Hale stopped himself.
He looked at the ceiling briefly.
'Noel and the Ashford brothers.'
He had heard the story — pieces of it, from the papers, from office gossip that moved through the company—the accused slave. The four days Noel had spent trying to prove his guard's innocence.
The Ashford brothers were helping him. It made sense that they would have grown closer through something like that. People who went through difficult times together often end up feeling connected.
That was the explanation.
That was the reasonable, sensible explanation and he was going to use it.
He looked back at the doorway where Cedric had just walked in.
Cedric crossed the department toward Noel, reached Noel's desk and stopped to look at him for a second and then reached out and placed his hand briefly on top of Noel's head.
Just rested it there.
