Page 22 of Traitor
Chapter Eight
Ford
“So,what do you know about this girl?” Hadley asks, as the boat glides over the lake.
“You know as much as I do, Sheriff. She’s a guest at the lodge. I haven’t asked her life story.”
Sheriff Hadley shines a high-powered flashlight over the surface of the water. “She seem like the reliable type to you?”
“Your guess is as good as mine. But I’ll tell you this, I’ve seen the way people react to trauma. I don’t think she was faking it, if that’s what you’re getting at.”
Hadley grunts. “Let’s take it all the way around to the far side of the lake and work our way back. With the dark, the distance, her estimation could have been off.”
I point the boat toward the far side of the lake, my eyes scanning back and forth, straining against the lack of visibility. “Bear Lake is big, but it ain’t huge. If something happened here, like she says, it wouldn’t be hard to find it.”
“You’d be surprised.”
“Is Windy Point hiding a hotbed of crime and intrigue I wasn’t aware of?”
Mercy and I grew up in a town not far from here and moved to Windy Point while we were in elementary school, when my father bought the lodge. It was the only place I felt at home when I left the Marines. The townspeople didn’t exactly welcome me with open arms, but as long as I kept my head down and my nose clean, they didn’t stick theirs too far into my business, which is how I prefer it.
Windy Point has been the quintessential small town as long as I’ve lived there. Local businesses trying to keep their heads above water. A thriving tourist season when the weather is right. Farm country and mountain country. Plenty of places to hide, to get lost in. A place where I don’t have to look over my shoulder.
“Not any more than anywhere else, I reckon. We’ve got your domestic violence cases every once in a while. Sometimes a drunk and disorderly. Not as many murders, thank the Lord. The only big to-do was when you got home…”
He trails off, but neither of us needs him to finish the sentence for me to know what he was going to say.
Hadley clears his throat. “I didn’t mean to imply…”
“Forget it,” I bite out. “Let’s focus on finding this woman.”
It’smidnight by the time I haul my tired ass back to the lodge, having said goodbye to Hadley a few minutes prior. Staying out on the water for hours, without dinner, in the freezing cold did little to improve my sunny disposition. I can only hope Peyton had changed her mind and decided to go back to her room to sleep. The last thing I want is to make small talk, but I know she has to be worried out of her mind. It only irritates me even more that I’m concerned about her.
I don’t want to worry about her.
Don’t want to think about her.
The sooner she leaves, the better.
The great room is empty, the embers in the fire have long since burned down. The night desk clerk nods at me as I walk by, but otherwise keeps her mouth shut. At least one of my employees has learned to follow directions. I make a mental note to fire Nell at least twice tomorrow for getting me involved in this mess.
Pushing through the door that leads to my small apartment and office space, I listen out for any sounds of movement. Hopefully Mercy and Lexie are asleep. I don’t want to answer their questions or deal with their pestering, either. But the hall is dark and quiet. If they’re awake, they’re in my quarters.
The door to my office is cracked open and I see a sliver of Peyton asleep at my desk. Her blonde hair falls in a golden waterfall down her back. Her head rests on her folded arms and her pretty pink lips are parted slightly. She must have fought it for hours because there are dark circles underneath her eyes.
Because I want to watch her sleep, I nudge her shoulder until her eyes flicker open. “Peyton. Wake up, sunshine.”
She stirs, moaning a little. “What?”
“C’mon, let’s get you up to your room.” I take her hand and help her to her feet while she’s all docile and sweet.
“Ford?” She blinks until her eyes clear, then her hands fist on my shirt sleeves. “What happened? Did you find her?”
Oh, baby, what happened to you?
Instead of asking, I steer her toward the stairs. Her past is her business. I don’t want to get more involved than I already am. “We didn’t find her or any sign of her. Hadley is coming back tomorrow to search during the daylight with more officers.”
Peyton visibly deflates, and I have to brace myself when she stumbles. “What?” She shakes her head. “No, I definitely saw her. She was there. You have to find her.”