One Chance: A Thrilling Christian Fiction Mystery Romance (19 page)

"She's right, Pete," Doug said, reaching out his hand slowly. "Now, please, Pete, give me the gun."

To Penelope's amazement, Pete let Doug take ahold of the rifle's barrel and pull it away from him.

Doug handed the gun back to Penelope and then he grabbed hold of Pete just as the man collapsed. Doug held Pete in his arms, letting him cry and wail and blabber incoherently.

Penelope took the gun back to the living room and unloaded it. One round in the chamber. Just one. But it would have been all that was needed to end Pete's life.

"Thank you, God," Penelope said out loud. "I don't know how you managed to let Doug intervene in this, but without his help, without Your help, it all would have ended badly. Thank you, God."

Doug was walking out of the hallway with Pete still holding tightly to him. Penelope pocketed the one bullet and made the rifle safe. "Okay," she said. "Let's get everyone out of here and down to the station." From her belt she unclipped her radio and keyed an open channel. "Jim, it's Penelope. I have Pete. We're all safe. And we're coming out the front."

"Does he have to go to the station, Penny?" Doug asked. "He's been through a lot."

Penelope nodded. "Of course he does. Especially now. He's got a lot of talking to do, and so do you. You drove here, I take it?"

"Yes. Fast as I could."

"And I'm really glad you did, buddy. Pete will be able to thank you, too, once he sobers up."

Pete was done crying now, and just held onto Doug, breathing heavily. Together, Penelope and Doug walked him to the front door and then outside and down the front steps. There were three Highway Patrol units there, brownish-gray uniforms on, the officers from each standing behind their cruisers for cover, guns drawn.

"It's okay, guys, it's done," Penelope called out to them. "Situation clear." The officers seemed to relax a little, enough to put their guns away, at least, but did not move from position.

They put Pete in the back of Penelope's cruiser, behind the cage. When Penelope closed the door on him, she turned to Doug. Doug's face was an unreadable mask, but Penelope could see the pain in her friend's eyes.

"That was pretty brave, what you did in there, Doug," she told him, meaning every word.

Doug swallowed and nodded his head. "You have no idea how much it took for me to say those words to him. To say that I forgive him."

"I think I do." Penelope put a hand on his shoulder and let it rest there. "Did you mean them?"

Doug thought about it for a moment. "I think I did. At least, given enough time, I will mean them."

"Good. I know what it is to carry anger around for that long. It's not good for anyone."

"Can we, maybe, talk about this more down at the station? Or maybe after all this is done?"

"Of course, buddy. Of course." Penelope hugged Doug closely. "Did he...did he really do what I think he did? Really?"

"Said he did," Doug managed to whisper. "He killed Camille. He killed my ex-wife."

CHAPTER 35

The mood in the Franklin Sheriff's Office was somber and quiet. Pete was in the interview room, handcuffed to the same chair that Michael Findley had been in yesterday. Doug and Penelope watched him through the two-way mirror as he slumped forward onto the interview room table, fast asleep, his body working off all the alcohol he had put into it.

"Does he have to be in there, Penny?" Doug asked.

"He does. He says he killed someone, Doug. I can't work around that just because he's a friend of ours. Tell it to me again. He called you on the phone, and told you what?"

Doug sighed and told the same story for the third time. "He told me that he had killed Camille. He said he hadn't wanted to do it, that he'd gotten himself roaring drunk to even think about doing it, and that he didn't remember a whole lot about it because he was so drunk."

"Okay. Doug, think real hard. What were his exact words to you?"

Doug closed his eyes, replaying the conversation with Pete in his mind. "He said, Doug, I'm sorry, I was drunk, and he said he didn't mean to do it, and then he said he got Camille killed."

Penelope latched onto that single important word. "He said he got Camille killed? Not, I killed her, but got Camille killed?"

"Well, yeah, now that I'm talking about it with you, that's the word he used. Why does it matter, Penny?"

"Because he didn't do it."

Doug stared at Penelope, his mouth open. "What are you saying? Penny, he confessed! We've been trying all this time to find the guy who killed Camille and all this time he was under our noses. He's right there, Penny, right there!"

