Page 6 of Fatal Betrayal

"They're waiting inside," Damon replied. "I'm going to head back to the office. Keep me posted. This case will no doubt become very high profile as soon as the media gets wind of it. We need to move fast."

"Our favorite way to move," Flynn said.

When they entered the house, they were met by another patrol officer, who escorted them into the living room where a half-dozen people were gathered.

She spotted the parents immediately. Neil Benedict, a forty-three-year-old male with leading-man good looks, dark-brown hair and eyes, and a fit physique, stood by the fireplace talking to an older man with similar features. She guessed that was his father, Robert.

The mother, Claire Benedict, was sitting on the couch sobbing as she talked to an older woman, who was probably her mother-in-law. An older Hispanic woman and a young blonde were standing in another corner of the room, looking extremely uncomfortable. She was guessing one of them was the nanny.

As they moved into the room, Neil came forward to greet them.

"Mr. Benedict," she said. "I'm Agent Hart. This is Agent MacKenzie."

"Thank God you're here," he said fervently. "You have to bring Elisa home. She's only six months old. She won't know where she is, where we are."

She could hear the panic in his voice. "I know you've told the police everything, but I need you to go through it once more for me. Can you do that?" she asked, wanting him to focus on facts and not fear.

He cleared his throat. "Of course."

"Why don't you start by introducing me to everyone else?" she suggested.

"My father, Robert Benedict, my mother, Julia, my wife, Claire." He tipped his head to the nearby women. "Our nanny, Kristine Rozic, and our housekeeper, Solange Guerrero."

"Let's all sit down," she said, as the group settled into the large seating area, Neil and his wife sat on the couch, along with his parents, with Kristine and Solange on a nearby loveseat while she took a seat in one of the armchairs. Flynn hovered nearby. She didn't know if Flynn wanted to observe her in action or was there to lend support, but she didn't care either way. Her only interest was in the facts of the case.

"Can you tell me what happened this morning?" she asked. "Let's start with you, Mr. Benedict." The nanny probably had the most information, but she wanted to hear from the parents first.

"I got up at six," Neil said. "When I left the bedroom, Claire was asleep, and Kristine was in the family room giving Elisa a bottle. I kissed Elisa on the forehead…" His voice broke and he drew in a big breath. "She gave me a sweet smile, and I told her I'd see her later.God!I have to see her again. I just have to."

At his words, Claire started to cry, and the two embraced.

She gave them a moment, then continued. "What time did you leave the house, Mr. Benedict?"

"About seven," Neil said, pulling himself together. "I went to the gym for an hour and then to my office."

"What about you, Mrs. Benedict? How did your morning go?"

"I woke up around seven thirty," Claire said, struggling to get the words out. "I got dressed, grabbed a coffee, and then I went into the yard where Kristine and Elisa were playing. They were sitting on a big blanket on the grass in the sunshine. Elisa loves to be outside. She was so happy."

"How long were you in the yard?"

"About ten minutes. I had a work meeting at nine, so I had to leave." Claire's face crumpled. "I don't think I told Elisa that I loved her."

She steeled herself against the heartbreaking note in Claire's voice. Her job was not to get emotional but to find the baby. She turned to Kristine, her gaze running over the young woman's pretty face. She was probably in her early twenties and looked teary and shocked, but she was holding it together. "When did you go back into the house?"

"I didn't look at the time," Kristine said, an accent in her voice that Andi couldn't quite place. "It was just after Claire left, so I think it was about eight-thirty. Elisa had been up since six, and she was getting cranky. I changed her diaper, read her a book and then I put her down for a nap around nine. She usually sleeps for about an hour in the morning."

"Where did you go after you put her in her crib?"

"I went to my room. I had the baby monitor on," she added defensively. "Everything was quiet. I didn't hear a thing. Elisa never cried or anything."

"What were you doing in your room?"

Kristine looked startled by her question. "Uh, I was watching a show on my tablet. But I didn't have my headphones on. I would have heard Elisa if she cried, but she didn't cry."

"When did you check on her?"

"Around nine-thirty. I couldn't believe my eyes when she wasn't in the crib. I couldn't imagine what had happened to her."

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