Another Chance (A Penelope Chance Mystery Book 2) Page 15

  “Oh, he’s not charging a consulting fee.”

  Donny tilted his head to the right and raised a single eyebrow.

  “He was my professor in college, and with Jacob being injured, he considered it a personal favor to me.” Maybe if she left it at that, he wouldn’t question her further. “I’m sorry, Donny. I should have consulted you first,” she added.

  “E-mail me the photos and I’ll send them to the lab,” he said, squinting at the photo of the heel print. “We probably caught those marks on film.” Donny didn’t say anything else about Gabriel’s involvement.

  “So any other updates?” Penelope asked, changing the subject.

  “I’m still waiting to hear from the lab guys checking the bottles and prescription pad for prints. And Ballard is still working the drug angle. Maybe we’ll get lucky.”

  “Let’s hope so.”

  “How’s the rest of your week look?” he asked.

  Penelope thought of her conversation with Jacob. She was supposed to look at reception venues tomorrow, and then she remembered her commitment to Gabriel to follow Jacob tomorrow morning as part of their unofficial investigation. Friday she had an appointment with a potential wedding planner. “I’m . . . somewhat flexible,” she finally said. “What’s up?”

  “Tomorrow I’m going to interview a couple of the staff members that weren’t at the Franklin Clinic yesterday. Then on Friday I’m following up with the Grace Memorial staff that was working the day of the robbery. You want to join me?”

  Penelope wanted to join him both days, but she didn’t want to cause a rift between her and Jacob. “Sure,” she said, trying to sound normal. “I have some wedding stuff to do tomorrow, but I could meet you Friday for the Grace Memorial interviews.”

  “Two o’clock work for you?”

  “Two o’clock Friday works,” she said.

  Donny walked Penelope to her car, and as she sat in the parking lot, she thought about the new developments. She now knew the woman at the victim’s apartment was Kevin Scott’s girlfriend and that she probably wasn’t involved. Donny agreed that Belinda probably wasn’t the killer either. But the drugs were definitely in her desk. Even though she didn’t want to believe it, it was looking more and more like someone at the Franklin Clinic must have been involved.

  She drove out of the parking lot with her head full of questions. She could use some family time. Spending time with Trevor would help lighten her concerns, and Doug was always a good sounding board for her theories. As she headed toward Doug’s house, she thanked God for keeping her and Gabriel safe and for allowing her to be more involved in Donny’s investigation.

  CHAPTER 53

  When Penelope pulled up to Doug’s house that evening, she saw her brother smiling as he watched Trevor push his cars around on the brightly painted porch. Camille had picked the color, back when she and Doug had been married. Doug hated that shade of yellow, but since Camille’s murder, he had stopped talking about it. He had the time to paint over it, but never did, and Penelope knew her brother well enough to know that he never would.

  Doug waved as Penelope parked and Trevor looked up to investigate; he jumped up and pointed at her.

  Penelope couldn’t help but smile at the little guy’s enthusiasm. This was the closest thing she had to a family. She shut off the engine and grabbed the burgers and fries she had picked up on her way over. Trevor almost tackled her as she got out of the car.

  “Hey there, buddy!” She tried to hug him without dropping the bag of food.

  Doug laughed and grabbed the bags before she dropped them. “Thank you for bringing dinner, Penny,” he said and looked pointedly at Trevor.

  “Thanks, Aunty Penny.”

  “You’re welcome, Trevor. Tell you what. Let’s go inside and see if there’s some french fries in the bag.”

  “French fries!” Trevor waved his arms over his head and ran toward the house.

  Doug grabbed him by the shirt. “Not so fast. Pick up your cars, and then wash your hands.”

  Trevor grumbled for a bit and then picked up his toys with gusto.

  Doug held the door open for Penelope. “After you.”

  Together they walked into the kitchen and sat at either end of the small table. Penelope fondly remembered Trevor’s high chair, and the first time he had spaghetti. There was still a small stain on the ceiling.

