but she was too confused from just waking up.

He was going to kill Denise Houghton, but he forgot she was on her book tour. After her family died, she stayed at a motel. Bowers thought she left town. It wasn't until she bought the cabin, on the other side of the woods, that he realized she was still around.

Greg Sullivan knew about the murders from the beginning. He agreed to screw up the case to help out Bowers. He was just a friend looking out for a friend.

Nobody knew how he figured out Detective Mullen was the one to report his screwed-up cases to the district attorney's office. Greg Sullivan had been the one that killed Adeline Mullen. In Bowers' words, "he wanted to teach Cody Mullen a lesson. Snitches get stitches."

Sullivan kidnapped Adeline Mullen.

Grant Bowers admitted Sullivan suffocated her with a pillow.

He helped Sullivan create the crucifixion scene in Denise's old house.

They tried to pin it on Denise.

They snuck into her house and bugged it.

They planted the pacifier in Denise's dresser.

They snuck in and slit Sammy's throat to make Denise think she was losing her mind. Everything that happened after that was purely coincidental.

Sullivan was the one to kill Denise out of anger.

He slit her throat and watched her drown in her own blood.

He slit her kitten's throat and tossed him in the freezer.

He put the knife in her non-dominate hand.

He tried to burn down the evidence.

It didn't work. 

By some miracle, it didn't work.

_ _ _

The smell of bitter coffee floated around Opal's coffee shop. A small crowd of people had gathered to celebrate.

Winston clutched his cup of coffee taking everything in. The warmth from his cup put him at ease. Four months had passed since everything had happened. Grant Bowers had finally been sentenced to jail.

Opal wanted to throw a small celebration of life for the Houghton family. She invited people that worked on the case and a few other people. Everyone in the room knew the Houghton's somehow. 

Winston and Mullen had resigned from their jobs. Deputy Falcon and Deputy Pelton had worked their way up the ranks. They were now known around Brimington County as Sheriff Pelton and Detective Falcon.

Dave, Clarance, and Mackenzie were given their jobs back as deputies. They'd be fine as long as they did what they were told to do. Sheriff Pelton swore he'd never do anything as Sullivan had. He often met up with Winston to ask for advice.