Understood

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The chilly night air wafts in through the open front door.
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Liz sits on the couch with her hands folded on
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her lap. It's been nearly half an hour since it
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all began. Erin paces back and forth. She watches and listens.
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She's known Erin most of her life ever since he
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was a little boy. He even worked at her and
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her husband's furniture store at one point. Now he's holding
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her captive. She isn't allowed to move. Just sit on
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the couch and listen. She nods her head, agreeing with
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whatever he's saying. But then he tells her why he's there.
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He tells her why he did what he did. She
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doesn't like what happened, but she understands. The two stand
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there staring at each other for a moment, letting the
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revelation sink in. A low, raspy gurgle breaks the awkward silence.
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Liz's eyes dart towards the front door as Aaron turns
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towards the trailer's small kitchen. She feels the floor reverberate
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with every step, but her eyes don't leave the front door.
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A heavy thud on the kitchen counter finally draws her attention.
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His back is to her. She hears the clinking of
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heavy objects of metal. Then the sound stops and Aaron
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is still. She was afraid at first, but not now.
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Now she understands. Aaron turns to her and tells her
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not to call 911 until he's gone. She agrees. Then
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he walks out the front door. She glances at the
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kitchen counter as she hears his truck start. His gun
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lies there, broken down to pieces. She hears the truck
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drive off and fade into the distance. She looks back
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at the front door. The pale moonlight shines through, highlighting
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the frame, the floor, and her husband's body. Welcome to
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Sword and Scale Nightmares. True crime for bedtime. When Nightmare
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begins now. Aaron drives down the road lit only by
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the headlights of his fiancée' s truck. His brows are low,
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and his lips are curled up into an unintentional frown.
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He catches a glimpse of himself in the rearview mirror
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during the brief moments his headlights reflect off the street signs.
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He doesn't recognize himself. He doesn't feel the same. He
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hits the turn signal and starts to slow down. He
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turns onto his parents' street. He jostles from side to side,
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driving over the uneven surface. A sense of guilt floods
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over him. He feels bad about what he did, but
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even more about how it will affect his family. He
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thinks of his fiancée and his newborn daughter, barely six
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months old. He thinks of his mother, his father, and
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his sister. He'd cry, but by now he's emotionally numb.
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He taps on the brakes and whips into his parents' driveway.
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He shuts the truck off and steps out. The cold
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February air bites at his neck as he hurries inside.
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He doesn't have a lot of time. Aaron's mother and
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father are sitting in the living room when he bursts
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through the front door. His mother can tell something isn't right.
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Aaron just stands there, kind of slouched, with the saddest
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look he's ever had on his face. As if all
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the happiness has been drained from his body, She rushes
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to him, asking what's wrong. Aaron speaks plainly. I'm sorry.
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I just wanted to tell you goodbye. What? Why? His
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mother asks, fear and worry instantly covering her face. She
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can tell he'd been drinking. Without making eye contact, he
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confesses to his parents. I shot Daryl. His mother covers
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her mouth in shock. She asks in disbelief. Aaron asks
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her to sit down and starts telling her about the
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fishing trip he went on when he was 11. Back then,
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they had lived next door to Daryl McNeil. He was
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their neighbor, a father, and a local business owner. He
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volunteered for the Boy Scouts of America and the Big
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Brothers and Big Sisters of America. So, when he came
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over that morning asking if Aaron wanted to come with them,
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on an upcoming two-week fishing trip to Oregon, they didn't
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think twice before saying yes. It was two months before
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his 12th birthday, and that trip would change his life forever.
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Aaron collapses on the floor, the tears finally flowing. His mother, heartbroken,
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cradles her grown son in her arms. Aaron Vargas' life
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was going, eh, okay. He had a lot to be
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happy about. He had a six-month-old baby girl and a fiancée, Selena,
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who loved him. They were getting married in two weeks
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at Yosemite National Park. The only thing was, he didn't
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have a career to speak of. But he always found
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work here and there. Despite this loving family life, he
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had a rough childhood. He basically quit school right before
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high school. And then he fell in with the wrong
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crowd and eventually became entangled with drugs and alcohol. Now,
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at 32, he was turning his life around, but the
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choices he had made earlier were holding him back. For
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the past couple of days, Aaron had been watching his
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daughter while Selena worked. Today, he didn't have to, so
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he was going to go out with some friends and
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blow off some steam. Selena was sitting in the living room,
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playing with their daughter as Aaron left with friends. Hours later,
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her phone rang. She hurried to answer it so it
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wouldn't wake up the baby. She puts it to her ear,
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and it's Aaron. He asks her to come pick him
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up from his friend's house. It took her a little
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while to get ready. She had to get the baby
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in the car along with a diaper bag and a
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change of clothes and a bottle, you know, all the
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whole thing. Just in case. She was a new mother
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and wasn't going to take any chances, even for a
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short trip across town. When she arrived to pick up Aaron,
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he was waiting outside and jumped right in. It was
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late and already getting dark. But even in the dim light,
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she could see he was drunk and a bit emotional.
