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.