AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Jake shot Fiona a frown, likely not realizing what she was thinking. She'd have to explain.
If she was right, then someone from Insect Away Home could be the killer.
CHAPTER SIX
"Wait, so you think it was an insecticide?" Jake asked incredulously, sitting behind the wheel of his car as Fiona sat in the passenger seat, looking at him with big, bright eyes. It was a look she only gave when she felt she was truly onto something, so Jake had been listening for the past few minutes as she'd explained her new theory outside of Duke's house.
Fiona flashed him her phone. "Yes--and it could be this."
Jake took the phone. On the screen were search results about a substance called Cyphaclide.
"I remember learning about this in school," Fiona said. "At the time, it was highly experimental and very new, but I just looked into it and it seems it's now being widely produced. People are using it because it causes no damage to plant life and only kills insects, but the molecule is very small, making it extremely difficult to detect inside the human body. It's lethal in direct dosages; one tends to pass out quickly if they take it, and organ failure will likely occur within the first hour while the person is unconscious."
Jake scrolled through the results, quickly skimming and learning as much about this chemical as he could. He saw there was an ethical conundrum on the release of the poison as it could, theoretically, be used to kill somebody and leave little trace, but the argument was countered by making the substance heavily regulated and restricted, where only those with a license were permitted to access it.
"So, someone with a license could have used it on Sharon and Glen, and it would be nearly impossible to trace back to them," Jake said, handing the phone back to Fiona. "But why?"
"That's what we need to find out," Fiona said, her eyes narrowing in concentration. "We need to get a list of all the licensed users of Cyphaclide in the area and cross-reference it with the exterminator companies that Sharon used. We also need to find out if Glen has ever called any exterminators."
Jake handed Fiona back her phone and turned on his car. The sciences were her expertise--that was why she was here--but finding out personal information was Jake's forte, so he knew what to do.
"Good thinking on this, Red," he said. "I want to go talk to Glen's family and get a personal testimony. If they ever did call Insect Away Home, or if they never even called them. It's a good theory, but we need to link the two victims."
Fiona nodded in agreement as Jake started the car and drove towards Glen's home. He had seen from the file that Glen was a family man with a wife and kids, and they lived in a large, beautiful house that frankly, Jake was slightly nervous to see in person. Only because the situation with Glen reminded him of his own situation with his mother. Losing a parent left a devastating impact on his family, and he knew it would be the same for the Hartwells.
But he had a feeling that Fiona was onto something.
If the Hartwells ever called Insect Home Away, then they'd have their clear lead.
Maybe this killer wasn't as much of a criminal mastermind as he'd thought.
***
Jake pulled the car up to the Hartwells' house, which was more like a colonial mansion. The house was an impressive sight, with its bright white columns, tall windows, and white brick walls. The lawn was vast and carefully manicured, with blooming flower beds and a bright white fence that stretched around the property. The driveway was long and curved, leading up to the doorway of the imposing home.
Seeing it in person, Jake saw that the Hartwells weren't as much like his family as he'd thought. His family had lived in a good neighborhood, but although both his parents were firefighters, they didn't have nearly this much money.
Jake took a deep breath and got out of the car, feeling a little out of his depth but grateful Fiona was with him. She shot him a reassuring look over the car. Although Jake had some knowledge now about her past, with her missing sister, she still had no idea what had happened with his mother. He had never really told anyone except for Lauren.
He walked up the long driveway, taking in the beauty of the house, and rang the doorbell.
After a few moments, he heard footsteps approach from inside the house. The door opened to reveal a middle-aged woman with blond hair and tired eyes. Cate Hartwell, Glen's wife, was the woman who had found him dead.
"Mrs. Hartwell?" Jake asked, flashing his FBI badge. "I'm Agent Jake Tucker with the FBI, and this is Fiona Red. Do you mind if we talk to you about your husband?"
Cate's posture shrunk, and she hugged herself. "I... I already told the police everything. It's been a week now... do you know what happened to him?"
"We're still getting details," Jake said. His face was grim. "Unfortunately, another person has been found the same way Glen was found, and we suspect we're dealing with a serial killer."
Cate gasped and put a hand over her mouth. "Oh, my God. Who else died?"
Jake pulled up a photo of Sharon on his phone and showed it to Cate. "This is Sharon French. Do you recognize her?"
Cate shook her head.
"We're sorry to have to bring this up again, Mrs. Hartwell," Fiona said, stepping forward. "But we're trying to piece together any information that might help us catch whoever did this. Can you tell us if Glen ever called any exterminator companies, particularly Insect Away Home?"
Cate looked bewildered for a moment; then her brow furrowed as though she was trying to remember. "Well, yes, we did call exterminators to deal with some of the hornets out back, but I don't think that was the name of the company."
