I wasn’t quite finished with the story I was telling by the time 2025 ended and so decided to continue it until it reached an ending point. Then I will start a new one. Besides, I kind of want to see where Penelope ends up. And so we have…
Day 187: He glared at the two of them.
He glared at the two of them. The woman who had reached a sitting position slowly got herself up off of the ground. She stood and brushed herself off, shooting Penelope a smug look.
“Do you have any identification?” Michaelson asked.
The man reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a wallet. He flashed a badge quickly. It was similar to the one Penelope knew Michaelson had, but slightly different.
Michaelson nodded as Johnson put his badge away. While he was looking away, Penelope saw Michaelson slip a hand into his pocket and then extract it quickly. There was a soft buzz, barely audible to her before he pulled his hand out of the pocket. While she may have had fantasies about spy craft useful for finding out what her neighbors were up to, Penelope was much happier to let Michaelson deal with whatever was going on.
‘I also hope my protective charms are up to whatever happens.’ She already had one broken arm and had no desire to add more injuries.
“And what did you need Penelope for in your investigation?” Michaelson asked.
Penelope realized she never heard him call her by her first name. He always referred to her as Ms. Douglas.
“That is classified,” Johnson said.
“So you want a woman to go to an unspecified place with you, a strange man, who happens to have a badge that you could have gotten from anywhere without knowing why?” Michaelson asked.
“I am an agent,” Johnson said.
“You could have gotten that from a costume shop,” Michaelson countered. Penelope realized he was stalling for time and hoped the slight buzz she heard was him calling for back up.
“I didn’t,” Johnson said. He frowned at Michaelson. The woman rolled her eyes behind him and Penelope was glad that despite wanting her to go with them, they seemed to have momentarily forgotten all about her.
“But how do we know that?” he asked.
“You just have to trust me,” Johnson said. “I am an agent.”
“Is there a number to call?” Michaelson asked. “A supervisor to verify since you won’t tell us what you want?”
“No, I don’t have the number of my supervisor to give you. I have my badge and that should be enough for you.”
“Why would he impersonate and Agent?” the woman said.
“Nefarious reasons,” Penelope said before she could stop herself. Both of them looked at her and she wished she kept her mouth shut.
“You will come with me,” Johnson said. “You are needed for questioning.”
“Can I call a lawyer,” Penelope asked.
“Only guilty people need lawyers,” Johnson said. “Are you guilty of something, Penelope?” he asked.
“Only of overhearing you two saying that she doesn’t belong in the house and that several rooms won’t open for her,” Penelope said. She looked at the woman.
Ten til Midnight 