Another Chance (A Penelope Chance Mystery Book 2) Read online

  Harris shook her head. “A .45 perhaps? I’m not sure. I’ll know more when I get him back to the morgue.”

  “Time of death?” Jackson asked.

  “Based on liver temp and lividity, I’d say your TOD is sometime in the last thirty-two to thirty-eight hours.”

  “So what’s that? Somewhere between eight o’clock Friday night and two Saturday morning?” Jackson asked.

  “Correct. I should be able to narrow that window after my examination.”

  Chief Curtis Jackson stood up and flexed his back. He stared into the distance, not looking at anything in particular. Penelope knew what was happening. The chief was thinking, cogs turning, perhaps accessing an old memory.

  She looked at the body again, searching for clues. “Come on, there has to be something,” she said under her breath, “any clue about what happened to you and how you got here.”

  The only sounds around them were the trickle of the stream and the clicking of the cameras several officers were using to collect evidence.

  “Looks like we may have a drug deal gone wrong,” Jackson said, breaking the rhythm of the sounds around them, and then he fell silent again.

  Penelope looked at Dr. Harris, who shrugged. She wasn’t going to offer any more input until she’d had a chance to study the body.

  They stood together in silence.

  CHAPTER 32

  The distant sound of cars approaching caught Penelope’s attention. She looked to Jackson. “News media?”

  “Gainesville PD,” he said. Penelope’s frown deepened, and she pushed herself up with her hands on her knees. Her body was stiff from squatting in the awkward position.

  “Gainesville?” she asked. This is Franklin’s jurisdiction, isn’t it?

  “They’re better equipped for this kind of case, Chance. I called them on the way over. With you on vacation, I’m not going to have the manpower to take on a murder case. Besides, the body is on their side of the river.”

  Penelope was a little hurt that Jackson had called them, but the chief was right. Even though they were in the middle of nowhere, in an unincorporated part of the county, the Franklin River was the imaginary line that separated the two cities. The east side was Franklin and the west side was Gainesville.

  “If Jacob is right, and this is one of the suspects from the robbery, Gainesville would want to work them together,” Jackson added, saying it more to himself than to her.

  Penelope nodded without answering. Jackson was the boss and she swallowed the lump of rejection that had risen in her throat. Gainesville had more resources than Franklin, but she wanted to help. It was getting personal again. Jacob was directly linked to this now, and she wanted to protect him. And the only way she could do that was by being a part of the team and being aware of what was happening.

  The engines shut off, and boots crunched along the trail and through the leaves. Detective Donny Greene was the first to emerge from the trees. Two of Gainesville’s finest uniformed officers followed.

  “Detective Greene,” Chief Jackson said with an outstretched hand, taking his attention off the body for a moment.

  “Chief,” Donny said and shook Jackson’s hand.

  “Thanks for coming. Sorry to call you out on a Sunday.”

  “No problem. Crimes don’t have office hours.” He tipped his head at Penelope and then asked, “What’ve we got?”

  Jackson and Dr. Harris filled Detective Greene in on what they knew so far. Penelope stayed out of it. After the facts had been relayed, Donny scratched his head and asked, “Any sign of the stolen drugs?”

  “He doesn’t have anything in his pockets. No wallet, no ID, no pills. Nothing,” Jackson said. “To me, it indicates that someone emptied his pockets before they dumped him here. I also think he was killed at another location and brought here. There’s a blood trail across the bridge, so I think he did most of his bleeding somewhere else.”

  Donny looked to the medical examiner. “So the murder took place in a different location?”

  “That would be my opinion as well,” Dr. Harris confirmed. “The victim had lost a lot of blood, but there’s very little blood here at the river. The rest of it has to be somewhere else.”

  “The stream couldn’t have washed it away?”

  Harris shook her head and pointed at the body. “The torso wasn’t in the water. Only the lower half of the body.”

  “What about rain? It rained Friday night,” Penelope offered.

  “That’s a possibility, but I still think your primary crime scene is elsewhere.”

