of the patients or a staff member. Or perhaps a visitor.”
Liam narrowed his eyes. She was holding back again. Why?
“If you know who it is, then you need to tell me,” he said, hardening his tone. “The only way I can learn the truth is if you’re honest with me, Peyton.”
She released a wary sigh. “I am being honest. I can’t tell who it is from that footage.”
A tense heartbeat stretched between them. “Let’s look at footage around the time your mother had to be rushed to the ER.” He scrolled forward through the night, then to the hours just before dawn and slowed to scrutinize the early morning hours.
No movement on the front, so he shifted and studied the tapes of the back of the property. Nothing there either.
“If someone intentionally caused the gas leak at Mama’s, they had to get into the cottage to do it,” Peyton said.
Liam snapped his fingers. “True. It could be an inside job—someone who wouldn’t look suspicious. I need a list of everyone who works at the Gardens, and anyone involved in your mother’s care.”
“We can ask the director for a list.”
“First, let’s look at footage of the rose garden last night.” He scrolled through the day before, then to the night and zeroed in on the rose garden. Residents gathered by the pond and gazebo and wandered along the paths weaving through the rows of flower beds. One section held herbs the cook used to add depth to the meals. A few units had full kitchens for the most mobile and mentally cognizant residents who also were welcome to the herbs. But for safety reasons, many only had a microwave and refrigerator.
Peyton went still, and Liam leaned forward to see what she was looking at. Then he spotted a small figure in dark clothing slipping through the garden. Again, a female. But who was she?
She paused by the rose garden near where Leon had been found, then looked back and startled as if she’d heard a noise. Suddenly she bolted and darted into the woods.
Liam wished to hell the film was better quality, but he would send it to the lab and see if they could enhance it and identify the woman.
He scrolled through more footage, searching for Leon Brittles, but the night passed, and the man didn’t appear. Dawn came, and the sun rose to streak the sky and mountainside, and the tape suddenly went choppy. Several minutes disappeared before the garden came back into view.
When it did, they watched as a tiny woman in a wheelchair pushed herself onto the path. She bypassed the fountain at the entrance, then seconds later a scream sounded.
Two staff members raced to her from the patio. When they reached the woman, a clear image of Leon lying facedown in the rosebushes appeared.
“What happened?” Peyton asked. “I didn’t see anyone after that woman disappeared into the woods. Could someone have been in the rose garden when the film went foggy?”
He gritted his teeth. “Someone tampered with the footage.”
He angled himself to study Peyton’s face. “Which means it had to be someone who knew about the tapes and had access to them. Someone who works for Golden Gardens.”
* * *
A SICK FEELING stole through Peyton. She couldn’t believe someone at the Gardens was involved in the threats against her and her mother.
Even if that was so, why hurt Leon?
It didn’t make sense.
The fact that Val had been in the rose garden the night before he died looked suspicious. But her sister had no motive to hurt him.
She attacked you the other night. Meaning her sister might be desperate and out of control, maybe under the influence of a mood-altering substance. Addiction had changed her personality, and if she’d graduated to more serious narcotics or hallucinogens, she could be psychotic.
“I want to talk to the lady who found Leon,” Liam said. “How’s her health?”
“She’s wheelchair bound due to back issues, but mentally she’s pretty sharp.”
“Good. I also think we need to canvass the residents to see if anyone has seen anything suspicious.”
Peyton gave a nod. “That will be best done on an individual basis in the residents’ homes,” she said. “Patients who become confused function better in their own surroundings.”
“Understood. You should take the lead with them.” His keys jangled in his hands.
“First, let’s stop by the director’s office and ask him to start compiling that list.”
She shoved her arms into her jacket, then locked up as they left. Her sister’s message about the rose garden taunted