by Rita Herron
“They’re admitting her,” Peyton explained. “If they move her to a room before I return, stay with her. Okay?”
“Of course. I’ll text you the room number.”
“Please make sure you verify any medication she’s given.”
Joanna’s brows pinched together. “Is something going on here that I don’t know about?”
Peyton shrugged. “I’m probably being paranoid. I just want to make sure she isn’t left alone, not for a minute.”
Joanna tugged the collar of her shirt with shaky fingers. “Now you’re making me nervous.”
“Just promise,” Peyton said.
Joanna squeezed Peyton’s hand. “I promise.”
Peyton gave her a hug, then hurried toward the ER exit. She scanned the waiting room as she passed it in search of someone who might be watching her and checked her surroundings as she dashed toward her car. The temperature had dropped, adding a chill to the air, and she shivered and tugged her jacket around her.
Footsteps sounded behind her just as she wove between a row of cars, and she felt someone behind her. She grabbed her keys and gripped them between her fingers to use as a weapon.
The footsteps grew louder, closing in on her, and a shadow loomed behind her. Fear clawed at her and she fought a scream as she ran for her car.
Chapter Twelve
Peyton stumbled as she reached for the door handle. But she managed to maintain her footing and swung open the door. Footsteps pounded the pavement behind her, and she threw herself into the driver’s seat, slammed the door and locked it.
When she looked up, a teenager jogged past and veered toward a Jeep. Relief filled her, and she started the engine, then backed from her parking spot and swerved onto the road. Two more turns and she was headed into the small town of River’s Edge.
The quaint little shops and restaurants were lit up, the local inn parking lot filled with tourists who’d come to enjoy the fall colors and local arts and crafts and antiques festival scheduled for the weekend. Others enjoyed the local apple houses where they sold apples and related foods like jams, jellies, apple bread and apple butter.
Several families were out with strollers and kids rode bikes on the sidewalk toward the ice-cream shop. As she parked at the Grapevine, a couple exited their car and strolled arm in arm toward the entrance. They looked so in love that Peyton’s heart gave a pang.
Sometimes at night when she was alone, she craved a man’s comforting arms. She even imagined a husband and family.
* * *
SHE PARKED, PULLED her jacket on, snagged her shoulder bag and glanced around her as she climbed from her car. A shiver rippled through her as she reached the door, and she glanced over her shoulder to see if anyone was following.
Two men in suits walked toward the door along with another couple. She stepped inside, grateful for the dim lighting and soft piano music wafting through the room.
Agent Maverick stood by the hostess station, his dark gaze latching on to her. Her breath caught at how handsome he looked. Instead of his suit, he wore a button-down white shirt and a pair of jeans that accentuated his height and muscles. For a moment, she imagined her life was different, that she was normal like the couple outside. That she was meeting this handsome man for a date.
When in truth, he could arrest her for withholding information in a possible homicide investigation.
He gestured toward the seating area, then the hostess led them to a small round table in the corner. A vineyard scene had been hand painted on the tabletop, and wineglasses waited to be filled. The whole place felt intimate and romantic.
Maybe she should have chosen a coffee shop instead. Her mother’s pale face flashed in her mind, and she shook herself back to reality.
“Ms. Weiss?” Agent Maverick said in that deep, commanding voice that reminded her he was a federal agent. “Do you want a drink?”
Did she? “Yes.” After today, she needed one.
The waitress appeared and she ordered a Pinot Noir but he ordered coffee. Always on the job. She fidgeted, working up her courage while they waited on the drinks. Needing liquid courage, she took a sip as soon as the wine arrived, but her hand trembled as she set the glass back on the table.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
She traced her finger around the stem of her glass. “I have something to tell you. But there’s a stipulation.”
He raised a dark brow. “I can’t promise anything until I hear what you say.”
Panic zinged through her, and she stood. “Then this meeting is over.”
He caught her arm, his body brushing hers as he stepped up beside her. “Peyton, please sit back down. I can tell you’re scared. I want to help you.”
Did he? Or would he arrest her if she confessed the truth?
* * *
LIAM SENSED PEYTON was ready to bolt even before she stood up. But she’d asked to see him for a reason, and he didn’t intend to let her run without divulging what had prompted her call.
“Please, Peyton,” he said softly. “Something spooked you. I can see it in your eyes. And I don’t think your bruise was just an accident. Tell me what’s going on.”
Her soft sigh reeked of worry, and indecision played on her face. But she gave a small nod, then sank back into her chair. She sipped her wine again, and he simply waited, allowing her time to put together her thoughts.
“I want protection for my mother,” she said in an earnest tone. “That is the deal. Twenty-four-hour around-the-clock protection.”
That wasn’t what he’d expected to hear. “Your mother is in danger?”
She nodded. “Someone almost killed her today. She’s in the hospital now.”
Liam narrowed his eyes. “I don’t understand. Why would someone want to hurt her?”
“To punish me for talking to you.”
