Morgan clenched her jaw, watching Stew with suspicion as the guest--who was apparently his son--came over to him with tears streaming down his face. The boy was probably not much older than nineteen.
"Jesus, Evan," Stew muttered, his skin paling as he reached out a hand to steady his distraught son.
Morgan narrowed her eyes, watching the exchange with a wary curiosity. "Evan, is it?" she asked, her voice firm but not unkind. "I'm Special Agent Cross. Do you know the victim?"
He nodded, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Yeah, I do," he managed to say through ragged breaths. "Stacy was my girlfriend."
"Damn," Derik whispered under his breath, casting a sidelong glance at Stew.
Morgan could hardly believe what she was hearing. The victim was Stew's son's girlfriend, and he not only had known that--but he'd lied about it too. Morgan had the strong urge to snap cuffs on him right there, but she needed more information first.
"Take a deep breath, Evan," Morgan instructed, her tone gentle but insistent. "I need you to tell me everything you can about Stacy. When did you last see her? Did she have any enemies or people who might want to hurt her?"
Evan wiped at his tears with the back of his hand, trying to regain some semblance of composure. "I saw yesterday afternoon," he said, his voice trembling. "We were supposed to meet up this morning, but she never showed. She didn't have any enemies that I know of – everyone loved her. This doesn't make any sense."
Morgan studied him for a moment, taking in the raw pain etched across his features. She couldn't offer him comfort right now--she had to focus on finding the truth. And the truth was often a jagged, unforgiving thing.
"Freeze!" Derik suddenly shouted.
Morgan whipped her head around, her eyes narrowing as she saw Stew trying to slip away from the scene. She marched over to him, her steps deliberate and measured.
"Where do you think you're going?" she demanded, anger simmering just beneath the surface. "You lied to us about knowing the victim, and now you try to sneak off while I'm talking to your son? How exactly did you think this would play out?"
"Look, it's all a misunderstanding, I swear!" Stew stammered, his hands raised in a placating gesture. "I didn't kill Stacy, I promise. I didn't even know it was her until Evan said something."
"Dad, what are they talking about?" Evan whined.
Morgan kept her focus on Stew, searching for any hint of deception. A decade spent behind bars had taught her how to read people – how to peel back the layers of self-preservation and fear to find the truth buried within.
"Alright," she said slowly, her voice edged with steel. "Then you'd better start explaining. And don't leave anything out."
"Okay, okay," Stew agreed, his voice shaky. His eyes darted to Evan, who stood nearby, watching the exchange with wide, fearful eyes.
"Please," Stew implored, turning his gaze back to Morgan. "I didn't hurt her. I wouldn't hurt anyone. I know I messed up by lying, but I just... I didn't know what else to do."
"Start talking," Morgan ordered, her tone brooking no argument. "And maybe, just maybe, I'll believe you."
Stew's face turned a deep shade of red, clearly embarrassed and cornered. He wiped the sweat from his forehead before admitting his secret. "A few weeks ago, I had an argument with Stacy. I asked her to break up with Evan because of her drinking problem."
Evan's eyes widened in horror as he stared at his father. "You did what?" he shouted, betrayal evident in his voice. "You had no right to say that to her! She was trying to get better, Dad!"
"Son, I'm sorry," Stew stammered, attempting to reach for his son's arm. "I thought I was doing what was best for you. I didn't want to see you hurt."
"Enough!" Morgan snapped, cutting off their bickering. "We're not here for your family drama. A woman is dead, and we need to find out who's responsible." She stepped closer to Stew, her gaze never wavering. "Now, if you have any relevant information, share it. Otherwise, keep quiet."
Evan clenched his fists, trying to hold back tears. It was clear that the revelation had hit him hard. He glanced at his father, a mix of anger and disappointment on his face. Morgan felt a pang of sympathy, but quickly pushed it aside. This wasn't the time or place for emotions.
She studied Stew intently, searching for any sign of deception. The man seemed genuinely remorseful, but she couldn't afford to be lenient. Trusting too easily had cost her everything once, and she wouldn't make that mistake again.
"Is there anything else you haven't told us?" Morgan pressed, her tone stern. "This is your last chance to come clean."
Stew shook his head, his words tumbling out in a rush. "No, I swear. That's everything. I didn't hurt her, Agent Cross. You have to believe me. I couldn't have killed Stacy, Agent Cross. I was home all night." He wiped the beads of sweat off his brow and took a shaky breath. "Our house is small, and sound travels fast. If I'd gone out, my wife or Evan would've noticed."
Evan, clearly still reeling, hesitated before he reluctantly said, "He's right. I didn't hear him leave last night, and I was up late. Mom would've heard something too."
Morgan studied the two men, noting the desperation in Stew's eyes and the anguish in Evan's. Maybe they were both telling the truth, but at the same time, Morgan didn't know enough about even Evan to clear him. What if it had been a conspiracy? If it was, then Evan was a one heck of an actor, but still. She couldn't afford to let her guard down.
"Alright," Morgan said, her voice firm. "We'll check with your wife to verify your alibi. But don't think you're off the hook just yet."
Stew exhaled in relief, nodding profusely. "Of course, Agent Cross. We'll cooperate fully with your investigation."
"Good," Morgan replied, her eyes narrowing as she glanced around the Orca World grounds. The sun glared down at them, casting long shadows that seemed to stretch towards the crime scene, where Stacy's lifeless body had been discovered only hours before. An unsettling feeling crept over her, a reminder that a killer was still on the loose.
Morgan stared at Stew and Evan, her eyes narrowing as she tried to gauge the truth of their words. She couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to this story than they were letting on, but for now, it was all she had to go on.
