The air pushed out of my lungs like I’d been punched in the gut. After everything I’d found, deep down I’d convinced myself that the killer was Adam, that I would be cleared to have a relationship with Cris. With that hope dashed, I struggled to grasp at any straw that pointed away from him. It just couldn’t be the man I’d been getting to know. Was I really that naïve? Was Cris so manipulative that he’d effortlessly pulled a blanket over my eyes to obscure the true horror inside him? For some reason, I felt angry at the agents for clearing Adam, as irrational as I knew that was. The logical side of my brain struggled to take over, to see this as a definitive piece of the puzzle. I replayed what Beck said in my head, looking for any loopholes but came up empty.

‘The profile points you’ve shared with me previously were pretty vague and you said you’d share more with me today. Can you tell me anything that specifically points to Cris?’

‘Yes, that’s what we want to go over with you, Liz,’ Beck replied. ‘The information we are going to share with you is highly confidential, and if leaked, it could drastically hinder the capture and prosecution of The Tri-State Killer. We need you to assure us that you’ll keep these details private. As we’ve mentioned, we normally wouldn’t share this much with anyone during an open investigation, however, your relation to the killer may be our best chance at catching him.’

‘Okay,’ I conceded, nerves bubbling to the surface. I was suddenly very aware of how dry my mouth felt so I reached forward and grabbed my glass of water off the coffee table, taking a large sip and clinging to it as Hannigan spoke. Nervously, I tapped my ring against the glass, making light pinging noises. I saw Beck’s eyes focus on my hand and I stopped immediately. My cheeks flushed.

‘We know we can’t stop you from seeing your grand uncle but we urge you to be careful. If you’re going to spend time with him, we want you to be aware of what to keep an eye out for. Even if you don’t think you’ve seen or overheard anything yet, you may at some point. I know it’s difficult to imagine a relative being capable of these heinous crimes and to feel like you’re betraying their trust but we just ask you keep an open mind. Not only for the case but for your safety as well,’ Beck said, gentle but with an edge to her words that conveyed the seriousness of the conversation.

I nodded and took another sip of water for lack of knowing what else to say or do.