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They didn’t know if she was alive or dead.
And Fiona wanted to believe her sister was alive. More than anything, she did.
Fiona took a moment to wonder what Joslyn would think of all this. Looking into the zoo reminded Fiona of a trip she took with her parents and Joslyn when she was a kid—how fascinated Fiona had been by all the insects, while Joslyn had been grossed out.
“Can we please go look at the pandas or something?” Joslyn had said while Fiona peered into an insect tank, marveling at the wings of a monarch butterfly.
“Not yet, Joslyn!” Fiona had exclaimed. “Just give me a few more minutes here, then we can go check out the pandas.”
“This blows,” Joslyn had said. “These bugs are all so gross. What do you even like about them?”
“They’re just so fascinating!” Fiona had exclaimed. “Look at their interesting bodies. They don’t look anything like us!”
“They look gross!” Joslyn fired back.
Fiona had just laughed and shaken her head. Joslyn never did understand her fascination with bugs.
As Fiona thought back on that moment, she realized how much she missed being able to share things like this with her sister. She wished they could have a conversation about bugs now and argue over which one was the most interesting or which one was the grossest.
Fiona smiled sadly at the memory, wishing she could have just one more day with her sister.
But, she reminded herself, wishing wouldn’t get her anywhere. She had to focus on finding the killer.
Fiona looked back at her screen, her mind still buzzing with questions. She knew she had to follow any lead she got, no matter how small.
Just then, the door opened and Jake came in, causing Fiona to flinch in surprise.
“Sorry, Red, didn’t mean to scare you,” he said, sliding into a chair beside her. He leaned over with intent on his face. “Well, I learned that Trish Walker had basically no enemies, but a bunch of creeps at the diner she worked at who harassed her sometimes. But all the girls there would get that, and none of them looked like likely culprits. They don’t seem to have the money or resources to get these bugs, or have access to Senator Barlow in any way.”
Fiona nodded. So, Jake didn’t have anything yet. “Well, it’s good we ruled them out,” she said.
“Do you have anything?” Jake asked eagerly.
Fiona bit her lip. “Maybe… I came across this guy, Douglas Applegate.” She turned the screen to Jake. “Trish visited the zoo he owns three weeks ago. Senator Barlow didn’t, though, so I’m not sure.”
“Well, a zookeeper could easily access the bugs we’re looking for,” Jake said. “No one would think twice about someone like him accessing these things.”
“Plus, he has a criminal record,” Fiona said, her confidence growing. “He was arrested for assault charges when he was twenty-three.”
Jake nodded. “It’s a good lead, Red. We should look into it.”
Fiona felt a warmth spread through her chest as Jake praised her. She was always so shy when it came to praise, but she could feel the sincerity in his words. She smiled and nodded, feeling a confidence swell within her.
“Thank you,” she said softly. “I hope it helps.”
“Only one way to find out,” Jake said, standing. “I say we go give this zookeeper a visit.”
Fiona smiled as she followed him out the door. Maybe this lead was the one. Maybe they were finally going to get their answers.
She hoped that was the case, because there were two victims now.
Fiona didn’t want to see a third.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
It was time to do it.
Time to face another fear.
