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Derik's eyes widened as he examined the delicate piece of jewelry. The intricate design seemed out of place in their harsh surroundings, like a butterfly caught in a spider's web. Morgan could see the gears turning in his head as he began to put the pieces together.
"Are you sure, Morgan?" Derik asked hesitantly, still trying to process the information. He knew how tenacious Morgan could be, but he also understood the danger of jumping to conclusions.
"Damn sure," Morgan replied, her jaw set in determination. A decade behind bars had honed her instincts like a razor's edge – she wouldn't let anyone else suffer because of her mistakes. "We need to find Johnny, and we need to do it now."
"Look, the broach could belong to anyone," Derik argued, doubt creeping into his voice. He wanted to believe Morgan, but the evidence seemed too flimsy.
"Maybe so, but we need to find Johnny and get some answers." Morgan's resolve was unshakable. She wouldn't let this lead slip away without a fight. Seeing her determination, Derik reluctantly agreed.
"Alright, I'm with you. Let's do this."
Morgan surveyed the morgue, now buzzing with activity as staff members went about their duties. The stark fluorescent lights cast a cold, clinical pallor over the room, making the shadows seem even darker. She needed to tread carefully, asking questions without raising suspicion.
She approached one of the older technicians, a frail man with wispy white hair and glasses that magnified his watery blue eyes. He had been working in the morgue for decades and knew everyone who came and went.
"Excuse me, sir," Morgan began, keeping her tone casual. "I was wondering if you could tell me anything about Johnny, the assistant? We're trying to track him down for an ongoing investigation."
The old man squinted at her, searching her face for any hint of deception. After a moment, he decided she was genuine enough.
"Johnny, eh? Nice young man, always polite and helpful. But there's something strange about him, if you ask me," the technician confided, lowering his voice to a whisper.
"Strange how?" Morgan probed, her interest piqued.
"Well, he has a way with the elderly ladies who come through the hospital. Seems to focus on the ones who've recently lost their husbands. Acts real sweet to them, like he's trying to fill a void in their lives."
Morgan's heart raced as the pieces began to fall into place – Johnny's fixation on elderly women, the broach, his suspicious behavior. Her gut clenched with the weight of her growing suspicion. They needed to find out more.
The fluorescent lights flickered overhead, casting a sterile glow upon the morgue staff as they went about their duties. Morgan caught sight of a young woman in scrubs, her eyes downcast and hands shaking as she recounted an unsettling memory.
"Johnny dated this one elderly lady a while back," she said nervously, wringing her hands. "Her daughter had some concerns about Johnny's intentions. She thought he might be trying to con her mother out of money."
"Did anything ever come of it?" Morgan asked, her brow furrowed with concern.
"Hard to say for sure," the young woman admitted, glancing around as if afraid someone might overhear them. "The family moved away shortly after that, so I guess we'll never know."
Morgan's mind raced, connecting the dots between Johnny's behavior and the murdered elderly women. Could he be using his position in the morgue to cover up his crimes, preying on vulnerable widows when they were at their lowest? She felt a shiver run down her spine at the thought.
"Thanks for sharing that with us," Morgan said, offering a tight smile as she patted the young woman on the shoulder. "It's important that we get to the bottom of this."
As they walked away from the nurse, Morgan couldn't help but feel a sense of dread curling in her stomach. The more they uncovered about Johnny, the more plausible it seemed that he was involved in something sinister. She shared her thoughts with Derik, who frowned thoughtfully.
"It's definitely concerning," he agreed, running a hand through his hair as he mulled over the information. "But we need more concrete evidence before we can make any accusations."
"Agreed," Morgan replied, her determination hardening into resolve. "We need to find Johnny and get some answers."
As they continued their search through the hospital corridors, Morgan felt a renewed sense of urgency. With each passing moment, the possibility that Johnny was involved in the deaths of the elderly women grew more and more likely. She knew they had to act quickly to stop him from harming anyone else.
Morgan approached the nearest hospital staff member, a young nurse with a weary expression. "Excuse me," she said, her voice low and urgent. "Do you know where Johnny might be right now?"
"Johnny?" the nurse replied, furrowing her brow in thought. "He's probably on break. He usually goes to that cafe up the street for lunch."
"Thanks," Morgan muttered before turning to Derik, who had rejoined her after their brief separation. "We should check the cafe."
"Agreed," he said, nodding.
As they exited the building, the bright sunlight seemed almost jarring after the dim, sterile corridors of the morgue. The bustling street outside was filled with people going about their daily routines, blissfully unaware of the sinister undercurrents lurking beneath the surface.
Morgan scanned the crowds, her eyes searching for any sign of Johnny. She felt a twinge of frustration as she realized how difficult it would be to spot him in such a large group. But she refused to give up – she was too close to the truth to let it slip away now.
