“I don’t even need to ask her if she likes you or not,” Penny said inside Josh’s Mercedes Benz as he drove her back to her apartment in the night.

“Yeah,” he said as he turned the steering wheel, “I guess she likes me,” he smiled.

“I told you she’s not uptight,” Penny said. Silent minutes of driving. Penny turned to look at Josh, “so when am I meeting your parent?” She asked him. He just cleared his throat, “one day. Just not now,” he responded. It was nine to ten at night when he finally dropped her off at her apartment.

Penny took a shower. She stepped out of the water just in time to attend her ringing phone. “Mom, hi,” she said, holding her phone with her wet hands, her wet body covered in a blue towel.

“You arrived safe? Wanted to check up on you,” Veronica said on the phone.

“Yes I arrived safe. Josh drove me back here,” Penny told her. Then they talked about Josh.

“I know your father would’ve liked him too. You chose a good man,” Veronica said and giggled, “I think I’m hearing wedding bells.”

“Mom calm down. It’s too early for that,” said Penny, she laughed. They talked for minutes then mother and daughter wished each other a good night and they hung up.

Penny poured herself a glass of burgundy wine. She put on a classical jazz record to add more into the serene atmosphere and sat down, rolled the wine in the glass like her father would. He died in a construction accident where he fell from the top floor of the building he and his team were building.

Penny took a sip from the glass, her face looking up, her eyes closed, the smooth jazz song taking her to places only her father knew. She took another sip and the phone rang again, disturbing the peaceful air. ANONYMOUS calling… Accept–Decline showed on the screen.

“Anonymous?” She murmured and clicked the green button. “Hello?” She paused the jazz song. There was no sound from the other line.

“Hello?” Penny said again. There was only silence, she was about to remove the phone from the ear and hang up when she heard something. A scream in the phone. “Mom!” Penny said, she got up from the couch the glass wine fell and broke on the floor. “Mom!” She screamed too, only the one from the other line was getting louder. It sounded like Veronica was fighting with something the way she was screaming. Or someone.

“What’s going on? Mom!?” Penny yelled, “mom!” Then Penny heard something. A gun shot. Veronica wasn’t screaming anymore.

Tell us: who do you think shot her?