  She handed Doug a burger. “Got you a double cheeseburger, extra onions.” She pulled out a smaller burger and put it on the table. “Kid’s burger for Trevor,” she said. She found her burger and unwrapped it.

  “Aren’t you going to say grace?” Doug asked, with a twinkle in his eye.

  “Yes, I am. Do you want to say it with me?”

  “No, thanks.” He took a huge bite of his burger.

  She didn’t mind if Doug didn’t pray—he might want to someday, but she would pray for him in the meantime. She bowed her head.

  “Dear Lord, bless this food to the nourishment of our bodies and us to Thy service. In Christ’s name we pray, Amen.” She took a bite of her burger.

  “Where’s mine?” Trevor asked, bursting into the room.

  “Hands,” Doug said with his mouth full of burger.

  Trevor presented his hands. Doug nodded and pointed to the small burger.

  “What about the fries?”

  “Eat half your burger, then you get some fries,” Doug said calmly.

  Trevor looked like he was going to complain, but thought better of it, and then took a bite of his burger. He didn’t take his eyes off the fries. Penelope marveled at the way Doug kept the rambunctious six-year-old in line. He had been a single father for a while now, but since they lost Camille, things had gotten even tougher. He took it in stride.

  “How’s work?” Penelope asked.

  “Busy. Cars always need fixin’,” Doug said with a smile. He looked happy.

  “I got two new cars,” Trevor added.

  “What color?” Penelope asked.

  “A red one and a green one. The green one’s a truck.” Trevor kicked his legs under the table as he ate.

  “You’ll have to show them to me.”

  “Right now?”

  “No, later,” Doug said.

  “Okay.” He took a big bite of his burger and held it up for Doug to inspect. “See? I ate half.”

  Doug gave him a small pile of fries and a squirt of ketchup.

  “Thanks, Dad!”

  “You’re welcome.”

  Doug looked at Penelope and lifted his eyebrows.

  She laughed. He had grown into such a confident parent.

  Trevor told his dad about a field trip he had taken with his kindergarten class. As he described the small local train museum, Penelope remembered doing the same thing at his age. Doug asked him about the different things he learned while he was there. She beamed as she watched the two bantering and joking around with each other.

  Trevor cleared the table when they were through.

  “Can I go watch the Disney Channel?” Trevor asked.

  “Sure,” Doug said.

  And just like that, Trevor was gone. The room was still and quiet.

  “He’s getting so big,” Penelope said, breaking the silence. “I was thinking about when he was a baby.”

  “Yeah. He’s doing pretty well, considering.”

  “How are things going?”

  “They’re going. I couldn’t do it without Jacob’s Aunt Jess, though.”

  A year earlier, Jessica Gordon had stepped in to help care for Trevor when Doug was being investigated for Camille’s murder. Jess and Trevor became inseparable, and now she insisted on watching Trevor for free while Doug was at work.

  Doug stuffed a few fries in his mouth and went on. “He’s still seeing a therapist in Gainesville once a week. It gives him someone to talk to, and the therapist gives me parenting tips. Turns out he needs a lot more structure than what I was giving him before.”

  “You’ve always given him everything,
Doug. We both know that.”

  “Oh, I’m not down on myself for not knowing everything about being a dad. I’m learning about it now, and that’s all right with me. Plus, his therapist isn’t bad looking . . .”

  “Oh, Doug, you couldn’t date Trevor’s therapist!”

  He laughed at her reaction. “I haven’t asked her out or anything.” He paused for a second. “No, I don’t think I’m ready to date. I still miss Camille.”

  His face darkened a little, and the two fell silent. Despite the joviality of the visit, Camille’s death weighed on both of them.

  “Don’t be sad, Daddy,” Trevor said, suddenly appearing in the doorway. “Mommy’s in Heaven now, with the angels.”

  “I know she is, Trev,” Doug told him as he opened up his arms for a hug.

  Penelope watched them hug, and her eyes welled up.

  “Don’t cry, Aunty Penny!” Trevor said and then gave her a hug, too.

