Penelope smiled back and headed to the staircase. She played Taylor’s words over in her mind. She had said Penelope was “not good enough for Jacob.” How long had Genevieve Taylor been harboring a crush on Jacob? Was killing Kevin Scott really an accident? She had disarmed Officer Meeks with ease . . . couldn’t she have done the same with Scott?
Anger and hurt could drive a person to do terrible things. If someone had hurt Jacob—had killed Jacob—what would she have done? If Taylor thought Jacob was dead, perhaps she killed Scott to exact revenge for the murder of the man she secretly loved?
Penelope shuddered at the thought of Genny being in love with her fiancé for who knew how long. He had known Genny for a long time; if the feelings were mutual Jacob would surely have acted on them by now . . .
Penelope froze mid-step.
Maybe that was the missing piece.
Could Jacob be this mysterious he that Taylor was talking about? Could he have encouraged her to prove herself worthy? Taylor obviously hated Penelope and had hidden it quite well for some time. Was Taylor planning to murder Penelope so she could have Jacob to herself?
Penelope jogged up the remaining stairs and burst into the fourth-floor hallway to find it as empty and silent as the staircase.
Where is everyone?
A door burst open, and Penelope jumped back. She relaxed when she saw a custodian pushing a linen cart out the door.
Pull it together, Penny!
She gave the older man a polite nod and didn’t encounter anyone else on the way to Gabriel’s office. The door to his waiting area was slightly ajar and the light was on.
“Hello?” she called softly as she pushed the door open.
No answer.
She walked inside and called, “Hello?” a little louder.
Still no answer.
She strode across the tiny waiting room to Gabriel’s office and tapped a knuckle on the door.
“Gabriel?”
There was no answer, but the gentle pressure of her knocking pushed the door open slightly.
She peeked inside. Pale moonlight illuminated the dark room.
“Gabriel? You in there?”
He wasn’t.
She stepped back into the waiting room, pulled out her cell phone, and dialed Gabriel’s number. As soon as she pressed send, she heard his distinctive Beatles ringtone from inside his office.
“Gabriel?” she called out, pushing his office door open.
This was alarming. He always had his cell phone with him. What if he had fallen and was trapped underneath mountains of paperwork and binders?
She walked toward the sound of the ringtone and spotted his blinking cell phone atop a stack of files on his desk. She searched the cluttered desk for a piece of paper to leave him a note since he obviously didn’t have his phone with him.
She reached for the desk lamp and accidentally knocked the small stack of files and Gabriel’s phone onto the floor.
Way to go Penny . . .
She would make a terrible spy.
She turned the lamp on and could see how messy Gabriel’s office was. If she didn’t know better, she would have thought the place had been ransacked, but that was the way he always kept it. His office at the college was the same way. She glanced down at the files scattered on the floor. Loose papers were everywhere.
This kept getting worse and worse. How was she going to explain this? All she meant to do was write a simple note. Gabriel would certainly understand if he caught her red-handed.
She laughed at the absurdity of the situation. She’d straighten the files, replace the papers as best she could, and leave a note.
She picked up Gabriel’s phone and gathered the files, putting the loose papers on top. Hopefully, the papers would have names or something to indicate the file where they belonged.
Gabriel’s handwriting was impossible to read.
One of the papers was a prescription for something, but the name was illegible. The rest were similarly unhelpful so she set them aside.
The files, however, had typewritten names, made on a typewriter, not a computer. Most likely they were typed on the ancient relic of a typewriter the professor had wedged into his piles of papers and binders.
She smiled at his idiosyncrasies, but the smile disappeared as she flipped through the files, reading the names.
One of the files was labeled Taylor, Genevieve.
CHAPTER 82
Genevieve Taylor was a patient of Dr. Gabriel Pike’s? He had never mentioned knowing Taylor.
There had to be a logical explanation.
Was Gabriel bound by doctor-patient confidentiality? He probably couldn’t confirm or deny knowing Taylor, even if Penelope asked.
One question nagged at the back of her mind . . . Did Gabriel know about the shooting of Kevin Scott?
Penelope replaced the stack of folders on the edge of the desk and took a seat. She had a tough decision to make. Medical records were confidential, and she was probably already breaking a handful of laws by entering Gabriel’s office and touching his files, but she was in too deep, and curiosity got the best of her . . .
She flipped Taylor’s folder open.
She saw a few pages of notes from a legal notepad. Gabriel’s writing was sloppy and hard to read, but she could make out a few words here and there. PTSD was one; then the words left undiagnosed were followed by a word Penelope couldn’t decipher.
A flood of guilt welled up inside like molten lava. Snooping through someone’s medical file without his or her permission was not only wrong, it was highly illegal. Penelope closed the file and something that had been attached with a paperclip slipped out.
She watched it flutter to the floor.
It looked familiar—too familiar.
She reached for the small piece of paper and held it under the light.
It was a Chinese fortune—the missing fortune from Jacob’s wallet—affixed with Scotch tape to the back of a business card-sized piece of paper. Penelope gently touched the fortune with her forefinger and read the words aloud. “The love you seek is closer than you think.” Tears sprung to her eyes.
