AllFreeNovel
Share Us
But whywould he do that? What was Gavin trying to hide, and why?
"Doyou usually come to museums alone?" Jake asked Gavin.
Gavinnodded. "Yeah, I like to take my time and really appreciate the exhibits.It's hard to do that with large groups."
Jakenodded thoughtfully. "I see. And have you noticed anything suspiciouswhile you were here?"
Gavinshook his head. "No, not really. Just the usual crowd of people looking atthe exhibits."
Fionawatched Jake carefully, hoping he would pick up on something she had missed.But the man's answers were too vague, too rehearsed. She couldn't shake thefeeling that Gavin was hiding something.
Fionastepped forward, her eyes fixed on Gavin's face. "I'm sorry, but I justcan't shake the feeling that you know something," she said, her voice lowand urgent.
Gavin'sexpression remained impassive, but Fiona could see something flicker in hiseyes. Was it fear or guilt? She couldn't tell.
"Justwhat are you getting at?" he asked, his voice laced with a hint ofirritation.
Fionatook a step closer, her instincts telling her that she was on the right track."I think you're holding something back from us, Gavin. You seem toocalm."
"Well,I apologize if I'm not shaken up enough," Gavin said. "I'm justtrying to save face. Do you think I like seeing somebody get killed in public?For all I know, that could have been me. Believe me; I won't be coming back toone of these things."
Fionaopened her mouth to speak, but she had nothing else to add. Maybe she wasgrasping at straws here. The footage of the man in the black beanie was theirstrongest piece of evidence, and Gavin simply didn't fit.
"Thankyou for your time," Jake said to Gavin. "We'll let you know if weneed anything else."
Feelingfoolish, Fiona followed Jake away toward an empty part of the hall. They duckedbehind an exhibit case, blocked off from view of the others. Fiona felt like anidiot like she was so desperate to point fingers that she'd chosen the firstguy who seemed suspicious, but she needed to have better control than that.Maybe this case was getting to her.
"Hey,"Jake said, placing his hands on her arms. "I get why you'd suspect him,but he's not getting out of here either way. The whole place is being put onlockdown again, so if Gavin does know something, we'll find out. For now, weneed to focus on searching the place again in case the killer's still inhere."
Fionanodded, taking a deep breath to steady herself. She knew Jake was right. Theyneeded to keep their heads on straight, no matter how much the case was gettingto them. There was still work to be done, and they couldn't afford to lose sightof their objectives.
"Okay,"she said, her voice firm. "Let's get to work."
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
Theexhibit now lay vacant, cordoned off once more as the guests were held in aseparate area for questioning. Fiona's footsteps echoed through the empty hallways,bouncing off displays of beetles and delicate butterflies pinned behind glass.This was the non-live section, where deceased bugs were put on display. Shescrutinized every detail, desperate to find the link between the victims andtheir killers.
"Alright,Fiona. Think," she muttered to herself. "What do these murders havein common?"
Herfrustration mounted as she paced back and forth, her shoes clicking against thepolished floor like a metronome. The clues were right there in front of her,but they continued to elude her grasp.
"Deadbugs on the victims' foreheads. All different, all common insects," sherecited, her brow furrowing as she tried to make sense of it all. "Therehas to be a reason."
Fionafelt the weight of the case pressing down on her once again, threatening tosuffocate her in its complexity. Every lead seemed to turn into a dead end, andwith each passing moment, the killer remained at large.
"Comeon, Fiona. You can do this," she whispered to herself, determinationsurging through her veins. She refused to let this case go unsolved, no matterhow insurmountable the odds seemed. Somehow, she would find the connection andbring the killer to justice. For the victims, for their families, and forherself.
Fionapaused for a moment, her gaze drawn to a display with a plaque that read:"This exhibit is made possible by the generous donation of BradleyCaine." She studied the insects encased in glass, their patterned wingsand multifaceted eyes appearing almost lifelike. Fiona couldn't help but marvelat the sheer number of rare specimens that Bradley Caine had provided for theexhibit. There was something about his name that lingered in the back of hermind, but she couldn't quite place it.
Sheneeded to focus. She tore her eyes away from the display. She knew there was aconnection between the murders, and she was determined to find it.
As shecontinued toward the main area, the muffled voices of the detained guests grewlouder, a cacophony of fear and confusion. But Fiona couldn't afford to bedistracted; her thoughts were consumed by the killer's motivations.
Deadbugs on the victims' foreheads – why? Seymour Smith with a caterpillar, DanielBoone with a beetle, and now Cole Granger with a fly... There had to be areason they were all different but common insects.
Fionafelt the pieces of the puzzle slowly starting to click together in her mind, atantalizing thread of logic just beyond her reach. As she thought of the deadinsects in the exhibit and how each victim had been found with a dead bug lefton their forehead, the connection began to solidify.
"Deadbugs in the exhibit... dead bugs left on the victims..." Her voice trailedoff as her thoughts raced, propelling her ever closer to the truth. The answerwas there, on the cusp of her understanding, and she knew she was close tounraveling the mystery that had plagued her for so long.
