Another Chance (A Penelope Chance Mystery Book 2)

by Daniel Patterson

  Silence.

  “Jacob? Are you okay? Can I come back there?”

  “Not yet, Penelope,” she heard Gabriel say from somewhere inside Jacob’s office.

  She still didn’t have a good visual. She moved one office closer.

  “Gabriel, you’ve got me here . . . now let’s talk. I’m sure you have a good explanation for what’s going on, and I’d like to hear it . . . but what do you say we let Jacob go first?”

  “Good, Penelope. Take charge of the situation. Assure me that you don’t suspect me of any wrongdoing and that you just want to talk.”

  Busted!

  He knew the protocol as well as she did.

  “I think Jacob is fine where he is . . . for now,” Gabriel continued.

  “I need to hear that from him.”

  “I’m fine,” came Jacob’s voice a moment later.

  “See, just like I told you. Isn’t that right? Now, let’s have a chat,” Gabriel said.

  “What do you want to chat about, Gabriel?”

  “Let’s start with what you learned from Genny. What else did she tell you?”

  His voice was scratchy, but his words were clear. His intentions were another matter.

  “Not much. A lawyer arrived before we could ask her more questions. Was that you, Gabriel? Did you call a lawyer for Genny?”

  “Why would I do that? I barely know the woman.”

  “That’s not true,” Penelope said. “She was a patient of yours.”

  “Did she tell you that?”

  “I went to your office. I saw a file with her name on it.”

  Gabriel was silent for a moment. “Did you open it?”

  “I didn’t have a court order.”

  “That’s not what I asked!” He sounded angry now.

  “I didn’t open it. A stack of files fell on the floor and I noticed her name when I picked them up . . . but I didn’t read any of it. I couldn’t read your handwriting,” she said, trying to sound lighthearted.

  “Why were you looking for me?”

  “You told me to meet you at your office, remember? I was worried about you.”

  “Worried?” he asked.

  “Yes. I was in your waiting room and I tried calling. I heard your ringtone coming from your office. It was dark. I was worried. I thought something might have happened.”

  Gabriel was silent.

  “How’s Jacob? Can I check on him?” Penelope tried.

  “He’s fine! If you want him to stay that way, you will continue chatting with me.”

  “Sure.” Penelope said, squinting down the dark hallway, trying to see any movement in the office.

  Nothing.

  “Chief, are you still there?” she said into her microphone.

  “I’m here, Chance. What do you need?”

  “Lights. I can’t get a visual on the subject or Jacob. Maybe the lights will flush him out of the office.”

  “Give me a few minutes to find the breakers.”

  CHAPTER 85

  Penelope heard Jackson barking orders, and a couple of minutes later the lights flickered on, one at a time, and then the rest came on all at once.

  “Who else is here?” Gabriel shouted. “Who turned the lights back on?”

  Penelope unplugged her headphones. From this point forward, Jackson would be able to hear her, but she wouldn’t be able to hear him. She was on her own. “It’s just me inside.”

  “I don’t believe you,” Gabriel snarled.

  “It’s just me for now,” Penelope said, stepping into the hallway. “But the entire Franklin police force can come swarming in at any second. You need to show me that Jacob is okay. You said Jacob had something to tell me?” She took a few steps down the brightly lit corridor and caught a glimpse of Gabriel picking up a gun from Jacob’s desk.

  She took several steps back as Gabriel led Jacob into the hallway.

  He appeared unhurt.

  Her eyes trailed downward and saw Gabriel’s gun pressed firmly into Jacob’s ribs. She lifted her eyes to meet Jacob’s and tried to take strength in the love she saw there.

  “Tell her,” Gabriel said, nudging the barrel of his gun deeper into Jacob’s side. “Tell her how you’re not worthy of her love. Tell her how you made Genevieve Taylor fall in love with you. Go on . . . tell her!”

  Jacob looked at Penelope affectionately and said, “I love you, Penny. I’d never dream of cheating on you.”

