Page 82 of Little Last Words

“Jolie wasn’t sure. It wasn’t her wedding-ring finger, though.”

“How did the conversation between Penelope and Jolie end?” I asked.

“They hugged and agreed to start hanging out again.”

“And did they?”

“Nope. Penelope died before they got the chance.”

If Penelope had been seen at a diner in town with a man, it was easy to assume she’d been with Zachary. Except Zachary was married, and in such a small town, being seen out in public with anyone other than his wife would have been an unwise decision. And yet, Zachary had taken risks before, like the night he was seen kissing Penelope outside of her house.

What if the man at the dinerwasZachary?

And what if the news of them being spotted out together had made its way back to Vanessa, just like it was making its way around town now?

CHAPTER32

Ichecked in with Hunter by phone. She hadn’t gotten far in the research I’d asked her to do and hadn’t found one negative aspect about Penelope either. She planned to give it another try tomorrow.

Maybe Angelica was right.

Maybe Penelope was as wonderful as she was being made out to be.

Everyone I’d talked to seemed to agree.

I ended the call with Hunter and stopped by a few diners in town. At the first two, I was unsuccessful. No one remembered serving Penelope. I decided to try a third before heading home. The owner of the Boathouse Diner mentioned he’d overheard a couple of his waitresses talking the day before. One of them told the other she was sure she’d served the dead woman all the reporters were talking about on the news. No mention was made about whether Penelope was alone at the diner or with someone else. The owner tried giving the waitress a call, but she didn’t answer. I gave him my card and told him the information I needed him to pass along to her. He said he’d make sure she got right back to me.

It was getting late, but I still made a stop at Becker’s house on my way up the street. He wasn’t there, and given the security camera on the front porch, I wasn’t about to break in. I’d try him again in the morning. I thought about sneaking into Penelope’s house to look for the mysterious ring, but it was dark. Turning on any lights in the house—or even trying to be stealth with a small flashlight—in a neighborhood as nosy as this one would raise too much suspicion. That would have to wait until tomorrow too.

It had been a week and a half since Penelope’s murder. Each day her case went unsolved made me feel like I’d failed in some way, even though I was doing my best to give Penelope and her family the justice they deserved.

The killer was out there, and I was getting closer to finding him.

I could feel it.

Giovanni had dinner ready and waiting for me when I entered the house. I caught up with him about his day and then told him about mine. I showered, and when I got out, I noticed I had a missed call from Foley. I called back, and he answered right away.

“How did the interviews go with Zachary and Vanessa?” I asked.

“We questioned them together first and then separately. Ask me, Vanessa’s responsible for Penelope’s murder. I just need to prove it.”

“What makes you think Vanessa did it?”

“She had a better motive than anyone we’ve spoken to so far. As soon as we split Zachary and Vanessa apart, she became agitated. She asked to call her uncle, who just so happens to be a lawyer.”

Was it a smart move on her part?

Or was it something else?

Time would tell.

“I’m curious, did their phone records reveal anything?” I asked.

“There was no communication between Penelope and Vanessa. As for Zachary, we highlighted his interactions with Penelope, and when he was in the interrogation room with his wife, we gave them a copy to look over.”

“Zachary told me Penelope reached out to him first. Was he telling the truth?”

“No, he wasn’t. He lied, to you and to Vanessa. He messaged Penelope first.”