Page 24 of Girl Betrayed

All the while, Dana was fighting her own internal battle. Her heart ached as she watched her friend wrestle demons only she could see. The only thing keeping her rooted was Jake. He held her hand in a vice-like grip, tethering her to his side.

Even though Dr. Dvita had assured them of his experience and that Claire wouldn’t be suffering physical harm, Dana knew watching Claire struggle was tearing Jake apart inside. His pulse pounded out a distress signal against her palm, but she could do nothing but stand by, silently chewing her nails until she drew blood.

Jake noticed it first. He pulled a handkerchief from inside his jacket and pressed it to her fingers. The crimson stain bled defiantly through the white fibers. The familiar queasiness that always accompanied Dana’s encounters with blood made her lightheaded.

But Jake squeezed her hand tighter, his voice an anchor. “Focus on Claire.”

Dana did. And that’s when it happened.

All at once, Claire went still.

“Hello,” Dr. Dvita said, his words deliberately soft. “Welcome back.”

“It’s good to be back.” The voice hit Dana like a punch in the gut. It came from Claire, but it didn’t belong to her.

“It’s been a while since we spoke,” Dr. Dvita prompted. “Can you fill me in on what you’ve been up to?”

Claire laughed. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“I would,” Dvita continued. “I’m particularly interested in what happened last night. After we spoke, where did you go?”

“Where I always go.”

“To the garden to write in your journal?”

“Yep.”

“Did you speak to anyone in the garden?”

“Yep.”

“Feel like sharing?”

Something impish slipped into the voice coming from Claire. “I’d rather you guess.”

“Okay. Did you meet with Laura?”

“Ding! Ding!”

Dana’s stomach dropped hearing Meredith was at Passages. Was this one of the three times Dr. Dvita had mentioned or something he was unaware of? Sensing her panic, Jake squeezed reassurance into her hand.

“Did you meet with anyone else?” Dvita asked Claire.

“You tell me.”

“How about Taft?”

“Ding! Ding! Right again.”

“What did you talk about?”

“The usual. Death, taxes, world domination.”

“Did you speak to anyone else?”

“This game is boring.”

Taking that as a no, Dr. Dvita changed his questioning. “Where did you go after the garden?”