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Back A Penny for Your Thoughts Save as PDF
Chapters (62)
  1. Cover
  2. A PENNY
  3. Dedication
  4. Acknowledgments
  5. One
  6. Two
  7. Three
  8. Four
  9. Five
  10. Six
  11. Seven
  12. Eight
  13. Nine
  14. Ten
  15. Eleven
  16. Twelve
  17. Thirteen
  18. Fourteen
  19. Fifteen
  20. Sixteen
  21. Seventeen
  22. Eighteen
  23. Nineteen
  24. Twenty
  25. Twenty-One
  26. Twenty-Two
  27. Twenty-Three
  28. Twenty-Four
  29. Twenty-Five
  30. Twenty-Six
  31. Twenty-Seven
  32. Twenty-Eight
  33. Twenty-Nine
  34. Thirty
  35. Thirty-One
  36. Thirty-Two
  37. Thirty-Three
  38. Thirty-Four
  39. Thirty-Five
  40. Thirty-Six
  41. Thirty-Seven
  42. Thirty-Eight
  43. Thirty-Nine
  44. Forty
  45. Forty-One
  46. Forty-Two
  47. Forty-Three
  48. Forty-Four
  49. Forty-Five
  50. Forty-Six
  51. Forty-Seven
  52. Forty-Eight
  53. Forty-Nine
  54. Fifty
  55. Fifty-One
  56. Fifty-Two
  57. Fifty-Three
  58. Fifty-Four
  59. A Sample Chapter of Don’t Take Any Wooden Nickels
  60. About the Author
  61. Other Books by Mindy Starns Clark
  62. About the Publisher

According to Tom, Judith was being held by the police on charges of theft and corporate fraud for her part in stripping money from the accounts of Feed the Need.

Alan had regained consciousness in the hospital, though he was still listed in critical condition. He had admitted to the theft from Feed the Need as well as the larger crime of trying to steal more than a million dollars from Smythe Incorporated. But he vehemently denied any involvement with Wendell Smythe’s death at all, and now he had changed his alibi. Instead of just saying he was “running errands,” at the time of Wendell’s death, Alan was now maintaining that on the morning of the murder he had left the office to run to the bank and then the post office; while in line at the post office, he had met a lovely young lady in the line in front of him with whom he shared a cup of coffee and a quick but heated session in the alley behind the coffee shop. He hadn’t gotten her name and had no way of knowing how to contact her to prove his alibi. If that were true, I thought suddenly, at least it would explain his breathless and befuddled appearance the first time we met.

But the police seemed to think they had enough evidence to convict Alan of Wendell’s murder without a confession. Besides the fingerprint on the syringe in the trash can, they had found his hair on Wendell’s arm. Circumstantial, yes, but when coupled with Alan’s embezzling activities and subsequent attempt to flee, the cops felt it was an airtight case.

As for Monty Redburn, he had now committed enough crimes to keep himself locked up for quite a while, and I was glad. With 20 cops as witnesses, getting a conviction on the attempted murder of Alan Bennet should be a piece of cake.

Needless to say, the J.O.S.H.U.A. Foundation would not be making a loan to Feed the Need now. Perhaps, Tom said, if Derek could clear up the mess and demonstrate an ability to lead the company, Tom would consider a future request for funds.

“And, of course,” Tom said, “you’re almost free to go. As soon as you go downtown tomorrow morning and give them your full statement, the police will release you from your Pennsylvania prison.”

I closed my eyes, thinking how good those words sounded. Free to go. Finally, in the morning, after getting my car and giving my statement, I would load up and head home. It sounded too good to be true.

We talked for a moment longer, and then I hung up the phone, feeling oddly at loose ends. My body was wiped out, but my mind was now flying. I walked to the window and looked out at the gorgeous moonlit night. This place was so beautiful, the perfect lawn and stately trees so peaceful.