Another Chance (A Penelope Chance Mystery Book 2)

by Daniel Patterson

  “I told you, I treat them and they leave.”

  “Maybe you do. Maybe someone else goes a little deeper. Did Dr. Gordon plant the drugs in Belinda’s desk?”

  “No! He would never do something like that.”

  “We have his fingerprints on the bottle.”

  “No. I don’t believe you!”

  “We sure do. You don’t have to believe it, Ms. Taylor, but it’s not going to make it any less true. Jacob Gordon is a person of interest in this case. We even brought him in for questioning.”

  “Jacob isn’t involved. He didn’t put those drugs there.”

  “If he didn’t, then who?”

  “I don’t know,” Taylor said softly.

  “You and I both know who did,” Donny said.

  “Do you? Because I don’t,” Penelope said to herself. “And you still haven’t asked her who he is.”

  Donny continued to press Taylor. “Do you want to tell me what you were doing at Grace Memorial?”

  After a few tense moments, Taylor paused, looked Donny in the eyes, and said, “I had an appointment.”

  “And is there a doctor I can call to verify that?”

  “He wasn’t in.”

  “You had an appointment, but the doctor wasn’t in? You expect me to believe that?”

  “I had an appointment,” Taylor insisted.

  “I don’t know, Ms. Taylor . . . sounds to me like you’re making stuff up. What was your involvement with Mr. Scott and Ms. Wilson?”

  “I wasn’t involved with those low-life criminals.”

  “Then why do we have you on tape following them out of the hospital?”

  Taylor’s eyes blazed. “Because I wanted to catch them.”

  Penelope’s heart caught in her throat. It was possible that Taylor was crazy and spouting nonsense, but it sounded like she was admitting some involvement.

  “It doesn’t look to me like you’re trying to catch them. It looks more like you were following your partners to make sure they got away safely.”

  “I wanted them to pay for what they did.”

  “For cutting you out of your share?”

  “For hurting Jacob!” Taylor growled.

  “Did you make them pay?” Donny asked. “Did you kill Kevin Scott?”

  “It wasn’t like that.” Taylor stood and turned away from him.

  “Sit down, Ms. Taylor,” Donny demanded.

  Taylor ignored Donny’s demand and Officer Meeks took a step toward her. Donny waved him off.

  “I didn’t want him dead,” Taylor said.

  “So you admit following Kevin Scott?”

  “Yes,” Taylor finally admitted, “I followed him—him and his partner. But I didn’t want him dead . . . I wanted him in jail where he belonged.”

  “But you followed him, waited for the right moment, and then killed him instead.”

  “No!” Taylor shouted. “It was an accident.”

  “An accident, Ms. Taylor?”

  “He came at me . . . in the parking lot. Must have seen me following him. He had a gun . . . I was defending myself. The gun went off . . . it was an accident. I tried to help, I really did.”

  “How is dumping the body in the Franklin River helping, Ms. Taylor?”

  “I was taking him to the Franklin Clinic. 9-1-1 would have taken too long . . . He was losing a lot of blood. I tried . . .” Taylor paused and looked off into space, her eyes becoming glassy. “No. This isn’t right,” Taylor mumbled to herself, sounding confused. “It’s not supposed to be happening like this. He said if I really loved him, I had to find a way to prove it. I did that. He said to show him how much I cared, and then we could be together.”

  Penelope’s heart went cold. Could she be talking about Jacob? Did Jacob ask for proof of her love? The room began to spin, but she was snapped back into reality at the sound of Donny’s voice.

  “Ms. Taylor, I’m not going to ask you again. Sit down!”

  Taylor turned around quickly and shouted, “Jacob is supposed to be with me!”

  Penelope watched the scene. The next few seconds seem to happen in slow motion.

  With one quick swipe of her right arm, Taylor sent the laptop hurling toward Officer Meeks. He jumped out of the way and the computer crashed into the door, leaving a nice-sized dent. Another swipe and Donny’s papers littered the room.

  Donny stood, and before he could restrain Taylor, she clocked him with a right hook. Donny fell backward, crumpling to the floor in front of the two-way mirror.

