Page 48 of Fatal Betrayal

Damon told her to give them a few minutes and then led them into a large room with floor-to-ceiling windows and a view of the park across the street. It was an impressive office for an impressive job, and she couldn't help thinking that both of these men, who had stood out at Quantico as natural-born leaders had definitely fulfilled the promise she'd seen then.

But she didn't like the way they were looking at her now, with a mix of questions and doubt.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Why didn't you tell us you were friends with Dr. Bradford when you were kids, that you were the one who pointed law enforcement at his brother?" Damon asked.

"Oh, right. To be honest, I was thrown when he showed up, and then I didn't want to waste time getting into all that when a child's life was on the line. It's not a factor in anything."

"Of course, it's a factor," Damon said. "I gave you and Flynn this case, not realizing that Bradford has a grudge against you. I wanted to get away from politics and a conflict of interest, which was why I handed off this investigation in the first place."

She suddenly realized why Damon was coming down on her. Agent Burnett had told him he'd made a huge mistake by benching him and picking her to lead the investigation.

"There's no conflict of interest," she argued. "Cooper—Dr. Bradford—and I are fine dealing with each other."

"Is that true?" Flynn asked. "Because I remember you telling us about the kidnapping case that inspired you to join the Bureau and how you learned that the investigation doesn't always go where you want it to go. You pointed a finger at Bradford's brother, right? The one who was falsely accused, who started Bradford on his mission in life to prevent that from happening to anyone else."

"All that is true," she said. "But Cooper and I were fourteen when that happened. It was eighteen years ago. We've grown up. Our only goal is to find Elisa. We are not in conflict over that. And we can work together as the Benedict family wants us to do. There's really nothing to worry about. I'm sorry I didn't say something earlier. Everything was happening fast, and it didn't feel like a problem to me then. It feels like even less of one now. Cooper has insight into the family and access that we don't have, and I have the investigative experience required to solve this case. We're a good team." She couldn't quite believe she was fighting to work with Cooper, but it was the best solution at this point. "Also," she added. "The person Cooper has the most problems with is Agent Burnett. I was a kid who said something about his brother. Burnett is the one who went after him."

"All right," Damon said. "Keep going and bring that kid home."

"That's what I intend to do. Is that it?"

"That's it," Flynn said. "I'm going to talk to Damon, so I'll catch up with you later."

As she walked out of the office, she really hoped her omission about her relationship with Cooper wasn't going to diminish Flynn or Damon's trust in her, because her new job wasn't going to work without trust. But all she could do now was her best. The rest would follow, or it wouldn't. She couldn't worry about any of that now.

She left the office and headed downstairs to the lobby. When she got there, she saw Cooper waiting by the front door.

"Did you catch any of the conference?" she asked, motioning for him to follow her outside.

"I didn't catch the beginning. Did you talk about Claire's postpartum depression?"

She started at his sharp question. Acutely aware that there were too many people in earshot, she led him across the street to the park. "Claire told you about our conversation."

"Yes. Neil is furious. Claire is a hysterical mess. You leave behind a rough wake, Andi."

"I had to ask her about it, Cooper. In fact, you should have told me she suffered from postpartum, since it sounds like you're not surprised."

"I knew about it, but this was months ago. It didn't even cross my mind that it could be a factor, and I don't believe it is." He paused for a moment. "Neil wants you off the case."

"Well, that's not his call," she said sharply. "I'm doing everything I can to find his daughter, and if that makes him or his wife uncomfortable, so be it. I'm not trying to upset them, but I'm not going to ignore a fact that could be relevant in finding Elisa. I'm working for her, not for them."

She was surprised when he nodded in agreement.

"I get that," he said.

"You do?"

"Yes."

They stared at each other for a long minute, each weighing the other's words. "Okay, then," she said.

"Do you really think it's relevant?" he asked.

"Probably not," she admitted. "But I needed to hear what she had to say about it."

"How did you find out? Not many people know."

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