Page 54 of Nora
“The burned victim in Louisiana,” Nora answered. “Because of its French roots, the state is traditionally Catholic, so it’s possible it’s a real bishop’s ring. I haven’t had a chance to dig into that yet, though.”
“I can look into it,” Lucian offered. Then he frowned. As if unsure of what he’d said.
Nora’s brow dipped. “How will you do that? You don’t have contacts anymore.” That probably wasn’t true, but he didn’t have the contacts she and the club did.
“You don’t need to be a spy to know how to navigate the internet,” he replied.
Nora studied him. After a beat, she realized her friends were suspiciously quiet. “That would be great, thank you,” she said quickly, not wanting to give them any time to stew over Lucian’s offer. She had no idea how he’d do it or how effective he’d be, but she could also look into it herself later, if needed.
“There was nothing on the cameras in the residence hall,” she continued. “Well, nothing unexpected,” she amended.
“No one sneaking around or into each other’s rooms at night?” Cyn asked, a teasing tone in her voice.
Nora chuckled and glanced at Lucian before answering. He’d spent far more time with the participants than she had. It was possible he knew them far better than she did…or, maybe not. He wasn’t the most social of creatures. It was quite possible that in her six days with them, she might know them better. He didn’t quite raise an eyebrow, but it was close.
“I’m pretty sure Sophie and Jurgen are sleeping together. At least occasionally,” Nora said. Lucian’s face went blank, then a ghost of a smile teased his expression.
“I was not expecting that one,” he said. “Marie, maybe. But not Sophie.”
Nora couldn’t fault his logic. She’d had to watch the video three times to believe it. But sure enough, Sophie had slipped into Jurgen’s room Friday night and left again two hours later. It was possible they weren’t sleeping together. But Sophie exited the room carrying her bra in her hand, so Nora was pretty sure her first guess was right.
“Anything else?” Lucian asked.
“No,” Nora said. “I know I don’t need to say it—or say it again,” she added, flashing Lucian a look. “But the clock starts tomorrow for the next murder. I don’t know if the next victim will be strangled or burned, but there will be another victim.”
“And so we better hop to,” Six said.
“But to what?” Nora asked. This wasn’t the kind of investigation she was used to. She literally didn’t know what to do as their next step. Sabina had texted earlier that she’d have new intel tomorrow. But as for everything else…they’d gone through all they had.
“We keep digging,” Cyn said. “Maybe it will be futile, but what else do we have to do? There’s no additional evidence we can review. Sabina is looking into the victims—”
“I want to look at the crime scene photos,” Devil said.
“I’ll send you what I have,” Nora said. She wasn’t sure what Devil might be looking for, but it couldn’t hurt to have another set of eyes on them.
“We all agree that both Craig and James are out,” Cyn continued. “That leaves Collin, Jean, Angelo, and Jurgen. Although it also sounds as if Jurgen isn’t likely.”
“Still, it’s better to be sure,” Six said. “Hold on.” Nora could hear a muffled conversation in the background before Six rejoined the call. “Gavin said he’ll call some friends in the UK and ask around about Collin. They might not have anything new to offer, but it can’t hurt.”
“And Darius spent some time at the base for reserve units in Louisiana. I assume that’s where the program took place? If so, he can ask around about the murders in that area,” Devil offered.
Nora looked at Lucian, who nodded. “That would be great, thank you, Devil. And please, thank Darius and Gavin for me,” she said.
“Well, crud. Now Joe is going to feel all left out,” Cyn muttered, making Nora smile.
“Tell him he can deep dive into Angelo. That way each of you only has one person to look into,” Nora said.
“And what will you be doing?” Devil asked. The question could have been snarky, but it wasn’t. There was genuine concern in her friend’s voice. Devil knew the burden Nora carried. They all did. And while she wouldn’t wish her anxiety on anyone, it helped to know they understood.
“I’ll be talking to Angelo, Jurgen, Collin, and Jean,” she said. “It’s not as though one of them will suddenly confess to me, but if I’m lucky—”
“Or ask the right question,” Lucian interjected.
“Or ask the right question,” Nora agreed, “maybe someone will slip up.”
“I will keep my fingers crossed,” Six said.
“So will I,” Devil added. “Talk tomorrow? Same time?”
