Another Chance (A Penelope Chance Mystery Book 2)

by Daniel Patterson

  “Chance, what’s going on with you?”

  You really want to know? Where do I start? “Don, you wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” A few sobs slipped out before she slapped her hand over her mouth.

  Donny gave Penelope a hard look. “Listen, Chance . . . I don’t have time for you to go all girly on me here. If you want to sit in on these interviews this afternoon, I need you to be a cop.”

  Penelope sat silent for a moment, fighting back the tears.

  The woman in her wanted to blurt it out and cry on the shoulder of her old friend about how she had followed Jacob and saw him embrace another woman. She still couldn’t wrap her mind around the fact that he might be having an inappropriate relationship with one of his coworkers.

  But, instead, she collected herself and said, “I’m good. What’s our next step?” She looked at Donny, certain he would remove her from the case after her mini meltdown.

  He stared back and then continued. “We,” Donny said, putting a special emphasis on we, “are going to head over to Grace Memorial and interview Sylvia Brown, Tina Shifflett, and Deborah Thompson, and see if they can remember anything new about our vic’s partner.”

  I don’t know if I can do that, she wanted to say as Tina’s name rang in her head. But she managed to eke out a, “Thanks, Don,” unsure if she was thanking him for allowing her to sit in on the interviews, making her act like a cop, or something else.

  “I’ll buy you a coffee on the way,” Donny said, completely ignoring her thanks. “Oh, and your psychologist friend, Dr. Pike, is going to join us.”

  He is?

  CHAPTER 63

  As Penelope followed Donny to Grace Memorial Hospital, the images of Jacob and Tina were blurred by the thought of Gabriel joining for the interviews. Did Donny call Gabriel or did Gabriel call Donny and offer his services? Why would Donny need outside help?

  She tried to remain objective, but her cop senses prickled.

  Penelope parked her MGB next to Donny’s unmarked Crown Victoria. They made their way to a back conference room that had been cleared for the interviews. Gabriel greeted them enthusiastically when they arrived.

  “Well, Doc,” Donny said. “You don’t mind if I call you doc, do you?”

  “It wouldn’t be the first time.”

  “Well, I appreciate you being willing to help. When Penelope told me you had offered your services, I figured we could use the help. So thanks for jumping right in when I called.”

  So, Donny called him. He was right. They could use Gabriel’s expertise.

  “So on the phone, you were telling me about a technique you use to help witnesses remember,” Donny said.

  “Well,” Gabriel began, “it’s an experimental forensic trauma interview technique.”

  “Sounds complicated.”

  Gabriel smiled broadly, and his eyes danced in his worn face. “It’s rather simple. You see, people who endure traumatic experiences . . . like the robbery and the shooting . . . are often unable to accurately recall the details of the experience. They don’t record the events in their prefrontal cortex the way they would other events. Instead, that part of the brain shuts down, and they remember only the sensory experiences of the events.”

  “So directly asking them to remember what the robbers looked like isn’t going to work?” Penelope asked.

  “Not always. This technique helps us ask how they felt, what they smelled, what they heard, and what they were thinking during their experience. This allows us to help a witness separate the facts from the emotions they experienced during the trauma.

  “Well, I hope it works,” Donny said.

  Nurse Sylvia Brown was the first to be interviewed, followed by Deborah Thompson. Each of the women was able to offer their emotional response and thought process surrounding the events, but little of what they said provided clues as to who the suspect might be.

  Penelope could see that Donny was becoming doubtful. Their last interview with Tina Shifflett should prove more fruitful.

  Gabriel sat down at the table. Penelope sat next to him, ramrod straight with her hands clasped together on the table, trying to keep her expression blank.

  Donny sat to the left of Gabriel and stood and extended his hand as Tina entered. “Thank you for taking the time to speak with us, Ms. Shifflett.”

  Tina shook Donny’s hand and looked from Gabriel to Donny and to Penelope, and then back to Donny.

  Donny motioned for her to take a seat. “Ms. Shifflett, I’m Detective Donny Greene. This is Officer Penelope Chance, and that’s Dr. Gabriel Pike.”

