Page 45 of The Girl He Claimed

"Because it isn't her, Christopher,"Paige said. "Gia Ramirez can't be the Exsanguination Killer."

"What?" Christopher said,sounding as if he didn't believe it. "She's the only one who fits theevidence!"

"She's also too young,"Paige replied. "She's younger than I am. The Exsanguination Killermurdered my father, and there is no way that Gia Ramirez did that when she wasjust a child. It just isn't possible."

"But she's—"

"She's a psychopath, orsomething like it, but she isn't the right psychopath," Paige said."Someone knew about her. Someone arranged the timing to point at her.Someone made us dance around like..."

Like a puppet caught up in thestrings of one of Adam's webs. He'd played them. Again.

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

"Every time!" Paigesnapped. "Adam has been ahead of us every time."

"We know that he'sclever," Christopher said.

"This isn't just clever. Thisis outwitting us at every turn. It's like he's inside my head, looking at everyidea I have, knowing what I'm going to do before I do it."

"You know the answer tothat," Christopher said. "We keep working."

Paige shook her head. "We needto change our approach. We can't just keep grinding down the evidence. We needto start thinking like him."

"And how do we start thinkinglike a serial killer?" Christopher asked.

That was the problem—Paige didn'tknow, not right then. Paige's frustration was boiling over. She had been socertain that Gia was the Exsanguination Killer that she had been the one tofinally catch the monster that had haunted her for years. But now, she was backto square one.

They went back to their desks inthe department, determined to think of something, but Paige wasn't sure whereto even begin. Yes, she could think like Adam, but where did knowing that hewas manipulative, charming and dangerous actually get her?

Maybe it would let her think aboutthe kind of place he might have gone. Would Adam care about his own comfort?The evidence from his last escape suggested not. Once he was fixated on someonehe would stop at nothing to get them.

Paige rubbed her temples, trying toignore the headache that had been growing since she started thinking aboutAdam. She needed a break, some fresh air to clear her head.

Paige stood up from her desk andheaded towards the door, but even as she did so, and she saw Agent Sauer movingto intercept her.

"King, Marriott, my office.Now." There was no give in his tone. Paige could feel nervousness risinginside her at that tone because it didn't portend anything good.

Paige and Christopher followedAgent Sauer to his office, both of them wondering what could have happened towarrant his stern tone. As they entered and took their seats, they glancedacross at one another.

"I've just been informed aboutwhat happened in the interrogation room," Sauer said.

Paige swallowed back her fear.Someone must have seen what happened in there and reported it to Sauer. Shehadn't been fast enough to stop Christopher.

"You assaulted a suspect,Marriott. What do you have to say for yourself?"

"I—" Christopher stoppedhimself. "I don't have any excuses. Except that I thought I was standingacross from the woman who killed Jennifer, and who murdered Paige'sfather."

"You thought?" Sauer said."If you'd been thinking you wouldn't have done anything like that. Wait,what do you mean, you thought?"

"Gia Ramirez is no longer asuspect to be the Exsanguination Killer," Paige said. "She's tooyoung to have committed the earliest murders."

"So not only did you assault asuspect, but she's also an innocent woman?" Sauer said. Paige could hearhis anger rising now, even though he was doing his best to control it."Can you imagine how that is going to look?"

"Gia Ramirez is a long wayfrom innocent," Paige replied. "We have video evidence of herattacking the patients she's meant to guard, she'll test positive for drugstoo, because she's been sneaking out of the St Just Institute to get high, thencheating the tests. I suspect she's probably a psychopath."

"That doesn't matter if shedidn't do this," Sauer snapped at her. "And I hear the two of youwere involved in a high speed chase to catch her."

"She ran when we went to talkto her," Christopher said. "The evidence pointed right at her."

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