Penny woke up the next morning to an empty room. She basically took everything out of her room, expect for the necessities. Today, she was planning on meeting with a realtors on selling the house. She is planning on having an estate sells as well, to sell off the furniture once she packs what she wants.
Downstairs, Ms. Birdie told the young woman that Mr. Romano was gone for the day but will be back in time for dinner.
"Honey," Ms. Birdie addresses Penny. "Mr. Romano has asked me to follow you to New York and be a cook and maid at his son's place. I would of course accept, but I wanted to ask you first."
The older woman held a secret smile, one where the creases of her eyes would wrinkle even more, and her eyes held a bright shine. She was hopeful. She has known Penny since she was a little girl and has helped her grow into the woman she is today. She would follow her to the ends of the earth, even if Penny couldn't pay her anymore.
Penny felt a real emotion at this point, the same one as Ms. Birdie: hope. She didn't show this emotion at all. She couldn't let people see how she is feeling, she couldn't wear her heart on her sleeve, because that is how they control you, break you, and hurt you.
Instead letting her face light up, and smile wide, she gives a small, polite smile and said, "I would love that. I could use a familiar face."
Ms. Birdie ran over to the girl and squeezed her in a tight hug. They truly did love each other, like a mother loves her daughter.
The doorbell ruined their moment. Ms. Birdie was busy with breakfast, so Penny took it upon herself to answer the door. Standing on the doorsteps was a man, not much older than her, a man with dark blonde hair and green eyes that almost look blue. His hair was fairly long, long enough to be pulled into a "man"-bun. He was slightly taller than her and wore a wrinkled button down shirt, dress pant, and a long black trench coat. He had dark circles around his eyes and a slightly croaked nose. He was smoking a cigarette when she opened the door but put it out under his shoe once she addressed him.
"Can I help you sir?" Penny asked the mysterious man.
"Yes, I believe you can. You can call me DR, and I am the new investigator in your father's murder. May I come in?" He spoke with as little emotion as Penny usually did. His tone implied that he was going to get what he wants and doesn't care who got in his way. He was all business. This scared her a little bit, and not just because he reminded her of her father.
"I thought the police was handling it," She asked him, not wanting to let him into her house.
"Your father had a strange clause in his will that if he was to be found murdered, The Company I work for would investigate. I am the best one in The Company, so I will be handling the investigation from now on. So please let me in." This time he pushed past her into the room. "Can you please show me where you found your father?"
He read into the police recording of Penny's side of the story. She was asleep when the attack came into the house. It must have been someone that her father knew because he let the attacker in. Penny was woken up by a loud scream, which she rushes downstairs to find her father with many stab wounds, Ms. Birdie holding a gun, and an open front door. Her father was unconscious when Penny was holding him and died in her arms. The maid reported hearing a sound and a struggle. She grabbed Mr. Marshall's gun and confronted the person. There was nothing that could have been done. Mr. Marshall was dead once he was stabbed ten times in the torso and the masked killer ran off.
Penny ultimately led DR to the spot where she found her father, a little bit away from the kitchen entrance in the main foyer.
"Now, who do you think killed your father? You must be the one closest to him," DR says. He couldn't be more wrong; Penny laughed a little internally.
She repeated the same details as the ones she told the police, "I am not sure. My father kept me out of the business, but I did know that he had many enemies. I can show you his files to see if his records show any potential motive for enemies. My father kept very good record of everything." She sounded unemotional, robotic. This put a sour taste in the detective's mouth. There was something going on there.
She led him to her father's office, "Please let me know if you need anything else. Feel free to look through everything."
Penny left the man to look through all of his files and went back to the kitchen to eat breakfast. She soon retreated to the other rooms of her house to go through and pack important, more valuable items away. These items will be placed into storage in San Francisco. This took all morning. There wasn't much in the house that she felt had importance. However, there was a family painting, her favorite chair to sit in, her mother's mirror and other items like this.
She was disrupted by loud screeching downstairs, "How DARE you kick me out of MY house! He left this place to me, and I am going to sell it and keep all of the money. I don't care about his bitch of a daughter..."
Penelope reached downstairs and saw her dad's old assistant and current girlfriend, Ruby. They have been "dating" for some time, about six months. It only lasted so long because their relationship was technically open.
Penny knew that she received no money from her father, was only mentioned in the will as an item to be bartered for.
