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"I-Iwas just--I was just--" the man stammered, sweat pouring down his face."I was just admiring the exhibits. I'm fascinated by insects; that's why Icame here today. I didn't even notice anything was wrong until people startedpanicking."
Fionawatched the man's face closely, searching for any signs of deception, but allshe could see was raw fear. She couldn't fault him for that; the entiresituation was terrifying, especially if you were innocent.
She hadseen her fair share of criminals and liars during her time at the FBI, and thisman didn't quite fit the bill. But she couldn't let her guard down just yet.
"Isthere anything else you remember seeing or hearing while you were in this partof the museum?" Fiona asked, trying to catch him off guard.
The manshook his head frantically, his eyes wide with fear. "No, I swear. Ididn't see or hear anything suspicious. I was just minding my own business, Iswear."
Fionaexchanged a look with Jake, both of them silent as they weighed their options.They had no concrete evidence pointing towards this man, but something abouthim still didn't sit right with Fiona. She wasn't ready to give up on him justyet.
"Please,"Marc begged, his eyes filling with tears. "I swear, I didn't doanything!"
Fionastudied him for a moment longer, then looked away, her heart heavy with doubt.The exhibit buzzed with tension, the air thick with the scent of fear andsuspicion. Somewhere amidst the chaos, a killer could very well be hiding,waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike again—or perhaps, he had alreadytaken advantage of the confusion to slip away.
"Jake,"Fiona said quietly, her voice barely audible over the murmurs of the crowd."What if he's telling the truth?"
"Maybe,"Jake replied, his voice low and grim. "Maybe our killer is alreadygone."
Ashiver ran down Fiona's spine at the thought. The police were doing their bestto keep everyone calm and contained, but the atmosphere in the museum wasgrowing more oppressive by the second. If they didn't find some answers soon,panic would surely take hold.
Marcspoke up again, his voice shaky: "Can't you check the security footage orsomething? I wasn't even near the body when everyone started freaking out. Iwas by the dragonfly exhibit."
Fionaexchanged a look with Jake. That was a good point. If they could find footageof Marc from the same time they had footage of the killer, then it would clearhim. They needed to find the manager, Crosby, again and re-review that footage.
Jakenodded at a nearby police officer, who came over.
"Keepan eye on this man, please," Jake said to the officer.
Marcwas clearly shaken up but didn't protest as the police officer stood next tohim. With that, Jake nodded at Fiona.
"Let'sgo back to the security room."
Fionafollowed Jake out of the exhibit, the chaos slowly dwindling as they walked.Her mind was racing, trying to piece together everything she had seen and heardso far. The killer was smart, that much was clear. He had planned everythingmeticulously, from the trap with the beanie to the careful timing of themurder.
Butthey had something he didn't expect: the security footage. Fiona hoped thatthey would find something useful in the footage, something that would lead themto the killer.
As theyreached the security room, Crosby was inside, still hunched over the monitors.He looked up as they entered, his eyes bloodshot and tired. "Did you findanything?" he asked, his voice hoarse.
"Notyet," Jake replied, his expression grim. "But we need to review thatfootage again. I'm trying to rule out one of the guests as a suspect. He claimshe was by the dragonfly exhibit when the commotion started, so he should benear that area at the same time Daniel went into the bathroom."
Crosby nodded,rubbing his eyes wearily. "I'll pull up the footage for that area."
Fionawatched as Crosby's fingers flew over the keyboard, pulling up the relevantfootage. It was a jumble of grainy images and flickering lights, with peoplemilling around in front of the dragonfly exhibit. Fiona leaned in closer,trying to spot Marc McVey among the crowd.
"There,"she said suddenly, pointing to a figure in a white shirt. "That'shim."
Jakeleaned in as well, squinting at the monitor. "Can you rewind it abit?"
Crosbycomplied, rewinding the footage to a few minutes earlier. Fiona watched as Marcwalked into the frame, his backpack slung over his shoulder. He wandered aroundthe exhibit, pausing every so often to look at the various displays.
"That'shim," Fiona said again, feeling a sense of relief wash over her."He's innocent."
Jakenodded, his expression tired. "Well, I guess that settles that."
ButFiona was still uneasy. They might have cleared Marc as a suspect, but thatdidn't bring them any closer to finding the real killer. They were running outof time, and the longer the killer remained on the loose, the more lives wereat risk.
"Whatnow?" Fiona asked, turning to Jake. "We need to find moreleads."