  “I’m not crying because I’m sad,” she said, patting his back. “I’m crying because I’m glad to have you and your dad as my family. I don’t have any other family but you two. Did you know that?”

  “Yeah, I know that,” Trevor said.

  Doug burst into laughter. Neither of them had told Trevor about Penelope’s past. He was just at the age when kids pretend to know things.

  “Are you guys laughing at me?”

  “No, Son. We’re just in a good mood.”

  Trevor seemed to accept that. Penelope hugged the boy until he wiggled away.

  “Go finish your show,” she said. “I want to talk to your dad.”

  “Okay.”

  Trevor ran off, and the silence returned.

  CHAPTER 54

  “Listen, Doug,” Penelope finally said, “it’s been a strange week for me.”

  Doug gave Penelope a wary look. “I’m listening . . .”

  “Did you hear about the body discovered in the Franklin River Sunday?”

  “Yeah, I saw it on the news.”

  “Well, I got the call. Donny Greene assumed jurisdiction. The victim turned out to be one of the robbery suspects.”

  “Friday’s robbery? That wasn’t on the news.”

  “It wouldn’t be,” Penelope told him. “Details like that aren’t usually released this early on. Also, Jacob’s belongings were returned sometime Saturday morning, and something was missing from his wallet.”

  “His stuff that was stolen? Who returned them?”

  “I don’t know yet.”

  Penelope went on to explain how the stolen drugs were found in Belinda’s desk, and how that led to her arrest.

  “Is she their prime suspect?” he asked.

  “Well, she has an alibi, but Donny hasn’t ruled her out as being involved.” Penelope hesitated as her heart got heavy, and then added, “I wanted to let you know that Jacob might come under suspicion.”

  Doug didn’t respond right away. He looked across the table at her with unblinking eyes. She saw the disbelief on her brother’s face.

  “What? Jacob? Why? How could anyone think that?”

  “It makes sense, from an investigative standpoint. With Belinda’s alibi checking out, someone had to have put the pad and the drugs in her desk—someone connected to the robbery. What with Jacob’s belongings being returned and prescription pads with his name turning up in the victim’s apartment, it’s only a matter of time before Donny comes to the same conclusion. Jacob is the only connection between the two crimes.”

  “You don’t believe it, do you?” Doug was incredulous.

  “Of course not! He was in the hospital after the robbery and he stayed here with you until he went to work the next day.”

  Doug ran his fingers through his disheveled hair. “I can’t believe it.”

  “I’ve been working with Donny, but if Jacob becomes a suspect, he’ll probably shut me out of the case.”

  “What? You’re the best! You see things others don’t.” Now Doug was even more indignant.

  Penelope reached out and put her hand on her brother’s arm. “It would only make sense, Doug. I’m too close to the suspect. But that would just mean I couldn’t investigate openly.”

  “What do you mean . . . openly?”

  Penelope sat back in her chair. “Well, that’s the other thing I wanted to tell you. You know I’m on vacation this week.”

  “Yeah . . .”

  “Well, I’ve been working the case unofficially.”

  She gave Doug a few moments to process the information.

  “You said there was something missing from Jacob’s wallet. What was it?”

  “A picture of us from the photo booth at your wedding and a Chinese fortune slip . . . from the cookie you and Camille gave us.”

  “They took that and a picture of you and Jacob? Nothing else was missing?”

  “Nope. Just the picture and fortune.”

  “Why would someone take those?”

  “I don’t know. But Gabriel and I have a theory.”

  “That psychologist from the trial?”

  “Yeah. He was my advisor in college. He has an office at Grace Memorial and he’s been helping me investigate this . . . unofficially.”

  “What’s his theory?”

  “When I told him about Jacob’s belongings being returned, he thought it was a bit unusual as well. He suspects that whoever returned the belongings probably knows Jacob.”

  “Like a patient?”

  “Or a coworker.”

  “But how did they get his belongings in the first place? Did they find them? And why didn’t they say anything?”

