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“Did she mention why?” Jake asked, swallowing hard.
“She said she wanted a change of scenery,” Chief Whittaker said, “and that being in Portland for so long was making her feel trapped. She wanted to try her hand at being an agent elsewhere, and I think it’s very admirable of her.”
Fiona offered Jake a sympathetic look, but he didn’t have it in him to acknowledge it. Fiona knew about his relationship with Lauren, so she probably inferred what had really happened. Jake felt like a jerk for being relieved Lauren hadn’t told the chief the truth.
“Oh,” Jake said. “That’s too bad. Agent Price is a great agent.”
“Yes, well, you’ve been partners for long enough,” the chief said. “We’ll have to find you another. Until then, you have Ms. Red here to work alongside you, and like I said on the phone, I think you’re going to like having her around on this one.”
Fiona wore a pleased smile, and Jake shot her an inquisitive look. He had no idea what this was about, but clearly, Fiona already did.
He wanted to be excited about work, but it was hard to think straight when he was faced with the reality that Lauren was leaving for real.
“So, here’s the case,” the chief began, and Jake reminded himself to pay attention. “You know Senator Chris Barlow, right?”
Jake nodded. He was a senator in Portland, recently retired. He’d been known for his controversial takes on helping the homeless—which essentially meant no help for them at all. He’d been known to vote against bills that would contribute to public aid and public health measures, and was vehemently against equal rights for the lower class, a capitalist at heart who believed only the best could rise to the top, and that people had to work hard for their money, or get none at all. So to say he wasn’t a crowd favorite would be an understatement.
“Of course, sir,” Jake said. “He’s not the public’s favorite senator.”
“No, he’s not,” the chief said. “He was also found dead last night.”
Jake exchanged a look with Fiona, who wore a grim expression.
“And that’s not all,” the chief said. He took out a file, removed a paper from it, then handed it to Jake.
What he saw made his stomach churn.
A man with graying hair sat on a chair in a bathroom—his face so puffed up and swollen he was barely recognizable. He was also covered in what looked like blisters. Jake had no idea what the hell happened here, but it looked gruesome.
“Those are stings from Asian giant hornets,” Fiona said, and Jake’s stomach dropped. This wasn’t making any sense. “Mr. Barlow was allergic to bee stings in general, but even the average person would be unlikely to survive being trapped in a room with so many of them.”
“What the hell?” Jake said. Fiona was the bug expert, not him, but: “Why the hell were giant Japanese bees in Chris Barlow’s house?”
“That’s what we need you to figure out,” the chief said.
Jake was still trying to wrap his head around the situation. He knew that Asian giant hornets were rare in the United States, and they had never been spotted near Portland until now. It seemed like a supernatural occurrence, and he couldn’t believe that someone would have deliberately unleashed them on the senator.
He tried to focus on the case at hand, but his mind kept wandering back to Lauren’s departure. He wished she could be here with him, helping him figure out what happened to Chris Barlow. But it was too late for that now—she was gone, and Jake had no idea when or if he’d ever see her again.
He glanced down at the photo of Chris Barlow again and shuddered. How had this happened? What kind of person would do something so heinous? He felt a chill run down his spine as he realized just how big this case was going to be—and how dangerous it might turn out to be for him and Fiona if they weren’t careful.
“There’s only one death so far,” the chief said, “and normally, this would be left to law enforcement, but given the high-profile nature of the victim and the obscure manner of his death, I think you two are the best fit for the job. Fiona, your expertise in entomology could be invaluable on this case.”
Fiona nodded. “I’m on it, Chief. I won’t let you down.”
“And Tucker,” the chief said, “this is your first case without Agent Price, so you’re gonna have to be doing the work of both of you. Think you can handle it?”
Jake swallowed hard. He was sure he could handle the investigating. But emotionally, he could already feel the gaping hole in his life from Lauren not being here. Still, he had to be professional.
“Of course, sir,” Jake said. “I can handle this.”
At least, he hoped he could. The way the senator had died felt very targeted, and Jake could only imagine that whoever would do something as vile as this had to be evil at heart.
They were out there, somewhere in this city, maybe getting ready to take out their next victim.
***
Fiona could tell something was wrong with Jake the moment he’d come through the chief’s door.
