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Fiona noticed Jake observing Stacy intently, his brow furrowed in sympathy. He cleared his throat before speaking. "We're so sorry for your loss, Stacy. We'll do everything we can to find out what happened to Carrie."
"Thank you," Stacy whispered, tears welling up in her eyes. "I just want to know why someone would do this to her."
"Can you tell us more about Carrie's life and personality?" asked Fiona gently, hoping to gather valuable clues that might lead them closer to the killer. "Did she have any enemies or conflicts with anyone recently?"
Stacy took a deep breath, steadying herself. "Carrie was the kindest person I've ever known. She would go out of her way to help others, even strangers."
"Did she have any fears?" Jake asked. "Anything related to insects?"
Stacy looked thoughtful for a moment before shaking her head. "Not that I can recall. In fact, she was usually the one who took care of any creepy crawlers we found in the apartment."
"Interesting," Fiona said, filing away this piece of information. There had to be a reason why the killer had chosen to use stinging insects as a weapon, but if Carrie had no known fear or allergy, it only deepened the mystery.
"Can you think of anyone who might have wanted to harm Carrie?" Jake asked, his brow furrowed in concern.
"Carrie didn't have any enemies that I know of," Stacy replied, her voice wavering slightly as she fought back tears. "She was kind-hearted and well-liked by everyone who met her."
"Stacy," Jake began, pulling a small photograph from his pocket and handing it to her. "Do you recognize this man?"
She studied the picture of Craig Tozer, another victim who had died under similar circumstances as Carrie. Fiona observed Stacy's face for any flicker of recognition but saw nothing. "No, I don't think I've ever seen him before," Stacy replied, shaking her head.
"His name is Craig Tozer, and he was also killed by stinging insects," Fiona explained, her voice tense with urgency. "We're trying to find a connection between him and Carrie."
Stacy stared at the photo for a moment longer before handing it back to Jake. Her eyes were wide with fear and confusion. "I'm sorry, I don't know anything about him. And I can't imagine why anyone would want to hurt Carrie like that." Her voice trembled as she spoke, revealing the depth of her grief and vulnerability.
"Understandable," Jake said sympathetically, slipping the photograph back into his pocket. He exchanged a quick glance with Fiona before continuing. "We have one more question for you. Did Carrie have a boyfriend or someone she was seeing recently?"
"Jason," Stacy said without hesitation. "They'd been dating for a few months. He seemed like a nice guy, but..." She hesitated, her brow furrowing in thought. "I only met him a couple of times, so I can't really say for sure. She just recently broke up with him, but it didn't seem like that big of a deal, at least not to her."
"Can you provide us with Jason's phone number and address?" Fiona asked, her mind racing with possibilities. If they could track down Jason, they might be able to learn more about Carrie's life and uncover potential suspects.
"Sure, just give me a second," Stacy said, disappearing into another room. As they waited, Fiona took a deep breath and tried to push away the creeping sense of unease building within her. Every lead seemed to lead them further into darkness, but they had to keep going for Carrie's sake.
Stacy returned with a piece of paper bearing Jason's information, handing it over to Fiona. "Here you go," she said, her voice subdued. "I hope you find what you're looking for."
"Thank you, Stacy," Jake said as he and Fiona prepared to leave. "We'll be in touch if we have any more questions."
As they stepped outside the apartment, Fiona couldn't help but feel weighed down by the gravity of the situation. They needed to talk to Jason and continue following the trail of breadcrumbs before it went cold. The answers were out there somewhere, lurking just beyond their reach.
***
The glaring afternoon sun cast long shadows across the parking lot as Fiona and Jake left the apartment. The heat bore down on Fiona--summer was in full force now, and the days were only getting hotter. It was strange to think that just a few short months ago, she had worked her first case with Jake. Now, everything between them was different.
As they trekked toward Jake's car, Fiona's phone buzzed in her pocket, making her heart skip a beat. She pulled it out, noting the caller ID – Roger, the private investigator she had hired to look into her sister's kidnapping.
"Sorry, I have to take this," she muttered to Jake, who nodded as she stepped away from him, lingering in the parking lot as Jake made his way over to the car. Fiona answered the call with bated breath.
"Roger, what do you have for me?" Fiona asked, her voice hushed so Jake wouldn't overhear.
"Hey Fiona, I've got some news for you," his gruff voice came through.
Fiona held her breath. She had hired Roger for a reason--he seemed to be the best, but she also knew that she was asking for a lot. Discovering the identity of someone who seemed to not even exist was no small task.
"It's not concrete yet, but I might have a lead," Roger said. "A guy who may have known Marissa around the time she was allegedly dating our mystery man. I'm following up on it. I'll check back in later."
A sense of hope surged through Fiona. She knew better than to believe anything with total certainty when there was no proof--that was what made her a good scientist--but there was hope here.
"Thank you, Roger," Fiona said, her voice filled with relief. She had been waiting for weeks for any sort of breakthrough in her sister's case, and she hoped this lead would finally bring her closer to the truth.
