The last time he’d felt such passion for another human being, that person had ended up taking her own life, which wasn’t really a ringing endorsement for allowing it to happen again. But how was he supposed to walk away when there was something tugging at his chest, pulling him straight toward Penny?
#
Penny walked into the library of the twins’ palatial mansion and for the first time ever, didn’t suffer from a serious case of awestruck-itis. She clutched a manila envelope to her chest of research she’d spent the afternoon uncovering through no small amount of effort as she’d combed through newspaper archives and paid a small sum of money for the police report, with a newfound resolve. After finding the newspaper clipping of Isabel’s swan dive, Penny knew she couldn’t stop there. She needed to know more about Isabel as the person and began to dig even deeper. She managed to find Isabel’s high school transcripts and even though she didn’t know what use it could be to her to know that Isabel had tanked economics her senior year, Penny felt almost sleuthlike as she strode through the halls. Perhaps she was riding on the adrenalin or maybe she was just too frazzled to care about the consequences but she finally felt on top of her game for the first time since…well, forever.
She didn’t know if the change was temporary or permanent but she liked the way she felt after spending an afternoon chasing after the ghost of a woman she’d never known. Somehow, it felt as if the answers she sought were necessary to start the healing for everyone involved. Maybe she was being a silly twit for even hoping such a thing was possible but she wasn’t going to stop now. Come hell or high water, she was going to end this journey without questions poking at her brain.
Nolan startled when she walked in and Vince, engrossed in something on his tablet, didn’t realize anyone else was in the room with them until Nolan cleared his throat meaningfully. “Darling, this is a surprise,” Nolan said, moving forward as if to embrace her but Penny put her hand up, stopping him. He frowned. “What’s wrong, pet?”
Vince looked up and mirrored his brother’s expression. “What’s going on?”
“I need answers and since everyone in this family seems reluctant to share, I’m here to get what I need straight from the source. No more dancing around the past, no more patting me on the head as if I’m some ninny without two tufts of straw in my head. I deserve to know what the hell happened to the woman before me.” At that, Penny tossed the manila envelope so that it landed on the coffee table. “In that envelope is all the information I managed to find on Isabel Walker.”
Nolan and Vince stared at her as if she’d just thrown down a bloody head. “What are you doing?” Vince said, standing to grab the envelope, his movement sharp and agitated. “Why can’t you just leave it alone? She’s dead. End of story.”
“No, it’s not end of story for me. I need you to resolve this issue or else we’re through,” Penny said, holding her ground even though her insides had begun to tremble. “Don’t you see how her death has affected you all? I’ve only known you for a relatively short time but in that time I’ve come to see a few things that maybe you can’t because you’re too close to the situation.”
“Penny,” Nolan began, trying for patience but he was just as uneasy about the prospect of talking about the past as his twin. “I can appreciate your curiosity—“
“Whatever happened to Isabel is the reason Dillon wants to destroy you — the reason he used me to get to you so don’t you dare try to tell me that it’s none of my business or else I’ll scream like a Victorian with a gent’s hand on her ankle.” The twins stared in consternation and she muttered a quick, “You know, because the Victorians were so prim and proper — never mind — the point is, I need answers and you’re going to give them to me.”
“And why would we do that?” Vince said with quiet calm that she didn’t trust one second and probably meant he was mad enough to choke a nun but she was running on pure chutzpah and the dogged belief that if she could get these people talking, things might start to make sense in her world. Maybe she was delusional and all this sharing was going to blow up in her face but she had to try. “Nowhere in our agreement did it state that you would make demands and we would capitulate. You’re overstepping your bounds, sweet pet.”
“Perhaps. But I don’t care. Besides, you and I both know that there’s no way we can simply go back to the way things were. Not now.”
“Perhaps if you’d kept your legs shut around Dillon we wouldn’t be in this position,” Vince growled and she gasped in hurt surprise at his vulgar statement. Nolan sighed and shot his brother a quelling look, which Vince dismissed with a glower. “This is total bullshit. If I wanted to be peppered with nagging questions, I’d have taken a wife by now. If you want to be interrogated, by all means, stay, but I’m out of here.”
“Vince…” Nolan said, stopping him with a firm hand as he attempted to brush by. Penny willed the sudden moisture away as her bravado quailed under the fiery heat of Vince’s dark mood. “Stay. She’s right. We need to tell her.”
Vince stared, unable to believe his brother’s statement. “I don’t enjoy talking about the past when there’s nothing that can be done about changing it,” he said in a low tone. “Why can’t we just leave her in peace?”
A current of understanding and empathy passed between brothers and Penny was floored by how connected the two were, even as adults. The twin-thing was in full force for even though Vince looked as if he’d rather chew off his own foot than remain and talk about Isabel, he backed away and went to the bar to pour himself a drink as he muttered, “I’m going to need plenty of this to make it through this fucking story hour.”
“Pour me one, too,” Nolan said, gesturing to Penny. “Please, darling. Sit. I’m afraid as you’ve already figured out, this story doesn’t have a happy ending and I fear, we are not the heroes.” He grimaced as he admitted, “In fact, we were bastards in this tale and I’m afraid of what your reaction may be when you hear the entire story.”
Penny swallowed but managed to nod. She came for answers. “My Papa always said, don’t ask questions that you don’t want answers for. Whatever you tell me, I’m ready to hear.”