She lifted her head and looked into his eyes. God, she was frightened, but she was also so beautiful that his gut clenched.
“But you haven’t told me anything.”
“I know that, and I did everything he said. But he thinks I talked, and he warned me and now he tried to kill Mama.” Her voice cracked and tears blurred her eyes.
Liam inhaled. “You were threatened?”
She nodded again.
He covered her hand with his. Hers felt cold, another sign of nerves. “Why don’t you start from the beginning? Who threatened you and why?”
She wiped away a tear. “The truth is, I don’t exactly know what happened with Gloria Inman in the ER, and I don’t know who set the hospital fire.”
“Then what is this about?”
“I have suspicions. But I want to clarify that I wasn’t covering for anyone, at least no one that I knew of specifically.”
Liam squeezed her hand. “Just tell me what happened in your own words.”
She blinked, then sighed again. “Like I said before, Mrs. Inman was in cardiac distress when her husband brought her to the ER. Mr. Inman was distraught. We began to work to save her immediately. Following protocol and Dr. Butler’s orders, I gave Gloria a shot of epinephrine to jump-start her heart. We tried CPR, and the paddles, but all our efforts failed.”
“But you thought something was wrong?” Liam asked. “Why?”
“I can’t put my finger on it,” Peyton said. “But Dr. Butler seemed concerned. I saw it in his eyes. When I asked him about it, he acted strange, then he showed me the log report we use to record every medication and form of treatment we use on a patient.” She hesitated, her brows furrowed. “That log report showed that I took morphine from the cart and administered it to Gloria Inman.” She implored him with her eyes. “But I didn’t give her morphine or take morphine from the cart.”
Liam frowned. “But the log had your name on it?”
“Each nurse has an individual code for the crash cart wh
ich stores all the medications needed in an emergency, at least enough for a first round of treatment. It’s part of our system to avoid mistakes or mix-ups. Dr. Butler didn’t order morphine. But my security code showed up as the one used to remove it from the cart.”
Liam chewed over that information. Butler had lied to him. “What did he say when you told him this?”
“He said the paperwork would prove otherwise, so I should keep quiet about it, that he would investigate and find out if someone had used my code.”
“Did he?”
“The next time I asked, he told me that if I didn’t want to lose my reputation or my job, I should stay quiet.”
“But he never explained about the log?”
She shook her head. “I was going to talk to someone else, go to the hospital administrator, but then I received a threatening message to keep my mouth shut or my mother would end up like Gloria.”
Anger knifed through Liam. She could be lying about the threat, although the fear in her eyes was very real. And the wording of that threat suggested that Gloria Inman’s death might have been intentional.
“What happened then?”
“A week later, a couple of days after your father questioned me about Gloria Inman’s death, the hospital caught fire. I didn’t know it was related, but my mother was in the hospital and almost died.” She hesitated. “But I got this sick feeling in the pit of my stomach, that the person who threatened me was watching. That he was sending me another warning.”
“Do you think Dr. Butler was the person who threatened you?”
She pressed two fingers to her temple. “I honestly don’t know. The voice on the phone was disguised. Almost as if it was electronic. I wanted to come forward then, but if I lost my job, I couldn’t take care of Mama. So, I moved her to Golden Gardens and took a job there to protect her.”
“Have you been threatened during the past five years?”
She winced. “Not until the night you brought me in for questioning. When I got home, someone had broken in. He left a copy of the log from the ER the night Gloria Inman died.”
Liam gritted his teeth.
“Then this morning there was a gas leak in Mama’s cottage.”
“You don’t think it was accidental?”
She shook her head. “First of all, Mama never turns on the gas fireplace.”
She removed her phone from her purse, then flipped it around to reveal a text. “Then I received this message.”
Liam’s blood ran cold as he read the text. If everything Peyton said was true and she was being framed, both she and her mother were in danger.
* * *
PEYTON HOPED SHE wasn’t making a mistake by confiding in the agent. But she’d tried handling the situation on her own, and her mother had almost died anyway.
She needed help.
Agent Maverick cleared his throat. “Uncovering the truth about Gloria Inman’s death is the key to keeping you and your mother safe. The autopsy report was destroyed in the hospital fire. I’m having Mrs. Inman’s body exhumed and another autopsy performed.”
“Does Mr. Inman know?” Peyton asked.
“He does. Which suggests that he doesn’t have anything to hide.”
“Whoever threatened me is watching me,” Peyton said. “He knew you questioned me. He knows where I live and where my mother is.”
“I’ll arrange for her to have protection twenty-four-seven right away.” He covered her hand with his again. “Trust me, Peyton. I’ll take care of both of you.”
Her breath stalled in her chest. “You’re talking about my mother’s life, Agent Maverick.”
“Call me Liam.” Something sparked in his eyes. A hint of concern? Sexual awareness? “I’m putting you in protective custody, as well.”
Surprise fluttered through her. “I can’t work with a cop following me around.”
“I’m not talking about a cop,” he said. “I’ll protect you myself.”
