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Fiona and Jake exchanged glances. It was a crime, but Fiona couldn’t help but admire Applegate’s dedication to animal welfare. He didn’t seem like a killer to her.
Jake and Fiona exchanged glances before Jake spoke again. “Well, that’s certainly an interesting story,” he said. “But we are here for something else. Do you keep insects at your zoo?”
“And arachnids?” Fiona asked.
“Some,” he said. “They aren’t my favorite. Why?”
“We are looking for someone who might have access to both Asian giant hornets and Sydney funnel web spiders.”
Applegate shrugged. “Well, those are very dangerous. I don’t have any interest in them.”
“Right…” Jake trailed off.
Fiona’s heart sank as she realized that this was her lead, and it was not looking like there was any reason to blame Applegate. Trish Walker had attended his zoo, but the senator hadn’t, and their reason to blame him was flimsy at best. Still, Fiona imagined for a moment that he was the killer—if he were, then he would surely have planned out an act, a diversion such as this, to throw them off.
They needed to know his alibi for the murders. The spider had been placed in Trish Walker’s apartment last night. If he couldn’t corroborate his innocence, then they’d have further reason to pursue him.
Well, Mr. Applegate, can you tell us where you were last night?” Fiona asked, leaning forward in her seat.
Applegate frowned in thought. “Let’s see… I was here all night. I had some paperwork to catch up on and was working in my office until late.”
“Can anyone confirm that?” Jake asked.
Applegate thought for a moment before shaking his head. “No, I was here alone. But my security cameras would have caught me coming and going if I had left.”
“May we take a look at the footage?” Jake asked.
“Of course,” Applegate said, standing up and taking out his phone. “Everything is online these days. I have access to the zoo’s full security right here on this app.”
As they watched the footage, Fiona’s heart sank further. Applegate had been telling the truth; he had been in his office all night. There was no way he could have been the one to plant the spider in Trish Walker’s apartment.
Jake seemed to be thinking the same thing, because he turned to Fiona with a disappointed expression.
Fiona sighed. She had been hopeful that this would go somewhere, but it seemed like talking to Applegate was only going to waste time.
Jake must have agreed, because he said, “Well, Mr. Applegate, I think we’ve taken up enough of your time.”
“That’s it?” Applegate asked. “Okay then. Are you going to report me?”
Jake looked down at Fiona. She shook her head, silently begging Jake not to. There was some moral gray area here. Clearly, Applegate cared more about animals than this Pinewood Zoo did, and Fiona would hate to see that poor little monkey hurt.
“No,” Jake said finally. “But I can’t stop whatever happens when that zoo realizes you stole what is technically their property. You might think you’re in the right here, but these things have a way of coming back around.”
Fiona breathed a sigh of relief. She knew it was wrong to keep this a secret, but she also believed that Applegate had the best interests of the animal at heart. They could only hope that he would find a way to improve their conditions in the future.
“Well, I appreciate that,” Applegate said. “I’m planning on taking the little guy into my zoo so he can live a happy life with the other animals. He won’t be living in my house forever, trust me.”
Fiona smiled, glad to hear that the monkey would be taken care of.
Jake nodded, standing up. “That’s good to know. Now, if you don’t mind, we have to be on our way.”
Fiona and Jake left Applegate’s house, and Fiona felt both relieved and disappointed. Relieved that the man was not a bad person, but disappointed that her lead hadn’t led them anywhere.
Outside the house, they stood under the afternoon sun. Fiona looked up at Jake, who sighed.
“Well, now what?” Jake asked. “I think we can both agree Applegate isn’t our guy.”
“I don’t think so,” Fiona murmured. “I’m sorry, this was my lead…”
