“Partly. I really did want to hear about your date with Shane. But yeah. I was afraid if I didn’t, he’d be waiting for you when you got home. I don’t think he was very happy about you going out, Lace.”
No, he’d made that obvious. The look in his eyes when they’d been leaving was quite telling. Thankfully, Shelly had been there. If she hadn’t, Craig would have no doubt been far more vocal in expressing his opinions.
“Thanks, Rinn.” Lacie gave her sister a hug and moved over to the desk. What in the world would be of interest to Craig? Bills, her planner, a few articles. At first glance, she didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. Papers were strewn in what looked to be haphazard, random stacks, but Lacie knew what to look for.
Rinn stepped up quietly beside her. “See anything?”
“Yeah. My file on Brian. It’s not where I left it.” She spotted it a few inches to the left, picking it up to examine it. The papers inside were out of order, as if someone had been rifling through them and had hastily shoved them back. In the three years that Brian had been missing, Lacie hadn’t given up hope, ceaselessly writing letters, making phone calls, ensuring that no one forgot that he was still out there somewhere. She’d carefully documented everything in that file.
“Is there anything missing?”
Lacie went through everything twice more before she answered. “It doesn’t look like it, but something’s not right.” She held up an aerial photo, an enhanced view of something that looked like it might have come from Google Earth. “This looks different to me.”
“Different how?” Corinne asked, squinting. “Just looks like a rocky desert to me.”
“I can’t put my finger on it,” Lacie said, but knew something was off. At that moment she wished she had Shane’s photographic memory. “This is a satellite photo of the area where Brian’s unit was attacked.”
Corinne sucked in a breath. “How did you get that?”
“Don’t ask. I’m not sure it’s entirely legal.”
“Oh, Lace.”
Lacie set her shoulders and gave her a determined look. “Hey, if it helps bring Brian home, it’s worth it.”
“Do you think Craig switched photos?” Corinne asked, tapping her teeth like she always did when pondering something. “But why would he do that? For what purpose? I know I said I think Craig’s a little - ” she swirled an index finger in a tiny circle next to her temple “- but that seems a little farfetched, doesn’t it?”
“Maybe he thinks he can use it somehow, and he doesn’t want me involved. He’s forever telling me I’m going to tick off the wrong people one of these days, and warning me to let him handle it.”
“Maybe he’s right, Lace. He knows a lot more about how the Army works than you do.”
“I know. But I just can’t sit back and do nothing, Rinn. Brian is still out there...” Lacie’s voice cracked.
“I know,” Corinne said, hugging her. “I miss him, too. And we will get him home. But promise me you won’t say anything to Craig about this, okay? He doesn’t know I saw him outside of the kitchen last night, and I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”
Lacie promised she would, and Corinne left shortly thereafter. Lacie took a long, hot shower, pushing thoughts of Craig and whatever he was up to out of her mind, preferring to relive her amazing date with Shane over and over instead, wondering when he would call. Her phone rang as she was towel drying her hair. She lunged for it, thinking it might be him.
“Lacie?” a little girl’s voice said over the phone.
“Shelly?”
“Um, yeah. Um, the pancakes are almost ready. Daddy says you need to bring the whipped cream.”
“Okay,” Lacie said, cursing herself for having forgotten. “Give me five minutes and I’ll be over, okay? You want fresh strawberries, too?”
Shelly squealed an affirmation before Lacie disconnected the call. She rushed around, hurriedly pulling on a clean pair of jeans and a long-sleeved cotton T, running a brush through her damp hair, and gathering the supplies from her fridge. She had completely forgotten about their weekly breakfast date, her mind distracted by a gorgeous Irishman with silky black hair and blue eyes that sent electricity into her most sensitive parts every time they landed on her.
She didn’t bother with shoes; she was only going across the hall. Her own door had barely closed when Craig’s opened up. “Here, let me help you with that,” Craig said, taking the bowl of fresh berries and the can of whipped cream. There was a slight edge to his voice. Yep, he was displeased.
“Thanks,” she said, stepping into his place as if she hadn’t noticed.
Shelly kept up a steady stream of conversation while they made and ate pancakes, finger painting them with whipped cream and adding features with chocolate chips and strawberries. Craig continued to eye Lacie closely, but said little. Lacie had the distinct impression he was brooding.
When they’d had their fill, Lacie began to clean up. Craig noticed she was only using one hand.
“Your hand still bothering you?”