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"Thank you," Fiona nodded, watching as Joey disappeared into the tiny house, leaving the door open behind him. The tension in the air hung heavy, thick like the humidity that clung to their skin in the late-morning heat. She turned to Jake, who looked as if he were trying to contain his discomfort around the insects.
What are we getting ourselves into? Fiona wondered, tightening her grip on the strap of her bag. She could feel the weight of the evidence they'd collected so far – the photographs, the witness statements, the connections to Darrell Sloane – pressing down on her shoulders, making it difficult to breathe.
As they waited for Joey to return with Darrell, Fiona couldn't help but glance around the property once more, taking in the long building out back where the insects were presumably kept. A shiver ran down her spine as she thought about what might be hidden inside – both the thousands of bugs and any secrets Darrell might be keeping.
Fiona's heart raced as a sudden chill crawled up her spine. Something wasn't right. Her instincts screamed at her, urging her to pay attention. She glanced around the property, searching for any signs of danger.
"Jake," she whispered, gripping his arm tightly. "I heard something."
He immediately tensed, eyes darting toward the source of the noise. "Where?"
"Out back," she pointed, catching sight of a man sprinting toward one of the buildings. "There! It's Darrell, he's running!"
"Damn it!" Jake cursed under his breath. "Let's go!"
They took off in pursuit, the sound of their footsteps pounding against the ground echoing in their ears. Fiona's heart thundered in her chest, adrenaline fueling her as they chased after their suspect.
"Stop, Darrell!" Jake yelled, but the fleeing man showed no signs of slowing down.
As they burst into the insect farm, the air became thick with the hum of countless wings and the pungent scent of damp earth. The warehouse-like space was filled with large habitats, each housing thousands of insects that skittered and buzzed within their confines.
As Fiona navigated through the labyrinth of insect habitats, she tried not to think about the creatures crawling mere inches away from her. Instead, she focused on the task at hand – finding Darrell and uncovering the truth.
Fiona's breath caught in her throat as she spotted Darrell disappearing through a door on the other side of the building. She exchanged a brief glance with Jake, who nodded grimly. They sprinted after him, the air around them thick with the low buzz of insects and the smell of decay.
"Where'd he go?!" Fiona shouted, her voice strained with effort.
"Out back!" Jake called out before they burst through the door, hot on Darrell's heels.
The blinding sunlight hit them both as they emerged from the insect farm, blinking away the spots that danced in their vision. Fiona squinted, scanning the area for any sign of their suspect. Her heart sank as she saw Darrell racing towards a tractor parked nearby, his movements frantic and desperate.
"Damn it," she muttered under her breath, pushing herself harder to close the distance between them.
"Darrell, don't make this worse! Stop now!" Jake yelled, but the man paid no heed, scrambling onto the tractor with surprising agility for someone his size.
"Jake, we can't let him get away!" Fiona said, panic creeping into her voice as she ran alongside her partner.
"I know, I know," he replied, his eyes narrowing in determination.
As Darrell started up the engine of the tractor, an earth-shaking rumble filled the air. He shifted gears and began to speed off, leaving deep tire tracks in the muddy ground behind him.
"Enough!" Jake shouted, pulling his gun from its holster and taking aim at the fleeing tractor. His hands were steady despite the chaos around them, a testament to his years of experience as an agent.
Time seemed to slow down as Jake squeezed the trigger, the gunshot echoing across the open space. With uncanny precision, the bullet struck one of the tractor's large wheels, tearing through the rubber and causing it to deflate with a loud hiss. The tractor slowed to a crawl, sinking into the ground as the weight of the massive machine overwhelmed its crippled wheel.
"Hands up, Darrell!" Jake commanded, approaching the now-immobilized tractor with his gun still drawn.
Defeated, Darrell raised his hands in surrender, his face a mixture of fear and resignation. As Fiona caught her breath, she couldn't help but feel a strange sense of relief mixed with dread. They had captured their prime suspect, but somehow, she knew that this was only the beginning of a much more complex and twisted investigation.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
The fluorescent lights above cast a harsh, clinical glow over the interrogation room. Jake watched Darrell Sloane closely as he sat shackled to the cold metal table, his filthy clothes and unkempt appearance making him look every bit the part of a twisted murderer. The stench of death clung to him, turning Jake's stomach and only fueling his determination to get to the truth.
"Okay, Darrell," Jake began, his voice steady despite the anger simmering beneath the surface. "Two people were found dead in the same forest you've been caught illegally hunting in. Both their bodies were covered with corpse fauna – the same kind you farm."
Darrell's eyes darted away, avoiding Jake's gaze. "I don't know what you're talking about," he muttered, his voice gruff and defensive.
"Cut the crap, Darrell!" Jake interjected sharply, patience running thin. "We have evidence linking you to these murders. You can either cooperate with us now, or this will get a whole lot worse for you."
