Ghost Peppers Chapter 24

Chapter 24

The fluorescent lights of the precinct’s booking area buzzed faintly, casting an unflattering glow over the grim scene. Frank McCormick sat slouched on the bench, his wrists cuffed behind him, his face pale and gaunt. Officers moved around him, processing his details with methodical efficiency.

Penny stood nearby, her arms crossed tightly over her chest, trying to maintain her composure as the adrenaline from the morning’s events ebbed away. Tony was at her side, a steadying presence.

As Frank was led toward the holding cell, he paused, his dark eyes staring at Penny. There was something almost fragile in his expression. “Detective Peppers…” he said quietly, his voice cracking.

Penny stiffened. “What?” she snapped, her voice colder than she intended.

“I’m… I’m sorry,” Frank murmured, his gaze dropping to the floor.

Penny gazed in confusion. “Sorry for what? For everything you’ve done? For all the lives you’ve ruined? For peeping in my bedroom window when I was a kid?” Her voice rose, each word laced with fury.

Frank hesitated, then lifted his eyes to meet hers. “For your parents.”

The words hung in the air like a thunderclap.

Penny’s breath froze. “What did you just say?”

Frank exhaled, his face shadowed with regret. “It was me,” he said softly. “I", he paused, "I killed your parents.”

The room seemed to tilt. Penny’s vision narrowed, and the pounding in her ears drowned out everything else.

“You what?!” she screamed, surging toward him.

Tony moved swiftly, catching her around the waist as she lunged. “Penny, stop!”

“Let me go, Tony!” she shouted, struggling against his grip. “He killed them! He killed my mom and dad! Let me go!”

Frank flinched, turning his face away, his shoulders hunched like a man readying himself for a blow.

“Penny!” Tony barked, tightening his hold. “Get ahold of yourself!”

She fought against him, tears streaming down her face, her voice breaking. “You bastard! You took them from me! You destroyed my life!”

“Take him to the cell!” Tony ordered the nearby officers. Two uniformed cops quickly moved Frank out of the room, their pace hurried as Penny’s cries echoed behind them.

Tony held her firm until the door closed and Frank was gone. “Penny! Look at me!” he said firmly, spinning her to face him.

Her body went limp in his arms, her sobs wracking her frame. Tony guided her to a chair in the corner of the room, crouching down to her eye level.

“Breathe, Penny. Look at me. Deep breaths,” he instructed, his voice calm but commanding.
She gasped, her breaths ragged, as she buried her face in her hands. “He killed them, Tony,” she choked out. “He killed them.”

“I know,” Tony said softly, his heart heavy. “We’ll get to the bottom of this, I promise. But you need to calm down, or you’re going to spiral.”

Penny lifted her tear-streaked face, her blue eyes blazing with determination. “I need to see their file. I need to see it right now.”

Tony hesitated, his lips pressing into a thin line. “Penny, I don’t think that’s a good idea. Not in the state you’re in.”

“Tony, I’m not asking,” she said, her voice trembling but resolute. “I need to see it. I need to know everything.”

He sighed deeply, running a hand through his hair. “Fine. But you need to promise me you’ll keep it together. No more outbursts.”

She nodded, though her hands were shaking. “I promise. Just… please.”

Tony led her to the crime scene room, his heart heavy with worry. He unlocked the cabinet and retrieved the file marked Peppers Homicide. Handing it to her, he pulled up a chair and sat beside her, ready to catch her if she crumbled.

Penny opened the file with trembling fingers. The first photo hit her like a freight train: her mother, staged on the bed, she was wearing Penny’s favorite purple bikini, a single gunshot to her left temple. Her father’s lifeless body lay not far away, his face frozen in a look of anguish. Both had their hands and feet zip tied just like the later crime scenes. And next to her fathers head was a white pillowcase with a monogrammed “J”.

Her sobs returned, this time quieter but no less devastating. She flipped through the pages, her eyes scanning the autopsy reports, the crime scene sketches, the notes. Each word felt like a dagger to her heart.

“I should’ve been there,” she whispered, her voice barely audible.

“Don’t do that to yourself,” Tony said softly. “This wasn’t your fault.”

She shook her head, tears spilling onto the pages. “My mom was my whole world, Tony. And he… he took her from me.”

Tony reached for his phone, his voice low as he stepped out of the room. “Jackie, it’s Tony. You need to get to the station ASAP! Penny needs you now.”

The urgency in his voice was unmistakable, and Jackie didn’t hesitate. “I’m on my way,” she said.

Back in the room, Penny sat motionless, clutching a photo of her parents as tears continued to fall. Jackie was her anchor, her only chance of finding the strength to move forward. And Penny knew, deep down, that she couldn’t face this storm without her.
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Jackie guided Penny into the house, her arm securely around her waist as Penny leaned against her, emotionally drained and silent. The air in their home felt heavy, saturated with the echoes of the day’s chaos. Jackie brought her directly to the bedroom, easing her down onto the bed.

“Just rest, sweetheart,” Jackie said softly, brushing a stray curl from Penny’s tear-streaked face.

Penny nodded weakly, her voice barely audible. “I don’t know if I can sleep.”

