One Chance: A Thrilling Christian Fiction Mystery Romance (8 page)

Tommy's lips pressed tightly together and he refused to answer. It was Missy who leaned over and said defiantly, "We're both eighteen, Deputy. Last I knew, that means we're adults in the eyes of the law."

"You're absolutely right, Missy," Penelope said, "but you still live with your parents and you're still in school. That makes it their responsibility to be sure you're okay. You want to be treated like an adult, you need to act like one. You two are acting like children. And mind your tone with me, too."

Tommy and Missy glanced at each other. Missy sat back in her seat in a huff, arms folded across her chest.

"If we told them, ma'am, they wouldn't have let us do it," Tommy told her. "We had to keep it quiet until it was done."

Penelope nodded her head. There was the confirmation she'd needed. "So you two went and got married."

Tommy nodded. "We were married yesterday, ma'am."

Penelope sighed. What's done was done. "Okay. Here's what we're going to do. I'm going to pull over and let you get by, and then I'm going to follow you to the Sheriff's Office so we can finish this conversation. I'll be right behind you to make sure you go straight there."

"Yes ma'am," Tommy said. "I won't go anywhere else until you say so."

At the Sheriff's Office, Missy and Tommy sat at Penelope's desk and explained the reason behind their secret trip. They had wanted to get married someday, because they were in love and knew they were meant for each other. They had done it now, instead of after school like they had originally planned, for a very simple reason.

They had made a big mistake. Their teenage desires had gotten the better of them and Missy was now pregnant. It was just the one time, Missy said over and over with tears in her eyes, and they had decided they should not do it again before they were married, but of course it had already been too late. Both of them were devout Christians, and believed marriage was the only right thing.

Penelope knew their logic was a little backward, but considering the position they had put themselves in, she kind of had to admire them for the way they had tried to work it out. God works in mysterious ways, indeed.

After hearing their story, Penelope told them, "Okay, you need to tell your parents what you just told me, and the sooner, the better. They won't like it, but as you said, you're adults now. And like I said, you need to start acting like adults."

"We were going to tell mom and dad when we got back," Missy said. Penelope noticed there was no mention of telling Tommy's parents. She made a note to find out more about Tommy's living situation, and see if there was anything she could do to help the boy out. One more thing on her list.

"That's nice and all, Missy, but you really should have talked to them about all this before you did it."

She looked away from Penelope, but nodded. "You're right, Deputy. I know. I was just so afraid."

"Of what?"

"Of what they'd think of me." Tommy held her as she fought back her tears.

The teenagers looked at each other for a few moments and then nodded. "Okay, Deputy," Missy said. "Tommy's been working in the hardware store and I still have my job at the grocery store, so we should be able to save up enough by graduation to get our own place. I think Mr. Dobson will let me work until the baby's born."

"Speaking of your job," Penelope said, "Mister Dobson says your register was forty dollars short Friday night."

"Yes, it was," Missy replied, a look of surprise on her face, "but that's because I started with a short drawer. There weren't enough smaller bills to make up the full amount, so Mister Dobson set it up with what he had. He went to the bank to get more ones, but by the time he came back I'd had enough customers who paid with ones that I didn't need them anymore. He never put the ones from the bank into the register. I didn't take any money from him, Deputy. I never would."

"I see," Penelope said. That sounded more like the Missy she knew. "Mister Dobson probably forgot. We'll tell him what you said and maybe he'll remember."

"Thank you," Missy said. "I really need this job. Now more than ever."

"I suppose you do," Penelope agreed.

Jim had been standing nearby during the entire conversation and Penelope looked over at him. "Are you satisfied enough to let the kids go home now? It's your case."

"Sure, I'm good with it," Jim replied. To Missy and Tommy he said, "I'm gonna call your parents and let them know you'll be home soon. So I expect you're gonna do just that, right?"

"Yes sir, officer," Tommy said. Addressing Penelope, he added, "And thank you too, ma'am. I promise you that we take this seriously. We'll prove ourselves to you. Wait and see."

"Couldn't ask for more than that," Penelope told him sincerely. "If either of you ever need to talk to someone about anything, I'm here for you."

"Yes, ma'am," Tommy said, "we'll remember that."

The newlyweds rose from their seats and walked out of the Sheriff's Office, hand in hand.

When they were gone, Penelope turned to Jim and said, "You owe me lunch."

Jim nodded. "Sure enough. Deal's a deal. You got anythin' in mind?"

"As a matter of fact, I do."

CHAPTER 15

Penelope returned home with a large pizza box from The Pizza Palace containing a stuffed crust with pepperoni and mushrooms. One half had anchovies on it. She'd come to accept that she was unique in her love for anchovies. Except for Jacob. Their first date had been over pepperoni and anchovy pizza. She had known then, that very night, that the two of them would be together, and that God had sent her someone special.

Doug was waiting for her in the kitchen, downing another cup of coffee.

"You could just start mainlining that stuff, you know," Penelope said to her friend as she set the box down on the kitchen table. The box was big enough to take up most of the table's space, but that wasn't very surprising. Penelope would have to update her furniture when Jacob and her finally got married. Of course, it wouldn't be hard to move his stuff in. She didn't have anything from her childhood in her house that she was particularly attached to. And the reasons for that still gave her nightmares.

Now, Doug opened the pizza box and made a face. "Anchovies? Really?"

Penelope laughed. "It's good to have you back to your old self, Doug. Even just a little. Having Trevor here has been good for you. Where is the little guy?"

"Napping," Doug said, taking a slice out of the box from the non-anchovy side and starting in on it without waiting for Penelope to produce plates.

Penelope sat down opposite her friend and took a slice of her own. "Good. Then let's you and me talk about Camille."

