Page 24 of Fatal Betrayal

"You have to tell the FBI about her threats."

"I don't have any proof, nothing in writing. And if I tell Agent Hart, Claire will find out. Jillian didn't kidnap Elisa. She wouldn't have done that."

"Would you have thought she was a blackmailer before last week?" he challenged. "Are you sure you know what she's capable of? Kidnapping Elisa might be a desperate act, but she sounds desperate."

"She wouldn't have kidnapped Elisa," Neil said stubbornly.

"Okay. Let me ask you something else. Is there a reason you're protecting Larry?"

"I don't have any proof Larry did anything wrong. He says he never harassed Jillian. Larry has been extremely loyal and helpful to me. I'm not going to end our partnership on a he-said, she-said situation."

"You need to give this information to the FBI, Neil."

"I can't do that. I told you why."

"Jillian was on this block this morning, Neil."

"To talk to Michelle."

"I'm betting she's also been in this house, right?"

"Yes," Neil admitted.

"Jillian knows the layout of your home. She knows where you and Claire are in the morning. And she has a powerful motive to hurt you. You need to stop downplaying the situation. It's bigger than you think it is."

Neil stared back at him. "If Claire finds out I cheated on her now, she'll completely fall apart."

"I don’t think the FBI is going to give Claire that information unless it's absolutely necessary. But they need to know." He saw the hesitation in Neil's eyes, and he didn't understand it. "This is about your daughter. Whatever happens to you and Claire's relationship is secondary."

Neil drew in a breath and let it out. "You're right. You can tell Agent Hart. Just remind her that Claire is fragile right now."

"I will. Is Kristine here? I'd like to talk to her."

"She went for a run. She's a big runner. She can do ten miles in a day. She'll probably be back in a few hours." Neil paused as his father came into the yard.

"Agent Hart is here and so is Larry," Robert said. "They didn't appear to come together, but they showed up at the same time. Agent Hart went upstairs to talk to Claire. Larry is in the study. Do you want me to tell him to go?"

"No. I'll see him." Neil paused. "Could you check on Claire for me, Cooper? I don't want Agent Hart upsetting her."

"Sure," he said, following Neil into the house.

He went upstairs, hearing the women in Elisa's room. They were talking about Elisa, and Andi had a compassionate note in her voice as she asked about the baby. He decided to leave them alone for the moment, so he moved down the hall to Kristine's room, curious to look around. The police and FBI forensic teams had already been through the room and found nothing, but maybe he could get a clue about her personality, her interests. The truth was in the details.

He found an unexpected and unwelcome smile lifting his lips as he could hear Andi telling him that very thing whenever they were going on some crazy hunt for clues to solve a mystery that was usually only happening in her head. Although, sometimes, she had been on to something. Sometimes, she had made a difference.

He frowned, not wanting to remember the good times. None of those times outweighed what she'd done. They'd been best friends, and she'd betrayed him in pursuit of glory at being seen as a good detective.

He shook his head, his lips tightening. He needed to get his head out of the past and into the present. He quietly opened a few dresser drawers, finding that Kristine was very neat, and did not have an overly large number of clothes. There was a desk with one middle drawer that held pens, notepads, and a few blank envelopes. He saw nothing personal, no bills, no letters, no photos.

"What are you doing?" Andi asked.

He whirled around, surprised to see her in the doorway. "Just looking around."

"And…"

"It's what's not here that's interesting. There's nothing personal. It's like a hotel room."

Andi's gaze swept the room. "I thought that when I came in here earlier, that it was cold and sterile."

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