The pleasant memory of her pressed against me on the bull made me want to understand why it bothered her. “Put one foot directly in front of the other, heel to toe, and walk toward me.”
“This is silly.”
“Heel to toe, please. In a straight line.” I counted off six steps as she took them.
She only wobbled slightly and didn’t lose her balance.
I nodded. “That’s good. Now recite the alphabet backwards.”
“I can barely do it forwards.”
“Go ahead.”
I stopped her when she got to P without any mistakes. “Very good. Now, that wasn’t so hard, was it?”
“Do I pass, doctor?”
I couldn’t help myself. “Open your shirt. I’d like to listen to your heart to be sure.”
“March, you are incorrigible.” She still hadn’t used my first name.
“You can call me Zane.”
She turned. “Goodnight, March.”
“I’m going to take a quick tour around the building and be right back in. Don’t lock me out.”
Her bedroom door closed without a response.
Once outside, I did a quick circle of the building and then opened the Cayenne and sat inside. I looked up to check the windows of Peyton’s condo before dialing Jordy. Was I opening Pandora’s box?
“It’s late. This better be a matter of life or death,” he answered.
“I need you to check out someone,” I answered.
“Who you talking to, baby?” a woman’s voice asked in the background.
“It’s work,” Jordy said. “Who do you need checked?”
“Peyton. Peyton Smith.”
“How is she?”
I looked up again and checked for lights in the windows of her condo. “Better.”
“Why her, and what am I looking for?”
“Come back to bed, baby,” the woman cajoled.
“She’s running from something or someone, and I need to know if she’s a fugitive or something. She’s afraid to get the cops involved.”
“Why don’t you ask her?”
I scratched the back of my head. “She’s lying about it.”
“Are you sure you want to do this behind her back?”
How could I protect her without complete information? “I’m sure.”