  “Any sign of the murder weapon?” Donny asked.

  “Not that we’ve been able to find,” Penelope said.

  Donny nodded at Harris and thanked her and Jackson for what they’d done so far. He turned to one of his men who looked like a rookie. The young-looking cop stood frozen behind Greene clutching a roll of bright yellow caution tape. Poor kid had probably never seen a body before.

  “Officer Meeks, go relieve officers DeBose and Peterson, and keep the scene secure.” Officer Meeks didn’t move. The detective snapped his fingers in front of the officer’s face. “Caleb, secure the scene.”

  Officer Caleb Meeks snapped out of it. “Yes, sir.” He adjusted his glasses on his nose and sprang up the hill, apparently elated to be away from the corpse.

  Donny spoke for a moment longer with Dr. Harris and then started up the slope. He paused and turned to Penelope. “Chance. Walk with me?”

  “Sure.” Penelope motioned to Jacob and Jackson. “I’ll be right back.”

  Jackson nodded, and Penelope followed Donny up the hill.

  “I have the doc’s belongings in my car,” Donny said.

  “That was quick. Any prints?”

  “Only the doc’s. The guys at the lab said the watch and cell phone were both clean.”

  As they crossed the wooden bridge and walked back to the trailhead, Penelope’s mind raced. Was the victim murdered for the stolen drugs? Was that why the drugs were missing from the crime scene?

  “Got any theories?” Penelope asked.

  “I don’t want to speculate too much. It does appear that the cases are related. I’ll be coordinating with Ballard, and we’ll have to see where the evidence leads. Except Jacob’s belongings—I’m with you on that one. I can’t figure it out either. I mean I get the robbery and the murder being related. Could be a drug deal gone wrong. But who returned Jacob’s belongings and why?”

  “I was wondering the same thing. I’m a little concerned for Jacob’s safety. If our vic was the one that returned Jacob’s stuff, the killer might come after Jacob.”

  “I don’t think it’s anything like that. Besides, they have no reason to go after the doc.”

  Detective Greene retrieved Jacob’s belongings from his trunk at the trailhead parking lot and handed them to Penelope. “Look Chance . . . I know this case is personal.”

  “More so now that this murder might be related.”

  “Look, I’ll let you know the moment something happens, but for now, we need to focus on finding a killer.” Donny put his hand on her shoulder. “We’re doing what we can, but these things take time. You know how the system works. We’ll get to the bottom of this, and when we do, you’ll be one of the first to know, okay?”

  Penelope nodded. No matter what her argument was, Donny was right. As much as she didn’t want to sit back and watch, she trusted Donny. She always had. They had to follow procedures.

  She let out a shaky breath and walked with Donny back to the crime scene.

  Penelope looked back down toward the river. The M.E. was putting the body in a body bag for transport to the morgue. Jacob stood off to the side, looking lost.

  The investigation no longer mattered. Penelope knew what she had to do—take care of Jacob. She made her way down to him and took his hand. Her touch seemed to jerk him out of a different world and back into hers.

  “Are you alright?” she asked.

  He looked at the body as
they zipped it up. “I was thinking how close it came to being me inside that bag.”

  His voice was hoarse and for the first time since the robbery, it looked like it was getting to him.

  “You’re safe now. That’s all that matters.” She put a hand on his cheek and turned his face toward hers. “I can’t tell you how grateful I am that you’re safe and we still have our future together.”

  Jacob nodded. “I’m going to go back to the car,” he said, walking away as if he were on autopilot.

  Chief Jackson stepped next to Penelope and spoke without looking at her. “I want you to take that man of yours home and stay away from this case. He needs you more than we do.”

  She opened her mouth to say something, but Jackson spoke before she could.

  “Go home,” he said. “Take care of yourself. We’ll be fine without you. We need you healthy and well after your vacation more than we need you on duty twenty-four seven.”

  The chief wasn’t often this blunt and she didn’t know how to respond.

