by the gardens. He was limping and ran into the woods. I thought he was hurt so I chased him, but it was dark, and I tripped over a tree root. Face-planted into a rock,” she said as if daring him not to believe her.
While her story had a ring of truth to it, she was leaving something out.
“Do any of your patients ever get violent?”
She shrugged. “Not any of mine,” she said. “Now, what are you doing here tonight, Agent Maverick? I answered all of your questions yesterday.”
Liam decided she wasn’t going to change her story, so he let the question about her so-called accident go for the moment. “I heard something about Barry Inman and wanted to run it by you.”
She lowered the ice pack and set it on the table. Her cheek was bright red from the cold and the impact of whatever had struck her. For a second, she looked so young and vulnerable and innocent that he was tempted to pull her into his arms.
Get a grip, man. She was a suspect. Or perhaps a witness who was withholding information in the most important case of Liam’s life, his father’s murder.
She ran her fingers through her long wavy hair and plucked a crumbled leaf from the strands. “What are you talking about?”
“I received a tip saying that Barry Inman had had an affair. Do you know anything about that?”
A frown pinched her face. “No. The only time I met the man was when he rushed into the ER with his wife.”
“Was the wife alert when she was brought in?”
“Not really. She faded in and out of consciousness and complained of chest pains.”
“How did the couple seem together?”
She rolled her eyes. “Just as you’d expect when someone’s having a heart attack. Panicked and afraid.”
“No arguments?”
She leaned forward, then twisted her mouth in thought. “Agent Maverick, the woman was in critical condition. Her husband was distraught. That’s all I can tell you.”
“So, you didn’t think he acted suspicious, as if he’d hurt her?”
Peyton’s eyes widened. “You think Mr. Inman was responsible for his wife’s death?”
“I don’t know,” Liam said. “But we have to explore every possibility. If Mr. Inman was having an affair and wanted out of the marriage, he would have had motive. Or if his lover wanted him to leave his wife and he refused, she might have wanted Mrs. Inman dead.”
Shock streaked Peyton’s face.
“Did you see a strange woman lurking in the waiting room or anywhere near the ER?”
Peyton rubbed her temple. “Not that I recall, although there were several people in the waiting room and other patients in the ER. At one point, Barry was on the phone in the hall. He was pacing and seemed agitated, but I thought he was just worried about his wife.”
“Do you know who he was talking to?”
She shook her head.
He’d have Bennett request phone records. If his lover was on the phone, they could have planned Gloria Inman’s death together.
Chapter Eight
Peyton struggled to contain her anxiety at the way the agent’s gaze kept lingering on her face. He knew she was lying.
But she didn’t intend to share her personal problems with the man. Her sister’s drug issues had nothing to do with the reason he was here. Having him see the bruise on her face was humiliating enough without admitting that she’d failed to save her sister from a life on the streets.
His phone buzzed and he excused himself to answer it. She stared into the fire, her sister’s angry face etched in her mind. Maybe she should have told Val to come back to her place, that they could talk. She might be able to convince her to enter rehab again. Maybe this time it would work.
Her heart gave a pang. She’d been down that road so many times and ended up with the same result. It broke her every time.
The agent ended the call, then walked back to her chair. “My analyst texted a copy of a piece of the security footage from the night of the fire. He’s been looking for anyone suspicious, and also any commonality between that night and the night Inman’s wife died. You mentioned seeing a man who appeared to be homeless seeking drugs.”
She rubbed at the scrape on her knuckle from where she’d hit the ground earlier. “Yes.”
“Take a look at it. Tell me if there’s anyone you recognize or anyone who stands out.”
He removed a small tablet from inside his jacket, accessed the footage and angled it