The blond woman swallowed. She felt that she was in a semi-dead state.
As one of those souls who live in purgatory, waiting for the Lord to decide if it was good enough for eternal life.
Her little girl had disappeared nearly 48 hours. She had been dead almost 48 hours. Every second that the clock marked, that was one more blow against her heart.
Penelope, look me in the face.
She lifted her eyes reluctantly, arching her right eyebrow.
- What the fuck do you want from me? Should not you be on the street looking for my daughter?
Paul Orson took a deep breath. This was going to be complicated.
- Did you know about your husband's sexual escapades?
She clenched her jaw at the same time that she stuck her forearms on the wooden desk.
-Derek is not my husband. He is just the father of my daughter.
Paul leaned back in his chair, staring at that desperate mother. He had met Penelope before.
She worked for his team on a couple of occasions. Penelope Garcia was known for being a cheerful, talkative and fun woman. Nothing to do with that gray, cold person he had before his eyes.
- Jessica Thomas is innocent. Apparently, she was giving private classes to seven-year-old sisters. Witnesses said she was in the house of the Collins sisters for three hours.
-I do not care what that bitch does. It matters to me that you find my daughter, since some enlightened one believed that you were better than my team to look for Sammy.
Paul could see too much disappointment in her face. She was hurt, desperate and lost at that moment. He could not react to her impotent cries. He as a father understood her frustration.
-Only one more question and please, answer me. Did you know Derek had a relationship with Jessica?
Penelope pressed her lips together. She narrowed her eyes as she brought her face closer to the older agent.
-I'm a fucking hacker- she whispered, with a gesture of arrogance drawn on her face - I could have hacked each and every one of her social networks if I had wanted to.
He raised his eyebrows. She was good, very good. He could attest to that.
-You did it?
-Of course yes. Yesterday, just when I get home. There was nothing but hot conversations and pictures of her vagina. Oh, there were also collages of her tits. Invitations to dinner. Invitations to go out for a drink.
Paul Orson knew that was illegal. But he could see her jealousy, the anger in her eyes. Although Penelope swore there was nothing between them.
-Penelope, I notice you a little jealous.
-I'm not.- She smiled then, looking into the agent's eyes. -Derek never accepted her tempting offers.
Paul Orson got up from his chair and placed himself on her right. -What if he had agreed to sleep with her? What would have happened then?
Penelope shrugged her shoulders. -Nothing. We do not have any relationship. We live together for Sammy. But Derek is not my husband, nor my boyfriend. He does not give me explanations of his personal life. He do not ask me either.
Someone knocked on the door of the interrogation room, interrupting the conversation.
-They've brought a box for Ms. Garcia.
Who brought it?
The young policeman shrugged, while looking at the other two with a confused gesture.
-I do not know. Someone left this at the door of the police station.
-It's my daughter's letter.
Her voice sounded like a faint whisper. Penelope pointed to the word "mommy" with trembling hand.
-Don't open it.
But it was too late. Penelope was crazy, breaking the box into a thousand pieces. She needed to know what was in there. She needed that like breathing.
With her mouth open and kneeling in front of the cardboard box, she turned to look at Agent Orson. -It's her stuffed unicorn- she informed him with tearful eyes -and her hair. They have cut her hair.