XIV
Goodbye to a Longtime Friend OneAlthough the days were getting longer, it was already growing dark outside. Penelope was getting anxious, impatient, as she walked down the brightly-lit upstairs hallway of Campbell's home. She knew time was ticking against her. Her enemies were closing in. It was time to be moving, but a long life had taught her to remain calm in times of crisis, to think before action. She steadied her nerves and returned to her duties.
“Your dinner is ready. Come on …,” Penelope announced as she stepped into Burt's bedroom. The window shades were down. The room appeared funeral-like, dark and depressing. The air was thick, stale with the foul odor of dirty dogs and their gaseous intestinal emissions.
Penelope patted her thigh a few times to get the silent dogs' at
