Page 23 of Fatal Betrayal

"Have you tried to rest, just lay down and close your eyes?"

"I'm afraid to close my eyes. I don't know what I'll see. Don't suggest a sedative. I have to be ready to go if Elisa needs me."

"You have to pace yourself, Claire. This may not be resolved tonight." He could see that she knew that. She just didn't want to admit it.

"Tell me how to do that."

"Keep breathing through the pain and hold on to hope. Don't think about the worst outcome; think about the best. Envision that."

"I am trying, Cooper. I just wish I was stronger."

"You are strong. You're doing everything you need to do by letting law enforcement do their job."

"You never think they do the best job," she reminded him. "Look at all the cases in your books where the wrong people were arrested, where law enforcement screwed up. How can you trust them now?"

He thought about how best to answer that. "First of all, I don't think they never do the best job; I just think that sometimes they could do better."

"I don't want this to be one of those times."

He needed to tell her that the case was in excellent hands, that Andi was dedicated, determined, and smart. But he couldn't get those words out of his mouth because she'd messed up before. She'd turned the police in the wrong direction. She could be too impulsive, too reckless, too confident. Of course, she had been fourteen. She clearly had a lot more training now and years of experience.

Before he could come up with something to say, Neil joined them in the yard, and he was grateful for the interruption.

"Everything okay out here?" he asked, his gaze worried.

"Nothing will be okay until Elisa is home," Claire snapped. "Don't you get that, Neil?"

On that sharp note, she turned and walked back into the house.

"I can't seem to say the right thing." Neil ran a hand through his already tousled hair. "I just make her angry."

"She's hurting. Yelling at you probably releases a little tension."

"Which I'll gladly take," Neil said. "Whatever makes it easier for her. But I know nothing will be right until our daughter comes home. What are you doing here? I thought you were going to stick close to that FBI agent."

"She kicked me out for a while, but don't worry, I'll get back in. I wanted to check on you."

"Check on me or ask me more questions about Jillian?" Neil challenged, an edge to his voice.

"Maybe both," he said honestly. "It feels like you're holding something back, and I don't want Agent Hart to have a reason to focus on you, Neil. What aren't you telling me?"

Neil stared back at him for a long minute. "It's not relevant to anything."

His heart sank. That wasn't what he wanted to hear. "What's not relevant?"

Neil looked over his shoulder to make sure they were alone. Then he said, "Jillian and I had one drunken night over a year ago, but it meant nothing."

"Does Claire know?"

"Of course not."

"What does Jillian want from you now?"

"She told me if I won't get rid of Larry and tell the world he's a predator, she'll tell Claire that I cheated on her."

He'd finally gotten to the truth. "She's blackmailing you. When did it start?"

"Last week. Before that, she was pressing me to end my partnership with Larry, but then she took it up a notch."