Page 19 of Traitor

“You have a wonderful bedside manner,” she hisses. “Has anyone ever told you that?”

Lifting her chin with my finger, I smile wanly. “You don’t look like you’re gonna pass out now, so bedside manner or not, I got the job done.”

She accepts a cup of coffee from Nell. “Thank you.”

“Are you all right, honey?” Nell asks. “You had us worried.”

Peyton doesn’t answer. She doesn’t really have to. The haunted look on her face is answer enough. To me, she says, “What were you doing out by the lake?” She tries to disguise it, but I note the wary tone in her voice.

Disappointment has my voice hardening and me taking a step back. I cross my arms over my chest. “I was looking for you. What else?”

“And you didn’t see or hear anything?” she asks.

“Other than you floating facedown in the water, no. I didn’t really have time to pay attention to anything else, what with me saving your life and all.”

The smile she gives me is fake and she doesn’t look me directly in the eye. “Of course,” she says, but it doesn’t sound sincere.

I turn away from her and stalk to the front desk to wait for the police to arrive.