Page 45 of Fatal Betrayal

"That wasn't my question."

"She has a friend named Lindsay. I think she used to work with her somewhere before she became a nanny."

"What do you know about Lindsay?"

"You should just ask Kristine about her."

"I will, but what has she told you?"

"Not much. I think they run in a club together. Kristine doesn't really share her personal life. Neil and I try to respect her privacy."

"All right. Is Kristine here now?"

"I don't know. Probably. I haven't been downstairs."

"I'll go look for her."

"If you want me to take a lie detector test or something, I will. I love my daughter so much."

"I understand. Thank you for being honest with me. I hope we'll have good news soon."

When she left the baby's room, she headed down the hall to Kristine's bedroom. The door was open, the room was empty, and the bed was made. It looked exactly as it had yesterday, which made her wonder if Kristine had slept at the house. In fact, she wondered when anyone had last seen her.

She left the room and moved quickly down the stairs to find Neil. He was in the entryway, and he wasn't alone. Cooper was with him.

Her heart skipped a little beat as Cooper looked up and met her gaze, and something inexplicable passed between them. But she didn't have time to think about the weird tingle running down her spine.

"Where's Kristine?" she said, when she hit the last step.

Neil looked taken aback at her question. "She's around somewhere."

"Is she? When is the last time you saw her?"

Neil thought for a moment. "It was last night. She went out for a run around eight."

"When did she come home?"

"I didn't see her come back, but that's not unusual. I'm sure she didn't want to intrude on the family."

"How was she acting yesterday?"

"She was quiet and worried, feeling very guilty. She kept apologizing, telling me she was sorry. She tried to be helpful; she went to the store and picked up food. She tidied up the kitchen. I think she helped my mom make dinner, not that anyone felt like eating." He ran a hand through his hair. "She was being normal. Why?"

"I don't think she's here, Neil. And I'm concerned that no one seems to know much about her life outside this house. Claire mentioned a friend named Lindsay. Have you heard Kristine talk about her?"

"They run together."

Another mention of the running reminded her that the bartender had told her Kristine belonged to a run club that met there on Thursday night. But she needed to talk to Kristine before another day passed. "Is there anyone else Kristine has talked about?"

Neil frowned as he thought for a moment. "I guess we didn't really talk about her life much."

"Do you know how the Weiselbergs met her?" she asked.

"It was through another nanny at the park by their house. They tried her out for a few days and loved her. They gave her a strong recommendation. I assumed they vetted her before they hired her."

That might have been the wrong assumption. "Do you remember the other nanny's name?"

"No. I can call Glen and ask him."