  A swift shadow of anger swept across Gabriel face, and he dealt Jacob a vicious blow to the temple with the butt of his gun.

  Penelope winced as Jacob dropped to the floor. She fought the urge to lash out or to run to her fiancé. She needed to stay focused on Gabriel. “I guess we’re finally alone,” she said, advancing a step closer.

  “Don’t move.” He slowly lifted the gun from his side and leveled it at her chest. “I know how to use this.”

  She believed him.

  “Detective Greene and Chief Jackson will be wondering what’s going on, and they will come in any second now. There’s not much time. You’ve got a choice to make: Talk to me or talk to them. I’m your friend. I can take care of this. Just let Jacob go and—”

  “You’re not my friend!” he snapped at her. The hand that held the gun was shaking. “We are not friends!”

  What had upset him so much? She had thought they were friends, but this tactic wasn’t working the way she planned.

  “Fine, we’re not friends. Just tell me what I need to do to end this.”

  Gabriel’s eyes widened, and Penelope caught a glimpse of the torment he was trying so desperately to hide.

  “It was almost done. You had to poke your nose into it. You wouldn’t stop digging . . .”

  “You were right there digging with me, Gabriel.”

  “You had Belinda. You could have left it at that.”

  “She’s an innocent woman.”

  “Who among us is truly innocent?” Gabriel snapped. “Certainly not him!” He gave Jacob a slight kick. “But she wanted him. And if she played it right, she could have had him.”

  It was becoming clear. “You mean Genny? She could’ve had Jacob?”

  “Of course! I told her what to do. But I never told her to kill anyone . . . that just shows how badly she wanted to prove herself to him. And he was still too stupid to see it!” Gabriel gave the unconscious Jacob another kick in the ribs.

  “He’s not good enough for you. He’s barely good enough for her.” He cast his eyes scornfully down at Jacob’s prone form. “He doesn’t love you the way I love you. He doesn’t know you the way I know you.”

  His words were shocking, and his kicks at her defenseless fiancé tore at her heart, but Penelope refused to show it. “So all of this . . . with Taylor . . . with helping me with the case . . . everything . . . was because you thought you and I belong together?”

  “I never meant to fall in love . . . it just happened. He can’t protect you like I can protect you.”

  “Protect me from what, Gabriel?”

  “He’s not who you think he is. No one in your life is.”

  No one is who I think they are? What’s that supposed to mean?

  While Penelope struggled to gather her thoughts, Gabriel continued. “I remember when I met you. I saw the flames, and the flames were reflected in your eyes. I knew it then.” Gabriel’s eyes went out of focus and looked as if he were reliving an old memory.

  Was he thinking of when they met during her freshman year of college?

  “You were my professor, Gabriel . . . my advisor . . . my mentor.” She tried to keep the disappointment out of her voice. “I trusted you.”

  Penelope took a step toward Gabriel, and he pointed his gun at Jacob’s head as she did. “I’m sorry, Penelope. This is how it has to be.”

  Penelope raised her gun and Gabriel’s eyes went wide.

  A shot rang out and echoed down the long hallway.

  Gabriel jerked and then doubled over—a swatch of blood spread across
his stomach turning his white shirt deep crimson. “I was just trying to—” Was the last thing he said before he dropped his gun and sank to his knees, his mouth gaping like a fish, his jaw refusing to function.

  “Nooo!” Penelope screamed, looking down at her gun.

  Had she shot him?

  Impossible.

  There had been no jolt, no smoke, and the sound had come from behind.

  She turned and saw Chief Jackson at the other end of the hall.

  His service pistol was still smoking.

  EPILOGUE

  One

  Sunday, March 31, 2013, 11:05 a.m.

  The following day . . .

  That Sunday morning, the choir sang jubilantly as Penelope sat in the middle of the church on the velvet covered pew.

  She looked to her left and smiled at Doug and Trevor.

  Doug claimed he was just going to church for Trevor. Whatever his excuse, she was glad that he was there.

