Page 25 of The Girl He Wanted

"I ... suppose so." It was obvious that the woman on the other end of the line wasn't comfortable. She read out an address, and Paige quickly wrote it down, showing it to Christopher.

He nodded, turning the car onto a new street, heading for the address that they’d been given.

"We're going over to see her now," Paige told the woman on the other end of the line.

"I'll give her a call to let her know that you're coming and to see if she's willing to speak with you. But no promises."

It was the best Paige was going to get, and right then, it was enough. She and Christopher drove through the town, and Paige could see the intensity on Christopher's face as he took the twists and turns of the city.

"What is it?" she asked him.

He started slightly, as if only just realizing that Paige was looking his way.

"I was just thinking about how close we might be to finding the killer," Christopher said. "And how dangerous it could be."

Paige nodded. "I know. We have to keep pushing forward."

"I just want to make sure that we get this guy before he kills someone else. Before someone's family has to learn that a loved one is dead. Can you imagine how hard this is hitting all of them?"

Paige didn't have to imagine, since she'd been the one to find her father dead all those years ago at the Exsanguination Killer's hands. She guessed that Christopher was thinking about his own pain in that moment too. It was the closest he'd come to really talking about it since they'd arrived in Winterly.

The part of Paige that had been a psychologist before she became an FBI agent wanted Christopher to speak about it, to talk it through, to avoid keeping everything locked away inside. Other parts of her overruled that. As an agent, she needed Christopher to be able to keep everything together so that they could hunt this killer. As someone who cared about him, who had feelings for him, she didn't want to hurt him like that.

The combination meant that they drove in silence for a few more minutes until they reached the address that the woman on the phone had given them. It was a modest house in a quiet neighborhood. The lights were on inside, and as they got out of the car, they could see someone moving around in there.

As they pulled up outside Lauren Michaels's address, Paige hoped that she might be able to give them answers that they wouldn’t be able to get elsewhere. Maybe this would be the moment when the two of them finally got something that would lead them to the killer that they were looking for here in Winterly. How many people really knew about Bea’s fear outside of this group?

Christopher got out of the car, and Paige followed suit. They walked up to the door and knocked, waiting for a response. After a few moments, the door swung open, and a woman appeared on the other side. A kind looking woman in her forties stared back at them. Because Paige had seen her picture on the website for the group therapy, she knew that this had to be Lauren Michaels.

"Can I help you?" Lauren asked, not looking surprised to see the two of them. Paige guessed that she'd gotten the promised call from the woman at the Honeydew Therapy Group as soon as Paige got off the phone with her.

"My name is Agent Paige King, and this is my partner, Agent Christopher Marriott," Paige said, pulling out her FBI badge. "We're here to ask you a few questions about the Honeydew Therapy Group. May we come in?"

Lauren hesitated for a moment, and for a second, Paige thought that she might say no, tell them to come back some other time, when she was feeling better. If she did, then it would be an agonizing wait. Finally, she stepped aside to let them in. "Of course. Please, come in."

Paige and Christopher followed her into a cozy living room, filled with comfortable-looking furniture and warm lighting. It was quiet except for the soft hum of a diffuser.

"Please, have a seat," Lauren said, gesturing to a pair of armchairs across from the sofa. "What can I help you with?"

Paige took a deep breath, feeling the weight of the case on her shoulders. She knew that they didn't have time to waste on anything other than the question they’d come to ask.

"We're investigating the murder of Bea Milling. We believe that she may have been a member of your therapy group, and we were hoping that you could tell us more about it, and possibly any other information that you have that could help us solve this case."

Lauren's expression turned serious, and she leaned forward in her own armchair. "I'm terribly sorry to hear about Bea's death. She was a wonderful woman."

Paige nodded, encouraging her to continue in silence.

"Well, Bea had been attending our group for a few months. She was a kind and compassionate person, always willing to listen and offer support to the other members. She seemed to be making progress with her personal struggles with her phobia."

"What about the other members?" Christopher asked. "Did they get along with Bea?"

Lauren's face betrayed no emotion, but Paige could sense that she was hesitant to share any information. "You must understand that I can't share any personal information about our members. They expect privacy in the sessions we conduct."

Paige knew that Lauren was right, but she couldn't help feeling frustrated. "We understand that, but we're not asking for anything too personal. We just want to know if there was anyone in the group who may have had a motive to hurt Bea."

Lauren sighed, looking down at her hands. "I don't know of anyone in our group who would want to harm Bea. Our sessions were always focused on self-improvement and building a supportive community. The idea that anyone there could have done anything to harm her is … well, ludicrous."

Paige wasn't convinced. "What exactly did you do in the sessions?"

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