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“Is she still here?” Jake asked.
The chief nodded. “Yes, she’s in the living room.” He gestured for them to follow him and led them down the hall. As they walked, Fiona studied her surroundings, taking in all of the details of the house. It was a grand estate, with detailed woodwork and lush carpets. She could tell it had been well-maintained over the years and it was clear that the senator had been very wealthy and successful.
When they arrived in the living room, Fiona saw a young woman, probably not much older than thirty, with long brown hair sitting on the couch. Two other officers were in the room, but the chief gave them a signal, and they left Fiona and Jake alone with Maria, who had grief all over her pale face. Fiona felt for her; she could only imagine how traumatic it would be to find her father dead like that.
Jake went to sit down next to Maria and Fiona took a seat on the couch across from them. She wanted to give them some space but still be close enough in case they needed her help.
Maria looked up at Jake and Fiona with tears in her eyes, clearly struggling to find the words. “I found him,” she said softly. “He was just lying there, motionless, like he had been for hours.” Her voice broke as she spoke and Fiona could see how hard it was for her to keep talking about it.
Fiona reached out and took Maria’s hand in hers, giving it a gentle squeeze of understanding. She knew that sometimes physical contact could provide comfort when words couldn’t—and she hoped it would help in this situation too.
“We’re here to help you,” Jake said gently, his voice soft and kind. “We want to do everything we can to figure out what happened.”
“I’m so scared,” Maria said, her voice trembling as tears spilled down her cheeks. “I don’t understand how anyone could do this. I know my father wasn’t perfect, but…”
“We’ll do our best to find out who did this,” Jake promised solemnly. He looked into Maria’s eyes with such conviction that Fiona knew he meant every word he said—and that he’d stop at nothing until justice was served for the senator and his family. “Do you know anyone who might have done this?” Jake asked.
Maria sniffled and shook her head. “I don’t know. My father had a long list of controversies in his political career, and I’m sure many people might want him dead. I can’t think of anyone in particular.”
“Would you be able to make a list of potential names for us anyway?” Jake asked. “It would be really helpful.”
“Of course, I can try,” Maria said.
Fiona knew she should keep quiet—this was Jake’s area of expertise, and she hadn’t been given the go-ahead to start asking questions. But she couldn’t resist what had been bothering her earlier: “Did many people know your father had a bee allergy?”
Maria shook her head. “I… I don’t know. I’m not sure it ever came up. People probably knew. He golfed a lot with friends, so I would imagine it had come up before. Hornets, bees, and wasps were my father’s greatest fear, which makes this all so much more terrible.”
Fiona nodded sadly. It seemed like someone did know about the senator’s allergy, and that was a huge lead. She glanced at Jake, and he gave her a subtle nod, letting her know they were on the same page.
Fiona smiled back at him, feeling relieved that they had a direction to go in. She knew Jake would work tirelessly to find out who had done this and make sure justice was served. For now, though, she wanted to make sure Maria felt safe and supported.
“We’ll do everything we can to make sure this investigation is thorough and conclusive,” Fiona said, her voice gentle and reassuring. “You can trust us, Maria. We’re here to help.”
Maria gave her a small, grateful smile and nodded. Fiona could tell that she was feeling a bit better. She squeezed Maria’s hand one more time before letting go and standing up.
“We should get going,” Jake said, standing up as well. Fiona nodded in agreement, and they both said their goodbyes to Maria.
As they walked out of the house, Fiona glanced back one last time, feeling a bit of sadness for Maria and all that she had lost. She knew they would do their best to find out what had happened and to make sure justice was done.
She just hoped it would be enough.
Maybe this was a targeted attack on Maria’s father—but it was also possible the killer was out there, plotting his next attack.
CHAPTER SIX
Jake hadn’t admitted it to Fiona, but he really hated bugs. As they made their way through the hallway of the coroner’s office, he dreaded the sight he was about to see—the body of the senator who’d been stung to death by giant hornets. The photo alone had been enough to make Jake queasy.
Fiona seemed to notice his unease, because she said, “Are you okay, Jake?”
He forced a smile and nodded. “I’m fine,” he said, trying to sound more confident than he felt. He was determined to put on a brave face for the sake of the investigation—and for Maria’s sake. He knew what it was like to lose a parent at the hands of a killer, but Jake had never found justice; the person who murdered his mother got away with it. But he didn’t intend to let the same thing happen to Maria.
When they finally entered the autopsy room, Jake knocked, and a voice from inside said, “Come in.”
Swallowing hard, Jake opened the door. The coroner—a short, balding man—looked up at him, wearing a mask and safety glasses.
Jake’s heart sank at the sight before him, spread out on an examination table. The senator’s body was covered in giant welts where the hornets had stung him multiple times—it was clear that he had died a painful death. Fiona went stiff beside him, while Jake stood there, feeling sick to his stomach. He knew this was part of his job—but it didn’t make it any easier to see someone like this. He wished he could have done something to save Maria’s father, but now all he could do was find out who had done this.
“You must be the agents the FBI sent,” the coroner said. “I’m Robert Wilcox. I’ve had the honor of examining this man today.”