She assumed that the house would be left for her, and she would be able to get some money from selling it. But she was wrong.
Ruby got the most money in the end, and the house.
Penny thought she would be disappointed, but she wasn't. She knew that her father wasn't a good man and that he hated her guts. She is very thankful that she is moving away into a home and wouldn't have to fend for herself on the streets.
Penny wasn't in the mood to deal with her, so she put on a mask of a different person.
"Ruby, get the hell out. I do not care that you know own this house. This is still where I live and I am going to stay until I am ready," she told the young, bratty woman.
"Well, based on my boyfriend's will, you have until the end of this week to leave so that I can open the house to buyers," Ruby shouted back to Penny, then turned on her very tall heels and left the house.
Penny couldn't help but groan and put her head in her hands. She really did not want to deal with her again. It was a disaster. She can't wait to move away and never see her again.
Right now, the only con to this arranged marriage is the fact she has to marry someone she has never met. And right now, the pros outweigh the cons. She is moving to her favorite city, has a manager to find her a job, has a stable home, is leaving this cursed house. On top of it all, Ms. Birdie gets to follow her there.
DR collected all of the important files in Mr. Marshall's office, including a copy of his will.
He saw the end of the screaming match and saw motive in this Ruby woman. She was left everything that has monetary value from Mr. Marshall. She could have murdered him to gain all of the money. Once he saw Penny slip away into a room, he rushed out to follow this Ruby girl.
He caught her going to her car.
Ruby found this man slightly attractive; he was certainly attractive with his bad nature, man-bun, and eyes. However, he looked very run down, something that was a turn-off for many girls like her.
"Hi, my name is DR. I worked for Mr. Marshall. Would you like to grab a cup of coffee somewhere?" He smirked. Getting girls was a like a formula to him. Of course, he never gets girls for the sake of pleasure. Rather, he uses them to solve his cases.
"Get in, I know a place," She smirked back at him. Ruby was never one to dwell on a death too much.
The car ride was silent as they drove to a coffee shop not too far. It was a sophisticated place where a small coffee was sold for ten dollars, and it costed fifteen to have a shot of alcohol. Ruby ordered a coffee with Kahlua, and DR was a little taken back because she did not look like he legal age. However, after she showed her real ID, it was clear to him that she must have just turn 21.
They both sit down at a table in the back, "So I never knew that you worked for my boyfriend. What did you do?" She tried to flirt with him, but now he was acting as stiff as a board.
"I am investigating his murder," he said bluntly.
"Oh," was all Ruby could think for a second. "So, you think I murdered him, I'm guessing because I inherited everything." Ruby was clearly not dumb. She was smart enough to land a long-term job as one of the most ruthless businessman's assistance. "I would look into his ex-business partner Ross DeLuca. I didn't deal with William's finances, but I did mail out a few letters and bills to Ross. I heard that he had ties to a mafia family in the area and that William was in debt to them."
DR didn't get a good look into his records, but he will look for that name, or any type of huge withdraw of money. He still had to ask, "So if you didn't kill your boyfriend" he also mocked, "then can you tell me where you were the night of his murder?"
"I swear if you tell anyone, someone will be investigating your murder," the more DR talked and examined her, the more he realized she could never murder anyone. "I was at night school for my degree for sociology, you can check with the staff at this building." She wrote down the building address and the professor's name. "You probably heard me being a bitch to Penelope, but I couldn't help it. For some reason, William hated her and that attitude rubbed off on me. Also, I need the money from the house to pay off my mom and stepdad's medical bill after a bad car crash. William was very kind to me, and I am sad to see him gone. If you excuse me, I have to go now." Ruby collected her things and left. DR concluded that she didn't seem that bad. Sure, she seemed like a terrible person on the outside and that stereotypical "slut" in media. In reality, she was a young woman with a fierce personality that she will use to cut anyone that hurts the one she loved.
This doesn't mean the DR wouldn't check the with the school anymore. He hailed a cab and drove to the address.
Back at the Marshall mansion, Penny packed the most valuable things into a large car that Ms. Birdie would be driving. These were the items of most importance to her, and the ones she will be placing in store. Right as the woman drove off, Mr. Romano came back in his rented car. Rather than asking where he went, she said, "I am ready to move tomorrow."
"Okay then," he replied, barely out of his car. "I will get everything in order. When would you like to have the marriage take place? A week from now?"
"No. I would like it the day after I arrive."