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Just then, a knock at the door.
Fiona stood up and checked the peephole. On the other side was Jake.
Her heart immediately jumped. She opened the door, and Jake stood on the other side with soulful brown eyes. Had he heard what happened? She hadn't been expecting him, but seeing his handsome face filled her with a sense of solace. She always felt safe around Jake.
But then she remembered the way she'd confessed her feelings to him and how hesitant he had seemed.
They'd agreed to keep things professional...
So why did Fiona hope that he was here to kiss her again? To comfort her? She remembered that things had ended somewhat ambiguously; he'd said they should take time. It wasn't a clear-cut 'no.'
"Hey, Red," he said with a lopsided smile. "Mind if I come in?"
Fiona nodded, her heart racing as she stepped back and let him into her apartment. She closed the door behind him and turned to face him, her hands twisting nervously in front of her.
"Is everything okay?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Jake's smile faded slightly. Maybe he hadn't heard about Marissa because he didn't bring it up.
“Red, I…” Jake sighed. “I just wanted to say that I care about you. I really do. But I can’t be with you.I know I said we could take time. That we could talk about it later. But you really do deserve better, Fiona. Lauren and I did this hot and cold thing, and I just... can't do it to you. So I'm staying away."
Fiona felt her heart shatter into a million pieces at Jake's words. She had tried to convince herself that she was okay with just being friends, but the reality of it was still a painful blow. She had hoped that maybe, just maybe, he would change his mind. But it seemed that was not the case.
"I understand," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "It's just... hard."
Jake nodded, his eyes filled with understanding. "I know. And I'm sorry. But I just can't give you what you deserve. You're a great girl, Red."
Part of her wanted to argue, to plead with him to give them a chance, but she knew that it wouldn't change his mind.
Despite the ache that still lingered in her chest, she had nodded, accepting his decision.
Now, as she looked back on that night, Fiona realized that Jake had been right. They couldn't keep going back and forth, playing with each other's emotions. It wasn't fair to either of them.
She sighed, pushing the thoughts aside as she focused on her work. The lab was her sanctuary, a haven where she could forget about everything else and let her mind delve into the intricacies of forensic analysis.
Just then, the door to the lab swung open, and Chief Whittaker strode in, his tall, imposing figure filling the room with an air of authority. Fiona felt her pulse quicken at his arrival; it was rare for the chief to visit the lab personally.
"Ms. Red," he called out, his voice gruff but not unkind. "A word, please?"
"Of course, Chief Whittaker," Fiona replied, carefully laying her pen down and standing up straight. She could feel the curious gazes of her colleagues upon her as they exchanged glances, but she ignored them, following the chief out into the hallway. Her anxiety grew as he led her into a small conference room, shutting the door behind them.
"Is something wrong?" she asked, slightly concerned. She hoped it was information about Marissa, perhaps, but knew better than to get her hopes up. It had been weeks since Marissa's passing, and nothing had come up.
Whittaker cleared his throat, the sound echoing through the otherwise silent conference room. "Fiona, we've got a new case," he began, his voice somber. "Two victims, both killed by stinging insects. I know you wanted to take a break from fieldwork, but we might need your expertise on this one."
"Stinging insects?" Fiona furrowed her brow. "Like bees?"
"Yeah, like bees," the chief said. "I was hoping you could take a look at the bodies and the samples we've recovered."
Fiona paused. She wasn’t sure if Jake would be on the case, but usually, when the chief was calling on Fiona, he was calling on Jake too. Of course, she had wanted to keep her distance from Jake, at least for the time being, but she could never reject the chief's request. Especially if lives were on the line, and she could use her entomology experience to help.
"Of course, Chief," Fiona said. "I'll get to the morgue right away."
***
The cold steel of the autopsy table reflected the harsh fluorescent lights above as Fiona examined the first victim's body. The man, Craig Tozer, middle-aged and dressed in hiking gear, had been found in a field with a hornet resting on his chest. With a known allergy to hornets, his death had initially appeared to be a tragic accident, although the sheer number of stings on his body suggested something more sinister. When the second body was found, that was when the FBI was called in.
Fiona carefully picked up the hornet using forceps, examining its lifeless form under a microscope. Her eyes narrowed as she studied the creature, noting the unusual markings on its exoskeleton. A nagging feeling settled in her gut, telling her there was more to this case than met the eye.This type of hornet wasn't commonly seen in the wild here.
