Page 24 of Nora
After a beat, his lips tipped into a smile. “You don’t pull any punches, do you?”
She smiled back. “I don’t. But I try to do it as nicely as possible. I don’t believe in hitting a man when he’s down.”
“Lucian saw what I didn’t, didn’t he?” Nora nodded. “He doesn’t miss much, does he?”
She inclined her head. No, unfortunately, Lucian didn’t miss much. “How’s Miles doing with the cold?” she asked, changing the subject. Craig was based in North Carolina. They had their share of cold days, but not quite like Massachusetts.
Craig smiled. “That’s one thing I do know. He loves the cold. He’s in his element here. Especially if we get more snow.”
“Have you taken him out for any long walks or runs? I’ve been running the perimeter route with a couple of guys on base. It’s a good path.”
Craig frowned. “I saw the trail maps in the welcome packet but haven’t hit any yet. I went out the main gate and ran along the road this morning. Figured if I go out and back, I don’t have to think about getting lost. Or think about much of anything other than running.”
Nora smiled at that. She knew a lot of people who liked to zone out on their runs. Devil being one of them. Once she got going, she could go for miles without a second thought. Nora, however, liked company.
“You didn’t take Miles, did you?” she asked.
Craig shook his head. “I went out around five-thirty. I wasn’t sure what the roads would look like in terms of ice or debris, so figured I’d scope it out first. If the perimeter route is dirt, I might try that with him.” He paused and looked out the window to where Miles sat beside Lucian, Lucian’s hand resting on his head. “Or maybe I should do that now. Think Lucian will give up my dog?”
Nora smiled. “If you tell him you fucked up and know it, yes, he’ll give you your dog back.”
Craig chuckled. “Again with the truth bombs.”
“I figure you can take it.”
He nodded, then hesitated. “Thank you. I don’t think I’m really over Annie’s death. I probably shouldn’t have accepted another dog so quickly.”
“But you did.”
“I did,” he said. “And I owe it to him to help him be the best he can be.”
“You do,” Nora agreed.
“Thank you,” he said again. Then he turned and left, grabbing his coat and winter gear on his way out the door.
The minute he was gone, Nora pulled her laptop out. She had access to the security system on the training grounds, and she wanted to confirm Craig’s story. A few minutes later, she watched a video of him pass through the front gate at five forty-five. He returned at seven-fifteen, and he’d been at breakfast at eight. If the victim’s time of death was between five and nine, there was no way Craig could have been involved. Not unless someone had picked him up in a car outside the base, which wasn’t a likely scenario.
Seeing the video made Nora wonder who else had left their room that morning. The residence hall didn’t have cameras inside—something she was going to talk to Franklin about—but she had access to the key card readers. Pulling up that data, she saw that Craig wasn’t the only one who’d had a morning excursion.
Anne had keyed into the gym a few minutes after six and ninety minutes later, returned to her room. Marie had done the same. Lucian had left his room shortly after she’d left for her run and returned a few minutes before her own arrival.
That record gave her pause. She and Willa were only out for a little over an hour. Not enough time for Lucian to make it to the crime scene, commit the crime, then get back again. But it wasn’t this possibility that she pondered, because despite her promise to Franklin, she was sure he wasn’t involved. The timing of his outingwassuspicious, though. Not in terms of the murder, but she had a sneaking feeling he might have been following her. To what end, she didn’t know, only it wouldn’t surprise her if he had.
Setting that thought aside, she returned to her perusal of the security system. Jonah and Jurgen had also left their rooms at the same time, then returned together a little over an hour later. She didn’t know where they’d gone, but she’d ask them about it that evening. Jean had also stepped out, but his outing lasted less than fifteen minutes. She assumed he’d taken Adela for a quick walk. Regardless, he hadn’t been gone nearly long enough to commit the crime.
Wanting cameras inside the residence hall, she sent Franklin a text requesting he make the arrangements. A few minutes later, he confirmed he’d have it done during tomorrow’s morning session. The feeds would be on a closed circuit, and she’d be the only one with access.
Setting her computer aside, she looked out the window in time to see Craig walking back from the woods. Apparently, he’d forgone the run and gotten right back on the horse. Successfully this time, it appeared. Craig carried the dummy doll his dog had scented, and Miles trotted jauntily at his side. Every few strides, Craig reached down and rubbed his dog’s head.
It would take a while for Craig to build the kind of relationship with Miles that he’d had with Annie. At least it looked as though he was trying now. And Miles really did strike Nora as a forgiving animal. Most dogs were, but Miles particularly so.
Nora’s eyes strayed to Lucian. When he eventually learned the real reason for her presence at the program—which he inevitably would—she didn’t think he’d be so forgiving.
CHAPTERELEVEN
Lucian,James, and Ingrid remained on the training grounds as the participants and their dogs returned to the residence hall. The temperatures had dropped, and it was colder than the hinges of hell, but it was easier to debrief the day’s activities now rather than fit it in later. Especially since James and Ingrid planned to join a few folks heading out to a local bar after dinner.
They finished comparing notes and settled on a plan for the next day. As they started back to the residence hall, a light in the portable caught his attention. Lucian frowned. Nora should have gone back with the others.
