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"Here'sthe footage from today," the manager said, pulling up the relevant videofiles. He hesitated, then added in a hushed tone, "I hope you findsomething that helps."
"Thanks,"Jake replied, offering a brief smile before turning his full attention to thescreens. Fiona leaned over his shoulder, watching as he meticulously examinedeach frame.
"Camerasdon't cover every inch of the museum floor," Crosby warned, fidgetingnervously. "But we've got most of the public areas covered."
"Still,it's better than nothing," Fiona murmured, her eyes glued to the screen asshe watched the events of the day play out in fast-forward. The exhibit hadbeen bustling with people right up until the lockdown, making it difficult todiscern any suspicious activity.
"Wait,"Jake said suddenly, pausing the footage. Fiona saw it too--a man wearing theexact same clothing as Daniel. It was him. Jake said, "There's Daniel.He's entering the restroom." They both scrutinized the screen, searchingfor any sign of the killer.
"Look,"Fiona whispered, pointing to the corner of the screen where a thin, wiry manappeared moments after Daniel exited the restroom. The man's face was obscuredby a black beanie hat, but there was something about his movements that sent achill down her spine.
On thescreen, the man ran into the bathroom. Moments later, he ran out.
Then,Daniel hobbled out of the bathroom, holding his chest. The blood was beginningto seep through his shirt, and it was obvious he'd just been stabbed. Fionawatched anxiously as Daniel limped off screen, where he presumably fell to theground, where they had found him and died. Fiona noted there was no trail ofblood, which was surprising, but it seemed to have all gotten caught inDaniel’s clothes.
Eventhough Fiona knew Daniel's fate, she still somehow hoped that it would enddifferently. But this was no movie. This was someone's life.
"Thatguy in the hat, that has to be the killer," Fiona said.
"Seemslike it," Jake agreed, his jaw clenched in determination. "We need tofind this guy before he slips away."
Fionaknew that time was running out. She couldn't help but wonder what sinisterpurpose had drawn the killer to the entomology exhibit and why he had chosenDaniel as his victim. As they left the security room, she felt the weight ofunanswered questions bearing down on her, as heavy and suffocating as the airinside the locked-down museum.
"Let'sget back to the main area and inform the police," Jake said, his voicegrim. "Every second counts."
As theyhurried through the dimly lit corridors, Fiona couldn't shake the image of thethin, wiry man with the black beanie hat from her mind. Who was he? What haddriven him to kill? And most importantly, would they be able to stop him beforehe struck again?
***
Alingering feeling of anxiety filled the air as Fiona and Jake emerged from themuseum hallways, back into the entomology exhibit. The entomology exhibitstretched before them, its glass cases twinkling under the harsh glare of thelighting. The police officers who had congregated in the main area snapped toattention at their approach.
"Anyluck?" asked a man in a jacket who Fiona recognized as Detective Abrams,the lead detective who'd arrived with the other officers. His eyes werebloodshot, likely from the stress of it all.
"Maybe,"replied Jake, his voice tight. "We found some security footage that mightbe helpful. There's a man we're looking for – tall, thin, wiry. He was wearinga black beanie hat."
"Blackbeanie, you say?" The detective raised an eyebrow.
Jaketook out his phone and showed the detective a photo of the security footage.
"Yousure this is our guy?" Abrams asked.
"Nothing'scertain," admitted Fiona, her gaze drifting over the worried faces of themuseum patrons, who huddled together like frightened insects themselves."But it's our best lead so far. We need to find him."
"Alright."The detective sighed, rubbing his stubbled chin. "Let's start by searchingall the people here. I'll tell my officers to look out for any discarded hatsor clothing."
As thepolice began to methodically search the crowd, Fiona couldn't help but feel agrowing sense of unease. It was as if the killer were watching them, biding histime until he could strike again.
"Jake,"she murmured, her eyes darting between the various exits, "do you reallythink we'll find him in time?"
"Idon't know," Jake admitted, his expression grim. "But we have to try.Let's split up."
As thesearch continued, Fiona found herself drawn to the glass cases that housed themuseum's prized specimens. The vibrant colors and intricate patterns of theinsects seemed to mock her, a cruel reminder of the simple beetle that had beenfound on Daniel's lifeless body. But she refused to let herself be distracted.They had a killer to catch.
Fionakept her eyes peeled for any sign of the man as she made her way back towardwhere most of the guests were gathered. She spotted one man--who was tall andhad a cleft chin--staring at her. Fiona did a double take of him, only toquickly realize he looked nothing like the man in the video. It couldn't behim.
Minutesticked by with no sign of the suspect. Fiona felt the weight of unansweredquestions bearing down on her, as heavy and suffocating as the air inside themuseum. Where was he? Was he still in the building, or had he managed to slipaway in all of the confusion?
Fionascoured her surroundings one last time before she finally conceded defeat.There was no sign of him anywhere. With a heavy heart, she joined Jake andDetective Abrams at the center of the room.
