Page 63 of Girl Betrayed

“The harm is we don’t know anything about this girl or her involvement in what happened to Hayes.”

“First it was Claire, then Dvita, now you think this Betty person is responsible for what happened to Hayes? Make up your mind, Dana.”

“That’s just it, Jake! I don’t have enough evidence to. I don’t understand why this doesn’t bother you.”

“It does, but in case you haven’t noticed, I’ve got a few fires to put out at the moment and no clue how to do it. But if Idon’t figure it out, every case I’ve ever worked on is in jeopardy of being torn open and that means criminals are going to walk. Criminals like Vega.”

Jake regretted his words the instant they were said, but instead of inciting the fear he’d expected, Dana’s gaze narrowed with anger. “Jake, you once told me to focus on the immediate threat. You’ve spoken to your attorney, there’s not much else you can do about your suspension, but the best way to fight these accusations and keep everyone behind bars who belongs there is to figure out who killed Hayes and why. Prove your innocence so you and Jenkins can go back to doing what you do best.”

“And how exactly am I supposed to do that without a badge?”

“It’s never stopped you before.”

Jake flinched, recounting all the times he’d disobeyed direct orders or blurred the lines of the law for Dana. Jenkins was right, Dana Gray made him reckless, but he wouldn’t change a thing. They’d hunted serial killers, dismantled drug rings, and infiltrated a human trafficking cult together. Without following Dana’s gravely accurate intuition, more lives would’ve been lost.

Jake had taken a vow to protect and serve. As far as he was concerned, he’d done nothing but uphold it. “You’re right,” he said. “But this time is different. We don’t have the FBI to fall back on. We’re on our own.”

“I’m okay with that,” Dana replied.

Jake knew it wasn’t a foreign concept for Dana. Orphaned as a child, she’d grown up with only herself to rely on. But for Jake, it was an unsettling notion. His father may have left, but he’d never been without family. Wade, his mother, Jenkins, the Army, the FBI.

Yes, he was a loner, but he was never truly alone.

But with Dana standing resolutely in front of him, he realized she was offering him an olive branch, an opportunity to find a way through this—together.

“What do you need me to do?”

47

Dana relayedher concerns about Claire’s experience at St. Ann’s along with the story Claire shared about Max and his upbringing. It had raised alarms for Dana. Two broken halves didn’t make a whole. She knew that from her own struggles with trust and intimacy. But she worried Claire would be drawn to someone with the same abandonment issues.

Psychological abuse was sneaky that way. People often thought if no one beat you, you couldn’t have scars. Dana knew that was far from true.

“It’s the vigilante justice comment that worries me the most,” Dana said. “I don’t like to feed stereotypes, but there’s substantial evidence to support a group of unstable individuals easily finding it reasonable to take matters into their own hands. We need to make sure that doesn’t happen or at least limit Claire’s exposure to it. And everything she told me about Max … I can’t say he’s a good influence.”

“Okay, let’s start with finding out more about Max and Betty, and we can monitor their phone conversations to make sure nothing stands out, but Dana, we have to tread lightly with Claire. PTSD is isolating enough. I don’t want her to feel like we’re not in her corner.”

“Jake, I think it’s more complicated than PTSD.”

“I think I have enough personal experience to recognize the signs.”

“I’m not challenging your understanding. I’m just asking that you consider this goes deeper.”

“Deeper how?”

“I was up all last night doing some research. I kept coming back to the comment the officer made the night they picked up Claire. Her behavior exhibited commonalities in possession, exorcisms, and poltergeist studies.”

“Dana, I know your mind is conditioned to go there, but this isn’t witchcraft. It’s politics. I know in D.C. they can look like one and the same, but in this case, it’s just Hayes being a thorn in my side to the very end. Claire’s just another casualty of his self-serving vortex.”

“Maybe so, but if I could cross reference my findings with Dr. Dvita’s research it might give me some answers.”

“Well, that’s gonna be difficult unless you’re shacking up with another guy who can get you a warrant.”

Dana couldn’t appreciate Jake’s attempt at flirtation at the moment. Her mind was too deep down a rabbit hole of conjecture. She pushed past him, walking around to sit at her desk. “Do you think Hartwell would help us?”

Jake practically growled at the mention of his name. “Considering the reality TV nightmare parked out front is the parting gift from the last favor I asked, I’d say it’s doubtful. Besides, the next time I talk to that prick, it’s not going to be to ask a favor.”

Dana opened her laptop and stared at the screen as it powered on. “Well, since we’re stuck here, why don’t we make the most of it and dig into researching Dvita?

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