Page 4 of Forever

"Take us to him, please," Morgan instructed, her mind racing with questions about the victim and possible suspects. She could tell Derik wanted to talk, but she wasn't about to let him distract her from the case. Her personal feelings would have to wait.

For now, she wanted to speak to the man in charge around here and find out how on earth this had been able to happen.

CHAPTER THREE

"Right this way," Chrissy said, leading Morgan and Derik through winding corridors and past various exhibits until they reached a door marked 'Manager.' Morgan took a breath, steeling herself for the difficult conversation they were about to have.

"Thank you, Chrissy," Morgan told the young woman before knocking on the door and opening it without waiting for a response.

Inside, a portly man sat behind a cluttered desk, looking up in surprise at their sudden entrance. The nameplate on his desk read 'Stew Granger, Regional Manager.'

"Agent Cross, FBI," Morgan announced curtly, flashing her badge. "This is Agent Greene. We need to ask you some questions about the body found in the dolphin tank."

"Of course, of course," Stew stammered, rising from his chair and extending a sweaty hand. Morgan shook it briefly, her expression unreadable. "Please, have a seat," Stew gestured to the chairs opposite his desk, wiping his palms nervously on his pants.

Morgan could see the unease in his eyes as he glanced at the door, as if contemplating an escape. But there was also something else, something she couldn't quite put her finger on. She filed that thought away for later as she sat down in one of the chairs, Derik taking the other.

"Let's start with the basics," Morgan began, her voice steady and controlled. "When did you first hear about the body being discovered?"

Stew shifted uncomfortably in his seat, his cheeks reddening under her unrelenting gaze. "Well, not even an hour ago," he said. "Chrissy called the police first, and another one of our employees ran down to inform me. I was in here at the time."

Morgan nodded, taking note of his reaction. She couldn't be sure if it was guilt or fear that clouded his eyes. She imagined this wasn't easy for him, knowing that someone had been murdered in the park he was responsible for. "Did you see the victim?"

"Well, yes," Stew said. "I went to check out the scene for myself. It was... just awful."

"Did you recognize the victim?" Morgan asked.

"Uh, no," Stew replied, avoiding her eyes and fidgeting with a pen on his desk. "I've never seen her before."

"Really?" Morgan raised an eyebrow, sensing there was more to the story. "You seem awfully nervous for someone who claims not to know the victim."

"Look, I can assure you, I don't know her," Stew insisted, his voice cracking slightly under the pressure.

"Then why are you so anxious, Mr. Granger?" Morgan pressed, her tone icy as her eyes bore into him. She could feel Derik's presence beside her, but she refused to let him deter her from her mission.

"Because there's a dead body in my park!" Stew blurted out, his face flushed with frustration. "I've got employees and guests to worry about, and now this!"

Morgan nodded, easing off, reminding herself not to treat everyone like a suspect. There was a good chance Stew was innocent in all of this.

"Understandable," Morgan conceded. "But we need your full cooperation if we're going to catch whoever did this."

"Of course," Stew agreed, swallowing hard as he met her eyes again. "Whatever you need."

"Good," Morgan said. "We'd like to review your security footage from last night," Morgan said, her voice firm and her eyes never leaving his face.

"Uh, about that," Stew mumbled, shifting nervously in his chair. "We've been having some technical issues with our cameras lately. They haven't been working properly."

Morgan raised an eyebrow, her suspicion growing. "You're telling me there's no footage at all?"

"Unfortunately, no," he replied, avoiding her gaze. "I've been meaning to get them fixed, but... well, things have been hectic around here."

"Seems like a major oversight for a place with such valuable and dangerous animals," Morgan remarked, her tone laced with skepticism. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was off, and Stew's anxiety wasn't helping. "Speaking of which," she continued, "what about night security? Surely you have someone keeping an eye on the park after hours."

Stew hesitated, his mouth opening and closing as if searching for the right words. "Actually, uh, we don't have any night security at the moment."

Morgan's eyes narrowed, her disbelief evident. How could a place like this not have any security measures in place? Her gut told her there was more to it than what Stew was letting on. She glanced at Derik, who seemed equally puzzled by the revelation. He'd been quiet, letting Morgan take the lead, which she didn't wholly mind.

"Let me get this straight," she said, turning back to Stew. "An Orca Park park with thousands of dollars' worth of marine life, and you have neither functioning security cameras nor any form of night security?"

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