  “Penelope and I have met. What’s going on? Why am I here?” she asked.

  “We have a couple follow-up questions about the robbery that occurred here last Friday.”

  Tina shifted in her seat and said, “I’m not sure how I can help. I told everything I know to the other detective.”

  “That’s okay, Tina,” Gabriel said in a reassuring tone, scooting his seat closer to the table. “Detective Greene and Officer Chance would like me to walk through the experience with you if that’s okay?”

  “Sure. I’ll tell you everything I know.”

  “Very good. Let’s begin by getting comfortable. Are you comfortable, Tina?”

  “Yes, I’m fine. Thank you.”

  “Good. Now let me also tell you that we’re all so very sorry for what you went through. Being a witness to such a violent crime had to be upsetting for you.”

  Tina shifted in her seat again and blinked back tears that formed in her eyes. “It was, very”—she held a hand up to her mouth—”very hard watching Dr. Gordon get shot. It was awful.”

  “Yes, I’m sure it was.” Gabriel continued to speak in a soothing, calming tone. “Now, Tina, I’d like to understand what you are able to remember about your experience. Can you help me with that?”

  Tina nodded slowly.

  “So what do you remember about the people in the waiting room?”

  “It was slow. There were only a half dozen people . . . I think.”

  Gabriel smiled and nodded. “Okay, that’s great. So can you tell me about the people in the waiting room? Did anyone stand out?”

  Tina tilted her head from side to side. “There was one guy. He was wearing, um, I think a red shirt?”

  Penelope tried not to roll her eyes. She had questions of her own for the medical receptionist. Questions like: What were you doing at the park with my fiancé? Why were you two having a mid-day meeting at a fancy hotel? And . . . are you having an affair with my fiancé?

  “Okay, that’s good,” Gabriel continued. “Now, how did that guy make you feel?”

  “Oh, he was dirty. I remember that he was dirty. His hair was messy, and he looked like he hadn’t showered or shaved in days.”

  “That’s excellent Tina. That’s extremely helpful.”

  Gabriel prodded Tina gently through several other questions as Donny sat across from them taking notes.

  “Tina, what are you able to remember about the sights, smells, tastes, and sounds?”

  “Coffee!” Tina said enthusiastically. “I remember smelling coffee. When the guy shot Dr. Gordon, I knocked over Nurse Brown’s coffee.”

  Gabriel nodded to Donny who wrote it down.

  “That’s good, Tina. Now, what did you feel when the robber fired that first shot? The first one that hit Dr. Gordon in the shoulder.”

  Tina blinked at the question and then answered. “I was terrified. I froze and I didn’t know what to do. I remember feeling . . .” Her voice trailed off as she looked at her lap and fidgeted with her ID badge.

  “It’s okay, Tina, anything you say will be helpful.”

  She looked up with wet eyes. “I remember feeling helpless. And I’m a nurse . . . a nurse receptionist, but still a nurse. I’m supposed to help people. But I felt so . . . helpless.”

  “That’s understandable, Tina. Thank you for sharing that. I’m sure that was very difficult. You’re doing great, Tina. Now, there’s one mo
re thing I’d like you to share with us, if you could.”

  Tina nodded.

  “What is the one thing that you are unable to forget about your experience?”

  Tina’s eyes welled up again, and the tears spilled over. “Those blue eyes. I’ll never forget those bright blue eyes.”

  Donny leaned closer as he jotted notes.

  “Whose eyes, Tina?” asked Gabriel in his soothing voice.

  “The guy that shot Dr. Gordon. They were so full of hate, so bright and blue and full of hate. I can’t stop seeing them, even when I close my eyes.”

  Donny and Gabriel looked at each other.

  “I’m so thankful for Dr. Gordon and the other doctors. They treat me so well.”

  Penelope had been silent up until then. But the mention of her fiancé’s name prompted her to jump in. “So Dr. Gordon treats you well, does he? In what ways does he do that?” she asked with an innocent expression that belied the underhanded nature of the question.

