Even though this was what I’d assumed it meant, having it confirmed that I might be related to a criminal on the FBI’s radar made my stomach drop. Was I their link to a mysterious criminal hiding out there in the shadows? If they were talking to me about my match, that meant they likely didn’t know who their suspect was. I hated to admit it but part of me was intrigued to hear more. What did my biological family get me involved in?

‘What crime is it?’ I asked.

Hannigan and Beck shared a quick look. ‘We can’t go into too much detail at this time,’ Hannigan continued. ‘But we can tell you that we’re looking into multiple homicides that cross state lines—’

‘Wait,’ I interrupted, my pulse racing. ‘Multiple homicides. So, you’re talking about a serial killer?’ Travis leaned forward on his seat.

After a tense pause, Beck said, ‘We just have a couple of questions we’re hoping you can answer to help us in our investigation.’

‘But are you saying Liz is related to a serial killer?’ Travis persisted.

‘I’m afraid we really can’t get into specifics at this time,’ Beck said. Hannigan made another note in his notebook. ‘But can you please tell us if you’ve had contact with any male members of your biological family since completing the DNA analysis?’

Her determination to neither confirm nor deny my suspicion that they were investigating a serial killer case, made me pretty confident that my fears were founded. What else could multiple homicides mean? My heart thudded wildly in my chest, the pulsating sound in my ears was almost deafening. The small kernel of excitement I felt earlier gave way to complete panic. Can I really be related to a monster? This wasn’t about a theft or some white-collar crime. They were talking about murder. And not just one murder. The level of danger I could potentially be walking into by searching out my biological family just multiplied exponentially. Pulling myself out of an oncoming downward mental spiral, I tried to refocus.

‘I’ve only had contact with my grand uncle on my mother’s side, and there’s no way he could be involved in something like this. I’ve spent a little time with him and his wife and they’ve been so kind. From what I’ve gathered so far, the only other relatives on my mother’s side have long since died or moved away. No one seems to know anything about my dad’s side at this point. Is it possible there is some kind of mistake?’

Hannigan looked up from his notebook. ‘Do you have your biological father’s name?’