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Something was bothering him. eating away at him. As soon
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as he got in the car and she started to
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drive away, Aaron broke down crying. She turned the radio
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down and asked, what's wrong? But he refused to answer.
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He was inconsolable. She concentrated on the road, driving with
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just one hand and rubbing his back with the other.
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She tried to get an answer out of him, but
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he didn't budge. As they got closer to home, he
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was starting to calm down, but she could tell he
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was still upset. So when he said he was going
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to build a fire, she left him to it. She
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went inside with their daughter, hoping he would sort through
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his feelings and return to normal. She watched through the
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window as he gathered sticks from the yard and piled
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them in the fire pit. She whispered to her daughter,
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That's your daddy, as she watched. But he never started
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that fire. and a short time later he came inside
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and told her he was going for a walk. He
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wore an expression that said that whatever was bothering him
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was still there. She didn't question him. She just said, okay.
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And Aaron left, shutting the door behind him. Selena sat
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back on the floor and started playing with her daughter
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again when she saw lights shine through the window. She
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straightened her back, craned her neck, and saw Aaron drive
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off in her truck. She immediately started calling his cell phone,
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but he never answered. He drove across town, determined to
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protect his family and everyone else. His mind raced, thinking
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of all the harm Daryl had done. All the harm
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he could do. He glanced down at the gun on
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the passenger seat. It was a gift from Selina, a
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Civil War-era black powder replica revolver. As he drove, his
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rage built. He thought about everything Daryl had done over
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the years. He remembered the time he moved, thinking it
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would finally stop. But no, Daryl just tracked him down.
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He tried to get away, but something about Fort Bragg
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always drew him back. It took until Aaron started a
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family of his own for Daryl to finally back off,
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but it didn't last long. Aaron found out from Selena
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that Daryl was stopping by unannounced with an armful of
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diapers and offering to babysit their daughter. He only came
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by when Aaron wasn't there. And it got to the
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point where Selena had to threaten to call the police
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just to get him to leave. That's when the phone
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calls started. Daryl would call a dozen times a day.
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Aaron strangles the steering wheel, his rage seething inside. He
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wants it to stop. He wants Daryl to stop. He
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drives carefully down the road climbing into the wooded mountains.
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The streetlights fade into the rearview mirror, and the road
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ahead darkens. It takes some time to get there, but
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Aaron never loses focus. The truck lurched as he turned
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down Daryl's road. Daryl McNeil had long since gotten out
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of the furniture business and moved outside the city center.
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At 63, he was still looking for a quieter life.
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He and his wife Liz move to a secluded little
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plot of land and into an RV. Aaron sees it
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as soon as he comes over the hill. A little
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trailer sitting some distance away from many neighbors. He stops
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and shuts off the engine. It ticks as it cools down.
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He glares ahead, his gaze on the trailer unbroken. Without looking,
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he grasps the revolver in the passenger seat and gets
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out of the truck. In the blink of an eye,
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he's at the front door and knocking. Daryl answers. He
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looks like a regular old man. He's wearing socks, pants,
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and a t-shirt. With anger in his eyes, Aaron starts
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to speak before Daryl can say anything. Stay away from
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me and my family, he says, trying to stop his
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voice from quivering. I won't let you hurt them like
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you hurt me Daryl acts confused. He denies ever hurting Aaron.
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Aaron erupts. You know you hurt me. He draws the
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gun and points it at Daryl. Just stay away, he says.
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You're lucky your wife is here. Then the gun goes off.
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Daryl collapses in the doorway, holding his stomach and moaning.
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Liz comes running around the corner to see Aaron's silhouette
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standing over her husband. A cloud of smoke dissipates around them.
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She recognizes the smell. Stunned, she just stares for a moment.
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Aaron looks down at Daryl and gives him a swift
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kick in the side. Blood has almost completely soaked his shirt.
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You're never going to hurt anyone again, he scowls. Liz
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gasps and starts running towards her husband, but Aaron stops her.
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I'm glad I shot him. I hope he suffers, he says.
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Daryl's moans grow fainter and fainter as Aaron directs Liz
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to sit on the couch. Then, his phone rings. It's Selena.
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This time, he answers it. Selena starts talking frantically, but
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he stops her. I just shot Daryl. I'm sorry. I'm
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going to prison, he says with anguish. In the shocked
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silence that follows, he hangs up with his fiancée and
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turns back to Liz. Daryl's agony is a subtle sound
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in the background now. Aaron paces back and forth as
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if thinking of what to say or do next. As
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Aaron starts to tell Liz his story, her eyes widen
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and her world turns upside down. Three days earlier, Aaron
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was at home when he got a late-night call. It
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was his closest friend, Michael. They had been friends since childhood,
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ever since they lived next door to each other. When
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Aaron answered the phone, Michael was crying. What's wrong? he asked.