Why did Gabriel have Jacob’s fortune? Did Taylor give it to him? Did she tell Gabriel about the robbery and the “accidental” shooting of Kevin Scott? Was Gabriel also bound by confidentiality if Taylor confessed to a past crime?
The puzzle in Penelope’s mind became a little clearer as a few more pieces fell into place. Taylor must have kept the fortune as a memento when she returned Jacob’s belongings. She returned the items anonymously because she killed the suspect. She must have told Dr. Pike during one of their sessions, and she gave him the fortune.
Penelope flipped the paper over and horror rose inside her.
The fortune was attached to the back of the black-and-white photo booth picture of her and Jacob. She wiped the tears from her eyes. Jacob’s face had been crossed out with a ballpoint pen.
This was not good.
Her head spun with new questions . . . like why was Jacob’s face crossed out? If Taylor was in love with Jacob, shouldn’t Penelope’s face be crossed out?
What was Gabriel’s role in all of this?
He had inserted himself into the middle of the investigation. How long had he known about Taylor’s involvement? Was Gabriel’s offer to assist in Penelope’s unofficial investigation his way of leading her to Taylor or was he trying to throw her off the scent?
She scanned her memories. He had acted professionally—except when they were watching the surveillance footage earlier. When she spotted Taylor, he kept trying to divert attention from the new clue. She had chalked it up to another one of his idiosyncrasies, but had there been a more sinister reason for Gabriel’s behavior?
A knotted ball of fear coiled in the pit of her stomach. Was Jacob in danger?
Penelope bolted out of the office without turning off the light or closing the door—the overwhelming urge to get to Jacob drove her every step.
She hurried t
o the stairs, pulled her phone out of her purse, and dialed her fiancé’s number. “Pick up, pick up,” she chanted.
There was a clicking sound by the time she reached the second-floor landing, and her heart soared . . . but it was just his voice mail. She waited for the beep and then practically shouted into the phone. “Jacob! I need you to call me right away.” She searched her brain, trying to think of what else to say. “I need to see you!”
Penelope ended the call, and burst out of the stairwell into the lobby. Everything seemed to be business as usual, with the exception of a few strange glances directed her way.
She headed toward the parking lot.
In the safety of her own vehicle, Penelope fished her headphones out of her purse and called Donny.
It went straight to voice mail.
“Donny, call me as soon as you get this! Taylor was a patient of Dr. Pike’s.” She took a breath. Then another. Finally she added, “I think there’s something else going on here. Something we’re missing. I think Jacob may be in danger. Call me back!”
CHAPTER 83
It was only a twenty-minute drive to the Franklin Clinic from Grace Memorial Hospital, but when you fear someone you love may be in danger—twenty-minutes can feel like an eternity.
Halfway between Gainesville and Franklin, Jacob’s caller ID flashed on Penelope’s phone.
“Jacob!” she answered. “Thank God, you’re okay.”
“Why wouldn’t he be okay, Penelope?” a familiar voice asked.
“Gabriel? What are you doing with Jacob’s phone? Where’s Jacob?”
“Your fiancé is fine, but he has something he wants to tell you,” Gabriel said, his voice sending a shiver up her spine.
“Gabriel, put Jacob on the phone!” Penelope demanded.
“Sorry, Penelope, he can’t come to the phone right now. And you need to hear this in person. Come to the Franklin Clinic.”
“Don’t do it, Pen—” she heard Jacob’s voice say right before the line went dead.
Tears blurred Penelope’s vision, and she swiped her eyes with the sleeve of her sweater.
She dialed Jacob’s number, and it went straight to voice mail.
Seconds later her phone rang to life.
“What did you do to—”
“Chance, it’s Donny.”
Penelope had never been so relieved to hear her friend’s voice. “Donny! I think I know who HE is.”
“Slow down, Chance.”
“I know who he is, Donny. The person Taylor referred to during the interrogation. The person behind all of this. It’s Dr. Pike. It’s been him all along.”
“Pike?”
“Yes! I don’t know why, but he’s somehow behind all this.”
“Chance, it’s been a long day. You’re probably just—”
“No Donny . . . it’s him. I was in his office. I saw his files. Taylor was his patient.”
“Without a court order? Chance, you know—”
“Yes, I know, Donny! Get the court order! Get a warrant! For his files . . . for his office . . . for his house. He has Jacob . . .”
As soon as her fiancé’s name left her lips, Penelope lost her ability to speak.
What did Gabriel want with Jacob? What was he planning? Did Taylor reveal something about Jacob in one of her sessions that Gabriel wanted her to hear?
“Chance, are you still there?” Donny sounded panicked, and she could hear him gathering his things and covering the mouthpiece of the phone as he shouted directions to his officers. “Chance? Where are you?”
This was all wrong.
“D-D-Don—” She tried to speak but she choked. She cleared her throat and tried again. “Donny, you have to get to the Franklin Clinic. Gabriel is holding Jacob hostage.”
“Hostage? Chance, tell me where you are.”
Penelope came to a skidding stop in the Franklin Clinic parking lot. Gabriel’s Hummer was parked next to Jacob’s Mustang. Lord, please let Jacob be okay. The dark tinted windows of the SUV made it impossible to tell if Gabriel was inside.
