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A stillness washed over the room, no one moving or speaking for several seconds as his answer hung in the air. But it was short-lived. Wes and Lachlan simultaneously jumped up, expressing their mutual abhorrence to the notion.
“Absolutely not!” Lachlan declared, muscles strained, stance wide.
“Out of the question!” Wes added at the same time.
“I don’t like it, either,” Agent Curran said, attempting to placate both men. He stood, resecuring the button of his suit jacket. “That’s why I didn’t say anything immediately following my visit with Nick. I’d hoped it wouldn’t matter. That Ethan would find something. A missing piece that would answer all our questions.
“Unfortunately, we’re no closer to determining who this bastard is than we were when we first figured out the connection between the jewelry you’ve received and the women they belonged to. These victims have absolutely nothing in common, other than they’re dead of what all physical evidence suggests to be suicide. That’s the only common thread. In serial cases, there’s normally something the victims have in common with each other. Appearance. Age. Socioeconomic background. Profession. Hell, some serial killers target women based on their names. But here… There’s nothing.”
“Other than the fact each woman had a profession in common with a victim in Nick’s case who committed suicide on the same date,” Wes snipped out.
“I understand that. But we need something more than a tenuous coincidence. Which is why I think this may be our best course of action right now.”
Agent Curran turned his pleading eyes to mine. “Nick knows something that could be useful in finding this bastard. I feel it in my bones. And since Ms. Hale had been looking into this leading up to her death and had visited Nick, I have to think he knows something that could help. I’m fully aware I’m asking a lot of you, especially after everything you endured because of him—”
“All the more reason you shouldn’t ask her to do this!” Wes exclaimed, every inch of his body throbbing with fury, eyes wide, muscles tense. It matched Lachlan’s reaction. “That bastard abused my sister for years. He may not have left bruises, at least until the end, but the psychological trauma he put her through was just as bad, if not worse. You can’t ask her to subject herself to that again.”
“I assure you, he will be cuffed, shackled, and chained.”
I parted my lips to insert myself into the conversation, considering it was about me, but before I could, Wes continued.
“And will his mouth be duct taped? Because that’s the source of most of her trauma.”
“I’ve already spoken with Dr. Fields. She’s more than willing to spend some time to prepare Julia, just like she did before Nick’s cross-examination of her during his trial. As you know, Dr. Fields has full knowledge of Nick’s behavior. She’ll give her the tools she needs.”
“I—” I began, but Lachlan talked over me.
“A psychologist?” he sneered. “That’s your only source of protection when you put her in a room with a complete sociopath? A bloody psychologist?”
“I understand you both care deeply for Julia, and having your support will go a long way here.”
“No,” Wes declared vehemently. “Under no circumstances is this happening. Not after—”
“Enough!” I shot to my feet, unable to stomach hearing these men make decisions for me without even allowing me to voice my own concerns.
Three pairs of eyes darted toward me.
“Will all of you just shut up?!” I fisted my hands, eyes squeezed shut, muscles strained. Inhaling a deep breath, I attempted to calm my irritation as silence hung in the room.
When I opened my eyes again, I focused on Agent Curran. “Where will this meeting take place?”
“Julia…,” Lachlan began, advancing. But before he could get too close, I held up a hand, shooting him a warning glare.
He came to an immediate stop, his expression falling.
Then I looked back at Agent Curran, eyebrow raised, awaiting his response.
“I pulled a few strings. Even though this isn’t an official investigation, I’ve managed to secure an interrogation room at the prison. Cameras will be monitoring, and there’s a two-way mirror. I’ll be in the observation room right next door, as will a handful of guards.”
Crossing my arms in front of my chest, I nodded, chewing on my lower lip. Anyone in my position probably wouldn’t even consider doing this, not after everything I endured. Not just during our marriage, but for months…years following his arrest.
But I still lived with the guilt of not doing enough. Of not voicing my concerns during my marriage. If I had, some of his victims might still be alive.
What if Nick did hold the answer to what happened to Claire?
What if I could prevent another woman from losing her life in a matter of weeks?
I had to at least try.
