Chapter 188: Restoring Barry

"Maybe Barry can tell us who betrayed him," Caitlin suggested, her voice laced with desperation. "Can't we at least wait to hear what he has to say before we condemn Randolf?" She tried to grasp at something, anything, to fend off the terrible conclusion that had been gnawing at her. The echo of Randolf’s words lingered in her mind, just out of reach. Zendedari held her close, his presence calming yet charged with an undercurrent of tension. "No one *wants* it to be Randolf, little red hair," he murmured, using his favorite endearment for her, "and you can be assured no one will act without certain proof." His deep voice was soft, trying to soothe her frayed nerves. But Caitlin knew he believed it. He was convinced that Randolf, her father, was the betrayer. And some part of her knew it too, though she tried to push that part down, where it couldn't reach her heart. Away from Randolf, the truth seemed clearer. He wasn’t just a man grieving, broken by her mother's death. He was some