AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Can you tell us what happened?" Fiona inquired, her voice soft and sympathetic.
"His wife, Lacy, called us this morning. She was worried sick—said Chris didn't come home last night after going out on a call," Hernandez explained, running a hand through his hair. "The thing is, none of us knew about that call. It wasn't on the books."
Jake frowned, considering the information. "So, someone lured him here?"
"Looks that way," Hernandez agreed. "A few officers came out to search this morning when we found...this." He gestured to the grisly scene before them.
Fiona's mind raced, thoughts tumbling over each other as she tried to piece together the puzzle. Who could have made that call? And why target Chris? The killer was growing bolder, reaching further into their lives. These were not crimes of opportunity, Fiona was sure of it—these people were targeted. The question was: Why?
"Chris had given his number to people in need so they could reach out to him personally," Hernandez continued. "It's possible his contact info is floating around out there. Anyone could've made that call."
The warm September sun filtered through the trees as they stood in the quiet forest, casting dappled light onto Chris's lifeless form. The air was still but for the occasional rustle of leaves, carrying a slight chill that nibbled at Fiona's exposed skin. She breathed in deeply, trying to steady herself against the gnawing anxiety that clawed at her insides. Another victim, another life taken too soon—and by someone who knew their jobs all too well.
"Any luck tracing that call?" Jake asked, his voice low and tense, cutting through the uneasy silence.
"Nothing yet," Hernandez replied, frustration evident in his tone. "We're working on accessing his phone records. According to Lacy, it was a personal call, but anonymous."
"Anonymous?" Fiona echoed, her brow furrowed as she tried to make sense of it. Why would Chris respond to a call from an unknown number?
"Chris had a habit of giving out his number to people in need," Hernandez explained. "He wanted them to be able to reach out directly if necessary. It's possible his contact information is floating around out there."
"Anyone could've made the call," Jake concluded, his jaw tightening. Fiona could see the wheels turning in his head as he tried to make sense of the situation, just as she was.
"Let me take a closer look at the body," Fiona said, her voice barely more than a whisper. Her heart hammered in her chest, but she knew she needed to do this. It was her expertise, after all.
As she approached Chris's body, the gruesome details came into sharp focus. His uniform was still neatly pressed despite the violence inflicted upon him, and his flesh was still pink, though corpse fauna crawled across him, hastening decomposition. Gritting her teeth against the nausea welling up inside her, Fiona carefully examined the insects.
"Same as the others," she murmured, feeling a chill that had nothing to do with the weather. "These bugs are identical to those found on the previous victims. They could've been stolen from the insect farm."
"Damn it," Jake muttered under his breath, running a hand through his dark hair. "We need to find this guy, Red. We can't let them keep doing this."
Fiona nodded, her pulse racing. Fiona and Jake stepped away from the gruesome scene, their breaths hanging in the chilly air as they spoke in hushed tones. Fiona's brow furrowed as she tried to piece together the puzzle laid out before them.
"Jake, don't you think it's strange that two of our victims were first responders?" She hesitated for a moment, her voice laced with uncertainty. "Nadine was an EMT and Chris a cop... But Harry was just a hiker and shop owner. He's the anomaly here."
Jake nodded slowly, his eyes darkening with resolve. "You're right. We need to dig deeper into Harry's background. There might be something we're missing."
A gust of wind rustled through the trees above them, sending a shiver down Fiona's spine. She couldn't shake the feeling that they were on the precipice of something significant—and terrifying.
***
Fiona's heart raced as she ascended the narrow staircase to Harry Green’s apartment behind Jake, each step creaking under their weight. She couldn't shake the feeling that they were onto something big, that Harry Green held the key to unlocking this twisted mystery. As they reached the top of the stairs, Fiona noticed the door to the apartment slightly ajar, light spilling out from the gap.
"Travis?" Jake called out tentatively, giving the door a gentle knock.
To their surprise, Travis appeared in the doorway almost immediately, his face etched with a mix of confusion and concern. "Oh, it's you two again," he said, his voice wavering slightly. "I wasn't expecting you back so soon."
"Can we come in?" Jake asked, his eyes scanning the dimly lit apartment behind Travis.
"Uh, sure," Travis replied, stepping aside to let them pass. "Please, make yourselves at home."
"Listen," Jake began, his tone gentle but firm, "we're still investigating Harry's death, and we think there might be something here that can help us. Would you mind if we looked around Harry’s bedroom?"
Travis hesitated, his gaze shifting between Fiona and Jake as if weighing his options. Finally, he sighed and nodded. "Yeah, alright," he said quietly. "Just... be careful with his things, okay?"
"Of course," Fiona promised, her voice soft but determined. "We'll treat everything with the utmost respect."
The late afternoon sunlight streamed through the windows, casting a warm glow over the worn wooden floorboards. Shadows danced along the walls as Travis led Fiona and Jake down the narrow hallway to Harry's room. The air was thick with the lingering scent of a home-cooked meal – a comforting aroma that seemed at odds with the tension hanging in the air.