  Before Officer Meeks could react, Taylor was barreling toward him. Meeks drew his gun, and in one quick motion the former combat nurse disarmed the rookie officer. Meeks tried to retrieve his weapon and bumped Taylor’s arm. The gun discharged into the mirrored glass.

  Penelope instinctively ducked and protected her face with her arm. She was showered with broken glass as the bullet lodged in the back wall of the observation room.

  From her crouching position Penelope saw Taylor catch Meeks with an left upper cut, his body landing against the door with a loud thump. The officer posted outside tried to push the door open, but Meeks’ motionless body blocked his entry.

  Ever fiber of Penelope’s being was telling her to stay down. Taylor could come rushing through the broken glass at any second. Instead, she took a deep breath and tried to remain calm as she stood. Penelope brushed the glass from her clothing and stared at Taylor through the jagged hole left by the broken glass. “Genny . . . put down the gun.”

  Startled, Taylor swung the gun toward Penelope. “You! What are you doing here? This is all your fault!”

  “Chance!” Donny shouted from the ground. He had landed badly and was attempting to recover. “Stay down!”

  Penelope held up her hands. “Genny, please . . . put down the gun. You don’t want to do this.”

  Taylor took two steps toward the broken window. “Don’t tell me what to do!” she shouted.

  Penelope stood her ground.

  “You aren’t worthy of Jacob,” Taylor said. “All that time we spent together, saving lives together. That means something! Something real! Jacob belongs with me . . . not you!”

  While Penelope kept Taylor distracted, Donny repositioned himself to take another run at her from behind.

  “Who told you to prove your love?” Penelope asked. “Was it Jacob? Did Jacob tell you to prove your love for him?”

  Taylor’s face twisted in anger, but she laughed. “Jacob had nothing to do with this,” she said. “The fact that you think that shows you aren’t worthy of him. You think you’re so much better than me. Officer Penelope Chance . . . so perfect . . . so chaste. You’re not good enough for someone like Jacob.”

  That was it. She couldn’t take anymore.

  CHAPTER 79

  Determined to take Taylor down, Penelope launched herself toward the deranged nurse. But before she could get through the broken window, Officer Gail Watson tackled Penelope in mid-air, and both crashed to the floor of the observation room.

  “Let me go! Get off me!” Penelope shouted.

  “Stay down, ma’am!” Watson demanded as half a dozen officers stormed the observation room, responding to the commotion.

  Three of the officers went through the broken window, disarmed Taylor and pinned her to the floor. Only then did Officer Watson release Penelope.

  “What’s going on here?” a booming voice called from the doorway of the observation room.

  Penelope and the officers turned in unison to see who had spoken.

  The newcomer looked to be in his early fifties and wore a dark blue suit, designer glasses, and shoes that were polished to a high shine. A lawyer—an expensive one at that.

  “I’m looking for Ms. Genevieve Taylor,” the man said.

  Donny, Officer Meeks, and the other officers appeared in the window of Interrogation Room 2, and together they stood Taylor up and placed her in handcuffs. Donny was breathing heavily, and Meeks was red in the face.

  The blood in P
enelope’s face rose as she stared at Taylor.

  “Can I help you?” Donny asked, trying to regain some dignity.

  The lawyer ignored him and took a couple of steps closer. “Are you Genevieve Taylor?”

  “Who are you?” Taylor snapped at the man.

  “I am Derek Conrad, attorney-at-law,” he said to Taylor, and then turned to Donny. “Detective, can you please tell me why my client is in handcuffs? It is my understanding that she was called in for questioning regarding an incident at a hospital at which she is not employed.”

  If Donny Greene was surprised at the lawyer’s arrival, he didn’t show it. He nodded at the broken glass. “See this mess? Your client caused it by assaulting two police officers.” He caught the hurt look on Penelope’s face. “Make that three. She’s going to jail.”

  “Not so fast. I’d like to consult with my—”

  “You can consult with her all you want,” Donny interrupted, “at the county lockup.”

  Donny looked at the officers standing around, and they all leaped into action. Two officers grabbed Taylor by the shoulders and leaded her outside to transfer her to lockup.

