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She stole a glance at Jake, who paced ahead of her, toward the house, which was blocked off by crime scene tape and had officers standing about. The front door was propped open, though, and they headed straight for that. Fiona was nervous about being back on a crime scene, and she hoped she’d be able to fill a bit of the void Jake was clearly feeling in Lauren’s absence.
An officer stood at attention when Jake and Fiona walked up to the door of the house. Jake flashed his FBI badge, while Fiona awkwardly flashed her lanyard. It displayed she was FBI, but she didn’t have a special badge, not like Jake did. She was a forensic analyst, after all, and Jake was an actual agent.
“We’ve been waiting for you,” the officer said. “This way. The scene is in the bathroom upstairs.”
“And the hornets?” Jake stopped, his face grim. “Have they all been extracted?”
The officer nodded. “From what we can tell, yes, we’ve gathered them up. Some got away and flew off somewhere, but there shouldn’t be any in the house.”
“Good.” Jake swallowed.
Fiona eyed him. Was he scared of hornets? Allergic? Japanese giant hornets were terrifying, no doubt, but Fiona had seen Jake chase a madman murderer through the woods.
“Let’s go,” he said, and they stepped into the house.
The inside of the home was as grand as its exterior. The walls were covered in paintings and photographs of Senator Barlow, and the furniture was ornate and elegant. Fiona felt a pang of sadness when she thought of how this beautiful home had become a crime scene. It seemed like such a waste.
They walked up the stairs, their footsteps echoing off the walls, until they reached the second floor. The bathroom door was ajar, with crime scene tape blocking it off. Fiona took in a deep breath before pushing open the door, steeling herself for what she might find inside.
The bathroom itself was pristine; everything seemed to be in its place, as if no one had ever been there at all. But then her eyes fell on the chair, where Senator Barlow had been found dead by his daughter that fateful morning. Fiona shivered at the sight; for a moment, she saw what she’d seen in the photo of him—his body still sitting there in that same position he’d been discovered in. She knew it was an illusion, of course—the forensics team had removed the body, taken pictures, and collected evidence—but it still made her shudder to think about how gruesome his death must have been.
Jake stood behind her, silent but present.Fiona could guess he was also imagining that the body was still here. Or maybe wondering what Lauren would have to say about the crime.
Fiona noticed a few drops of blood on the floor by the chair—probably from Senator Barlow’s body when it was moved. There were no signs of struggle or forced entry, so it seemed like whoever killed him must have known him well enough to get inside without any problems and release the hornets inside.
Jake wandered around the room, not saying much as he examined every inch of it. With a glove on, he ran his fingers along surfaces and studied objects carefully, looking for clues that might have been left behind by the killer. Fiona watched in awe as Jake worked through his investigation; she knew he had an eye for detail and could put together pieces of information quickly and accurately. He was truly an amazing agent, and Fiona felt lucky to be able to work with him. She hoped that if Lauren really had to leave, it would help Jake focus more on his work. She truly did think their relationship was a distraction—to both of them.
Even now, Jake didn’t seem fully in it.
He was methodical in his movements, but his eyes were dark, distant. Fiona could only imagine what he was thinking about, and she wished she could do something to help him feel better.
He was going through the motions, but Fiona could tell he was still distracted. She wanted to reach out and tell him that he didn’t need to pretend that he was okay, but she knew he wouldn’t want to talk about it right now.
So, Fiona stayed quiet and just watched as Jake went through the scene. She had her own job to do, after all, and she wanted to make sure she was doing it to the best of her ability. She examined the floor, looking for clues that might have been missed by the forensics team. She also looked at the walls, the ceiling, and the window for any signs of someone entering or leaving the room. Whoever had done this had to have come in and out undetected, which meant they knew the house well enough to know the best way to get in and out without anyone noticing.
As she examined the bathroom counter, she noticed something odd. A greeting card. It didn’t stand out at first, but Fiona inched it open and saw the words “Congrats on your buzzing success!” on it.
No one had signed it. But it was kind of eerie—the word “buzz”—considering how the senator had just been found dead.
“Did he accomplish anything recently?” Fiona asked Jake.
He came over to her and examined the card. “Huh. I don’t know. I figured that was just something that belonged to him.”
Hm, Fiona thought. It probably was just a card of his. What interested Fiona even more was the choice of insect. “Was it well known that the senator was allergic to bees and hornets?” Fiona asked.
“Not that I’m aware of,” Jake said.
Fiona peered back out into the hallway—and that was when she noticed something on the floor.
A blob-like stain, and the remains of what looked like bug guts. She stepped out of the bathroom to get a closer look.
“Maria, the senator’s daughter, stomped one out,” someone said. Fiona’s head snapped up to a tall officer in a chief’s hat. He nodded at her. “I’m Chief Kennedy. You must be the FBI team sent to help out.”
Fiona nodded as Jake stepped out of the bathroom. “Fiona Red,” she told him, “entomologist and forensic specialist.”
Jake shook the chief’s hand. “Special Agent Jake Tucker. Great work so far, collecting the insects.”
“Thank my team,” the chief said. “We had them sent to your lab. The body of this one, too.” He gestured down at the splotch on the floor. “As I’m sure you heard, the senator’s poor daughter was the one who found him. She’s lucky she didn’t get stung too.”