  “That’s been bugging me all week. We think the same person killed one of the robbers and returned Jacob’s belongings.”

  “Are you in danger, Pen?”

  “No, but I think Jacob is.”

  “You think they’ll come after him? Why would they do that after they returned his belongings?”

  “We think this person might have a crush on Jacob.”

  “Like a secret admirer?”

  “Exactly. And when they found out about the robbery, they took the law into their own hands.”

  “What did Jacob say about all this?”

  “I haven’t told him. Gabriel and I are going to follow him tomorrow. I want to make sure he’s safe, and I want to see if we can spot this person.”

  “You need to tell him, Pen.”

  “I don’t want to worry him if we’re wrong.”

  “You still need to tell him,” Doug insisted.

  “I will. If nothing pans out tomorrow, I’ll run the theory by him.”

  “I don’t like this, Pen. It sounds dangerous.”

  “I’ll be careful.”

  Doug was much more upset than Penelope thought he would be. She didn’t say anything for a while. Sometimes Doug needed a few minutes to calm down. His reaction made her see things in a new light, though. Was she in danger? Why on earth would someone want a picture of her and Jacob?

  Doug had only recently lost his ex-wife, and his seemingly strong grip on things might be deceiving. Losing Penelope would crush Doug. She was his only sister; even though they weren’t related by blood, they were still family.

  “I want you to text me your location while you’re unofficially working. I don’t want you to get caught up in this any more than you have. I’d go with you, but—”

  “Doug, you know I can take care of myself,” she interrupted. “I’ve been doing that for a while. I’m strong, and the Lord is watching over me while I work. I can feel it.” Doug didn’t look convinced. “I’m a cop, Doug. Dangerous is what I do. I’m careful. I’m professional, and I’m armed. Besides, Gabriel is going to go with me, so I’ll have a male bodyguard after all.”

  She meant to lighten the tone, but Doug only got more serious.

  “Text me. Can you do that, please? I want a running report of where you are going.” He rubbed his temples. “This worries me, Pen. I want to know you’ll be safe.”

  She
was touched. “I promise. I’ll let you know where we are going. It should only take a few days to find conclusive evidence that Jacob couldn’t be involved.”

  “Donny should take your word for it,” Doug grumbled.

  “If Jacob does become a suspect, Donny would just be following procedure. It’s all part of the investigative process.” Penelope liked being a part of the process, but she disliked where this one seemed to be headed. The sooner it was solved, the better.

  Trevor walked into the room. He looked subdued. “Are you guys fighting?”

  “No way, Trev. Your Aunt Penny and I never fight. We debate.”

  Penelope and Doug put their smiles back on, though there was slightly less joy than before.

  “Promise?” Trevor asked.

  “I promise,” Penelope said with solemnity and authority.

  Trevor seemed appeased.

  Penelope and Doug joined Trevor in the living room. Doug turned off the TV and pulled out a puzzle he and Trevor had completed a hundred times. Penelope spotted the corner pieces and pointed them out to Trevor. Once they found the four corners, they began searching for the edge pieces. Penelope’s eyes darted across the scattered pieces as she fit the puzzle together in her mind—she worked criminal cases in the same manner.

  As they completed the edges, they each picked up various pieces and tried to place them in position, placing one piece at a time until the picture became clear.

  CHAPTER 55

  Thursday morning, Gabriel pulled into Penelope’s driveway at 5:59 a.m. She hopped into the passenger seat and Gabriel offered her a cup of coffee. It was quiet and misty outside, but being inside the tank of an SUV gave Penelope a distinct feeling of entombment.

  She greeted Gabriel with a smile, took a sip of coffee, and then sent Doug a quick text, With Gabriel. Continuing our unofficial investigation. She hit send and put her cell phone on the enormous dashboard.

  Before they pulled away, Penelope closed her eyes and said a prayer. “Dear Lord, please watch over us and lead us in the direction you want us to go. Let us be aware of the clues You reveal, and help us not to cast judgment. Amen.”