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The tech nodded and made his way over as Morgan prepared to step back. As she did so, something caught her eye.
A single red feather, almost invisible against the victim's vibrant hair, was tangled in the strands.
"Derik, check this out," she said, pointing to the feather.
He leaned in closer, brow furrowed. "Could just be an accessory," he suggested, shrugging it off.
"I don't think so," Morgan said. "It looks... out of place."
Morgan leaned down and plucked the feather from the girl's hair with care. "It's real," she insisted, examining it for a moment before slipping it into an evidence bag. She handed it to the forensic tech who had joined them. "Keep this with the evidence. I want to know exactly what kind of bird it came from."
Derik nodded in agreement, his expression transforming into one of deep focus. As Morgan returned her attention to the body before her, she couldn't help but feel that there was something off about the crime scene. With each passing moment, this feeling only intensified, until finally she couldn't hold back any longer.
"Derik, I don't like this," she said, her voice low and urgent. "Something isn't right."
"What do you mean?" he asked, looking at her with concern.
"It's just... it doesn't feel like the killer left us everything," Morgan said, her eyes scanning the area as she spoke. She shook her head, unsure where she was going with that. She signaled for the techs to come over and said, "All right, everyone, let's get this scene cleaned up. We need every inch of this alleyway scoured for DNA, especially near the body. Understood?"
The techs nodded in agreement, quickly moving into action. Morgan remained crouched beside the body, her mind churning as she tried to make sense of the nagging feeling that something was off.
Morgan watched them work for a moment longer before turning back to Derik. They exchanged an understanding nod as though they could read each other's minds; they needed to step away for a moment. Morgan had known Derik for long enough to read him well, which was why it had unsettled her so much when she'd found out he'd been lying to her about such major events. With that, Morgan and Derik moved away from the body, allowing the rest of the team to get to work photographing the scene and gathering any potential DNA evidence. As they stood side by side, Derik's green eyes bore into her with concern.
"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice gentle.
Morgan couldn't bring herself to meet his gaze, knowing she couldn't tell him the truth about Thomas and Skunk. Instead, she settled on a half-truth. "I slept poorly."
"Another nightmare?" Derik prompted, searching her face for any sign of deeper distress.
"Something like that," Morgan muttered, her mind racing with thoughts of Thomas's threats, Skunk's safety, and now this new case adding to her already heavy burden. It took all her strength not to crumble under the weight of it all.
"Maybe you should talk to someone," Derik suggested softly, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Maybe," Morgan replied noncommittally, her eyes drifting back to the spot where the young woman's body had been discovered. She knew she couldn't open up to Derik, not yet, but that didn't mean she could ignore the fact that something was very wrong.
"Seriously, Morgan," Derik pressed, his green eyes narrowing with concern. "You're not yourself. What's going on?"
Morgan opened her mouth to deflect, but was interrupted by the sight of someone over Derik's shoulder. A man stood at the mouth of the alleyway, camera in hand, lifting it as though to take a photo. Before she could get a better look, a group of policemen walked past, obstructing her view.
"Dammit," she muttered, shoving Derik aside and sprinting toward the street. Her heart pounded in her chest, her senses sharpened by adrenaline.
"Hey!" Derik called after her, but Morgan didn't stop.
When she reached the street, the cameraman was gone. She scanned the area, her breaths coming in short gasps, but there was no sign of him.
"Who were you chasing?" Derik jogged up beside her, confusion etched across his face.
"I... I thought I saw a man taking a photo," Morgan admitted, feeling foolish. "But he's gone now."
"Maybe he was just a passerby," Derik offered, scanning the bustling street himself. "You know how pedestrians are when there are cops around."
"Maybe," Morgan agreed, though doubt gnawed at her insides. After the nightmares and Thomas' manipulations, she couldn't trust her own mind anymore. Was she seeing things that weren't there? And why couldn't she shake the feeling that the cameraman wasn't just a mere pedestrian?
"Are you sure you're okay?" Derik asked again, his gaze filled with genuine concern. Morgan forced a tight smile, trying to reassure him despite the turmoil churning beneath her stoic exterior.
"I'm fine," she insisted, brushing off the remnants of her disquiet. "I'm gonna go look into Melissa's life, see if I can talk with whoever she lived with." She needed something concrete to focus on, and Melissa Grayson's loved ones might provide some answers.
"Hold on, let me come with you," Derik said.