  Penelope turned to her right and, instead of the empty seat that greeted her in the courthouse just two weeks before, this seat was taken by the man she loved.

  A wave of gratitude overcame her as she sat amidst her family in God’s house.

  She gave Jacob’s hand a gentle squeeze.

  He looked at her and squeezed back. The blow Gabriel gave him to the head opened up the old wound and created a new one, requiring additional stitches.

  After last night’s confrontation at the Franklin Clinic, Jacob was rushed to Grace Memorial Hospital. After a few tests the staff had him stitched up, bandaged up, and released.

  Jacob agreed to spend the night at Doug’s house so Penelope could keep an eye on him. They ended up talking on the couch into the early hours of the morning.

  Penelope told Jacob everything . . .

  How she suspected he might be involved somehow.

  How she had jealous thoughts when she saw Nurse “Bunny” and Nurse Taylor taking care of him.

  How she spied on him without his knowledge.

  How she thought he might be cheating on her when she saw him with Tina in the park, and then again when she saw them leaving the Hilton Hotel.

  And how, even in the end, she had doubts when she learned Taylor was in love with him.

  She told him everything, leaving out nothing.

  When she was finished she took a deep breath and asked if he could ever find it in his heart to forgive her.

  She was prepared for the worst.

  Instead, Jacob took her hand and said, “Of course I forgive you. You have one of the toughest jobs in the world, and twice now you’ve had people you loved caught up in it. I never doubted you, but I understand how you have to look at things objectively, and I admit I must have looked pretty suspicious.”

  Tears came to her eyes. “I should never have doubted you,” she told him.

  “You’re a cop, Penny. You have to look at things objectively. I’d expect nothing less from you. If I’d had a little more of your objectivity I would have seen that Genny needed help. She was dealing with PTSD right under my nose and I didn’t see it. And I promise you I didn’t see that she had feelings for me either.”

  “Well, that is to be expected,” she told him with a grin. “You are a handsome doctor . . .”

  Jacob sat up straight and feigned being offended. “A handsome, engaged doctor.”

  “You can’t blame yourself for Genny. She did seek help . . . unfortunately from the wrong person. She was vulnerable and Gabriel took advantage of her vulnerability. The robbery may have been the trigger that set her off, but Gabriel was pulling the strings. And I had no idea he had feelings for me.”

  “It seems that you and I are more sought after than either of us thought . . .”

  “It does seem that way.”

  “Well, as your soon-to-be-husband, I want my soon-to-be-wife to talk to me the next time she thinks I may be led astray. We are going to figure out a way to better communicate with each other while it’s just us . . . before there are little Pennys and Jacobs running around. We’ll need to present a united front.”

  “With God’s guidance, we’ll do it,” she told him.

  The pastor’s sermon about second chances pulled Penelope out of her reverie and back to the present. Her heart swelled with love for Jacob, for their future, and for God seeing her and Jacob through this safely.

  After the service, Penelope stood in the parking lot visiting with some of her church friends. Chief Curtis Jackson pulled up and parked his cruiser next to Penelope’s car. He strode over and shook hands with Doug, Jacob, and Trevor.

  “You missed a wonderful service, Chief,” Penelope said.

  “Maybe next time, Chance. I’m here to see how you and Jacob are doing.”

  “We’re good,” she said, really meaning it.

  “We are,” echoed Jacob. “The only thing troubling me now is whether to grow my hair longer to cover this scar on my forehead—or get it cut shorter and embrace the tough-guy biker look.”

  Jackson smiled. “You’ll need a few accessories to pull that one off. Like a leather jacket, a few tattoos . . . and a bike.”

  “Not happening,” Penelope said. “Don’t you give him any ideas, Chief.”

  “Well, I’m glad to see you’re recovering nicely.” The chief nodded to Jacob and then turned his attention to Penelope. “Chance, may I have a word in private?”

  “Sure, Chief.” Penelope followed Jackson as he walked a short distance away.

