Page 37 of Nora
Nora cocked her head, no doubt looking for the subtle signs he’d seen. It didn’t take her long to recognize it. She lived in the country and probably saw them all the time. She looked back to the spot of the attack, then again at the deer trail. After a beat, she nodded. “It’s not much, but at least it gives us an area to focus on.”
He gestured her forward, and she led the way to the small, barely-there deer path. They’d walked for ten minutes, Nora looking to the left and him to the right, when she drew up short.
“Did you find something?” he asked, coming to stand behind her. She was small enough that he could easily look over her shoulder.
“There,” she said, pointing to something with her stick. Something yellow.
Sinking to his haunches, but careful not to touch anything, he examined the find. A small gold coin. No, a charm. Something that would go on a necklace or bracelet. Pulling out his phone, he opened the camera app and took a few pictures. When he rose, he found Nora on her own phone. Based on the side of the conversation he heard, he guessed she was talking to Ben. The detective.
Lucian’s brow furrowed in confusion. Why did the thought of Nora turning to another man for help irritate him? She was doing her job. And she was doing it in a way that would allow the Americans to use the evidence, if it was evidence, in any subsequent court case. Still, he didn’t like it. And he didn’t like that he didn’t like it.
Rather than continue to listen, he walked several meters farther into the woods. Keeping his attention focused downward, he looked for additional evidence. The frozen ground gave no purchase for footprints. The best he could find was a couple of broken twigs and branches that the killer might have brushed against as he’d passed by. Or maybe it had been some other animal.
“He’ll be here in fifteen minutes,” Nora said, walking toward him. She had a wary look on her face, and he suspected he knew the source.
“You don’t want me here when he gets here?”
Her eyes met his, and she hesitated. “He doesn’t know I’m working with the group. If he sees you here and then sees us both walking back into the woods toward the grounds, he’s going to figure it out.”
“And then he might start looking at where we came from, and he’ll definitely come knocking on our door,” he finished.
She hesitated again, then nodded. “He knows he has to work with me, but for now, it’s still his investigation. Until I know Detective Ben Miller won’t show too much interest in the participants, I don’t want him to be able to tie me to the group.”
“I’m not going to leave you out here, Nora.”
She bit her lower lip and looked away. “I’d appreciate it if you did.” At least she knew she couldn’t physically make him leave. Of course, that made him feel like a bully, using his size and strength to get what he wanted.
He exhaled. “How about this. As soon as we hear him, I’ll disappear. I’ll jog back to the center, grab your keys, then drive your car around to pick you up from the parking lot. That way, you won’t be seen walking toward the grounds, either.”
She returned her gaze to his but didn’t answer right away.
“I promise I won’t look at any of your case files,” he added. He even offered her a little smile. Or at least he thought he did. It had been a while since he’d smiled. The look she gave made him wonder if maybe it had come out looking more pained than anything.
Finally, the left side of her mouth curled up. “I already offered to share my case files. I was actually trying to remember if I’d picked up my room before I left.”
He laughed. Well, chuckled. It came out rusty, but it was honest. He couldn’t imagine what Nora might be embarrassed about. He’d seen her naked. Several times. It had been nearly two decades, but still…damn, now he was curious.
“I’ll be in and out. We need to make sure we’re back for the morning session, so you know I won’t take my time,” he promised.
She cast him a dubious look. He’d been sincere with his promise. Mostly. If something was in his line of sight, he wasn’t going to look away.
She made a face but handed him her room key. “My car key is in the side pocket of my purse, which is hanging in the armoire, not the closet.”
He took the small piece of plastic and slid it into his pocket. They continued searching the area until they heard a group of people walking toward them. Sticking to his word, he gave Nora a nod, then slipped deeper into the woods. He stayed in the shadows for a little bit, then rejoined the trail and jogged the rest of the way.
What had taken them thirty minutes to walk took him less than twenty to jog. Sooner than he’d thought, he walked in the front door of the residence hall. Craig and Collin were passing by as he entered, and though he waved, he didn’t stop to chat.
Letting himself into Nora’s room, he was immediately struck by the smell. His room smelled of whatever soap and shampoo the army provided. But her room smelled ofher. Something a little vanilla, a little musky, and just a hint of spice. Inhaling, he could almost swear she was standing beside him.
With a shake of his head, he walked to the armoire. Opening the door, he found her purse hanging on a hook just inside. Right beside it was a dress that was far too nice to be anything she’d need for the next three weeks. He paused and looked at it. That’s when he noticed the champagne-colored sheer bustier with matching silk panties on the same hanger.
His mind went blank, filled only with the image of Nora in the lingerie. It didn’t help that he’d also noticed silk thigh-high stockings gently draped over the rod.
Where was she planning to wear those items? Did she have a date or something? Was she seeing someone who was planning to come visit? His cousin hadn’t mentioned Nora dating anyone, but Violetta, Cyn, and Devil were. Was it so hard to believe Nora was, too?
No, it wasn’t hard to believe that at all. He knew she wasn’t married, but he’d be surprised if she wasn’t in a relationship.
That thought caused him enough discomfort that he quickly reached into her purse and withdrew her car key. He didn’t want to think about Nora wearing those items, let alone wearing them for someone he didn’t know. Actually, wearing them for someone hedidknow would be worse, but that wasn’t possible. Right? Unless she’d planned to hook up with one of the program participants?
