Page 20 of The Girl He Claimed

Sauer was there too, looking down,his usual sternness softened by a hint of compassion.

"What do we know?" sheasked, forcing herself to focus on the investigation at hand.

Sauer shook his head. "Notmuch yet. The neighbors called in a disturbance around midnight, but when thepolice arrived, they found the door unlocked and the professor dead."

Paige frowned. "What aboutHaley?"

The gravity of her boss'sexpression told its own story.

Paige set off through the house,moving quickly, almost blindly, not waiting for an answer to her question.

Christopher was there, a hand onher shoulder, holding her back. "Paige, what are you doing?"

"Christopher, ProfessorThornton... that was the work of the Exsanguination Killer."

She saw Christopher nod. "Iknow, but Paige, we should step out of here, let the crime scene investigatorsdo their jobs."

He clearly didn't understand whatPaige was saying.

"Christopher, when Sauercalled, he said that the DC police had called in an Adam Riker murder. Thisisn't one of his kills. This is the Exsanguination Killer's work. So... where'sHaley?"

Paige set off again through thehouse, moving past the crime scene investigators working throughout theThorntons' home. Paige knew that home well, knew every twist and turn, butright then it felt like an alien place, completely changed and unwelcoming.

Paige headed upstairs, Christopherclose behind her. Paige moved quickly, heading towards the master bedroom. Thedoor was open, and Paige could see a cluster of crime scene investigatorsworking there.

She took a breath and steppedinside. For a second or two, she could only stare. Haley Thornton hung there inthe middle of a web of ropes, her body twisted and contorted until there was noway for her to breathe properly. This... this was Adam Riker's work. The sightof her lifeless body was almost too much for Paige to bear. She could feel herknees buckling, and Christopher's strong hands steadied her.

"They're working together,Christopher. She didn’t just help him escape. Riker and the ExsanguinationKiller. They're killing together."

Paige hadn't considered thispossibility, even remotely. She'd been worried about what Adam might do next,but she hadn't considered the possibility that both he and the ExsanguinationKiller might lash out simultaneously, that they might somehow team up to doeven more damage.

Paige felt as though she was theone who couldn't breathe then. She was meant to be an agent, able to put asideher feelings to look for evidence, but she couldn't do it, not then. Her visionwas blurry with tears, her breath coming in short bursts.

Paige could feel the anger risinginside her. She could feel the fury at Adam, at the Exsanguination Killer, atherself for not being able to stop this before it happened. She let out ananguished cry and turned to confront Christopher, but Christopher's arms camearound her, holding her close. He held her, rocking her gently as she cried.

Paige knew that she had to pullherself together, had to get back to being an agent, but it was so hard to dothat when she was looking at the lifeless body of her friend.

Christopher tried to comfort her,but Paige could tell that he was almost as shocked as she was by this.

"Paige, we should get you outof here," Christopher said.

Paige felt the bile rise up in herthroat.She swallowed it back down, taking deep breaths to steady herself.

"Come on," Christophersaid. His arm was around Paige's shoulder, leading her back through the house.

Paige saw Sauer there, waiting inthe hallway. Paige tried to focus, tried to push back the tears, but shecouldn't.

“Sir…” Paige began.

Sauer cut her off. "King, it'sokay. Go home."

"But this is our case, and–"

"Go home, King," Sauerrepeated. "You can't help here, not now. Take a breath. In the morning,you can tell me whether you feel as though you'll be able to continue thisinvestigation. We'll talk tomorrow."

Paige tried to argue, but she knewthat her boss was right. She was still reeling from the shock of seeingThornton's body, of seeing Haley like that.

Christopher led her out of thehouse. Paige took one last look back before Christopher wrapped his arm aroundher and led her away.

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