  Derek Conrad stood motionless in the bright white hallway and watched the crowd disperse as his client was led away. “Detective, I demand to know what happened here,” he said imperiously.

  “Call my secretary and make an appointment like everyone else.” At that, Donny turned and stormed back to his office. At the end of the hall, he looked back. “Chance!” he hollered. “My office. Now.”

  CHAPTER 80

  Donny closed the door to his office and sat on the edge of his desk. Penelope took a seat across from him. She opened her mouth to get the first word in, but was silenced by a knock on the door.

  “Come in,” Donny called.

  Detective Edward Ballard poked his head into the room. “I heard the gun shot . . . is everybody okay?”

  “Ballard. Yes. Come in,” Donny said. “Everyone is fine. A few bumps and bruises. And you missed Chance here trying to break her academy obstacle course record . . .”

  Penelope glared at Donny. Ballard walked into the room and closed the door behind him. “What happened?” he asked.

  “I was caught off guard,” Donny explained, flexing his jaw and massaging his chin. “And Officer Meeks got a little over anxious. The suspect became agitated and Meeks pulled his service weapon. The suspect disarmed him, and as Meeks went to grab the gun, it discharged.”

  “A nurse disarmed one of our officers?”

  “She’s a big nurse . . .” Donny said.

  “And she’s former military,” Penelope added.

  Detective Ballard turned toward Donny. “This is the same nurse you brought in for follow-up questioning?”

  “She is . . .”

  “And she’s a suspect now? Related to one of our cases?”

  “She’s our killer.”

  “Our killer?” Ballard asked, taking a seat next to Penelope. “Whoa . . . that escalated quickly. I was questioning the vic’s partner, Denise Wilson, when I heard the gun fire. I thought for sure Wilson was our killer. Kevin Scott was killed with her gun—the same gun used in the robbery.”

  “You gotta love surprises. I sure didn’t see this one coming . . .” Donny said.

  “So, how does the nurse fit into all this?”

  “Turns out Nurse Taylor was at Grace Memorial the day of the robbery,” Donny explained, “and she witnessed the whole thing. I'm guessing she took it personal when they shot her friend, Dr. Gordon. She followed the suspects and the vic confronted her in the parking lot of his apartment complex. She said he pulled a gun. There was a struggle and she said the gun went off . . . claims it was an accident. Said she even tried to save him.”

  “Tried to save him?” Ballard asked.

  “Yeah. Loaded him into her truck and drove him to the Franklin Clinic, but it was too late.”

  “And she caused a pretty serious accident on State Road 20 in the process,” Penelope said.

  Ballard whistled through his teeth. “Well, how about that. We’ve got Wilson on the robbery and prescriptions forgery and Taylor on murder. Wilson insisted she didn’t shoot her partner. Guess she was telling the truth.”

  “And we have Officer Chance to thank for it,” Donny said, motioning toward Penelope.

  “How so?” Ballard asked.

  “Chance recognized Taylor in the lobby surveillance footage. I must have watched that tape a hundred times, but I never noticed Taylor, and I wouldn’t have spotted Wilson if Chance hadn’t insisted I review it one more time.”

  “Sounds like some fine detective work,” Ballard said, smiling and nodding at Penelope.

  “She is persistent,” said Donny.

  “Thank you,” Penelope said and exhaled a breath of relief. She thought for sure Donny or Ballard would lay into her. She was prepared to defend her actions . . . but a compliment? She wasn’t prepared for that. She managed a weak smile and took a couple of deep breaths as Donny kept talking.

  “Taylor’s on her way over to booking and then to lockup. I’m going to get a search warrant for her truck and residence.”

  “Well, good job you two,” Ballard said, standing and moving toward the door.

  “How did it go with Jacob, sir?” Penelope asked Ballard.

  The detective paused, his hand on the doorknob. “I don’t think your fiancé has anything to worry about.”

  “What about his fingerprints on the stolen drugs?” Donny asked.

  “The doctor claimed that he assists the pharmacist with stocking inventory from time to time. They keep detailed records of that type of stuff, so we called Grace Memorial and they confirmed Jacob Gordon assisted with stocking that batch.”