Peyton shivered. The idea of spending more time with the sexy, tough agent unnerved her. It had been a long time since she’d allowed a man to get close to her. And even longer since someone had actually helped her in any way.
“Peyton?” Liam said quietly. “Is there anything else you want to tell me?”
She considered confiding about her sister, but her drug addiction had nothing to do with Gloria Inman’s death or the hospital fire. She hoped.
“I was attacked outside my apartment last night.”
“Did you see your attacker’s face?”
She shook her head. “He hit me from behind and knocked me unconscious. When I came to, he was gone.”
“Did your assailant say anything?”
She rubbed her temple again. “No. I opened the sliding glass doors to rescue the resident cat, and a shadow appeared behind me. Before I could turn and look, something struck me in the back of the head.”
A muscle ticked in Liam’s jaw. “Do you remember anything else? Maybe a smell? How tall he was?”
Peyton searched her memory banks. “It all happened so fast. But...now that you mention it, I did smell something. Like...alcohol. Not booze but rubbing alcohol. Or maybe it was some kind of medicinal soap.”
“Like you use at the hospital?”
Peyton nodded.
“So, your attacker could work in the medical field. And if what you say is true, he was at the hospital the night Gloria Inman died.”
Her heart hammered. “And he used my code so if anyone became suspicious, I’d take the fall.”
Chapter Thirteen
Liam studied Peyton for signs she was still lying. But she looked so tormented that he had the crazy urge to comfort her. To promise her things he had no business promising.
Not just protection from whoever was threatening her but from the law.
Although technically, she didn’t know specific details about the woman’s death. But if she’d come forward with her story and her suspicions sooner, the case wouldn’t have gone cold.
“Why didn’t you call the police when the man attacked you?” he asked.
“I was afraid,” she said. “After that first time you interviewed me, I knew I was being watched.”
“But you called today.”
She ran her finger along the stem of her glass. “Because I did everything he said, and he still hurt my mother.” Her voice rose an octave. “You have to understand, Agent Maverick—”
“Liam.”
“You have to understand that I wanted to talk, but I was confused about what happened. My mother is all the family I have. And I couldn’t risk her life when I didn’t know anything specific.” Her voice cracked. “I’ve felt guilty for five years. Every time I saw the news or heard someone talking about the people who lost their lives in the fire, I wondered if Mr. Inman set it or if my silence contributed to the deaths.” Tears filled her eyes. “I’ve had nightmares where I see their faces. Nightmares of losing my mother and having to live with her death on my conscience.”
The pain in her voice tore at him, and he squeezed her hand. “You’re not alone, Peyton. And you are not going to lose your mother.” Not as long as he could help it.
A strained silence stretched between them. She sipped her wine and wiped at a tear trickling down her cheek. But she didn’t release his hand. Instead, she tightened her fingers into his palm as if he was her lifeline.
It felt oddly wrong to hold hands with a person he’d considered a suspect. But he couldn’t tear his hand away either. Pain, guilt and fear darkened her eyes. The idea of Peyton hurting anyone or intentionally lying to the police to cover for someone seemed unfathomable. Instead, he saw the caring, devoted, loving nurse he’d heard about. A woman who had become a victim.
A woman who only wanted to protect her aging mother.
“Jacob can arrange for one of his depu
ties to stand guard at your mother’s door.”
Panic flared in Peyton’s eyes. “But then the man who threatened me will know I talked.”
“It’s the only way, Peyton. He almost killed her anyway. It’s time you stood up for the truth and let me and my brother do our jobs.”
She shook her head. “I still worry about the threat.”
Liam’s mind raced. “Okay, how about this? The deputy will be disguised as one of the hospital staff.”
Peyton bit down on her lip, but she finally gave a nod and squeezed his hand. “I can live with that. As long as he doesn’t get to her, I’ll help you any way I can.”
“Then you’ll let me put a trace on your phone in case this man calls back.”
“Absolutely.”
Good. The only way she’d be safe was to catch this bastard.
* * *
PEYTON’S HAND TREMBLED as she pulled from the parking lot. Liam’s warm, masculine hand and soothing voice lulled her into a temporary sense of security.
But she couldn’t let down her guard.
Not until they knew what was going on and that the threat to her and her mother was over.
Letting Liam trace her phone calls might help.
Renewed determination filled her.
You have to help me, sis. Someone’s after me.
God. What had her sister gotten herself into?
Nerves on edge, she pressed the voice control on her car and asked to call Joanna’s number. The phone rang twice, then Joanna finally answered.
“How’s Mama?” Peyton said without preamble.
“The same,” Joanna said softly as if she didn’t want to disturb Peyton’s mother. “She hasn’t regained consciousness, but she’s stable, Peyton.”
Fear nearly choked Peyton. “I...can’t lose her, Jo.”
A heartbeat passed. “I know. She’s going to pull through. Your mama’s a tough lady.”
But even tough ladies didn’t always survive. Her job had taught her that.