Page 25 of Fatal Betrayal

"Did Claire tell you anything? I heard you talking. I didn't want to interrupt."

"She had little to say. She's sitting in a rocking chair, holding Elisa's stuffed rabbit. I asked her a few questions, but I didn't get far. She's very distressed." Andi paused. "She seems irritated with Neil."

"It's not uncommon to express fear through anger at the person closest to you."

"Thank you, Dr. Bradford, for that insightful observation."

"You're welcome," he said, ignoring her sarcasm. "I was in the yard with Claire earlier, and I noticed that the back of the property is very open. I assume you checked cameras on the street behind the house?"

"Of course, but nothing of interest was captured on any of the home security systems. The house directly behind this one is for sale, and no one is living there, so their cameras weren't activated."

"That's convenient."

She nodded. "It's probably how the kidnapper got away. Unfortunately, they managed to stay out of sight."

He sighed. "So, what are you going to do now?"

"Check out the bar where Kristine worked before she became a nanny."

"I'll go with you."

"I thought you were going to stay close to the Benedicts."

"I've spoken to both of them. I think they need a breather from me."

"Well, that sounds about right," she said dryly.

"I set you up for that one, didn't I?"

"Like blowing up a balloon and handing me a dart," she replied with the sassy smile he'd once been completely fascinated by. But that wasn't going to happen again. "Let's get out of here. I'll drive," she added.

"I figured."

"And on the way, you can tell me why you've been lying to me."

He stiffened. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Not here," she said, as she headed out of the room.

CHAPTERSIX

When they left the house,the vans were still outside. One reporter was recording a piece from the sidewalk. They stayed out of the shot as they moved to Andi's vehicle, which was parked down the street.

As he got into the car, he said, "You haven't changed at all, Andi. You still love to be dramatic. But I have not lied to you, so I don't know why you would say that I did."

She fastened her seatbelt and shot him a pointed look. "You told me you and Neil are developing a docuseries, but there's an online story that says Larry called off the deal."

"He didn't call it off; it's on hold." He frowned, realizing the implication of her words. "Are you suggesting that I have a motive to hurt Neil? I'm a kidnapper now?"

"I didn't say that. But you didn't tell me the docuseries wasn't happening, and neither did Neil. I can't help but wonder why."

"Because nothing has been officially decided," he replied. "Larry thought we should take a narrower approach. He wanted to focus on a few individuals who were falsely convicted, while I wanted to look at the entire criminal justice system: institutional bias, profiling, public defenders, and overeager, politically motivated law enforcement and prosecutors."

"So, you're going to correct and improve the criminal justice system all on your own through a docuseries. That would be quite a feat."

"I'm just putting a spotlight on issues that need to be looked at," he said evenly. "And individuals and organizations who want to do the right thing shouldn't be afraid of that light."

"I'm not afraid of it."

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