“I’m here, Donny. I’m at the Franklin Clinic and so is Gabriel.”
“Chance, I’m radioing Franklin PD now for backup and I’ll be there as soon as I can. Stay where you are!” Donny yelled through her earpiece.
Penelope removed her backup Sigma from the lock box in her trunk. “I’m going in, Donny!”
“Chance, no! Wait for backup.”
She clicked off the safety and kept her pistol at a low ready position as she made her way toward the entrance.
“Chance, do you hear me? Don’t go in there alone,” Donny pleaded. “I’ll have backup there in five minutes.”
“Jacob might not have five minutes . . .”
With Donny still on the line, Penelope cautiously entered the Franklin Clinic.
The door was open and it was dark inside.
She tried the light switch in the waiting area.
Nothing.
She took cover in front of the reception desk. “Donny?” Penelope whispered through shallow breaths. “I’m inside. The lobby is empty. He cut the power.”
“Chance, pull back now! Jackson is already en route. Someone called 9-1-1.”
A muffled whimpering sound came from the other side of the desk.
“Who’s there?” Penelope whispered.
“Penelope?” Another whimper. “Is that you?”
It was Belinda.
Penelope squat-walked around to the receptionist’s side of the desk. The frightened office manager was wedged underneath and clutching her cell phone to her chest.
“Oh, thank God!” she said, starting to crawl out.
“Stay put,” Penelope said and Belinda froze. “Who else is in the building? Any patients? Staff?”
“No patients. Dr. Gordon is in his office . . . and I think there’s a man back there with him.”
“Did you get a look at him?”
“No. I was in the break room when I heard a truck pull into the parking lot. I walked to my desk to have a look, and that’s when all the lights went out. I saw a man coming toward the door, and I panicked. It looked like he had a weapon, so I hid and called 9-1-1.”
“Was it a gun?”
“I think so. It was dark.”
“Donny, are you getting this?” Penelope whispered into her microphone.
“I am,” Donny confirmed. “Chance, get Belinda out of there. Jackson should be on site now.”
Headlights swept across the windows, temporarily lighting up the room.
“Which way did the man go, Belinda? Did you see?”
Belinda pointed toward the administrative area.
“How long has he been back there?”
“About ten minutes.”
“Were there gun shots?”
Belinda shook her head. “No . . . just a lot of shouting. I was afraid to move.”
“Listen, Belinda. Chief Jackson from the Franklin Police Department is outside. You know Chief Jackson, right?”
Belinda nodded.
“I need you to go out there and tell him everything you told me. More, if you can think of it.”
“I’m scared,” Belinda sobbed.
Penelope held out her hand. “It’s going to be okay.”
Belinda took Penelope’s hand and slid out from under the desk.
“Donny, radio Jackson and let him know that Belinda is coming out.”
“You too, Chance,” Donny said. “Get out of there. We don’t know what we’re dealing with.”
Penelope hung up and switched her phone to silent. Once Belinda was safely out the front door and in Jackson’s care, she made her way back to the receptionist’s desk.
Her blood pounded in her ears, and she tried to remain calm.
She had to get to Gabriel before he hurt anyone. She had to talk him out of whatever he was planning to do.
CHAPTER 84
With her eyes fully adjusted to the darkness, Penelope moved from the desk to the double swingi
ng doors that led to the administrative area. She paused, peeked inside, and pushed one of the doors open with the barrel of her gun. Her eyes darted back and forth, looking for signs of life. At the end of the hallway, she saw that Jacob’s office door was ajar.
She took a shaky breath and considered her next move.
Her phone vibrated in her front pocket. She glanced at the caller ID, and with her headphones still on, she pressed answer.
“Chance, Chance, are you there?” Chief Jackson’s voice came through her earpiece.
“I’m here, Chief,” Penelope whispered back, holding the microphone to her mouth.
“I have a team waiting outside. What can you tell us?”
“I’m not positive, but I’m assuming one subject, Dr. Gabriel Pike, is isolated in the left wing of the building . . . in Jacob’s office. The subject may also be armed and holding Jacob hostage.”
“We’ve confirmed with Belinda that the rest of the building is clear. We have the exits covered,” the chief said. “If this is a hostage situation, we’ll wait for your signal. You got that, Chance?”
She mouthed a quiet, “Got it, Chief,” into her microphone.
Penelope pushed through the swinging double doors and ducked into the first office on her left to maintain a barrier between herself and Gabriel.
Jacob’s face flashed through her mind. She had to keep him safe. That was her main priority. And to do that, she needed to establish communication.
She steadied herself, took a deep breath, and called out into the darkness. “Jacob? Are you back there?” Her voice sounded alien. She hardly recognized it as her own.
There was a shuffle and the door to Jacob’s office opened a little wider.
“Penny? Is that you?” It was Jacob.
She resisted the urge to run to his office and embrace him.
“You alone?” he asked in a strange tone of voice.
“The police are outside. But it’s just me inside . . . for now.”
Another Chance (A Penelope Chance Mystery Book 2) Page 24