AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“No, not at all,” Fiona said. “These hornets are not native to North America, and they’re difficult to obtain. We’ll need to find out who had access to them.”
But first, a thorough examination was necessary, to confirm if he had been drugged or if anything else had happened to him beforehand.
Fiona began to take samples from the senator, extracting and labeling them for further testing. She collected tissue, hair, and blood samples, as well as any other evidence that could potentially help with the investigation.
Once she was done collecting the samples, Fiona sealed them in individual bags and handed them to the coroner. “These should help us figure out what happened,” she said. “Please get toxicology reports back to us ASAP.”
The coroner nodded, impressed with Fiona’s efficiency. “Will do. In the meantime, I’ll continue with the autopsy and see if I find anything else.”
Fiona nodded in agreement. “Please let us know if you find anything unusual.”
Fiona took a deep breath and stepped back, looking at the senator’s body once more.
She couldn’t help but feel a sense of sadness for him. Whatever he may have done in his life, no one deserved to die in such a painful and gruesome way. Fiona couldn’t imagine the terror he must have felt as the hornets attacked him, and the agony he must have endured in his final moments.
But she pushed those thoughts aside and focused on the task at hand. She needed to find out who was responsible for this, and why they had chosen such a cruel method of killing.
***
Waiting in the hallway, Jake crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. He’d been trying to focus on the case—to not let Lauren slip into his mind—but it was near impossible now that he was alone.
Jake couldn’t deny the void he felt with Lauren not being here. He kept feeling like she was back at a hotel somewhere, or out there interviewing other witnesses or potential suspects, but he knew that wasn’t the case.
Maybe I should call her,he thought.
Yes, definitely. He couldn’t just let her move to Quantico on a whim. Lauren belonged here, in Portland. Even if she wasn’t his partner anymore, he’d hate to see the FBI here lose one of their best.
He took out his phone.
Jake dialed Lauren’s number, expecting her to pick up right away. But the phone kept ringing and ringing, until finally it went to voicemail. He hung up without leaving a message, not wanting to sound desperate or clingy. He knew he had no claim over her anymore, that she was free to make decisions for herself now. But his heart still ached at the thought of her being so far away from him.
He tried calling again, but the same thing happened—no answer. Jake sighed in frustration, feeling helpless and hopeless all of a sudden. He wanted to reach out and tell her how he felt about her—that he didn’t want her to leave Portland and that he’d miss working with her on cases like this one.
He went to send her a text, just saying “please call me,” but when he sent it, it didn’t go through. He tried again, but none of his messages would deliver.
Confused, Jake tried to call her again. But this time, the call wouldn’t even connect.
She’d blocked him.
His heart sank. In all their years of ups and downs, Lauren had never gone this far.
And he knew now, more than ever, that Lauren was serious.
She was leaving him, and she wasn’t coming back.
Jake had been the one too afraid to commit, and yet now that it was over, he felt lost, alone, and helpless. If he’d listened to her at the time, this wouldn’t have happened. He could have prevented this, and yet he let it happen.
Memories of Lauren flitted through his mind. Not just of their partnership at the FBI—of their actual relationship, outside of work. The nights spent together. The laughs. The true highs.
He thought of all the times they’d laughed together, and of all the conversations they’d shared that made him feel like he could conquer anything. He thought of how strong his feelings were for her, and how much he wished he’d acted on them sooner.
But now it was too late. Lauren was gone, and Jake knew he’d never get another chance with her again.
He was losing more than his partner—he was losing the woman he’d been in love with for years now. Even all those times when they broke up, he’d never gone after anyone else. In hindsight, he realized that was a huge sign as to how he really felt about her. Whenever they broke up, he never even thought about trying to date someone else. Lauren was the only one he’d been with in years.
God, what have I done?
And now he didn’t have Lauren as his girlfriend or his partner. Every case moving forward, he’d have to do without her. No more brainstorming sessions, no more late nights theorizing. They’d built trust together, and when in dangerous situations, they always had each other’s backs.
