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“Yes,” Jake said firmly. “So unless you have something useful to add, I suggest you keep your comments to yourself.”
Theo looked between them, his expression unreadable. He seemed to be searching for something in their faces—some sign that they were bluffing. After a few moments of silence, he spoke again. “Fine,” he said finally. “Maybe I do have access to those insects, but if I wanted Senator Barlow dead, why would I use such an obscure method? It’s not like it’s easy to obtain Asian giant hornets.”
“Then you should have no problem letting us take a few specimens from your collection,” Fiona said. “If they’re related to the hornets in the senator’s home, I can find that out.”
Theo sighed, although his expression had softened slightly. “Fine,” he said. “Take what you need.” He stood up and motioned for them to follow him. “Let’s go to the lab, and I’ll show you what I have.”
CHAPTER TEN
In the lab at the FBI headquarters in Portland, Fiona used a magnifying glass to make the giant hornets she had in containers in front of her even larger. On the left, she had a specimen taken from Theo’s lab, and on the right, a specimen found at Senator Barlow’s house.
On the surface, each looked the same; an Asian giant hornet. But as an entomologist, Fiona knew which tiny details to look for to discover if they were from the same hive or not.
She studied the wings of each hornet, noting their different patterns. She examined the antennae and noticed that one was slightly longer than the other. And when she looked at the thorax, she saw that one had a small discoloration on it while the other did not.
After comparing every aspect of both hornets in detail, Fiona concluded that they were not related. One was a genus from Japan, the other, East Asia. She could tell by comparing the shape of their bodies, their stripes, and their stingers.
She sighed, leaning back from the table. Maybe it wasn’t Theo after all—but then again, someone like him could easily have accessed the other strain of hornets. Someone had killed the senator with them. If not Theo, then who?
He wasn’t in the clear yet, not completely, but Fiona was finding herself losing hope by the second. Theo had always annoyed her, but she had to admit she had a hard time picturing him doing this.
As disappointing as her findings were, Fiona had to tell Jake. Peeling off her gloves and sliding off her lab coat, she went back into the hallway, where Jake was waiting for her. He looked up when he saw her.
“Any news?” he asked.
Fiona sighed. “They are not related. I’m feeling less confident that Theo is the killer.”
Jake nodded, his expression tight. “His girlfriend claims he’s been with her too. I found out they were at a conference for a week and got back just before the senator’s body was found, but he’s been dead for a lot longer than that. There was evidence of their travel, but still, I thought maybe if the hornets matched, Theo could still be our guy, somehow. But I guess he’s not.”
Fiona sighed. The alibi, combined with the hornets, was enough to convince her that Theo was a jerk, but he was not a murderer. They’d spent all this time on him for nothing. The day had slipped away from them, and it was already getting late. They needed to come up with more suspects—cross-reference more names from the list. But Jake was the lead on this, so she let him lay out his game plan.
“I say we grab a place to crash so we can keep working through the night and be up early,” Jake said. “There’s a decent hotel not far from here.”
Fiona thought about it for a moment, then nodded in agreement. They had been working hard all day, and she knew they needed the rest if they were going to solve this case. “Okay,” she said finally. “Let’s get a hotel.”
***
“I’m afraid we’re booked pretty tight,” the receptionist at the hotel said, and Fiona watched as Jake sighed, stressed.
“Well, do you have any larger suites available?” he asked. “Any with multiple rooms?”
The receptionist’s fingers clacked against her keyboard, and she looked up at Jake and said, “Actually, we have the penthouse suite—it’s a bit pricey, but you get two private rooms and a shared living area.”
“Sounds perfect,” Jake said.
But Fiona’s face flushed at the idea. It was like they were moving into an apartment together for the night. She liked that they could have a shared space to work, but she hoped their rooms weren’t too close together.
The receptionist handed them their keys, and they stepped into the elevator. When they reached the top floor, Fiona’s nerves were on edge. She felt like she was in a movie as they stepped out into the hallway and made their way to the penthouse suite.
When they opened the door, Fiona gasped in awe. The suite was beautiful—it had two large bedrooms with king-sized beds, a fully stocked kitchenette, and a living room that led out to a balcony with an incredible view of the city skyline. As beautiful as it was, Fiona reminded herself this was no vacation; a man was dead, and it was up to them to find out what had truly happened to him.
She couldn’t help but feel nervous about spending a night in the same suite as Jake, though, even if they were in different rooms. It was still very close for comfort. But Jake didn’t seem bothered as he tossed his overnight bag into one of the rooms. Fiona did the same, tossing her bag on the massive bed. This hotel suite really did feel like its own apartment—it was nicer than her actual home.
Fiona glanced into the living area, where Jake was loosening his tie and plopping down on the couch. Fiona reminded herself to stay professional; they were colleagues, and this was work. There was no need to act like a nervous high school girl.
Just as Fiona was taking out her laptop, her phone buzzed.
It was Mark.