  She turned and walked back to Jacob’s car, trying to shut off her brain . . . but she couldn’t do it.

  CHAPTER 33

  The little sleep Penelope got Sunday night was full of disturbing dreams.

  She couldn’t stop thinking about the events of the past couple of days. The robbery and homicide had to be related. Coincidences were a novelty. Usually, if something looked related, it was.

  Penelope sat up in bed as dawn finally flooded her bedroom with golden light. The dark tendrils of the night slowly slipped away.

  Still in her pajamas and too exhausted to prepare breakfast, she poured herself a bowl of cereal. She said grace, and as she ate, she reviewed her duties for the day. Later that afternoon she’d have time to take care of the house for a change, do some laundry and send her uniform in for professional dry-cleaning. Her uniform got a break about as often as she did—which was seldom. First order of business for the day was her eight o’clock meeting with Gabriel.

  Her cell phone rang, and she half expected it to be Gabriel calling to get an early start on their unofficial investigation. Jacob’s ID flashed on the screen and Penelope smiled.

  “Morning, Officer Beautiful,” he said when she answered. He almost sounded like his old self again.

  “How are you feeling?” she asked.

  “Better,” he said, upbeat and cheerful. There was no trace of the run-down Jacob.

  “Are you working today?” She already knew the answer.

  “Yes. I’m in Gainesville, but I have a light morning. I was just about to go for my run.”

  “You’re going for a run? Are you sure that’s wise?”

  Before work Jacob liked to run the Gainesville-Franklin Trail. The scenic route weaved through tall trees, and leaves whispered overhead. It was the kind of place that transported you in time and took you back to nature. Penelope had run with him once or twice, but she wasn’t much of a runner.

  “I’ll take it easy,” he said.

  “I’m concerned about you running after suffering a concussion.”

  “Don’t forget the part about me getting shot.”

  “That’s not funny, Jacob!”

  “I’ll be fine. I’m a doctor, remember?”

  “Promise me one thing, Dr. Gordon.”

  “Anything . . .”

  “Watch out for gators?”

  “I will,” he said with a chuckle. “I saw a big one last week. Don’t forget we have our wedding cake tasting appointment this afternoon at Ambrose & Sons.”

  She did forget. She also forgot she was supposed to take care of some preliminary wedding planning while on vacation. Even though the wedding was still a year away, with their busy schedules, her vacation was probably the only time they’d have to take care of the big stuff.

  “I’ll see you this afternoon,” she said.

  “I love you, Penny.”

  “I love you back.” Penelope hung up smiling, ready to start her day.

  She took a quick shower, threw on a pair of jeans, a white T-shirt, her black-and-white Converse Chucks, and a gray pullover hoodie. Not being in uniform felt strange, but it was a pleasant change.

  She relaxed in the comfort of her civilian clothes.

  CHAPTER 34

  The drive to Gainesville took less than twenty minutes, and Penelope was running early for her eight o’clock meeting with Gabriel.

  She stopped at The Coffey Shop, and LeeAnna greeted her with a warm smile. Since the trial, Penelope had become a regular.

  LeeAnna’s blonde hair was pulled into a bun, and her blue eyes sparkled from a constellation of freckles. “I almost didn’t recognize you out of uniform, Penelope.”

  “You and me both,” Penelope said, feeling a little untethered.

  “Regular today?”

  “Let’s change it up.” Penelope scanned the chalkboard menu against the back wall. “Make it a large vanilla latte.”

  “You got it.”

  “Speaking of uniforms, is Travis on patrol today?” Penelope asked over the whoosh of the milk steamer.

  “He is. Crime never stops.”

  “Don’t I know it,” Penelope said as her cell phone chimed in her purse. She excused herself and checked the message.

  It was from Gabriel. Sorry, last minute appointment. Can we meet at 9 instead?

  Penelope replied, sure, and slid the phone back into her purse. “LeeAnna, may I also get a large regular coffee and one of your homemade brownies?”

