Page 19 of The Girl He Claimed

"No, Paige, it's not. I'msorry."

"Sorry?"

There was a note in Sauer's voicethat made Paige's chest tighten with worry.

"There's been a... DC policejust called in a murder to us. They think it's Riker."

The news only made the tightness inPaige's chest worse.

"Who? Where?"

Sauer gave her the address, but ashe did, Paige felt as though she might collapse because of the shock of it—hewas reading out Professor Thornton's address.

CHAPTER TEN

Paige spent the entire car rideover to the Thorntons' place with her hands digging into the dashboard, willingChristopher to get them there faster.

A part of her didn't want to getthere, because she was dreading what she might see when they did. A murder, atthe Thorntons' house... just the thought of it made Paige's heart tighten inher chest.

She'd known. She'd known that Adammight come after someone close to her, but Paige had only thought of hermother. She'd called to warn her mother, but she hadn't even considered warningthe Thorntons, even though they'd been like a second family to her. No, they’dbeen better than a second family. Professor Francis Thornton and his wife Haleyhadn't come with the baggage that her own family had. When Paige had barelybeen speaking to her mother, she'd still been going around for dinner with herPh.D. supervisor and his wife on a regular basis. They’d all but taken her in,providing the kind of emotional support that Paige hadn’t been able to getanywhere else.

The thought that either of themmight have been hurt was almost too much for Paige to bear. Which of them mightit be? Logic said that it would be the professor, because he was closer to her,but Adam generally preferred to kill women, and...

Paige tried to force the thoughtsfrom her head, but failed. She tried to tell herself that it might be someoneelse, that it would be just like Adam to kill a stranger there just to messwith her head.

Christopher's hand found hers,squeezing it tightly. He didn't say anything, but Paige knew that he was therefor her, that he would always be there for her.

When they finally approached thehouse, Paige could see the flashing lights of police cars ahead of them. Shetook a deep breath, trying to steel herself for what she was about to see, eventhough she knew she could never really prepare for it.

The house was in what wouldnormally have been a quiet suburban neighborhood. The kind of place wherenothing ever happened. Except that now it had.

The Thorntons' house stood out fromthe rest because both the professor and Haley had worked on it extensively,changing it to suit their needs, extending it and altering it until it seemedto fit them perfectly.

No part of their plan had includedpolice cars parked out in front or tape to hold back a gaggle of reporters whohad obviously come to find out what was happening. They’d thought they weresafe here. They should have been safe here.

When Christopher and Paige arrivedat the scene, the police had already cordoned off the area, and there were ahandful of agents standing around, looking grim. Paige saw Sauer near theentrance, talking to a uniformed police officer. The gravity of the situationmeant that their boss had come out for this personally. He stood between Paigeand the door.

"Agent King,” he said, “it'sbetter if you don't go in there."

Paige ignored him. She had to seethis for herself. She had to know what had happened in there. What she shouldhave prevented from happening.

She slipped past Sauer smoothly. Onceinside, Paige was met with the horrible sight of blood, pooled on the floor ofthe living room, the darkening red of it spreading out almost impossibly widearound a body covered with a sheet. Paige felt bile rise up in her throat, butshe forced it back down, taking deep breaths to steady herself.

She saw Christopher talking to oneof the investigating officers, and she moved over to them, her eyes scanningthe room, trying to distract herself from the sight of the body there.

Paige couldn't help herself. Shehad to know. She moved over to the sheet, and she closed her hand around it.She knew she shouldn't pull it away, shouldn't look, but another part of hertold her that she had to. She was an agent. She needed to see, to know, tounderstand.

That wasn't the only reason shepulled aside the sheet. A part of her was still the fourteen year old girl whohad found her father murdered. A part of her couldn't help looking, couldn’tlook away, even now. She’d spent eleven years not looking away, looking rightat serial killers in an attempt to understand. She had to look now.

Paige was that girl again as shelooked down at what lay beneath the sheet. Professor Thornton lay there. Inlife, he'd been tall, dark haired and bearded. In death, he was pale, his beardmatted with blood. Paige's heart ached for the loss of her mentor and friend.

Without thinking, Paige reachedover and closed Thornton's eyes. She didn't want him to be staring up at theceiling like that. It was too… empty.

He'd been tied down, and his wristshad been sliced open. Blood pooled around him.

Paige's breath caught in herthroat, and she felt tears prick at the corners of her eyes. She tried to tellherself that she shouldn't be emotional. She was an FBI agent, trained to beobjective and professional. But it didn’t work like that. Anyone who could lookat a scene like this and feel nothing would be inhuman, halfway to being thepsychopath who had done this. Besides, this was different. This wasn't justsome random victim. This was someone she cared about, someone she respected,someone who had been a mentor to her.

Christopher's hand was on hershoulder, his grip firm and steady. She could feel his support, his strength,and it gave her the courage to look away from the professor's body.

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