Chapter 6
Pen's house was a small, white cottage surrounded by a picket fence and a garden full of roses.
It was pretty and cozy. A pink Cadillac was parked in her driveway, but that didn't necessarily mean she was home.
She loved her vintage car and only drove it when she was in the mood, so it was rare to see it on the road.
I hesitated at the front door, feeling nervous.
What was I doing? This was Penelope. My best friend.
I could talk to her. I always had, so why was I suddenly afraid?
"Ugh! Tallulah James, you are such a chicken!
" I quickly raised my fist and banged on the door.
"Come on, Penelope! Answer the door!" There was no answer, so I rattled the doorknocker.
Just as I was about to try again before snooping through the windows, the sound of a car pulling up to the curb caught my attention.
Penelope hurried from the taxi and rushed forward.
"Talla, what are you doing here?" She cast her gaze over her shoulder.
I saw a flicker of fear in her eyes before she turned away and went to her front door.
Her hands trembled, and it took her three attempts to get the key in the lock.
If I had any doubts before about whether Pen was okay, I was sure something was very wrong.
She needed help. With that thought, I was yanked inside Pen's house, and the door slammed shut behind me.
I was so surprised that I could only stare at my friend.
"You shouldn't be here," she hissed as she peeked out the window.
I snapped out of it. "Penelope Bailey, you better tell me what the heck is going on with you right now!" I hollered. "I've had enough of worrying about you."
Penelope stared at me in shock at my outburst.
"Spit it out before I get Jessop down here."
Her eyes widened, and she rushed toward me, dragging me into the closet. It was dark and musty inside, and I could hear Pen's frantic whispering. "I can explain. You just need to trust me," she pleaded. "Jessop can't find out about this. Nor can Carlisle. Promise me, Talla."
"Why are we in a dark closet?"
"Talla, focus! Promise me."
My heart bounced in my chest. I feared what she was going to say, but I promised her anyway. "Pen, you can tell me anything. You should know this. I love you."
Her hands reached out and gripped my arms tightly. "I'm pregnant."
I faltered for a moment, unsure of how to react, because that certainly wasn't what I expected her to say. My brain struggled to come up with words. Finally, I managed to stammer, "Are you sure?"
"Yes," she whispered. "There's something else, though." She stayed silent.
"Pen, the suspense is killing me! Just tell me!"
"I found a lot of money, spent a good chunk of it, and now Aiden wants it back," she said so quickly that I hoped I'd heard her wrong. But I hadn't.
"Okay," I started. “First, tell me why we’re in a closet.”
"Because I think my house is bugged. I mean, how would anyone know I spent the money I found?"
I briefly closed my eyes. “Pen, why didn’t you come to me, Oliver, or even Jessop? You could have told us that you found it." I paused. "Where did you find it?"
"Under Aiden's side of the bed. There was a loose floorboard. It wouldn't lie flat, so I pulled it up, and there were bags of cash. I also found 50K in the wheel rim of my spare tire.”
"And you spent it instead of telling the sheriff."
"Oh, Tallulah, I'm in so much trouble."
"In more ways than one," I muttered.
"That's not helping," she snapped. "I'm sorry.
I'm so stupid. When I found it, I knew it had to be Aiden's because it wasn't mine. I was angry and upset about everything he’d done, so I decided to get back at him by spending his—what I assumed to be—illegal earnings.” She paused for breath.
"But it turns out it didn't belong to him.
He was holding onto it for someone else, and now they want it back. I don't have it.”
"Oh, hell in a handbasket!"
"I don't feel too good, Talla.”
"Let's get out of this stuffy closet." I took her hand and smacked my face against the closet door at the image that flashed into my head: Penelope lying on a bed of white sheets with a death stare and skin as cold as ice. Shot in the head.
The closet door flew open, and I stumbled out, releasing Penelope's hand.
I whipped my hand up to cover my mouth and raced to the bathroom, where I vomited into the toilet.
By the time I finished, I felt pale and sweaty, and I winced as I used the sink basin to pull myself to my feet.
I was too nauseous to look in the mirror.
I splashed cold water on my face before dipping my mouth under the faucet to rinse it out. Ew, yuck! That was awful.
With wobbly legs, I made my way back to the front room, where I found Pen slumped on the sofa. Without looking at me, she whispered, "You saw me dead." It was a statement, not a question.
My head started to hurt as I moved and sat down beside my friend.
I wanted to reassure her, but my fear was consuming me.
That's why I blurted out, "I saw Detective Riley dead.
You know, one of the visiting detectives.
I need your help to solve his murder before it happens.
" I burst out laughing. It was kind of manic laughter.
Then, I felt tears running down my face.
Seconds later, I was bawling my eyes out into my hands.
What was happening to me?
"Talla, please stop crying. You're going to be sick again." Pen rubbed my back as I hiccuped, trying to calm down.
I concentrated on taking slow, deep breaths to calm down. "I was worried about you cracking and look at me!" I smacked my thigh, irritated with myself. "Oh, Pen, it's been horrible. I have some things to tell you, and I have a lot of questions for you."
"Can we do this tomorrow? I'm exhausted."
Glancing at Pen's haggard face, I felt guilty for not being more considerate. I leaned back on the sofa and took her hand. "I want you to come spend the night at my apartment. Let me look after you."
She swallowed hard and turned her face away. "I can't, Talla." After sighing heavily, she added, "I'll come to the café for breakfast."
"I don't want to leave you," I admitted.
I was worried about her well-being. Not just because of the pregnancy bombshell, but also because she spent money she shouldn't have and, more importantly, because I saw her dead.
I needed to talk to Carlisle. Maybe I could explain things to Jessop so he could take charge.
I wanted her to be safe, and I knew that Jessop would do anything for her.
"Don't tell the Hallen's, Talla. Just keep it between us for now."
I briefly closed my eyes. I had a sinking feeling that this decision would come back to haunt me.