Penelope nodded, understanding every reason why that hurt Doug so much. "Doug, think about it for a moment...Camille dropped Trevor off on Saturday. But Pete was run down by Findley Friday night. He was in the clinic on Saturday. He couldn't have killed Camille. So you see, something still isn't right. You have any idea why he'd want to kill your ex-wife? she asked. "Any idea at all?"

"He told us he needed the money." He shook his head. "It's not a good reason. In fact, it's a lousy reason. But is there ever a good reason to kill anyone?"

"No," Penelope answered immediately. "No, there's not. Let me worry about the rest of it, Doug. There's something else you should know, and maybe that will make this a little clearer for you. Give you just a little bit of peace. Maybe."

"What's that?"

Penelope leaned her shoulder against the wall. "I talked with a witness. Dan Hughes is the guy's name. Says he knows you."

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, I think so. I did some work for him on his house. A little extra work to tide me over on some bills. Nice guy, if I remember. Noisy little dog."

"Yes, that's the guy. He saw Pete on Friday. At Ricky's Pub."

"Ricky's Pub?" Doug's eyes went wide. "That's where I was. But, Penelope, I don't remember seeing Pete there."

"You wouldn't have, buddy," Penelope told him. "Dan Hughes saw Pete outside. Talking to the guy who took your truck. Same guy who ended up running Pete down."

Doug blinked. Then blinked again. "Michael Findley? Pete was talking to Michael Findley? Why?"

"That's the question. But Dan said the two of them obviously knew each other. Findley beat Dan up because Dan saw them talking. Arguing, is actually how Dan put it. He wanted to keep Dan quiet about what he saw. Quiet about Findley driving your truck, but more than that. He wanted him to stay quiet about seeing Findley and Pete talking. It almost worked, too."

"So what Pete said...about Camille." Doug had to take a second to draw a breath as he said his ex-wife's name. "All that had something to do with Findley."

"Looks like," was all Penelope said.

"Well, I don't know if that makes me feel better or not, but it's something. So, this is a total sidenote, but did Dan know how Findley managed to take my truck? I mean, the keys were on me."

"He did not say, but he didn't have to. I know how he did it. Camille ever use your truck?" Penelope asked Doug.

"Well, yeah, I mean, back when we were married..." Doug caught on a second later. "She still had a key."

Penelope nodded. Pieces of the puzzle had started to fit in everywhere. "Let's go sit down, Doug. You want some coffee?"

But Doug shook his head. "I need to get back to Trevor. I left him at the clinic with Jacob again, and he was happy to see him and he was playing and all when I left, but he's still so sad. It will take him a long time to get used to the fact his mother isn't coming back."

Penelope wanted to say something encouraging. Something reassuring. But nothing would come to her. There was nothing that would make this better.

Doug surprised her by taking hold of her hand. "Penelope, pray with me. Would you? I could really use it."

"Of course," she told her friend. They bowed their heads together.

"Lord God," Doug said, "thank You for my friend. Thank You for Penelope. Thank You for giving her the strength to see this terrible mess through. It's been...hard on me, God, and I ask You to stay with me and Trevor through the next little while, to help us through this. And please, stay with Penelope until this is done. There's more she has to do yet, and I wouldn't wish this on anyone alone. Together with You, she will be strong enough. As will we all. Amen."

"Amen," Penelope repeated. "Thank you, Doug. I needed that. I really did."

"No, Penelope. Thank you. I'll see you back at your place later?"

"You will. Hey," Penelope said suddenly, "tell Jacob something for me?"

"You're not going to make me kiss him, are you?"

Penelope laughed. It was good to see Doug joke, after all that he'd been through in so few days. "No, I won't make you kiss him. But tell him I love him, and I laid it down. He'll know what you mean."

Doug's smile said a lot. "I know what you mean too, Penelope. And I'm glad to know it."

After Doug left the station, Penelope got ready for her interview with Pete.

CHAPTER 36

It took a little doing, but Penelope finally managed to get Pete awake again and sitting up. Her one-time friend's eyes were red and puffy from crying and from alcohol withdrawal. His hands shook almost nonstop. "You look like something the cat dragged in," Penelope said to him.

