Page 139 of Girl Betrayed

Dana had spent her life surrounded by darkness, that much was true. But it hadn’t been by choice. The mannerin which she’d lost her parents had catapulted her into that world. Once there she found purpose in shedding light on the misunderstood. Bringing understanding to the many misjudged and condemned occult rituals.

She thought Claire wanted that, too. But perhaps having been touched by too much death, Claire had been dragged too far into the darkness to cling to the light. Whether she was a victim of circumstance or fate, it was clear, the girl Dana had once considered family was gone.

I was so wrong.

Dana’s stomach twisted against the bitter taste of regret and betrayal.

The best way out is always through. Dana didn’t know why the Robert Frost quote came to her now, but she couldn’t help thinking how misleading it was.

She’d studied Frost’s theory on human suffering extensively. His words on finding light among the darkness had always been a source of encouragement. An anthem of resilience in the face of adversity. But now they only made her want to scream.

Light was no match for the darkness she’d seen. And what was the point of being resilient? Death and darkness would always win.

Another of Frost’s quotes floated to the forefront of her mind.In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.

Dana fell to her knees, wishing she could defy those three horrid little words. Because right now, her world had stopped spinning. She’d done her best to be strong, to face her fears, to pursue the truth above all else. But this time, the truth hadn’t set her free. It broke her heart.

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Jake satin his SUV watching the quiet street. Despite the police tape still clinging to her front porch, things had returned to normal in Dana’s neighborhood.

He’d been parked outside since she got home. He could respect that she needed time to process everything.Hell, who wouldn’t?But as for being alone, he disagreed. If she needed to keep him at arm’s length for now, he could deal with that, but it didn’t mean he’d stop looking out for her.

Sipping his coffee, Jake rolled his window down drinking in the cool night air. He could hear the faint sound of jazz coming from Dana’s place. Duke Ellington from the sound of it. Gazing at Dana’s he couldn’t help noticing every light that blazed brightly back at him.

Loud music, bright lights … she was trying to drown out the terrifying silence that came after tragedy. Danger waited in that silence, ready to pounce and drag victims under the weight of ‘what ifs’ and ‘should haves.’ Jake knew it all too well.

He also knew the instinct to face the silence alone was a foolish one.

So, whether Dana liked it or not, he would be out here, keeping watch over her until the lights went out.

Though it wasn’t his only reason for being there. He logged onto his laptop, pulling up the video footage he’d asked Richter for the moment he’d seen the photo of the scythe stashed in Dana’s attic.

Something had been nagging him since he saw it. He knew how Claire had gotten in and out now, but he wanted to see the footage to confirm another theory.

Jake opened the files downloaded from the doorbell cam. It came from a house across the street from Dana’s. The one he was parked in front of now. Thanks to the wide manicured median of hedges and crepe myrtles that divided the street, the camera angle perfectly captured the entire front of Dana’s home, including the roofline. It’s why Richter’s team had requested it when they found the scythe.

The inexpensive doorbell cams were designed to catch package pirates, but Jake had seen them aid in many an investigation. Including this one.

Jake queued up the video with the date Claire had snuck out to meet Max. The news vans and reporters milled outside on the street, partially blocking the view of Dana’s front porch, but the roof was fully visible. Focusing on the dormer windows, he watched intently until finally, he saw a pale face peeking out. Claire’s face.

A moment later, dressed in black, she opened the window, slipped out and disappeared beyond the roofline where she could’ve easily climbed down into the backyard thanks to the gentle slope of the Craftsman-style roof.

Now that he knew what to look for, Jake closed out the video and opened a new one with an earlier date. The date this all started.

Holding his breath, he watched a dark figure walk up the steps to Dana’s front door and let themselves in with a key. Jakefast forwarded until he appeared on the tape, smashing out the sidelight to enter Dana’s burglarized home, weapon drawn.

His eyes flicked to the dormer windows again, praying he was wrong. But sure enough, the same slight figure slipped out the window and along the roofline before disappearing from view. Just as Claire had done in the video before.

It had been her all along.

She’d been the one who broke into Dana’s home. She stashed the scythe in the attic, then changed clothes and wandered Dana’s neighborhood until the cops picked her up and delivered her right to Dana’s doorstep, none of them the wiser.

Jake swore. Hating that he hadn’t seen it sooner.

Claire had been deceiving them all along.

Somehow the knowledge of that betrayal cut him deeper than everything else she’d done.

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