Page 44 of Traitor

“Now you said you saw the boat more toward this side of the lake, opposite the dock at the lodge.” I point in the direction.

“Thereabouts, it’s hard to be absolutely certain. Things are a little hazy now after knocking myself on the head.” She pauses, then puts a hand on my arm to stop me.

“What is it? Did you remember something?”

"No, but there is something I feel like I should tell you before I drag you any further into this. You know me, what I've been through. I've been absolutely honest with you about everything."

"A first from a woman, in my experience," I say, thinking of Mercy abandoning Lexie.

"Then I have to tell you, I came home from working at Splatters yesterday and found my clothes from the night I fell in the lake. They were all soaked."

"So what?"

"I could have sworn I'd had them cleaned. But they were so wet there was a puddle underneath them." Her brows furrow and she bites her lip. "You may have been joking about me going off the rails, but I'm starting to think maybe I hit my head harder than I thought."

"Have you been forgetting other things? Losing time? Having headaches?" Considering my own experience, I should know.

"Not that I know of, it's just so strange. I wanted you to know before you start this wild-goose chase again."

"First thing tomorrow morning, you're going into the clinic. I don't want to hear any argument about it."

"I don't want to see more doctors, Ford. I've seen enough for a lifetime."

I can sympathize. "Too bad. I'll drag you there myself if I have to."

She changes the subject, but I make a mental note to get up early and waylay her before she can evade me. I have to admit, the way she constantly challenges me is going against every natural instinct I have to stay away from her.

"Did Hadley figure out if there were any boats seen that night?"

"He asked around, but no one owned up to it if there were. No boats missing, either."

"So it would have to be someone from the area, maybe, who knows the lake, how to get in and out quickly without being seen."

When she glances over at me, I smirk. "My boat was in the slip all night. I've got security footage to prove it."

Her responding flirtatious smile knocks every sensible thought out of my head. "Just checking." She lifts a hand to shade her eyes as she looks out over the water. "How many docks are there where a boat could get in and out?"

"A dozen or so, give or take one or two. There are houses all along the lake, the slips at the lodge are for regulars. We don't get many this time of year. I checked, and we didn't have any rentals the days before or after."

She drops her hands to her sides. "With as many officers as Hadley had patrolling the area, you'd have thought we'd know more by now."

"Unless the person you saw did a damn good job of covering it up."