"I feel like something the Devil used up and tossed aside, is what I feel like," Pete answered, his words still thick. "I really do. I don't want to say the Devil made me do it, because he didn't. It was all me. My fault, no one else's. But I swear to you it's like something truly evil took over my thinking and I couldn't help myself."

Pete took a shaky, sucking breath, and stopped himself with an effort. Penelope was already taking notes. "Pete, I haven't read you your rights yet. I want to ask you some questions, but I need it to all be legal, okay?"

"I'll answer anything you ask me. I just want this over. I just want it off my chest. I want," another breath. "I want it all to stop."

"Okay, Pete. Okay. You and me, we'll get this over with. Soon, I promise."

"You mad at me, Penelope?"

The question took Penelope by surprise. "Mad? You're worried that I'm mad at you?" Penelope tried to wrap her mind around it. "Camille is dead, Pete. She was someone I know. Someone me and Jacob both knew. And, you lied about Doug running you over. And you're worried that I'm mad at you?"

Pete nodded his head. "You're mad at me."

Penelope shook her head and tried to get his interview back on track. "Pete, try to focus for me, okay? I'm going to read you your rights, then I'm going to ask you my questions, you'll tell me what you know, and then you'll finally be able to get it all off your chest. How's that sound?"

Pete stared at her without answering and just for a moment Penelope could see a shadow cross over his face. "Pete?" Penelope said, unsure what was going on.

"Penelope..."

The shadow came back, and Pete's bleary eyes became two black mirrors and Penelope could actually see her own startled reflection in them.

"Shut up, cop. I killed her. That's all you need."

The voice was Pete's, but at the same time it wasn't. It was off, flatter, and distorted somehow. "Pete, what's going on?"

"I said shut up!" that voice said through Pete's mouth.

Penelope sat further back in her chair. She was honestly scared. For herself, and for Pete.
God, what is this? What is happening to my friend?
Penelope prayed.

"Pete, focus for me. Talk to me."

"Told you everything you need, cop." That shadow hovered over Pete's face, changing his features, making him look...Penelope didn't want to use the word evil.

But there it was.

"You haven't told me everything, though, have you Pete? You said you wanted this off your chest. Now's the time. But you have to talk to me. Talk to me, Pete."

Pete blinked. His lips moved, like he wanted to talk, but no sound came out. The shadow lifted for the barest second but then settled back in place. His mouth shut tightly.

Penelope had to reach Pete somehow. She knew that it was critically important that she reached him, that she got him to talk, that she got this shadow of whatever it was to lift off Pete.

"Talk to me," she said. "Pete, it's me. It's Penelope. Look at me. Look at me, Pete."

Those dark, flat eyes looked up at Penelope and Pete sneered. "I see you, cop."

"You see me, and I see you. Pete, I see you. Can you hear me?"

Penelope was still unsure what was happening, but she knew that she was starting to reach Pete, to reach through whatever cloud had settled over him. And she knew the fact that she was reaching Pete was worrying whatever had taken control of the man. Pete's eyes cleared for a long moment, and he gagged like there had been something stuck in his throat that was only now dislodging and the words tumbled out quickly.

"I owed money to so many people, Penelope, you have no idea it was all I could do to buy beer and Patty needed my help and we were going to lose the house and if I didn't do something to get us some money then we'd be out on the street and I couldn't do that to her after all she'd done for us I just couldn't."

And then Pete stopped to draw a breath. And the shadow clamped down over him again.

"I said shut up, cop! Said I killed her! Killed her, killed her, killed her!"

"That's not you talking, is it Pete? I know you. I've known you for a long time and that's not you talking. I need you to talk to me Pete. You, Pete. Please."

Pete began to shake his head. He shook it back and forth and back and forth and he started to wail low in his throat and then he screamed and threw his head back and then the words were coming out like he couldn't hold them in anymore.

"This guy came and told me he'd pay me fifty thousand dollars if I'd kill his girlfriend and I didn't want to I didn't want to I really didn't want to but I needed the money and he had the money right there right there and I took oh God help me I took I took the money God help me God help ME!"

Penelope stood up out of her chair as Pete convulsed and his body shook violently in his chair. She went around to the other side of the table, put a hand to Pete's throat to feel for a pulse and then tried to hold him down as he shook. "Pete? Pete talk to me."