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Michael choked back tears and explained he'd been having nightmares.
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But it was the same nightmare every night. He would
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snap awake from a dead sleep thinking someone was just
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in the room, fondling him. Aaron's hair stood up on
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his neck as he listened. Michael continued. I started to
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realize that my dad used me when I was a
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kid to get my friends to sexually molest them. Aaron
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told Michael to sit tight. He was coming to get him.
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He picked Michael up and they went straight to their
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other close friend's house. John Clemens was Michael's half-brother. He
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answered the door, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. It
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was the middle of the night. Before he could ask
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his two friends why they were there, Michael started talking first.
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Did my dad ever sexually molest you? He asked matter-of-factly.
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Aaron and Michael waited quietly for an answer. John stared
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back at them. Finally, he muttered under his breath. Yes.
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Michael let out an uneasy sigh with the realization of
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what this meant. He and John then looked to Aaron,
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who had been standing silently nearby. John asked, It happened
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to you too, didn't it? Aaron looked like a deer
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in headlights as he nodded yes. It was the first
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time he had ever admitted it, even if it wasn't
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out loud. Back in Daryl's trailer, Aaron watches Liz as
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the story sinks in. Her eyes are brimming with tears.
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Her lip quivers. She looks up at him. Michael, she questions,
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but then trails off. Yes, Aaron said, your son and John,
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your stepson and me. We were all his victims. Just then,
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Daryl lets out his final breath, and Aaron knows that
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it is his cue to leave. He quickly dismantles his
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weapon and leaves it behind. He has to go tell
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his mother goodbye. Aaron Vargas was taken into custody without
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incident and charged with first-degree murder, false imprisonment, and dissuading
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a witness. He potentially faced life in prison. He claimed
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he only went to Daryl's house to scare him off,
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and that he never meant to shoot him. But when
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he was asked if he remembered telling Liz that he
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was going to kill him, He was glad he shot
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Daryl and that he hoped he suffered. Aaron admitted that
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he didn't remember much of the event. Aaron certainly felt
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like he was going away forever, but he stood by
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what he did. And when the people of Fort Bragg
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found out about the man who killed his childhood abuser,
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they stood behind him, too. There were petitions, fundraisers, and
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advocacy campaigns all in support of Aaron. The consensus was
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that the district attorney should let Aaron go on probation.
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The court of public opinion found Aaron justified in his actions.
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The actual court, though, had a different opinion. They couldn't
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prove that Daryl did what Aaron claimed, and even if
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they could, they certainly couldn't support vigilantism. That's when over
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a dozen people came forward saying they, too, had been
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molested by Daryl McNeil. Some even said that they had
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gone to the police before, but nothing was ever done.
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Twelve men and one woman shared their trauma in support
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of Aaron, the man who killed their abuser. Even Liz,
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Daryl's wife of 25 years, supported Aaron. She said publicly,
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my husband had a secret life that was unknown to me.
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I believe my husband sexually molested Aaron when he was
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a child and may have also molested other children in
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Fort Bragg. I do think Aaron needs to spend some
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time in jail, but not a lot. I can understand
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being driven to the edge, but I do not condone
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what he did. He just needs help. I've known him...
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most of his life, and I still love the kid.
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The public applied a lot of pressure on the court,
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but the district attorney couldn't let a confessed killer just go.
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I mean, how could they know if he would never
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snap again? After his arrest, many of Aaron's family said
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that the little boy who disappeared when he was 11
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had returned. At the time, they just thought puberty made
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him moody and distant. But now they understood. They really understood.
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In the end, the public pressure did succeed somewhat. Aaron
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was offered reduced charges. He pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter.
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During the sentencing hearing, the courtroom was packed with supporters.
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His family, the community, and his fellow victims all were there.
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But the judge, in his ultimate wisdom, decided that Aaron
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did go there with the intention of killing Darren McNeil,
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and that he desired that he would suffer. There was
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no way Aaron was going to get probation. When the
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sentence was delivered, the room was disappointed. Aaron Vargas was
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sentenced to six years in prison, with an extra three
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on top for using a gun. Aaron Vargas suffered over
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20 years of abuse in the hands of a trusted friend,
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Daryl McNeil. Only at 32 did they realize there were others.
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When he looked into the eyes of his newborn daughter,
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he knew he had to protect her. by any means necessary.
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And he did. And to Aaron, the consequences were worth it.
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If you enjoyed the show, please consider joining PLUS at swordandscale.com
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slash PLUS. But if you can't, consider leaving us a
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positive review on your preferred listening platform. Sweet dreams, And
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good night.