Page 21 of Traitor
“Not like you could have turned into Superwoman and flew across the lake to save her.” Ford sets his water on the table and says to Hadley, “I can take you in my boat, if you want to give it a look now.”
The sheriff nods and gets to his feet. “I appreciate it. Don’t trouble yourself, Ms. Rhodes. I wouldn’t want you to put yourself in danger. You didn’t do anything wrong. We’ll go take a look and see what we see. If you think of anything else, you let me know. All right?”
“Sure. Yeah, I can do that.”
Hadley takes the water bottle, sips, then readjusts his ball cap with a nod at Ford. My gaze follows him out the door until he disappears from sight.
“Why don’t you head back up to your room?” Ford suggests. He stuffs keys and his cell phone into his pockets. That done, he crosses to a safe embedded in the wall and after putting in the code, he takes out a vicious looking handgun, which he loads and straps on with a shoulder holster. “This could take a while and you look like you could use some rest.”
My throat goes dry. “No, I’d like to wait for you to get back. To—I’d like to wait, please.”
I couldn’t choke out the words. Didn’t want Ford to give me that sympathetic look I always receive. He doesn’t know me, doesn’t know my past, but as soon I as I let slip what happened to me, the pity will start. The last thing I want is pity from a guy like him.
“Fine,” he grunts. “You can wait here.”
“You’re too kind,” I say to his retreating back.
When I’m alone, I drink some of the water and fight the urge to poke around his office, just to spite him. What the hell is it with him giving me orders, anyway? It would show him if I did.
“Did you really see a dead body?” Comes a quiet voice as I’m contemplating going through Ford’s drawers. A man like that has to have secrets.
I turn to the doorway and find a young girl leaning against the doorjamb.
“I’m sorry?” My brain grinds to place her. Then I remember, she was there when Ford attacked the man in the Mustang.
“Mom said Uncle Ford had to go check out a dead body before she left.” She ambles closer and I’m struck by the uncanny resemblance between them. “So, did you see it?”
“Isn’t it past your bedtime?” I ask.
I’d been an only child and after…well, after, I hadn’t really had much opportunity to socialize. To say I didn’t know how to act around them, much less nosy preteens, is an understatement.
“I’m not six years old,” she replies in a bored tone. “Besides, Mom isn’t home, and I didn’t want to be alone. I’m Lexie, by the way.”
“I’m Peyton.” Knowing the feeling, I soften toward the girl. “I hope she wasn’t dead, but I don’t know. Sheriff Hadley and Ford went out to look.”
“Are you and Uncle Ford like a couple or something?” she asks.
Baffled laughter erupts from my chest. “What? No!”
“You sure? He does that thing where he watches you when he thinks you’re not looking, so I just figured you were.”
He does? “He does?” I don’t know whether to be creeped out or flattered. Erring on the side of caution, I go for unimpressed. “No, we’re not dating. I’m only staying here for a couple of days.” Considering I’m the only witness to a murder, maybe longer than I originally had planned.
“Mom didn’t want to be around when the cops got here. She and Uncle Ford are like, allergic to them. Mom says it’s ‘cause Uncle Ford was interrogated after he went overseas.” She lowers her voice to a whisper. “He killed someone and there was a big thing about it. Grandma and Grandpa thought he might go to prison.”
A chill coats my skin and I wish I’d taken a shower before I’d changed clothes. The memory of being swallowed by cold, dark water from the lake seems to have frozen me right down to my very bones.
I don’t want to jump to conclusions, but I’d been right when I thought there was something violent about Ford. Something dangerous. Something that screams at me to get the hell out of Dodge before shit gets even more real.