Chapter 48: Confession Part 2

                                    

                                              


                          
        
                          
Ella's heart stopped in her chest. The mention of Connor's name caused her to falter back a step, as if she'd been hit by the same car that had killed Andrew. She looked up to see Connor's horrified and confused face staring back at her.
                          


                          
"That's...that's impossible, Howie. Connor couldn't have done that," Ella replied, refusing to believe this revelation.
                          
"Oh, but it is true, my dear. This is why you haven't been killed yet. I knew this knowledge would break you, and you needed to suffer. The look on your face made this whole endeavor worthwhile. You see, I managed to find a photo of the car that some idiot college student took a few blocks away before the accident, and I traced the license plate to one Connor Hudson, owner of a Silver Lexus. You fell in love with your first love's killer, my dear."
                          
"C...Connor? Is this true?" Ella asked in horror, staring up into Connors shocked face.
                          
"No, it's not true. I wasn't even in the state when Andrew was killed. An old girlfriend and I had taken a trip to Hawaii for the holidays. I did own a Silver Lexus at the time, but I wasn't in the state. I have pictures to prove it. I couldn't have..." Connor stops talking as a sudden look of realizations hits his face. "Oh shit."
                          
"What?" Ella asks angrily.
                          
"My...my friend Mitch borrowed my car that weekend. He was a thrill seeker, and wanted to cruise through L.A. while I was out of town. He was staying at my apartment while I was away. I gave him the go ahead to use it, and when I got back he was gone. He left a note saying he had to head home for a family emergency, and needed my car to get there. A week later, we found out he'd lied, and had taken a plunge off of a cliff into the ocean in my car. They had found drugs in his system, so it was never determined if it was an accident or suicide, but the car was totaled in the explosion his crash caused. We grieved, and I chalked it up to a life lost too soon. He...he must have hit Andrew in my car. He must have felt guilty and taken off. Ella, sweetheart, I had no idea..."
                          
Ella stared at Connor in shock. How had life brought her to this point? How did she fall in love with the man who's car had killed her first love? She had no idea, but in her heart, she knew he spoke the truth, and nodded her understanding to him as she turned to face Howie.
                          
"I believe him, Howie. He didn't kill Andrew, and the man you've been looking for all this time has been long dead. This dream of revenge you've had is over."
                          
"No! It's not true. I can see now you are as blind and stupid as you have always been. Your ignorance and stupidity let your friends take your phone and use it to lure my brother there. Your stupidity hides the truth of his death from you, and now the only thing that's left to do is die. The sun rises soon, and when it does, a new era will begin. One where you no longer exist!"
                          
Before Ella can reply, Howie brings out a pistol from the small of his back he had hidden, and fires it quickly. At first Ella is sure she's been shot, but she soon feels the bullet pass her, and turns in time to see it enter Connor in the shoulder. Connor shouts in pain and goes tumbling backwards, dropping his weapon as he lands with a thud on the floor. She goes to him, but turns when the gun goes off again, and she see's Nina holding her leg, screaming in pain as blood pours from between her fingers.