Page 142 of Girl Betrayed

“Can you tell me about your involvement in the Reaper killings?”

Claire cocked her head to the side, a feline grin splitting her face. “Are you sure you want to know?”

“Six people died,” the attorney said. “Max Durnin, Meredith Kincaid, Kylie Marx, Cash Holloway, Congressman Norton Hayes, and Dr. Roman Dvita. Two more were injured. Officers, Hartwell, and Lennox.”

“Yes,” Claire said dryly. “Is there a question?”

“My question is, what can you tell me about these murders?”

“I can tell you this story would’ve ended differently if seven people died.”

“How so?”

Claire smirked. “It’s a long story.”

“Then you better start from the beginning.”

“Are you sure you want to hear it?”

“Miss Townsend, my job is to establish if you’re mentally fit to stand trial. So yes, I’m here to listen to whatever you think the truth is.”

A giggle escaped Claire as she leaned closer to her attorney. “Do you want to know a secret?”

“Why not,” the woman said, folding her hands atop the case folder on the scarred Formica table.

“I knew it would end this way.”

“Because that’s how Dr. Dvita planned it?”

“Dvita!” A wry laugh escaped Claire. “He had no clue.”

“He was the brainchild of this Seven Sleepers suicide pact, was he not?”

Claire shrugged. “Was he?”

“You tell me? The general consensus is that he hypnotized you and the others to commit murder. Were you under his spell?”

“I don’t know. You have all the facts in front of you. What do you think?”

“My opinions are irrelevant. I’m here to find out what you think, Miss Townsend.”

“The truth?” Claire purred.

“Preferably.”

Claire sucked her teeth. “I don’t know if you can handle it.”

“Try me,” the woman said, her tone beyond bored.

It tickled Claire to think the woman across from her thought she understood. She hadn’t a clue. None of them did. But she would. They all would.

“Do you trust me?” Claire asked.

The woman huffed her annoyance.

“That’s a no.” Claire smirked. “Good. Smart. But I don’t need your trust.”

“You’re the one who needs to earn trust here, Miss Townsend. That starts by you telling the truth.”

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