  Gabriel raised an eyebrow and Donny gave Penelope a stern look that almost made her flinch.

  “I said all of the doctors do,” Tina clarified. “They treat all of the employees well.”

  “And none of the doctors have inappropriate relationships with any of the nurses?” Penelope continued.

  “That’s enough, Officer Chance!” Donny interrupted. He turned a soft glance to Tina and said, “Thank you for your time, Ms. Shifflett. If you think of anything else, anything at all, please don’t hesitate to give us a call.”

  Penelope watched Donny incredulously as he walked Tina to the door.

  CHAPTER 64

  “Chance!” Donny shouted. “What was that all about?”

  “Why did you cut me off? She’s hiding something.”

  “If she is, it’s not relevant to this case.”

  A whirlwind of emotions threatened to overtake Penelope once again. She tried to focus on the task at hand. “She’s lying.”

  Gabriel shook his head. “That poor woman has been through a traumatic experience, and you were treating her like a suspect.”

  “I saw her today . . . with Jacob. And I’m pretty sure she was with him at the park yesterday.”

  “You’ve been following Jacob?” Donny asked. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”

  Penelope was silent, and her face began to burn.

  “I suggested we follow her fiancé,” Gabriel said, coming to her defense. “I suspected the person that returned her fiancé’s belongings might be the person that killed Kevin Scott. Someone with an infatuation who either saw or heard about him getting shot.”

  “Yeah. Someone like Tina!” Penelope said.

  “I don’t know, Penelope,” Gabriel began. “I don’t think she’s the one. I think she genuinely cares for your fiancé, but I don’t think she’s in love with him.”

  “I know what I saw.”

  “This is why I didn’t want you to continue on this case,” Donny said, raising his voice a few decibels. “You’re too close to the investigation to be objective.”

  “That is exactly why you need me on this case . . .” Penelope said, attempting to justify her actions.

  Donny cut her off. “You’re letting your emotions cloud your judgment. You’re a better cop than this, Chance!”

  Penelope opened her mouth to speak, and Donny held up a finger as his cell phone rang.

  He kept his eyes locked on her as he barked into his phone, “Yeah? Detective Greene here.” As Donny listened to the voice on the other end, his eyes never left Penelope’s. “You’re sure? I understand. Okay. Thank you.” Donny hung up and said, “As of this moment, Chance, you’re officially off this case.”

  “Why? Who was that? What happened?”

  Donny shook his head slowly. With effort, his tone changed from anger to sympathy. “It was forensics. They found the doc’s fingerprints on the prescription pad from Belinda’s desk.”

  Penelope ignored the growing sense of foreboding. “Only Jacob’s? What about Belinda’s?”

  “Only the doc’s.”

  “Well, that makes sense,” Gabriel said. “They’re his prescription pads . . . isn’t that right? What about the ones you found in the victim’s apartment?”

  Donny turned to face Gabriel. “Just the vic’s. But they also found the doc’s prints on the stolen drugs.”

  Penelope stood and began to pace the room. “No, that can’t be. There has to be another explanation.”

  “I’m sorry, Chance. We’re going to have to bring him in for questioning. And I can’t have you involved.”

  Penelope jumped into fight-for-your-man mode. “You can’t really believe that Jacob had anything to do with this . . . can you?”

  “I don’t want to believe he’s involved either, Chance. He’s a friend, but I can’t ignore the facts. I have to go where the evidence leads. You’d do the same thing.”

  He was right. She would.

  Donny placed a hand on her shoulder. “Listen, Chance. I’m sorry about this. Go home. Get some rest.”

  Penelope stared disbelievingly at Donny. As she stood there, the walls began to close in on her. Her lungs tightened and she could almost taste smoke as she tried to breathe. This can’t be happening. Visions of her parents, the fire, Jacob, and Tina cluttered her thoughts and darkness pressed down on her.

  “Let me give you a ride,” Gabriel said from a million miles away.

  She waved him off and drifted out of the room, numb and confused.

  This raised new questions about Jacob that Penelope couldn’t answer. Was he somehow involved?

  It can’t be true. It can’t be.

