The Captain I Married by Chance novel Chapter 428

But Nora still felt something was terribly wrong.

She studied the man through the glass.

Compared to their last encounter, Toby was much less frantic today.

His emotions seemed stable, but there was a severe disconnect between the look in his eyes and the general vibe he was giving off.

Nora crossed her arms, sinking into deep thought.

"Why didn't you go with them?"

Nathan's voice filtered through the speaker. "If it was a crew vacation, shouldn't everyone have been invited?"

Toby offered a bitter smile. "I... I'm not really considered part of the inner circle. I'm just the guy who drives the van."

There was definitely some heavy baggage behind that statement.

But Nathan didn't dig into the office politics. Instead, he steered it back. "Do you know who actually stayed in 2901 that night?"

Toby paused, taking a long moment before shaking his head. "I don't."

"Where were you when the murder happened?"

"What's your alibi?"

Toby's head snapped up, panic finally flashing across his face. "Why are you asking me that?"

"Do you think I did it?"

Nathan kept his gaze locked on the man. "Standard procedure. If you claim you weren't the one in that room, you need to prove where you actually were."

"Right... that makes sense."

Toby seemed to accept the logic. He fell quiet for a moment before admitting, "I've actually been back in my hometown for the last couple of days."

"Your hometown?"

Toby nodded, his voice dropping. "I'm from Hawthorne County."

Hearing that familiar name, Nora's hands clenched into fists.

A few minutes later, an officer slipped into the room and whispered into Nathan's ear that Toby's alibi checked out.

Nathan gave a subtle nod.

He fired off a few more routine questions, then signaled the officer to escort Toby out.

Seeing that he was finally off the hook, Toby let out a massive sigh of relief.

Nathan watched his reaction closely. Just as Toby reached the door, Nathan stopped him, asking as if it were an afterthought, "Since you're from Hawthorne County, do you happen to know a woman named Clara Caldwell?"

Toby, who had just gotten to his feet, stumbled and practically fell back into his chair.

"C-Clara Caldwell?"

Nathan's eyes narrowed slightly at the violent reaction.

"Yes, Toby. Do you know her?"

"Or, more importantly, do you know her son, Lawrence Gunn?"