One Chance: A Thrilling Christian Fiction Mystery Romance by Daniel Patterson Page A

thought for a moment, a memory tickling her brain and then coming to the surface. "I think I remember hearing Tommy and Missy talking about going to Orlando sometime last week," she said. "Yeah, Tommy said something about staying in a motel in Orlando, but as soon as they saw me, he changed the subject. Didn't really pay much attention to it at the time. But, considering where this is going."
    "That about all you remember?" Jim asked her.
    "Well, that's all I heard," Penelope replied. "You might want to start checking the motels down there. Give them a description of Tommy's car and you just might find them."
    "Thanks Penelope. Knew you'd be able to help with this," Jim said.
    "You're welcome," Penelope said. "Don't know how much help I've been to you, but if it works out you can buy me lunch tomorrow."
    "This helps me find these kids, you got it."
    Penelope hung the phone up and rubbed her temples. Hard to believe just a day or so ago she was complaining to God that his little town of Franklin was too quiet. Sure didn't feel that way now.
    I'm sorry, God, for wanting more than You give. I should have heeded the wisdom to be careful what you ask for. I asked, and I received. Help me take the same advice that I gave Doug, that You never give more than a person can handle. Amen.
    "Okay, Doug," she said, turning away from the phone. "Where were we?"
    Doug's head hung back limply on the back of the couch. He snored softly.
    Penelope shook her head. Of course. Well, whatever information Doug had would wait until tomorrow, she supposed. Her friend had earned some sleep. If Penelope's past few days had been rough, Doug's had been ten times worse. Penelope wasn't the one accused of trying to run down a friend with a very distinctive truck.
    But, why? How did any of this make any sense? Where was the motive? It wasn't simply a matter of intoxication. Everything she'd learned so far told her that Doug probably wasn't drunk before he got to The Last Chance Tavern, where Penelope had found him after the attack. He hadn't drank enough. Not for an accomplished drunk like Doug. It took him a lot to get to the point where the alcohol clouded his memory.
    She settled Doug on the couch with his head on one arm and his feet resting up on the other. She even took Doug's shoes off. Her friend slept through it all, never waking once.
    Penelope slipped outside the house quietly with her cell phone into the cool evening dusk. She dialed the number of the one person she thought she could talk to.
    "Hello, Deputy Beautiful," Jacob said to her in a slightly tired voice.
    "Hi Sweetheart," she said, a smile slipping onto her face. "I know we just saw each other a little while ago, but I needed to hear a friendly voice."
    "And you thought of me? Oh, how sweet."
    "Yeah, well. I don't know what I'd do without you some days. This is one of those days."
    "This whole mess is really weighing you down, isn't it?" he asked her.
    "I just feel like I'm failing him. Doug, I mean. I feel like there should be something more I'm doing, something I should be seeing that I'm missing."
    Jacob was quiet for a long time before he said anything else. "Penny, I'm going to suggest something to you, but I don't want you to get upset with me," he said.
    "Why would I do that?" she asked, her smile slipping. She knew what he was about to say. And she knew she didn't want to hear it.
    He sighed deeply through the phone. "Has it occurred to you that maybe Doug has finally learned how to make you believe him even though he's not telling the truth? That maybe, just maybe, he's learned to lie to you?"
    She pulled the phone away from her ear as if it would help her unhear what he had just said. She took a deep breath, pacing, before she brought the phone back up.
    "No," was her simple response. There had been a little more heat in it than she had intended.
    He sounded apologetic as he said, "I shouldn't have said that. I'm sorry, Penny, really. Now you're upset with me."
    "No, no, honey