“Exactly,” I whisper-yelled, although I had no idea why. There was no one around. “What if he wrote this thinking someone was out to get him?”
“And he was right. They were out to get him.”
“And they got him.”
Theo nodded gravely.
I stared at the note. Edwin Morris’s death hadn’t raised any suspicions. He was a man in his sixties with a certain waist circumference. Statistically speaking, he’d been at risk of an early death. Nothing to investigate.
But what if the note meant he knew something might happen to him, and he’d been hoping someone would find it and search for the answers?
The most ridiculous idea popped into my head. And like the moment of curiosity when I’d noticed the scrap of paper sticking out from the frame, I couldn’t resist it.
I had to figure out if Edwin Morris had been murdered. And if so, who killed him.
But I couldn’t do it alone.
I looked up, my mind racing. How could I convince Theo? He was going to laugh and say I was being silly. That we were just a couple of high school teachers. What business did we have trying to solve a murder?
With no idea of what I was going to say, I opened my mouth.
Only, Theo beat me to it.
“We need to find out what happened,” he said, his voice definitive.
“Are you serious?”
He nodded again. “Pen, this could mean he knew he was going to be murdered. And then hewasmurdered. The cops have no idea. Everyone’s just moving on with their lives like he was another victim of cardiovascular disease or something.”
“Yes, exactly. But what if he wasn’t?”
“What if someone killed him? We need to know.”
My eyes widened. “You’ll help me find out? I thought I was going to have to convince you.”
He hesitated. “I thought I was going to have to convince you.”
Adjusting my glasses, I laughed. “I guess we have more in common than meets the eye.”
His dimples puckered with his grin as he held out his fist. “Okay, Penlock Holmes. Let’s solve a maybe murder.”
I bumped his fist with mine. “Later, though. You probably still have grades to enter.”
“That I do.” He slid the laptop back in front of him. “Let’s keep thinking about it, and we’ll figure out how to start looking.”
“Deal.” I got up and took the note. “I’ll keep this in the empty bedroom. I mean, my art studio.”
He grinned at me. “Sounds good.”
I went back to my studio with a little flutter of excitement in my stomach. And of course it was just the anticipation of possibly solving a murder. It had nothing to do with Theo and his playful smile.
CHAPTER 13
Theo
Between school and football—andtrying to make a potentially life-altering career decision—I’d been too busy to give much thought to the mysterious note Penelope had found. The official job offer from Carolina had come in, and I’d responded to let Kevin know I needed some time to think it over.
The salary was a distinct check in the pro column. I’d about fallen out of my chair when I’d read that part. It was really good money.