  With an hour to kill, she’d swing by and see Donny for an update. He had a sweet tooth, and a little bribe would be better than showing up empty-handed.

  CHAPTER 35

  Penelope’s mind was buzzing when she got to the Gainesville Criminal Investigations Division building. The desk sergeant, Catherine McPhie, recognized her and gave her a nod and a smile.

  “Is Detective Greene in?” Penelope asked, returning the smile.

  “I’ll give him a buzz.”

  A moment later Donny appeared in the lobby.

  “I come bearing gifts,” Penelope said, offering him the coffee and brownie.

  “Something tells me you’re not here just to drop in and say hello.”

  He’d seen right through her attempt to soften him up.

  “How are things?” she asked, attempting to make small talk.

  “I thought you were on vacation,” Donny said, taking a bite of the brownie and a sip of the coffee.

  “I am. Can’t you tell? Anything new in either case?”

  Donny took another sip of coffee and let out a sigh. “You’re not going to let this go, are you?”

  Penelope stood silent.

  “I didn’t think so,” Donny continued. “Well, with the robbery, there’s still no sign of the drugs on the street. Ballard has a couple of uniforms checking the pawn shop merchandise registration database in case the perps . . . or I should say perp, tries to pawn the stolen goods. Nothing so far.”

  “Tell me you’ve got some good news.”

  Donny smiled for the first time. “I thought you might be coming by today. We got an ID on our vic,” Donny took another bite of his brownie and handed Penelope a sheet of paper. “His name is Kevin Scott. Age twenty-eight. No felonies. A couple of juvie busts for shoplifting. That’s his file.”

  “No B and E? Nothing more recent?” she asked, scanning the page.

  “Nope. Nothing. He either cleaned up his act, or we just didn’t catch him.”

  “Based on the recent string of robberies, I’d say it’s the latter.”

  “We’re running a full background for next of kin and any known associates. I’ll keep you posted.”

  “Thanks, Donny.”

  Donny paused and then asked, “Is the doc working today?”

  “He is.”

  “At Grace Memorial?”

  “Yeah. Why?”

  “I wanted to ask him a couple of follow-up questions on our vic. Standard stuff . . .” His sentence trailed off as if
he weren’t being entirely honest. “I’ll let you know if anything new pops up.” Donny nodded to someone over Penelope’s shoulder and said, “Look, I have to go. Thanks for the brownie and coffee.”

  Penelope nodded, and Donny rushed off.

  Was she missing something?

  CHAPTER 36

  Penelope parked her car in one of the empty spots in front of Grace Memorial Hospital and sent Gabriel a text. In the parking lot.

  As she waited for a reply, she glanced around the lot, looking for Jacob’s car. He drove a yellow 1965 convertible Mustang—impossible to miss. There was no sign of his car. He was probably still on his run.

  Her cell phone chimed, and she read the message from Gabriel. Suite 406. Come on up.

  The hospital was bustling with activity and Gabriel was on the phone when she poked her head into the small reception area. He waved her in.

  “Yes. That’s fine. Yes. Good-bye.” Penelope had forgotten how gruff the professor was on the phone, another one of his quirks. He stood and pulled on a blue windbreaker. “Ready to go?”

  “Ready,” she said. “There have been quite a few developments, but I’ll only be able to do half-day with you. I’m meeting Jacob this afternoon.”

  Gabriel had a twinkle in his eye. He looked eager. “That’s fine. That gives us plenty of time. Let’s get started.”

  He held the door for Penelope. She stepped out of the office, and he followed.

  As they walked down the stairs to the lobby, Gabriel said, “I’ve been thinking about your fiancé’s belongings being returned, and I think we should—”

  “A body was found at the Franklin River yesterday,” Penelope interrupted.

  “A body? Really? Related to the robbery?”

  “Yes. Jacob identified the body as one of the suspects.”

  “Hmm. That is an interesting development.”

  Penelope nodded. “The victim was shot somewhere else and dumped. Gainesville is handling the investigation,” Penelope said, trying to sound more neutral about it than she felt.