Page 8 of The Girl He Claimed

"I know," Christophersaid softly. "But we can't let her win. We have to keep working, keeppushing until we catch her."

Paige nodded, taking a deep breath.Christopher was right. They couldn't let the Exsanguination Killer get the bestof them. They had to keep fighting, keep searching for any clue that might leadthem to her.

"You're right," she said,her voice steady now. "Let's keep moving. Maybe we'll find something herethat will help us. Maybe we can make her regret choosing this spot."

They spent the next few minutesscouring the area, searching for any sign of evidence that might help themsolve the case. But there was nothing. As they neared the end of their search,Paige couldn't shake the feeling that they were missing something.

"There's nothing here,"Paige said. She'd been hoping that there would be some clue, some hint thatmight point her in the right direction. Instead, she and Christopher were leftstaring at the empty clearing, unable to escape the conclusion that there wassimply nothing there to find.

As Paige continued to look,Christopher's phone gave the beeping sound that announced he'd received amessage. He stared at it for a couple of seconds with obvious satisfaction.

"Maybe there doesn't need tobe,” he said. “We’ve got confirmation from Sauer: we can go talk to AdamRiker."

Paige was grateful for that, andnot just because it meant that she could leave this crime scene behind. If Adamkept his word, then they would soon have the Exsanguination Killer's identity.After that, it would simply be a case of tracking her down.

She and Christopher set off backdown the hiking trail, their footsteps crunching on the dirt beneath theirfeet. Paige felt a deep sense of relief as they left the clearing behind. Itwas as if the weight of the past had been lifted from her shoulders, and shecould once again focus on the present.

As they made their way back totheir car, Paige found herself wondering what Adam Riker would reveal. She knewthat he had information about the Exsanguination Killer, but she didn't knowhow much. Would he be able to give them a name? An address?

Paige felt the excitement build inher chest at the thought. The Exsanguination Killer had been a shadowy figurefor too long, preying on innocent people and leaving no trace behind. But now,finally, they had a lead. They had a chance to catch her.

When they reached their car,Christopher started the engine and pulled out onto the road. Paige sat in thepassenger seat, her mind racing with thoughts of what might come next. She knewthat they were one conversation away from getting what they needed to crackthis case. And yet, there was still so much they didn't know.

"Are you okay with doingthis?" Christopher asked.

"With getting the identity ofthe Exsanguination Killer from Adam?" Paige said, not quite understanding.

"With his price. You're goingto have to go in there and convince a serial killer that you went and killedsomeone to get the information he has. You're going to have to persuade himthat it was deliberate."

Paige swallowed at that thought.What had happened up on the rooftop had been an accident, but she knew shecouldn't portray it that way to Adam.

She had to make him believe thatshe was capable of doing something like that deliberately. She had to make himthink that she was a killer like him. It made her stomach churn just thinkingabout it, but she knew it was the only way.

"I'll do what needs to bedone," she said, determination in her voice. "Lying to Adam isn't aproblem if it means that we catch the Exsanguination Killer, Christopher."

Christopher nodded. "I know.And I'll be right there with you."

Paige smiled at him, grateful forhis support. She knew that she couldn't do this alone, and having Christopherby her side made her feel stronger.

As they drove towards theirdestination, Paige couldn't help but feel a sense of trepidation. She didn'tknow what to expect from Adam, or what other games he might try to play withher. But she knew that she had to be prepared for anything.

By this point, the St JustInstitute lay just ahead, the early afternoon sunlight shining down on theformer manor house. Paige's eyes weren't on the aging architecture, though, oron the wide expanse of greenery that constituted the facility's grounds.Instead, Paige found herself staring at flashing blue lights, a cluster ofpolice cars there in front of the main building.

A sense of dread started to fillPaige. "Something's wrong," she said.

"We don't know what,yet," Christopher replied, although he accelerated as he said it, speedingdown towards the St Just Institute. "This could be a coincidence. Thisplace holds plenty of dangerous people. Maybe there's been an attack on one ofthe staff, or two of the inmates have tried to kill one another.” He didn'tsound as though he believed it. Nor did Paige.

The timing of all this couldn't bea coincidence. It was something to do with Adam; Paige was sure of it.

Had the Exsanguination Killer hadhim killed? He'd gotten her to kill Jennifer, so she knew what he knew. Sheknew that he'd given away too much to Paige. Didn't it make sense for her to finda way to kill him? Especially if she'd somehow found out that Paige was comingto talk to Adam. Had she robbed them of the easy answers they'd been hoping toget?

As they pulled into the parkinglot, a uniformed police officer flagged them down, moving to intercept them.Christopher drew the car to a halt, rolling down the driver's side window.

"I'm sorry, folks, you can'tcome in right now. You'll have to come back later."

Paige pulled out her badge, holdingit up for the cop to see. "What's going on here? What happened?"

"We're still trying to workout exactly what's happened, Agent," the cop said. "But..."

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