“You’re all set.” Flot paused at the exit. “I want to stress that this isn’t the kind of establishment we run. We don’t harm people. So please don’t judge my life’s work on the possibility that someone dangerous abuses our facility. Anyway. Let me know if you need anything.”
“Will do,” the detectives promised.
“Okay, so here’s the first date you requested.” The security officer loaded the footage onto the main screen. “We’ll start with the ticket agents until we find her, and then we’ll follow her throughout her visit. See if she talks to anyone suspicious.”
“Here’s her photo.” Bel opted not to point out that the killer was too smart to behave suspiciously on camera and placed the folder on the table, opening it to a printed shot of the mermaid stolen from her parents’ social media. If he was even caught on camera. No, he’d be subtle and unassuming. He wouldn’t be someone aquarium security would spot… unless it was the father-and-son duo they were praying would show up.
“I think that’s her.” The guard pointed to a brunette digging through her purse.
“She looks a little like Ondine,” Olivia whispered.
“Yeah, that’s our first victim,” Bel confirmed.
“Okay, great. So now we just follow her. It looks like she’s alone.” The guard waited to see which direction the girl took, and then he switched cameras, following her exhibit by exhibit. She didn’t stay long. Her solitary visit enabled her to move quickly. She seemed to enjoy her time, but it was an entirely uneventful trip. If she’d encountered the killer, he’d either been careful to remain off camera, or he was so unassuming that he disappeared into the crowd.
“Was that helpful at all?” the guard asked as he pulled up the next date they’d given him.
“We need to watch all three before we can determine that,” Bel lied, withdrawing the photo of the second victim from the folder. They were the most recent mermaids and the only ones the aquarium had footage of, and she prayed the recordings were worth their trip.
Mermaid number two visited with her mother, and halfway through her day, she paused to talk to someone. Who spoke to her was a mystery, though. A maintenance man stood by the garbage can, his hunched form blocking whoever was part of this conversation.
“Do we ever see who she’s speaking to?” Bel asked.
“No.” The security guard rewound the file and played the interaction again, but the angle made it impossible.
“What do you think?” Olivia asked. “Could that be Erik?”
“She doesn’t look like she’s flirting,” Bel said. “I don’t know. It could be our killer, and he knew to hide from the cameras, or it’s a random visitor who just happened to be standing there.”
“I haven’t seen the Princes on the footage either,” Olivia said. “Yet another dead end.”
“Don’t give up. We have one more day to check.”
But Olivia was right. The third mermaid arrived with her friends, only to leave with them hours later. They didn’t talk toanyone outside of their party, they never split up, they never stepped outside of the cameras’ boundaries, and they didn’t purchase any necklaces. The security footage was yet another dead end.
“Griffin texted while we were inside,”Olivia said as they crossed the aquarium’s expansive parking lot. “Deputies are out looking for Ondine, but they haven’t found her. He’s asking if we have better news.” She scoffed as she texted the sheriff back.
“We don’t have any news.” Bel unlocked her cell in time to see Olivia’s text pop up in the group chat. Her boss’ message wasn’t the only text on her screen, though, so she clicked on Eamon’s name since Gold had already handled the work thread.
Eamon
Will you be home for dinner?
Bel
Probably. I don’t think there’s anything else we can do today.
Eamon
Cerberus will be happy. Can you do me a favor and stop at the store on your way home? I forgot fresh basil, and I didn’t realize how low we were on olive oil.
“Are you going to the station?” Olivia asked when they reached their cars, and Bel replied to Eamon’s request before climbing into the driver’s seat.
“I don’t think so,” she said. “It’ll be late by the time we get back. The night shift can handle anything we missed cause I need sleep. I’m running on fumes.”
“I need a good night’s sleep too, but it’s hard to relax when there’s so much at stake. I slept better when I was dating Ewan… don’t say it.” Olivia pointed an accusing finger at her partner, and Bel mimed zipping up her mouth and tossing the key.
“Anyway.” Olivia rolled her eyes. “Call me if you find anything or need help. I’ll do the same.”
