Page 98 of Girl Betrayed

“Would you like to be?” Richter asked. “Because that can be arranged.” He took a step closer to Dvita, dwarfing the little bearded man. “Or perhaps you’d prefer I inform your group that you’re not interested in justice for their peers? That’s why we’re here.”

Richter was good. Dana was enjoying watching Dvita squirm. His obstinate resistance erased any doubts she had. An innocent man wouldn’t protest this much. Dvita was hiding something. She’d stake her career on it.

Now she just had to hope Richter felt the same way.

“Fine,” Dvita muttered. “You can stay, but in an observational capacity only. I don’t want any interruptions or interrogations. My patients have rights.”

Richter nodded. “Understood.”

Dana kepther hands in her pockets to keep from biting her nails during Dvita’s lecture, because that’s what it was. There was no group interaction at all. He stood in the middle of the circle of seated people, pompously preaching.

Opening by acknowledging the loss of “Lincoln” and “Betty,” he then droned on about the importance of remaining steadfast in the face of grief to honor the fallen. Everything about his message was subliminally telling his patients to keep their mouths shut.

“Is it me or is he purposely not giving anyone a chance to speak?” Dana asked.

“It’s not just you,” Richter replied.

“I know this isn’t my field of expertise, but I still think he’s hiding something.”

Richter frowned but pulled out his cell phone. “I think it’s time we get that warrant.”

83

“You’re my attorney,”Jake growled into his phone. “You’ve got to do something.”

“Agent Shepard, I assure you I’m doing everything that needs to be done in this situation.”

“Everything but tell me how long until my suspension is lifted,” Jake snapped.

“OPR has already cleared you. The last step is NPO. I’m meeting with the FBI’s Public Affairs specialist tomorrow.”

“You’re joking. Some bad PR is holding this up?”

“Agent Shepard, this made the national press. The FBI isn’t in the habit of handing out second chances. We are aiming to keep our perception that way.”

“You’re aware there’s someone cutting down D.C. citizens with a scythe on our streets and you’re telling me the FBI would rather worry about their public image than have more able bodied agents trying to stop these murders?”

“I’m telling you to be patient.”

Patient!The vein in Jake’s neck threatened to pop. “I’ve been patient. It’s been four days. I can’t put my life on hold for much longer. Isn’t there anything you can do to speed up the process?”

“The legal system has rules in place for a reason. Hold tight and let me do my job, Agent Shepard.”

“Well do it already so I can get back to doing mine!” Jake disconnected the call and slammed the phone down on the table, his confidence in his FBI appointed attorney at an all-time low. The man sounded like he was in his nineties, and he probably had just as many open cases on his docket.

Jake needed to get his suspension and house arrest situation cleared up or it wouldn’t matter if he made any progress on his trace.

He’d called the phone number multiple times, listening to the message over and over, like the voice would change somehow. But it didn’t. Jake could no longer avoid the truth. His father recorded that message, and this was the closest Jake had ever come to finding him.

Checking the tracing program he’d set was still running, Jake walked back to Dana’s bedroom and finished packing his bag. He’d hoped his attorney would’ve given him the green light already. When he did, Jake needed to be ready.

The groan of floorboards made him stiffen. When the door creaked open, he hadn’t been expecting Claire. She stood there, clear-eyed and alert, her gaze landing on Jake’s bag.

“Are you going somewhere?” she asked.

“Eventually.”

“Oh.” She looked down, picking at the hem of her black sweater. “It was nice while it lasted, I guess.”