to kill a man in his late seventies?
Did Leon Brittles have money?
Liam ended the call, pressed Bennett’s number and relayed his conversation with the ME. “Did you check Mr. Brittles’s financials?”
“I did. He had no family, but it appears he had a life insurance policy that he signed over to a third party. I’m trying to track down the recipient of that policy now.”
A possible theory formed in Liam’s mind. “How about the three patients who died where Conrad worked? Did any of them have policies they signed over to a third party?”
“I’ll look into it,” Bennett said. “I’ve been running background checks on the list of employees at Golden Gardens and found something interesting about the director, Richard Jameson. Did you know he worked at Whistler Hospital for a while?”
“No, in what capacity?”
“He was an internist,” Bennett said. “But before med school, he worked as a med tech at a pain clinic. This is where it gets interesting.”
Liam sipped his coffee, impatient now. “Go on.”
“He was suspended when opioids went missing. But with no proof, the clinic didn’t press charges. Jameson agreed not to file a lawsuit for slander if they didn’t report the issue and kept it off his record.”
“Then he attended med school and now he has a script pad,” Liam said. “All the access he needs for drugs for himself or to kill someone if he wanted.”
“Exactly. I did some digging at the med school and while some of the instructors and docs liked him, a couple stated they had personality conflicts with him. Nothing specific about drugs. Just that his ethics were shaky.”
The bedroom door opened, and Peyton emerged, looking fresh faced and gorgeous with her long wavy hair pulled back in a ponytail. Her gaze met his for a moment, and something hot and needy flared between them before she glanced away.
“Let’s dig around for a motive for the director,” Liam said. “Did you find anything on the names of the prescribers listed on Mrs. Inman’s pills?”
“Working on them.”
“Keep me posted.” Bennett agreed he would, and they ended the call.
“What was that about the director?” Peyton asked.
He filled her in. “Did you know Richard Jameson worked at Whistler Hospital five years ago?”
Peyton set her coffee cup on the counter. “Yes. After the fire when the hospital had to close temporarily, and I was looking for a place to move Mama, I learned about Golden Gardens. He’d taken a job there as director.” She swallowed hard. “He helped me get my job.”
Every nerve cell in Liam’s body jumped to alert. Had he helped her so he could keep an eye on her because he was involved in what happened at Whistler Hospital?
* * *
PEYTON SIPPED HER COFFEE as she contemplated Liam’s statement.
“Director Jameson helped you land a job here,” he said.
She nodded, although his suspicious tone made her reevaluate the past. Gloria Inman’s death. The threat. The fire. Her move. Her mother’s near death.
Director Jameson had been in all those places. But he hadn’t been in the ER the night Gloria Inman died. And he had no motive to kill her or set the fire.
“I don’t understand,” she said quietly.
“Neither do I. Yet. But I will figure it out.” His dark gaze skated over her, a reminder of the intimacy they’d shared the night before. And that she wanted him again.
“When I want something,” he said in a husky tone, “I don’t give up.”
If only he wanted her.
Her heart gave a pang at the thought. The fear and danger were obviously messing with her head.
She silently reminded herself that her relationship with Liam couldn’t go anywhere. That he was only working a case. And she had thrown herself at him. Practically begged him to take her to bed.
But his comment about staying to watch over her had struck a nerve. She had been independent for so long that relying on someone else made her feel vulnerable.
Liam would protect her and keep her safe. At least physically.
But he could still break her fragile heart.
KNOWING SHE HAD to focus, she snagged her coat from the rack by the door. “I need to go to the hospital.”
“Let’s go.” He pulled his keys from his pocket and she grabbed her purse and keys to lock up. They walked outside in silence, her mind racing as she remembered different encounters with the director. He had been understanding about her situation, kind to her mother and had arranged for her to have a private cottage near the garden area so she