He smiled at her. ‘Let’s see, that was you in the plaza near Dr Smeltz’s office, right? I imagine you saw my Corvette in the parking lot at the foundation office today. So after you broke into the doctor’s office to steal Diane Fairmont’s medical file, you decided we were both after the same thing, and you made a leap of faith to trust me enough to share it with me. How am I doing?’

Peach’s eyes widened. ‘I – um …’

‘By the way, I’m not psychic,’ Cab told her. ‘Dr Smeltz called me. He assumed I stole the file myself. He wasn’t happy about his broken window, but he felt better when I offered to pay for the damage.’

‘You did?’

‘I did.’

‘Oh.’ Peach took a glance at the files. ‘Did you tell him it was me?’

‘I didn’t know it was you, not until you showed up. By the way, you realize that what you did is against the law, right? If I were a cop, I would have to arrest you, but fortunately, I’m in the process of re-evaluating my career plans.’

‘Oh,’ she said again.

‘Since you’re not in cuffs, do you want to tell me why it was so important to get your hands on those files?’

He handed her another slice of pizza, but Peach wasn’t hungry anymore. She was starting to feel young and stupid. ‘I want to know what happened to Justin.’

‘So do I.’

‘He was looking for Dr Smeltz. I figured that he wanted what you did. He was trying to find out what happened between Mr and Mrs Fairmont.’

‘And now you know,’ Cab said. ‘You’ve looked at the files, right?’

She nodded. ‘It’s really awful.’

‘Tell me.’

Peach got up from the bed. She paced, her fingers laced together in front of her. She wasn’t in disguise now. The rain had washed off her makeup. She’d changed back into her own oversized T-shirt and red jeans. It made her feel exposed. She didn’t like anyone seeing who she really was.

Even so, she’d realized immediately that she couldn’t keep the files to herself. Not when she saw what was in them.

‘Dr Smeltz wrote it all down. He should have gone to the police, but Ms Fairmont begged him not to. She knew it would destroy her husband. It would have been the end of his campaign. It would have been the end of the Common Way Party. She didn’t want that.’

Cab waited. She was grateful that he didn’t rush her. Peach grazed the top of the file with her fingertips, as if it could burn her.

‘Birch had been drinking. A lot.’

‘That’s usually how it starts,’ Cab said.

‘He knew that Ms Fairmont had been unfaithful. She’d had an affair.’

Cab said nothing, but Peach saw discomfort cross his face.