For just a minute Doug's eyes opened wider and his pizza seemed to get stuck in his craw. "What do you mean?"

Penelope chewed slowly. "You started to explain to me how she had told you about her current boyfriend."

Doug nodded. "Right. That." He brushed crumbs from his hands. "Well. See. The guy's name is Michael Findley. Not a nice guy. I knew that. I met him once, just by accident, but it was enough. Real nasty piece of work. So, anyway. When I spoke to Camille she told me she thought the guy was, well, not who she thought. And she was worried about Trevor. That's why she brought him to me, Penelope. To keep him safe."

Penelope put her pizza slice back into the box only half eaten. She wasn't very hungry anymore. For the first time in her life, the only time in her life, she had the feeling that Doug had been lying to her. She knew it couldn't be true. She knew that her best friend would never do that to her, but she still couldn't shake it. She tried to tell herself it was just the police officer in her, just that natural mistrust of people that police officers developed. But it wasn't. Doug was her lifelong friend. And she knew when something wasn't right.

And right now, something was wrong.

"So, Camille told you this Michael Findley guy was up to something."

Doug looked down at his hands, at the clock, at the pizza, everywhere except at Penelope. "She did. I don't know what to do, Penny. I don't know what I can do, seeing as how I'm on house arrest with you and under suspicion of trying to kill one of my friends."

"Doug you're not making a lot of sense," Penelope said, leaning forward, her elbows on the table. "What did Camille tell you? What exactly did she say?"

"She told me," Doug's voice broke and he had to start over. "She told me her boyfriend was a murderer."

Penelope couldn't believe what she had just heard. "You're telling me this now? Now, after Trevor's been here for two days and we can't reach Camille?"

"I'm sorry, Penny, I am, but what was I supposed to do? The whole town thinks I tried to kill Pete and I'm going to come to you and say someone else is a murderer? How does that sound?"

"You were supposed to trust me, Doug!" Penelope realized her voice was getting louder, but she just didn't care. She had been working straight out for the last few days, and had been trying her best to keep Doug from being arrested for attempted murder on top of everything else, and now it turned out Doug was keeping secrets from her.

It was just too much.

"I know, Penny, I know," Doug said to her, raising a hand to his forehead. "But you're in a tough enough spot as it is. I know you're going to bat for me against everyone else. I know the spot you're in. I just didn't know how you'd react if I told you. I didn't know what you'd do. I can't lose Trevor a second time, Penny, I just can't!"

"So you didn't trust me, is that what you're saying?" she asked. Her hands tightened into fists under the table.

Doug stared at her for a moment and then shook his head. "No, Penny. I couldn't. Not where my son is concerned. I'm sorry, buddy, but I thought if you knew everything, then you'd hold it against me, too."

The house phone rang.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me!" Penelope yelled as she stood up hard enough to knock her chair over. She was losing control, and she knew it, but she just felt like God was taking everything away from her one thing at a time to see how much she could take. "And if you couldn't trust me, buddy," she said with a sarcastic twist to her mouth, "then you should have been man enough to trust God and do the right thing and tell me the truth!"

She yanked the receiver off its cradle on the fourth ring.

"Deputy Chance!" she snapped.

Silence for a few seconds, and then Jim's hesitant voice. "Penelope? You okay?"

Penelope forced herself to take a breath before answering, and to lower her tone. "No, Jim. I'm not okay. But, just...don't worry about that. What are you calling for?"

"Uh, well, I'm thinkin' you should come back in for this one. Maybe bring Doug, too."

Trevor toddled out from the hallway that led to the bedrooms, rubbing his eyes. "Daddy, why are you and Auntie Penny being so loud?"

Doug went over and picked up his little boy. "I'm sorry, Trev. Us grown-ups were just having a very childish argument, that's all."

Doug's comments did not help Penelope's mood. She always kept such a tight rein on her emotions that when they did get away from her, it was with the force of a tempest. "Listen, Jim, I'm really not in the mood to come back into the office right now. I'm dealing with something here. Whatever it is, can you get one of the other guys to help you out with it?"

"I'm afraid I can't, Penelope. Kind of directly involves you. And Doug."

Counting to five did not help. Penelope was still on the verge of throwing the phone across the room. "What is it, Jim."

"We just got a report in from Gainesville," Jim told her. "You sure you don't wanna come in for this?"

"Jim," Penelope yelled, then backed down a little and said through clenched teeth. "Jim, just tell me, please."

"Okay, Penelope, okay. Report is on a deceased female that they found a few hours back. Murdered. Single gunshot wound to the back of her head."

And Penelope's mind put it together before Jim could finish. "Oh, please God, no," she said.

Penelope could hear Jim draw a breath even through the phone line. "I'm afraid that's the way of it, Penelope. Camille Foster. Doug's ex-wife. She's dead. Sometime in the last forty-eight hours, is the preliminary."

Penelope nodded, and swallowed back a sudden lump in her throat. "I understand, Jim. Look, I'm sorry for shouting. You did the right thing calling me."

"Shoot, Penelope," Jim said. "If I got upset every time somebody done yelled at me, I'd be mad all the time. Now what good would that do?"

"I'll be in soon. Did you call the Sheriff yet?"

"Yup. First call. You were my second."

"Thanks, Jim."

Hanging up the phone, she turned to see Doug watching her, an odd look on his face, Trevor asleep again in his arms. How did you tell your best friend that his wife was dead? How did you tell him she was murdered? Worse, how did you tell his little boy?

"Doug," she started, figuring God would give her the words as she went along. "I, uh, have something to tell you. It's about Camille—"

"I know, Penny," Doug interrupted her. "She's dead."

Well, Penelope thought to herself. She wouldn't have to figure out how to tell Doug after all.

And that explained why she had gotten the feeling Doug had been lying to her.

Because he had been.