  “Sorry to show up unannounced,” he said, pausing at his cruiser and turning toward Penelope. “But I wanted to catch you before you came into work tomorrow.”

  “No problem, Chief. What’s up?”

  “I’m not the type to sugarcoat things, so I’ll jump right into it. I’m sure you were planning to return tomorrow, but I’m putting you on a seven-day suspension without pay.”

  “Suspension? But we closed the case . . .”

  “It wasn’t your case. Everything worked out this time, but next time you might not be so lucky. I warned you that your actions would have consequences. You disobeyed a direct order—several orders, in fact. I can’t have that type of behavior in my department. You’re my senior officer . . . you need to set a better example. You’re lucky to still have a job, Chance.”

  “But they overlooked several—”

  “And you brought Pike into it.”

  “He was already involved.”

  “I’m not arguing with you on this, Chance,” Jackson said. “You put yourself and more than one civilian in danger. This isn’t something I want to do. But it is something I have to do. Seven days. No discussion.”

  Penelope opened her mouth, and then closed it. “Alright. Seven days. I understand, Chief. I’m sorry, and it won’t happen again.”

  “Well . . . alright then,” Jackson said, “I’ll let you get back to your family.” As Penelope turned to walk back to the group, Jackson called out. “Oh, and Chance?”

  “Yes, Chief?” she said, turning to face him.

  “Next time you decide to take a vacation, do me a favor . . . take it!”

  “Yes, Chief.” Penelope forced a smile and walked back to Jacob.

  “What was all that about?” he asked.

  “Well, let’s just say I’m going to be free next week to do some actual wedding planning.”

  “Is Jackson giving you another week off?”

  “Something like that . . .” Penelope said, giving Jacob a hug. “Shall we head over to Spanky’s?”

  “Yes, I’m starving,” Jacob said.

  Then, she heard Trevor say, “Me too!” He bounced up and down, and Doug picked him up and carried him as they made their way to their cars.

  Penelope’s cell phone rang and everyone stopped and looked at her.

  She looked at her phone and then at Jacob. “It’s Donny.”

  “It’s okay. Take it. It might be important.”

  She silenced the phone and tossed it into her purse. “It can wait. Family is
more important.”

  Jacob leaned down and gave Penelope a kiss. “I love you, Penny.”

  “I love you back!”

  Two

  Detective Donny Greene hung up without leaving a message for Penelope.

  “No answer?” Detective Edward Ballard asked.

  “Nope,” Donny confirmed. “Got her voice mail.”

  The detectives stood in the den of Dr. Gabriel Pike’s home and looked around, trying to take it all in. Every square inch of the room was covered in newspaper clippings, pictures, articles, and notes about Penelope.

  Pike had been following her every move from the death of her parents in the fire, to her college graduation, to her enrollment in the police academy, to her joining the Franklin Police Department, right up to her involvement in the Michael Findley case.

  “Probably just as well,” Ballard said. “In all my years on the job, I’ve seen plenty of nut jobs, including that guy who kept all the human ears in his freezer. But I’ve never seen anything like this.”

  Donny scratched his head and looked at Ballard. “What are we looking at here? Some sort of shrine?”

  “Definitely belongs in the Stalking for Dummies book,” Ballard said. “It might be best not to tell Chance about this.”

  “Agreed,” Donny said. “At least for now . . .”

  But he knew she’d find out soon enough.

  * * *

  Thanks for reading Another Chance! Penelope’s story continues in Missed Chance, which will be available soon.

  Want to know as soon as my next book is available? Sign up for my new release e-mail list.

  Also by Daniel Patterson

  The Penelope Chance Mystery Series:

  One Chance

  A small-town cop, Penelope Chance struggles to stay true to her faith as she investigates the most challenging case of her career . . . one that will bring up dark memories from her own past.

  Another Chance

  When Officer Penelope Chance gets the call that her fiancé has been shot outside her jurisdiction, she has a tough decision to make: trust local authorities to handle the case or jeopardize her career and go rouge.