  “So Jacob is no longer a suspect?” Penelope asked.

  “As far as I’m concerned, your fiancé is a victim in all of this.”

  “Thank you. That’s a relief.”

  “Thank you for your help on this case, Officer Chance.” Ballard said as he walked out the door, closing it behind him.

  Penelope turned to face Donny. “It all makes sense now, Donny. Taylor must have planted the drugs to frame Belinda. If she had the drugs in her truck, all she had to do was grab a couple bottles while you were searching for Jacob’s missing prescription pad. She knew you’d check Belinda’s desk eventually.”

  “Yeah, but why frame Belinda? Why plant the drugs?”

  “Because of something Taylor said when I arrived that morning. She seemed to be in her own world and she said, ‘I told him not to hire her.’ Said she knew it was a mistake.”

  “So you think Taylor was jealous of Belinda Crowe?” Donny asked.

  “That would be my guess . . .”

  “We’ll know more once we search Taylor’s truck and home.”

  Penelope nodded slowly, unable to shake the feeling that a few pieces of the puzzle were still missing.

  “I’ve seen that look before. Chance, we have our killer . . . it’s done,” Donny said. “Genevieve Taylor shot Kevin Smith. She was in love with Jacob and the gunshot may have put her right back into a combat situation . . . who knows?”

  “I guess.”

  “There will always be questions in cases like this. You know that, Chance. This isn’t like TV where everything is wrapped up with a nice little bow in sixty minutes. But this one is close. Once we search Taylor’s truck and her home, I’m confident we’ll have more than enough to take to the State’s Attorney’s Office. And more than enough to get a conviction.”

  Penelope didn’t reply; her eyes were focused on the wall behind Donny’s desk.

  “What?” Donny asked.

  “We still need to find out who ‘he’ is before we eliminate any suspects.”

  “He who?”

  “The ‘he’ who told Taylor she had to prove her love to Jacob.”

  “You don’t think she was talking about Jacob, do you?”

  “I don’t know,” she admitted. “There’s something
missing in the details.”

  “I’ll take another run at Taylor tomorrow, but I doubt I’ll get much more out of her with that fancy lawyer present.”

  “Who called a lawyer for her, do you know?” Penelope asked.

  “I don’t know. You were there. She never requested one. Look, Chance. It’s late. We’ve solved a case. It’s all down to the paperwork now, so if you don’t want to get recruited into that, you’d better get out of here. Go home. Kiss that presumed innocent fiancé of yours goodnight and get some rest.”

  Penelope smiled weakly and walked out of the office.

  CHAPTER 81

  Fifteen minutes later, Penelope pulled into the parking lot of Grace Memorial Hospital. Things were becoming clearer, but the picture was still out of focus. Perhaps Gabriel could help shed some light on the case.

  She gathered her things before heading inside. Her car was in a sorry state. It smelled like cold coffee and dirt. It wasn’t like her to leave empty coffee cups and old receipts in her car, but she had been so busy with wedding planning and her unofficial investigation that she hadn’t had time for basic maintenance.

  As she grabbed her purse, her phone slid out onto the seat. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw she had a text from Jacob.

  Got an emergency call at the clinic. I’ll talk to you later. xoxo.

  Penelope smiled and put the phone in her purse. It wasn’t unusual for Jacob to get shanghaied on an emergency case. She wanted to talk to him, but she knew that he would have called her if it were possible. She would have to wait to talk to him.

  A wave of remorse flooded her body. How could she have thought that he would be unfaithful to her? It all seemed so preposterous now. She squelched the thoughts and focused. Slinging her purse over her shoulder, she headed into the building.

  In the lobby the front desk was quiet. A woman’s typing on a keyboard was the only sound in the usually busy hospital.

  A whisper of unease stirred in Penelope’s stomach as she walked past the reception area. She paused and glanced to her right. The clinic was equally quiet. Through the double glass doors, she saw a few patients seated on the soft, green cloth chairs and reading outdated magazines. She didn’t recognize the person behind the desk. As if she heard the thoughts about her, the desk nurse looked up and smiled kindly.