Paige's guess was that he would be angry, and she didn't want to think about what an angry serial killer might do to anyone there in the house when he showed up.
"And were you told anything about the house's history when you bought it?" Christopher asked, sounding just as worried as Paige felt right then.
Looks of concern came over the couple’s faces then. "What is it? There aren't bodies buried under it, or something?"
Paige wished that she could say no, but with Adam, it was impossible to be sure. Only no, there couldn’t be, not that anyone knew about. If any murders had actually occurred in the house, the realtor would have had to declare that. They didn't have to declare the connection to a serial killer though.
"Was there anything you were told about the previous owners that made you think twice about the purchase?"
"Nothing," the woman said. "It was a good price. There was some work that needed to be done after we moved in, but we didn't mind that."
"What about the neighbors?" Paige asked. “Have you spoken to them about this place?”
"It's a quiet area," the man said. "Our nearest neighbors are at least a mile away. Most of the other people around here are older. I think some of them have been here for years. Seriously, what's all this about?"
Christopher gave the children around the couple's feet a pointed look, obviously not wanting to talk about Adam in front of them. The woman seemed to get the message, ushering them inside.
"Ok, kids, that's enough looking at the strangers. Go and play in your room. We need to talk to them."
“Mom!”
“Now, please.”
They complained, but at least they went, hurrying back inside the house. It left Paige and Christopher free to talk about the difficult part of all this: what had happened here, and just who might be coming.
"This house used to belong to the family of a man named Adam Riker," Christopher said.
Paige saw the shift in the expressions of the couple there at the door as they started to understand what was going on. They knew exactly who Adam was. They must have seen the news reports, seen the crime scenes. Adam Riker was infamous.
"Oh my God," the wife said. "And you’re here because… oh my God... is he coming here? I mean, do you think he's coming here?"
"It's possible. We can't be sure, I don’t want to worry you, but it's possible," Christopher said.
"Why would he come here?" the man said. "What would he want with us?"
Paige shook her head. "It's not about you, personally. It's about this place. It's about him wanting to return to the place where he grew up now that he's free again. It’s about him wanting to find some kind of closure.”
“A serial killer wants closure?” the man said. “But we don’t know him. We just bought this place.”
“It won't matter that he doesn't know you. What matters is that he’s trying to return home, and this isn’t his home anymore. When he gets here… he won't be happy that it has changed."
She was certain of that much from her sessions. Adam didn't react well to things not being the way he expected them to be. He liked being the one in control of things.
"So what are you saying?" the woman asked.
"You might be in danger if you stay here," Christopher said.
That was put more bluntly than Paige would have said it, but that didn't make it any less true. Adam was a dangerous man, and there was no telling what he might do.
"Are you saying that we should go?" the man asked.
"Your safety is our top priority. But if you had somewhere else that you could go for a few days, it would be for the best," Christopher said.
Paige saw the man bristle slightly at that suggestion.
"You think we should just up and run because of the possibility that some escaped prisoner might be coming here? You think I can't protect my own family?"
Paige could understand that feeling of protectiveness, and that ego driven desire not to back down from any danger, but she also knew just how dangerous it could be, for both this man and his family. He didn’t know what was coming, not really. Unlike Paige, he hadn’t sat down opposite Adam, and seen that dead expression staring back.