I crossed my legs underneath me on the couch, pulling my warm silver laptop closer in my lap. I couldn’t believe it was already Thursday. This week had been a blur after the emotional exhaustion of the week before, so I was grateful to have a day working from home. I’d tried calling Adam countless times since discovering he’d lied about the boat show on Saturday but was met with his suave outgoing message every time. It was hard to focus on work when all I could think about was the identity of TSK. I constantly grappled back and forth, one moment thinking it had to be smooth-talking Adam, and the next worrying about just how meticulous Cris was and how little I actually knew about him. Even if it wasn’t Cris, the fact was, I still shared genes with a sociopath and it was very likely the killer was one of the two relatives I’d come in contact with. Cris or Adam. I felt doomed either way but was desperate to know the truth.

Opening up a blank Word document on my laptop screen, I started typing out some points from the killer’s profile. Next to the profile points I made two columns: one for Cris and one for Adam. I could check off a tally mark for each trait they fit and maybe once I laid it out, it would be clearer who was a stronger match.

First, TSK had to be in his sixties or seventies and have lived in the Tri-State Area. A mark for each of them. Second, TSK likely had a job where he travelled weekends. A definite mark in the Cris column but Adam’s was more ambiguous. A question mark in his column. Third: TSK would probably appear normal, maybe even charming. Cris was socially awkward and even though our bond was deepening the more time we spent together, I wouldn’t necessarily call him charming. But Adam, well, he definitely fit the charming aspect, even if it did come across as a little creepy. He was calm, confident, and skilled at being disarming enough to get personal information, like when he’d asked about my age and relationship status and given me a nickname in our brief call. Sure, that could have been innocent, but I could see him being able to manipulate young women into trusting him. Definite check mark. They both had some sort of tie to drugs so that one wasn’t a helpful distinction. A check for both. Good with technology: well, Cris was tinkering with things in his garage and Adam was in the AV Club. Check and Check. Ugh! I caught sight of the time on the top right-hand corner of my laptop screen and I realized how behind schedule I was. I minimized the document comparing my two relatives and rubbed my eyes. I’d have to continue that debate later.