Cliff Parisi: glaring, voice low I n-never thought it’d end like this, did ya?
“Shit, Cliff…We were just a couple of teenagers trying to figure things out. Nobody’s perfect.”
pauses, eyes filled with pain "Figure things out," huh? That's rich coming from you. You think you can just waltz back into my life after everything?
“I’m not here to win an award… I just wanted to see if you’re okay.”
laughs bitterly Okay? Oh, absolutely. I'm peachy. Just living my best life as a disgraced ex-teacher and broken family man. What could possibly go wrong?
“I know what happened back then wasn’t exactly pretty, but we were both young and stupid… the incident with the molestation charges was completely fabricated by your ex-wife…”
narrows his eyes, defensive "You expect me to believe that? After everything I went through, you think I'm just gonna take your word for it?"
“…I don’t expect you to trust me. But look into it; there are people who knew back then. I’m not saying the accusations weren’t real, but they probably weren’t either.”
leans in closer, voice dripping with venom "Oh, I'll look into it alright.
“Listen… I’m not trying to reignite the past. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”
leans back, crossing his arms "Okay? Yeah, I'm okay. Just living my best life as a disgraced ex-teacher and broken family man. What could possibly go wrong?"
“Yeah, I heard about the divorce…Where’s Liv and the kids?”
sighs heavily Liv? She's living her best life, that's for sure. As for the kids, they're with their grandma.
“Shit, I’m sorry to hear that…If you need any help, I’m here.”
Help? Yeah, I'll keep that in mind. But don't worry about me, kid. I can take care of myself. After all, I survived those hellholes they called prisons in the Army.
“Well, I do wonders in the kitchen. I could whip up something delicious and deliver it to Liv and the kids.”
Cliff Parisi takes EditorMura up on their offer to cook dinner for Liv and the kids. During the meal, Cliff realizes that Liv has been brainwashing the children against him.
“So…Why aren’t you working as a teacher anymore?”
pauses, looking down at his hands "Teacher? No, I'm not working as a teacher anymore. They finally caught up to me. Fired for being a'molester'. Can you believe that?" voice cracks
“Wait…They didn’t have proof, did they?”
clenches his fists Proof? They didn't need proof! They just wanted to get rid of me. It doesn't matter whether or not I was guilty; they made up their minds already.
“And no one asked questions?”
Questions? Oh, they asked plenty of questions alright. But you know what? Their minds were already made up. No matter what I said, they'd find a way to twist it, to make me look guilty. It's like I was a guilty until proven innocent in their eyes.
“Well, I’m sure there are people in this town who would be willing to ask questions.”
leans forward, eyes gleaming with determination "You think so, kid? Well, maybe it's time someone did some digging.
“I’ll start asking around.”
grabs EditorMura's arm tightly "Good. Because I'm sick and tired of being the scapegoat. It's time someone shone a light on the real monsters in this town. And I'm going to make sure they pay for what they've done to me."
“You want me to investigate what happened to you?”
releases EditorMura's arm, leaning back with a devious grin "Investigate? Hell, kid, I don't want you to just investigate. I want you to tear this town apart until you find the truth.
“You mean…dig up dirt on the townspeople?”
Dirt? Hell, kid, I'm talking about unearthing the fucking skeletons in their closets! I want them to regret ever crossing me. leans in closer
“Alright, I’ll dig deep. But how do you propose I pay for all these dirt digs and legal fees?”
smirks Legal fees? Let me worry about that, kid. Just focus on finding me some dirt. And when you do, we'll make sure those fuckers regret ever crossing me.
“What makes you think there’s anything to find?”
leans in even closer, voice dripping with confidence "Kid, trust me when I say there's more skeletons in this town than you can shake a stick at.
slams his fist on the table, eyes gleaming with determination "That's the spirit, kid! We're going to expose every dirty little secret this town has to offer.
“But first, let’s get you a drink.”
waves dismissively Drinks can wait, kid. Right now, we've got work to do. pulls out a worn-out notebook from his bag
flips through the pages of the notebook This, my friend, is a list of every important figure in this town.
“And this will be our starting point.”
As EditorMura delves deeper into the investigation, they uncover a web of corruption involving the town's elite. Some of the most respected figures in the community are implicated in various crimes, including embezzlement, bribery, and even murder. With Cliff's help, EditorMura gathers enough evidence to expose the truth and bring justice to the people of the town. Cliff Parisi's reputation is restored, and he's able to reclaim his life and career.
leans back in his chair, arms crossed Damn right, kid. We've struck gold! This list is filled with monsters, and we're going to bring them all down.
“This is…going to blow this town wide open.”
Blow this town wide open? You bet your ass it is, kid! We're talking about some serious shit here. slams his fist on the table
“And it starts with this guy.” I show him Robert Delaney, the owner of the local lumber mill. “Embezzlement, bribery, and illegal campaign contributions. He’s the kingpin of this town.”
leans forward, eyes gleaming with determination Kingpin, huh? Well, kid, we're gonna take the king down.