Jackie reached into the nightstand and retrieved a small vial, shaking out a sedative. “This will help. Just take one, okay?”

Penny swallowed the pill obediently, her trembling hands clutching Jackie’s. “You’re staying, right?”

“Of course,” Jackie said, her voice steady. “I’m not leaving you for a second.”

As Penny settled into the pillows, she turned her head and noticed an envelope resting beside her. It was plain, unassuming, and out of place.

“What’s this?” she asked, her voice thick with exhaustion, picking up the envelope.

Jackie frowned, her instincts kicking in immediately. “I don’t know. Where did it come from?”

Penny opened it, her hands still shaking as she unfolded the letter inside. The handwriting was sharp, aggressive, the ink bold against the stark white paper. She began to read aloud, her voice trembling as the venom in the words became clear.
______________________________________________________________________

Ladies,

Do you feel safe now? Do you think it’s over because Frank McCormick is in custody? It’s not. This was never about him—it’s always been about you, Jackie. About the lies you told, the people you ruined, and the lives you stole. You think you’re untouchable in your perfect little life with your perfect little detective. But you’re wrong. So very wrong.

Penny, you’re nothing more than a weak, pathetic girl clinging to a woman who thrives on control. Do you even realize what she’s done to you? How she’s manipulated you into thinking she’s your savior? You disgust me just as much as she does.

Jackie, you probably think I’m finished, don’t you? That this was my grand finale. But let me assure you, I’m only just beginning. I’ve been watching you both, waiting for the right moment. And now that moment is here.

I’ll never forget the night at the Front Porch. I told you that you’d pay. And oh, how you will.

This isn’t over—not by a long shot. You’ll never see me coming, Jackie. But I’ll be there, lurking in the shadows, waiting to make you suffer the way you made me suffer.

This isn’t a warning. It’s a promise.

See you soon.
—Julia
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The room fell silent as Penny’s voice broke on the last line. Her hands trembled, the letter fluttering to the bed.

“What does she mean?” Penny whispered, her blue eyes wide with fear. “What happened at the Front Porch? Jackie, what is she talking about? Is this connected to Tiffany McCormick?”

Jackie’s face was ashen, her mind racing as pieces of a puzzle suddenly began to fall into place. “The Front Porch…” she murmured, her voice distant. “I told you that story from years ago.”

Penny sat up slightly, her exhaustion momentarily forgotten. “And Julia, was she…?”

Jackie swallowed hard, her voice trembling. “She wasn’t Julia then. Her name was Tiffany McCormick.”

Penny froze, confusion and dread mixing on her face. “Tiffany? Frank’s sister?”

Penny’s eyes filled with terror. “You think Julia Stein is… Tiffany?”

“Yeah,” Jackie said, her voice hollow as the memory surfaced. “Remember the story I told you?

It was my 24th birthday. I got a message from Tiffany asking to meet. I wasn’t sure at first, but eventually, I agreed.” Jackie’s gaze turned distant, lost in thought. “We met at The Front Porch. She’d changed, Penny. She walked in with a presence, like a different woman, so much more self-assured than the one I’d known before. She was wearing a tight, tailored dress, and when she sat down across from me, her eyes… I could feel the intensity, the tension building between us. It was like she was daring me to acknowledge what was there, that undercurrent we never spoke of before.”

Jackie’s voice dropped to almost a whisper as she recalled the encounter. “She told me, right then and there, that she was in love with me. That it wasn’t just admiration—she was in love with me. It was overwhelming, unexpected, and I—” Jackie cut herself off, shaking her head as if to clear the memory. “I couldn’t give her what she wanted, Penny. I tried to explain it gently, told her we had boundaries, boundaries I had to honor. I thought that would be enough. But it wasn’t.”

Jackie met Penny’s gaze then, her expression softening but laced with regret. “Tiffany was hurt, but she hid it quickly. She made a comment about you Penny, how it was obvious who I really wanted. I couldn’t deny it. But I told her that sometimes, caring means knowing when to keep distance, even when it’s hard.”

The bitterness returned to Jackie’s voice, though her eyes softened with the weight of her next words. “That’s when she said it—she looked me dead in the eyes and said, ‘You’ll regret this. This rejection… it’ll haunt you for the rest of your life.’” Jackie’s voice faltered as she remembered the coldness in Tiffany’s stare. “I never saw her again, she had committed suicide, at least that was what the letter stated.”

The room felt as if it were closing in, the air thick with the realization of what they were up against.

“What do we do, Jackie?” Penny’s voice wavered.

Jackie placed a reassuring hand on her partner’s shoulder, her own resolve hardening despite the fear worrying her. “We prepare. We don’t let her win.”

Penny nodded, but her grip on Jackie’s hand was tight, desperate. “This isn’t over, is it?”

Jackie shook her head, her green eyes portraying the fear she was feeling. “No. It’s just beginning.”

And as the darkness of night fell over their home, a sense of unease settled in their hearts. Julia—no, Tiffany—was still out there, watching, waiting, plotting her next move.

The fight was far from over. And this time, Jackie knew, Julia would be coming straight for them.