Chapter 106

"What about Max?"Claire asked when Dana finished explaining Hartwell's plan.

Dana glanced at Jake. She'd called him on her way home to give him a heads up about Dvita and Max. Since Max's whereabouts were unknown and he was currently listed as a potential suspect, his name wasn't on the protection list. A detail Claire hadn't missed.

"Max is still missing," Dana said. "We have no way to contact him to let him know about the safe house."

"That's not fair. He needs protection, too," Claire argued. "He's not answering any of my texts or phone calls. I'm really worried about him."

"The FBI is still searching for Max," Jake assured her.

Claire fidgeted with her sleeves, pulling them over her fists. Jake noticed it was something she did when she was nervous. "This is a trap, isn't it?" she asked.

"What makes you say that?" Dana asked.

"I'm not stupid," Claire snapped. "It's only Passages patients that are getting picked off. And since our identities are supposed to be confidential it means the killer is an insider. So, locking us all up together will make the killer surface. It's a good plan."

Again, Dana looked at Jake, at a loss for how to respond.

"You realize that paints you as a suspect, too?" Dana added.

"I know," Claire said, directing her defiance at Dana. "I'm not afraid to do whatever it takes to prove I'm not."

"Alright," Jake intervened. "Right now, the best thing we can do is follow protocol and get you to the safe house. Go pack."

Claire reluctantly left the room, heading to her bedroom to pack. When she was out of sight, Jake led Dana to the office. "What the hell was that?"

"What do you mean?"

"You've got to lay off the accusations with Claire."

"I didn't accuse her of anything."

"You didn't have to, Dana. Your face is an open book."

"Jake, you didn't see the tapes. Dvita brought something out in Claire, something dark and lingering. The voice that was speaking through her … through all of them, he planted it there."

"What, like some kind of demonic spirit? This isn't The Exorcist, Dana."

"You spent all night researching this very thing in the Smithsonian with me. There are centuries of accounts. We can't rule it out."

Jake scoffed. "Great, let's call Richter and tell him the Reaper is a demon and all we have to do to stop it is shut the portal to hell."

"Jake, I'm serious."

"I know you are. That's what's scaring me."

"You have to admit something is off with Claire. It has been ever since she showed up here in a trance. She's been having mood swings and sneaking around. She knows all of the victims. She's been in contact with Max. And today she didn't even blink when I told her Dvita was dead. It's like she knew."

"That's enough!" Jake snapped. "Dvita was her therapist, not her best friend. And this morning you were convinced he was the Reaper. Claire is the victim here. She's lost her friends, her doctor, any sense of normalcy. The last thing she needs is to feel like she's losing us."

"I know that, Jake. It's the last thing I want. But we can't let our emotions cloud our judgment. We have to face reality."

Jake exhaled trying to rein in his anger. "The reality is we don't have any proof. Until then we do our jobs. Right now, that means getting Claire into protective custody." Dana opened her mouth to argue but Jake cut her off. "I want in on the protection detail. Who's point?"

"Good luck. Hartwell's running the show."

"You let me deal with Hartwell."