"Alright," she said tersely, signaling to a nearby officer. "Take them both into custody for further questioning. I don't want either of them out of our sight until we have some answers."
As the officer led Stew and Evan away, Morgan turned her attention at the direction of the dolphin tank. If the body had been taken out, then she needed to see it for herself. She began storming toward it, Derik on her tail.
"Hey, Morgan," Derik began hesitantly, his voice low and cautious. "I, uh, I just wanted to say—"
"Derik, not now," Morgan cut him off sharply, her focus fixed on the body. "We have work to do."
When they reached the dolphin tank, Morgan's stomach fell. The body lay on the concrete now, cold and lifeless, a morbid curiosity for the forensic team swarming around it like flies to carrion.
She approached the corpse, her gaze sweeping over the waterlogged clothes clinging to the pale skin, the hands bound behind Stacy's back. The image sent a shiver down her spine despite the relentless heat of the Texas sun.
"Have you noticed anything strange about the body?" she asked one of the forensic techs, trying to keep her thoughts focused on the task at hand, rather than the gnawing questions about her partner's loyalty.
"Nothing too out of the ordinary, Special Agent Cross," the tech replied, wiping sweat from his brow. "Apart from the obvious signs of drowning, she seems relatively unharmed. We'll know more once we get her back to the lab."
Morgan nodded in approval, her gaze sweeping across the body one last time as she looked for any clues that might help them in their investigation. She noticed an odd bruise on the side of Stacy's neck and a mark that looked like it had been made by a pair of small hands. She leaned closer to get a better look, but something else caught her eye: something glittering in the sun between the corpse and the tank. Morgan reached down and plucked up a tiny blue stone, feeling its cool surface beneath her fingers before pocketing it for further investigation.
"What do you make of this?" she asked Derik, gesturing towards the stone as she stepped away from the body.
Derik held it up to inspect it more closely, his eyebrows knitting together in confusion before he shrugged and replied, "I don't know. It looks like jewelry or something."
Morgan let out a heavy sigh, feeling an unfamiliar sense of defeat settle over her as she tucked the stone away into her pocket. The answers were somewhere out here if she just knew where to look - but right now they seemed hopelessly elusive.
"Make sure you go over her with a fine-toothed comb," Morgan instructed the tech team. "I want to know everything there is to know about her, and I want it yesterday."
"Understood." The tech nodded, his expression unreadable. "I'll make sure the team doesn't miss a thing."
"Good. The sooner we find out what happened here, the better."
Morgan stared down at the body, her stomach sick with dread. She could only imagine what horror had played out here. Stacy, being lured here in the night by a faceless man, tied up and thrown into a tank, forced to drown. It was a horrible end.
"Seems like she was drowned," Derik commented, breaking the silence. He stood beside Morgan, his gaze also focused on the victim. "No visible wounds, other than the marks from the ropes."
"That much is obvious," Morgan replied sarcastically, not taking her eyes off Stacy. She resented that Derik was here, invading her personal space after everything she had learned about him. Even if it was in her best interest to keep him close, she was struggling to keep her emotions at bay.
"Look, Morgan," Derik began, his voice strained, "I know you're pissed at me, and I get it. But we need to work together on this case. We can't let our personal issues get in the way of finding justice for this girl."
Morgan clenched her jaw, fighting the urge to lash out at him. Instead, she focused on the scene before her, trying to piece together what might have happened to Stacy. "Let's just concentrate on the crime scene, Derik. That's all that matters right now."
"Fine," he acquiesced, taking a step back. "You're right. The case comes first."
They both fell silent, their gazes locked on the young woman who would never take another breath. Morgan felt a familiar ache in her chest, a reminder of the injustice that had defined her own life. She couldn't change the past, but she could do everything in her power to prevent someone else from suffering the same fate.
"Once they've taken the body away, I want a thorough search of the area for any evidence," Morgan said, her voice steady and determined. "I want to know how she ended up here, who tied those knots, and why."
"Of course," Derik agreed, his voice equally resolute. "We'll find the answers. Together."
Morgan nodded, not looking at him, her mind already racing with thoughts of the investigation ahead. Working alongside Derik on this wasn't going to be easy. She watched as the forensic team, clad in white protective gear, prepared to remove Stacy's body from the scene. She turned her gaze to the water, now tainted with the memory of death. The ripples on the surface seemed to whisper secrets, ones she was determined to uncover.
"Make sure you get everything," she instructed the team leader, a tall man with graying hair named Dr. Howard. "I want a full examination – the works. There's more to this than just drowning."
"Of course, Agent Cross," Dr. Howard replied, his voice muffled by his mask. "We'll be thorough."
As they carefully lifted the lifeless form onto a waiting gurney, Morgan couldn't help but feel an odd connection to the dead woman. Both of them had been betrayed, left to suffer at the hands of those they thought they could trust. And while she had survived her ordeal, Stacy hadn't been so fortunate.
"Derik, I need you to start canvassing the area for witnesses," she said, turning to face her partner. "Anyone who might have seen or heard something last night."
"Sure thing," Derik replied, hesitating for a moment as if he wanted to say more. But he simply gave her a nod and walked away, leaving her alone with her thoughts.
Closing her eyes, Morgan took a deep breath and tried to center herself. The weight of the past pressed down on her like an anchor, threatening to drag her under. She needed answers – not only for Stacy but for herself as well.
Alright, Morgan, she thought to herself. Focus. You've got a job to do.
With renewed determination, Morgan opened her eyes and scanned the area, taking in every detail. The sun was beginning to cast long shadows across the ground, but she refused to let the darkness win.