Chapter 31

Jake had been watchingthe red digits tick by one by one for over an hour. If he could speed time by sheer willpower, the digital alarm clock next to Dana's bed would've melted by now. After seeing steam come out her ears, he knew better than to make the short trip down the hall to her office. He'd learned rushing the stubborn woman never helped. She'd come talk to him when she was ready. But in the meantime, he was going stir crazy.

He"d just finished changing the alarm clock to military time when there was a light knock on the bedroom door. "You awake?"

Like he could sleep. "Yeah."

Dana hurried through the door, instantly filling the air with a nervous energy that had Jake on his feet. "What's wrong?"

Instead of answering, she grabbed his hand and dragged him into her bathroom. When she locked the door behind him and turned on the shower, his hope soared. But as soon as Dana began speaking in a rushed urgent whisper, he knew her mind was somewhere else entirely.

Tamping down his disappointment, he pulled his mind out of the gutter and focused on the information spewing from Dana's gorgeous mouth. "Whoa, slow down. What are you talking about?"

"Claire," she whispered. "After everything Dr. Dvita and Meredith said and what I just researched tonight, I'm worried. I think she's involved in the Congressman's murder."

"Okay. Start from the beginning."

So, she did.

Jake gave himself a moment to digest everything Dana had just unloaded on him. It was a lot to unpack. From Dvita's snap diagnosis to Meredith's unfounded accusations, he could see how Dana would make connections after diving down a rabbit hole of psychiatric episodes and Grim Reaper legends all night, but this was Claire they were talking about.

"Dana, I'm hearing you, but I just spent all day with her and I've gotta say, I disagree. I didn't see anything out of the ordinary considering what she's been through."

"What does that mean?" Dana pushed.

"It means she's been through a lot. She just needs time."

"What if it's more than that?"

"It's not."

"You can't possibly know that."

"No, you're right, but my gut's telling me it's true. And beyond that, since when do you make assumptions?"

Dana frowned. "You're right. That's why I'm going to ask Dr. Dvita for access to Claire's therapy sessions. Mere said he records them. Maybe it'll give me the proof I'm looking for."

"Do you hear yourself? You've already convicted her in your mind."

"That's not true. I want this to be a complete misunderstanding, but right now I can't explain how that's possible. Claire is the only witness to the murder; she was talking about it before it happened, and she just recited the inscription on the murder weapon. That information hasn't been made public."

Jake had to admit it looked bad, but he'd seen evidence stacked to perfection crumble in too many cases to lose hope. "Dana, all you have is conjecture. There were no prints on the weapon, no DNA to run through CODIS. If Claire witnessed the murder, maybe she was close enough to see the inscription on the blade."

"Then why didn't she say so when she was under hypnosis?"

"I don't know. Eyewitnesses sometimes repress traumatic details that they can only recall later with time to process the shock."

"Yes, but that's the point of hypnosis. It's a safe space to revisit traumatic memories."

"Well, I guess you've made up your mind. Shall I go get the handcuffs?"

"Jake, I'm being serious!"

"I know you are, and frankly, it's scaring the hell out of me."

"I hate this, but we have to consider the possibility that she's involved in this somehow."

"Yeah, well it'd be nice if you put an equal amount of energy into proving that she's not. I mean, have you even thought about the logistics of it? Claire's what, a hundred pounds soaking wet? Hayes is built like a gorilla. He'd have no problem overpowering someone like her."

"His attacker had a scythe. That tends to even the playing field, Jake!"

"It doesn't make any sense. Claire liked the guy."

"What do you mean?"

"She told me so today. She said they were the same and was all bent out of shape because I could forgive her and not him because they both killed people."

"She said that?"

He sighed, nodding. "It makes me sick that she's still blaming herself for Sadie."

Dana bit her thumbnail, lost in her tumultuous thoughts. Jake hated seeing her so distraught. He took a step closer, rescuing her hand from her nervous habit. "Look, right now, we don't have a lot to go on. You know I'm all for action, but in this case, I think we're going to have to sit tight and see what shakes loose. It's only been twenty-four hours. Things might look different tomorrow and all this worrying will have been for nothing."

"Hartwell didn't have any updates since you last spoke?"

Jake shook his head. "And I don't expect much now that DOJ took over. I put some calls into my contacts over there. I got a guy keeping his ears to the ground for me, but I know how they operate. By the time they give up any information this case will be cold."

Dana pressed her palms to her eyes. "Another cold case. Perfect."

"Hey, we're not working this case. And until we are, I say we let it go."

"And do what? I can't just sit around here staring at the walls with these kinds of thoughts running loose in my head. I need a distraction."

"I've got a few ideas." Jake caught Dana around the waist and pulled her closer, but she stiffened in his arms.

"I was thinking more along the lines of what Claire meant when she brought up New Orleans and your father."

Nothing could kill the mood faster for Jake than the mention of his father. His desire was dowsed like a flame in an ice bath.