AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Starting with investigating both extermination services.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Jake sat in the car as the sunlight reached midday, casting golden rays through the windshield as he and Fiona were parked outside of Glen Hartwell's house. They needed to figure out their next move.
Beside him in the passenger seat, Fiona had her laptop open, her brows pinched together as she searched for information on the exterminators. "Pest Control Pros is not certified to use the chemical," she said, "but Insect Away Home is."
Jake frowned. That didn't mean Pest Control Pros were out of the water--he was sure they could still access it if they really wanted to. "They were the first ones Glen called," Jake said. "Could someone there still access it?"
"Possibly," Fiona said, "but with Insect Away Home already certified, my gut is that we should look into them first."
Jake nodded in agreeance. Although his partnership with Fiona was still new, he felt like every case they worked together created more synergy between them. He'd learned to trust her instincts when it came to leads, and she'd learned to trust his when it came to dangerous situations where she could get hurt. Fiona had a long way to go before she would be able to keep up with the physical demands of being an agent; mentally, she was sound, but even with their ongoing training sessions, she still needed professional training in an FBI academy setting before she could earn a gun and badge, and before he could fully trust her to take care of herself physically, the way he could trust Lauren. It wasn't right to compare them; Jake knew that--Lauren was a seasoned agent and had dedicated all of her twenties to becoming as strong as she could be. Fiona had been focused on training her mind, which was an impressive feat. He couldn't even imagine going to Harvard and graduating, let alone landing a forensics job at the FBI when she was only twenty-five. A year later, here she was, on her way to becoming a full-fledged agent.
Jake was proud of her for all of that, and he hoped she knew it. It felt awkward to say it now, though, especially after their earlier conversation. Maybe he shouldn't have brought up their kiss--things had been going fine between them when they were just ignoring it.
But then again, Jake couldn't stop thinking about it. The way Fiona's lips had felt against his, the way her body had fit perfectly against his. He wanted more of that, but he didn't want to complicate things between them. He was her partner, after all.
"Jake, do you have any thoughts?" Fiona snapped him out of his thoughts.
Jake shook his head. "Sorry, what were you saying?"
"I was asking if you had any thoughts on how to proceed with Insect Away Home," Fiona said, closing her laptop.
Jake shrugged. "We should look into their employees, see who was scheduled to work at Sharon's house. I do think it's interesting that both Sharon and Glen never did end up getting their wasp's nest exterminated."
"I agree," Fiona said. "Should we go there?"
Jake turned his keys in the ignition, and the car grumbled to life. "Definitely. This can't be done over the phone." He started driving through the quiet suburb toward Insect Away Home's office, which was on the outskirts of town.
As they approached the building, Jake couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. There was a strange energy in the air, a sense of foreboding that made his skin prickle. Fiona must have felt it, too, because she turned to him with a worried expression. "I hope we get some answers here," she said. "I feel just terrible for Glen's family and for Sharon's ex-fiancé."
"It really is tragic," Jake replied, his mind drifting back to his own past. Part of him wanted to tell Fiona about the way he'd found his mother when he was a teenager, dead on the kitchen floor. It felt like he should, partially because he now had an idea about what happened to her sister, even if he just had the surface details. But the last thing he wanted to do was make this case about him. If she wanted to know him more, maybe he could tell her later, when they were alone.
His chest burned at the thought. If this case went on, there was a good chance they'd be crashing in a hotel together.
Jake shook his head, trying to clear his mind of the distracting thoughts. He needed to focus on the case.
***
They parked the car and made their way into the office building, which was a small, unimpressive structure that looked like it hadn't been updated in years. They were greeted by a receptionist who looked up at them with dull eyes. "Can I help you?" she asked.
"We're here to speak with someone about Insect Away Home," Jake said, flashing his FBI badge.
The receptionist nodded and picked up the phone. "I'll let Mr. Anderson know you're here," she said before dialing a number and speaking to the receiver. "Mr. Anderson, there are two people here to see you. They're with the FBI."
They waited for a few minutes before a middle-aged man walked into the lobby. He was tall and thin, with a receding hairline and a nervous expression. "Hello, I'm Mr. Anderson," he said, extending his hand. "I own this business. What could the FBI possibly need from us? Got some pesky ants you need rid of?" He chuckled with good nature. Fiona offered an awkward smile while Jake wasn't in the mood to play around. If one of Anderson's guys was scheduled to do some work at Sharon's place, then they might know who their killer is.
"Do you mind if we speak in private?" Jake asked.
Anderson's expression turned serious. "Of course not. Follow me." He led them through a door and into a small conference room with a long table and a few chairs. "What's this about?" he asked once they were seated.
"We're investigating an incident that occurred at one of your client's houses," Jake said, intentionally vague to gauge Anderson's reaction. "Sharon French. She had a wasp's nest on her property that was never exterminated."
Anderson wasn't buying it. He lifted a brow and crossed his arms. "And that caused the FBI to come looking?"
"No," Jake said. "It's more than that. Sharon French was murdered--poisoned--and we suspect that one of your employees may have been involved."
Anderson looked taken aback. "That's a serious accusation, Agent. We take our certifications very seriously, and we have no tolerance for any kind of illegal behavior from our employees. Murder is a major accusation."
