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Concerned, Fiona reached up and gently touched his cheek, trying to bring him back to the present. "Jake, are you okay? You seem...off."
He hesitated for a moment, then shook his head slowly, avoiding her gaze. "It's nothing, Red. Just...a lot on my mind, I guess. It’s not you." But Fiona could tell he wasn't being honest with her. There was something he wasn't saying, and it worried her.
"Jake," she began, her voice soft, "you can talk to me about anything, you know that, right?"
Before she could press him further, Jake's phone rang, cutting through the silence like a knife. He glanced at the screen and frowned, his brow furrowing in concern. "It's Chief Whittaker," he said, his voice tight.
Fiona's heart skipped a beat as she watched him answer the call, tension knotting itself in her stomach. She tried to read his expression, searching for any clues as to what the chief might be telling him, but Jake's face remained impassive. All she could do was wait, her mind racing through a dozen different possibilities.
"Understood, Chief," Jake said finally, his voice low and serious. "We'll be right there." He hung up the call and turned to Fiona, his eyes filled with a mix of concern and determination. "We've got a new case. We need to head to HQ immediately."
Though she knew it was important to focus on their work, Fiona couldn't shake the feeling that something more was going on with Jake. As they stood up and prepared to leave, she promised herself that she wouldn't let it go – they were in this together, after all, and she needed to know what was bothering him.
But for now, another case awaited them, and she would have to push her worries aside. With a deep breath, she followed Jake out of the apartment, ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead.
CHAPTER THREE
Fiona's fingers drummed against her thigh as she tried to focus on the scenery passing by outside the car window. The trees along the highway blurred together, offering no relief from the thoughts that plagued her. Jake was keeping something from her, she could sense it, and she found herself struggling to maintain her composure.
"Chief said it's urgent," Jake said, interrupting the silence that had settled between them since leaving his apartment. His grip on the steering wheel tightened, knuckles turning white as he navigated the streets of Portland.
"Did he give any details about the case?" Fiona asked, trying to keep her voice steady. She knew she should be concentrating on their job, but the concern she felt for Jake gnawed at her, making it difficult to focus.
"Only that we need to get to HQ as soon as possible," he replied, a frown creasing his brow.
As they entered the FBI headquarters, Fiona was struck by the urgency in the air. Agents rushed past them, their faces set with determination. It was clear that something significant was happening, and Fiona couldn't help but feel a mixture of excitement and trepidation.
In the briefing room, Chief Harold Whittaker stood at the head of the table, his steely gaze scanning the room as Fiona and Jake took their seats. The chief had always been supportive of Fiona's ambition to become an FBI agent, and she looked up to him as a sort of father figure.
"Thank you all for being here on such short notice," Chief Whittaker began, his voice carrying an authoritative tone that demanded attention. "We have a situation that requires our immediate attention."
"Another serial killer?" Fiona blurted out before she could stop herself. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, but she held the chief's gaze, desperate for answers.
"Perhaps," he replied, his expression unreadable. "Two bodies have been found in a forest on the outskirts of town, both in advanced stages of decomposition. We had thought the first victim had been an accidental fall death, but then the second was found, and now we’re thinking murder. Both victims were discovered with insect activity that points to a particular pattern," Chief Whittaker explained, his eyes flicking to Fiona. "Your entomology expertise could be crucial in solving this case, Ms. Red."
Fiona nodded, her heart pounding in her chest. This was exactly the kind of case she had been training for – but as she looked at Jake, she couldn't shake the feeling that something else was going on beneath the surface. Whatever it was, they would need to face it together.
"Let's go over the specifics," Chief Whittaker said, clicking a button on the projector remote. A map of the forest appeared on the screen behind him. "Both bodies were found here, near hiking trails, but not directly on them."
Fiona leaned forward in her seat, studying the map. The forest was dense, its shadows swallowing any natural light from the sun above. She imagined the smell of damp earth and rotting leaves, the sound of insects buzzing around the decomposing corpses. Her stomach churned, but she forced herself to focus.
"Tell us more about the victims," Jake asked, his eyes narrowed as he scrutinized the map.
"The first victim was a woman, early twenties, Nadine Howe," Chief Whittaker began. "The second a man, in his forties, Harry Green. No obvious connection between them, other than where they were found, at least not yet.”
"Any signs of struggle or how they were killed?" Fiona inquired, taking notes on the details. She needed to understand every aspect of this case if her entomological knowledge could help solve it.
"Full reports are still pending, but preliminary reports suggest that their deaths were violent," the chief replied. "We understand that the first victim found died of blunt force trauma to the head. It's also the insect activity on the bodies that has caught our attention. There are a lot of them, and we need you to figure out how long these people have been out there. They were each only reported missing two or so weeks ago.”
"Which is where I come in," Fiona murmured, her fingers drumming on the table. The thought of examining those bodies, crawling with insects feasting on their remains, both excited and revolted her. But she couldn't let her emotions get the best of her; she had a job to do.
"Exactly," Chief Whittaker confirmed. "Your expertise in entomology will be invaluable in determining the timeline of events and potentially uncovering evidence that might lead us to the killer."
"Understood," Fiona said, nodding resolutely. There was no room for hesitation or doubt; lives were at stake, and she had a responsibility to help bring justice to the victims and their families.
As Fiona absorbed the details of the case, her thoughts kept drifting back to Joslyn, wondering if she were still alive. But she couldn't afford to let that distract her now. She had a new case to focus on, one that demanded her full attention.
"Let's get to work," she declared, meeting Jake's gaze. They shared a determined look, knowing they would face this challenge together. And as they delved deeper into the dark forest of death and decay, Fiona knew that the insects would reveal the secrets that lay hidden beneath the surface.