  CHAPTER 65

  Penelope walked out of the cool air-conditioned hospital and into the thick Florida air, unable to focus and in no condition to drive.

  Walk it off, Penny. Walk it off.

  She walked down West Newberry Road, and ten minutes later she found herself perched on a concrete bench in Cofrin Nature Park. She and Jacob had spent several afternoons having lunch at that very park, watching the children play.

  A torrent of emotional pain and anguish stirred at the thought of Jacob. Penelope let her thoughts swirl. What was Jacob’s involvement? Why were his fingerprints on the bottles? Did Jacob plant the drugs in Belinda’s desk? What was Jacob’s relationship with the victim? Who is Kevin Scott’s mystery blue-eyed partner? How does Tina fit into all this?

  Thirty minutes passed in a flash and then Penelope’s cell phone rang, yanking her out of the downward spiral.

  She swallowed hard and cleared her throat. She answered on the third ring. “Chief?”

  “Chance, what do you think you’re doing?” Jackson’s voice bellowed.

  “Sir . . . ?”

  “I just got a call from your friend, Detective Greene. You want to take a guess why he was calling?”

  Penelope remained silent.

  “It was a courtesy call,” Jackson continued, “informing me that you’ve been removed from the Kevin Scott murder investigation.”

  “Chief, I can explain . . .”

  “Save it, Chance. Imagine my surprise when Detective Greene told me you’ve been assisting him in the investigation. An investigation I specifically told you to stay away from.”

  “But, sir . . . Jacob—”

  “—is a person of interest,” the chief finished. “Yes, I know. Detective Greene told me.”

  “So, you see why I need to be involved?”

  “No, Chance, I don’t. I see why you shouldn’t be involved!”

  “Sir, I can’t sit by while Jacob is accused of a crime he didn’t commit.”

  “If you want to help Jacob, that’s exactly what you need to do. Stay out of it, Chance. Let Gainesville PD do their job. You’ve already caused enough trouble; working with Detective Greene behind my back, conducting your own investigation, badgering witnesses . . .”

  Penelope’s stomach turned to stone. “But, Chief . . . I think that woman is having an affair with Jacob
.”

  “Chance, stop! Just stop.” Jackson let out an exasperated breath. “Detective Greene may have let you weasel your way into his investigation, but that ends now. I’m still your boss . . . even when you’re on vacation.”

  What could she say? Chief Jackson was right. She let her emotions cloud her judgment and she’d crossed the line. Her head was a mess and her heart was heading in the same direction. There was heavy silence on the line. The tension in Penelope’s body grew.

  “I’m warning you, Chance. Stay out of this.” The chief’s voice was hard. “If you don’t there will be repercussions. I’d hate to see this tarnish your career.” He hung up before she could say anything.

  Penelope made her way back to her car, the emotional upheaval weighing her down.

  CHAPTER 66

  When she arrived at home at 8:47 p.m. Penelope barely managed to put on pajamas before she collapsed on her sofa. The strain of the day had caught up with her, and she hadn’t even eaten dinner. It was too late to cook, and she didn’t care anyway. She didn’t care about anything, not after the day she had.

  Her phone rang in her purse.

  It could be Jacob. They were supposed to meet for dinner. She didn’t feel like talking to him but was compelled to check the caller ID. It was Doug.

  She didn’t feel like talking to him, either, but he was probably worried because she hadn’t checked in all day. She let the call go to voice mail and then sent him a text. Long day. Talk tomorrow.

  She set her phone to silent. She needed some time to be disconnected from the world and figure things out. As soon as the screen went dark, an incredibly lonely feeling rushed through her. She didn’t want to talk, but she didn’t want to be alone. She was used to being alone, and until today, she had enjoyed her private time. Panic like she had never known welled in her throat.

  Her life was based on the premise that God had a plan for her. That plan had included making her an orphan at a young age, and she had found solace and fellowship at church. She accepted her lot in life and thrived in spite of her trials and tribulations. God had seen her through the toughest time in her life. It was He who had led her to meet Jacob, her soul mate. Why was He taking all that away?