Page 112 of Girl Betrayed

Dana stifled her gasp. She moved to Claire’s side, picking up her glasses and placing them back in her pale hands. She squeezed Claire’s arm, wanting her to know she was safe, but the touch jarred her awake. Eyes wild, she sat up, looking around the room in terror. “What happened?”

“You were under hypnosis,” Dana said. “Do you remember?”

She pulled her knees to her chest and slowly nodded. “Did I help?”

The therapist asked, “What’s the last thing you saw in the hallway, Claire?”

For a moment she frowned, then said, “I saw my face staring back at me.”

Dana squeezed her hand. “You showed us another piece of the puzzle.”

The hypnosis may not have explained Meredith’s involvement, but it validated her fears about Claire. This was more than depression or PTSD. This was something sinister, and she’d bet money Dr. Dvita was behind it. She just had to prove it.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket.Jake. “Did you find Max?” she asked.

“No.”

Her eyes met Claire’s for a moment before she walked out of the room. “Jake, I think you need to come home.”

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Dana stoodin the doorway to her office, watching Jake’s jaw muscles wage war with the cinnamon gum he’d been punishing since returning with Richter.

Things had gone from bad to worse when Jake had to deliver the news to Claire in person that Max wasn’t at her storage unit, nor was there any trace of him on the facility’s surveillance. She was already a mess having watched her hypnosis video. Finding out Max was still missing was the final straw.

She’d dissolved into inconsolable tears leaving Dana to wonder if maybe Jake had been right, and this was all too much for Claire. The shell of a girl Dana helped to bed in her guest room said it was.

Dana had already gotten an earful of Jake’s opinion on how she’d handled things, in particular letting Claire watch her hypnosis video. Now that Jake was witnessing it for himself, she could imagine he would be even more adamant it was a mistake.

As that haunting demonic voice filled her office, Dana couldn’t say she blamed him.

Richter was the first to speak when the video was over. “Well, it’s not exactly a smoking gun,” he said as he got to his feet.

“I disagree,” Dana argued. “At best it proves Dvita is playing some twisted game, at worst it shows he’s abusing his license.”

Richter shook his head. “His medical license isn’t in question here.”

“Well maybe it should be,” Dana demanded.

“Look, I don’t disagree with you, but it won’t help our case. The DA will laugh me out of the room if we try using this,” he said, pointing to the video. “Plus, it will discredit any evidence we’ve obtained from Claire.”

“Then why did we bother putting her through the hypnosis?” Dana asked.

“If she gave us something solid, connecting him to the murders we could’ve used it, but convulsing, speaking in tongues, I’m afraid all that does is prove Claire’s not exactly a credible witness.”

“Seven must sleep for all to rise,” Dana repeated. “Claire gave us proof Dvita is trying to brainwash his patients into playing some twisted version of the Seven Sleepers ritual.”

“It supports your theory, but it’s not enough,” Richter argued.

“If we don’t do something Dvita will be released tomorrow. We can’t just let him carry on killing people because he’s deluded himself into thinking they’ll all be resurrected. There has to be something we can do.”

Richter sighed and pushed past Dana to grab his coat. “Sometimes the best thing we can do is wait.”

“You can’t be serious,” Dana demanded, charging after him. “We should at least put his patients in protective custody and add extra security to Meredith.”

“I’d love to do that, Dr. Gray, but we don’t have one shred of evidence—” he held up a hand when she started to object. “Actual, factual, hard evidence—linking Dr. Dvita to any of theReaper murders. Get me that and I’ll be the first one in line to nail the bastard.”

“It’s him, Richter. I know Dvita is behind this.”

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