Page 72 of Little Last Words

“I do. My sister picked them up so we could deal with … well, what to do now.”

“Can I ask a few questions about Penelope? Not about what’s happened in recent weeks, but about before, when you were younger.”

She eyeballed my glass. “I’ll answer a few questions …ifyou have another drink.”

I hadn’t even drunk half of my first one yet.

She was talking though, and I wanted it to continue.

“Okay, sure,” I said.

As she took my glass and refilled it, I sent a quick a text to Simone:

At Zachary Sandler’s place.

His wife just found out about the kiss with Penelope.

She’s been throwing his stuff all over the lawn, says she wants a divorce.

How’d your visit go with Penelope’s friends, Jolie and Kate Ramsey?

And did you meet with Jack Becker?

P.S. I may need a ride. I’ll keep you posted.

CHAPTER28

As I sipped my drink and Vanessa guzzled hers, she became a lot more relaxed. It was the perfect setup for my next series of questions.

“You went to high school with Penelope, right?” I asked.

“I didn’t just go to school with her,” she said. “We were close. Well, not at the end, but at the beginning.”

I wondered where the relationship had gone wrong.

“Did your friendship sour because of Zachary?” I asked.

She tipped her head from one side, thinking. “In a way. We both developed an interest in Zachary at the same time. When she told me she had a crush on him, I told her I did too. Maybe I shouldn’t have admitted it, but I did.”

“Why do you think you shouldn’t have told her?”

“Because I knew no matter how much she liked him, she’d back off so I could have a chance to pursue something with him first. It’s how she was … you know, giving, to a fault. Kinda funny when I think about it now.”

“Funny in what way?”

“Zachary is a lot like that too.”

“Did he know Penelope was interested in him back then?”

“Not until after we broke up.”

“What happened?” I asked. “How did he go from dating you to dating her?”

“Long story.”

“I have time.”

“When Zachary and I first got together, we hung out a lot. Even though Penelope never complained about it, I felt bad because I wasn’t doing things with her as much anymore. I invited her to join us at the movies one night. I figured it was harmless. He’d never talked to her much before then, and as soon as they got to chatting, I could see it.”