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"Seemsso," Jake agreed, a frown creasing his forehead. "We'll have to hand himover to the local authorities for the theft."
Fionaleaned back in her chair, frustration simmering beneath the surface. Shecouldn't shake the feeling that they were so close, yet still missing somethingcrucial. Her mind raced through the evidence they'd collected so far, desperatefor any scrap that might lead them closer to the truth.
"Arewe back to square one then?" she asked, her voice barely audible as shechewed on her bottom lip.
"Maybenot," Jake replied, absently rubbing the back of his neck. "There hasto be something connecting these murders, some clue we're overlooking."
"Right,"Fiona agreed. If Dave was a dead-end, then they would just have to keeplooking.
***
Fionawas beginning to feel like this investigation was going to drive her mad.
She andJake were hunched over their laptops. The hum of their machines mixed with thedistant echoes of footsteps, creating an atmosphere of tense anticipation.Fiona's fingers flew across her keyboard, wanting to leave no digital stoneunturned in her search for answers. And yet she wasn't sure how it all tiedtogether.
Shewanted to look at the victims themselves first before she kept going.
"Lookat this," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "The firstvictim, the man the docent found, was Seymour Smith, forty years old, aconstruction worker from Nevada. No criminal record, single, no connections toanyone involved in the exhibit, it seems."
Jakeglanced over, his brow furrowed. "And the second victim--what do we knowabout him?"
Fionascanned over Daniel's file, disturbed by the memory of his lifeless body fromthe day before. "Daniel Boone, twenty-three years old. College studentsvisit the exhibit with friends. Also no criminal record. Different states,different profiles." Fiona sighed, rubbing at the bridge of her nose."But there has to be something linking them. I can feel it."
"Couldit be the bugs?" Jake asked, leaning back in his chair and running a handthrough his hair. "That's the only connection we've found so far betweenthe two victims. Seymour had a caterpillar on his forehead, and Daniel had abeetle."
"Maybe,"Fiona replied, her mind racing with possibilities. "The bug has to meansomething, right? Some sort of signature or message from the killer. Somethingabout a beetle and a caterpillar..."
"Onlyone way to find out," Jake said, determination lacing his voice."This is your world, Red. We have to find the connection. What have yougot?"
Fionanodded, her fingers once again flying across the keys as she delved into the underbellyof entomology. She felt certain that if she could just decipher the meaningbehind the bugs, they would finally have a solid lead on their killer. Yet asshe scrolled through page after page of information, she found nothing thatseemed relevant. There were countless articles on insects and their varioususes throughout history, but nothing that connected to their case--nothingabout insect placement on people's foreheads, and nothing about a caterpillarand a beetle meaning anything.
"Anything?"Jake asked, his voice tinged with frustration.
"Nothing,"Fiona admitted, her heart sinking. "There's just...nothing."
"Dammit,"Jake cursed under his breath. "What are we missing here?"
Fionaclosed her eyes for a moment, attempting to calm the storm of thoughts swirlingthrough her mind. She knew they were missing something, some vital piece ofinformation that would bring everything into focus. But try as she might, shecouldn't see it.
"Maybewe need to take a step back," she suggested, opening her eyes and lookingover at Jake. "Reexamine the evidence from a different angle."
"Ormaybe we're just grasping at straws," Jake replied, the harsh reality oftheir situation weighing heavily on his shoulders.
"Eitherway," Fiona said, meeting his gaze with unwavering determination, "wecan't give up. We owe it to those victims to find their killer, no matter howlong it takes or how many dead ends we face."
"Agreed,"Jake murmured, his resolve strengthening in the face of Fiona's conviction.Together, they returned their focus to their laptops, refusing to let despairwin. The answer was out there, hidden somewhere within the depths of theirinvestigation. And they would find it, no matter the cost.
Fionajust hoped they wouldn't be too late.
For allthey knew, the killer could already be long gone in another state.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Theentomology exhibit had reopened, and he was pleased to be back again.
Hestepped into the brightly lit room with a sense of purpose. Around him,security guards and police officers lingered, their eyes scanning the crowd foranything suspicious. But he paid them no mind; they were merely backgroundnoise in his quest. He had done well to disguise his appearance and knew nowthat he was safe to walk freely, even with the police and security presencelooking for him. He even smiled at an officer and nodded as he continued intothe exhibit.
Hemoved from display to display, his dark eyes taking in the preserved insectslike a connoisseur surveying a rare wine collection. His hands remained tuckedbehind his back, betraying nothing about the storm raging within him.
