Noble could hide from most anyone else, but somehow Fort could always read her like a book. Deep down she knew it was because she wanted to be fully known by him and only him.
But sometimes it was utterly annoying!
Holding out the stone, the professor sighed.
"I'll tell you, but first I need to know your opinion on something. Look at this rock."
Noble dropped the stone in her husband's open palm.
He studied it. The marbling was exquisite. The pink undertones and ran in and out of the white and grey like the strings of a spider's web.
"It's a pretty rock," he answered at last, unsure what else to say. "Very unique."
"Hold that thought," Noble pulled out her communicator and held up a picture. "Would you say this rock came from the same place?"
Fort took the device and frowned. His eyes darted between the real-life specimen and the picture of Noble presented.
"Pink marbling with white and grey. The shimmers are strikingly similar also." Fort noted with some interest.
"So you think they came from the same place?" The professor prodded.
"I'm no geologist, but I've never seen stone quite like this before." The Director answered noncommittally.
"Neither have I," Noble chewed the inside of her cheek, "and that's what worries me."
"Why? Where did the picture come from?" Fort brought the picture closer to his face. "And why does it look like there is a case number in the corner of the photo?!"
The lovely professor blushed. "It isn't like a case number. It is a case number."
"Noble! What have you gotten yourself into this time?" The Director felt the phone be snatched from his hand before he could back out and see where the image was from.
"What do mean this time?!" Noble quickly waved her hand in the air. "Don't answer that!"
"Then answer me," Fort tried to keep the edge out of his voice, "please."
"I said I would tell you, but you have to promise not to get mad and that you won't do anything with the information. Mom told me not to dig, and I did stop almost as soon as I started, I promise!" Crossing her heart, Noble nodded vehemently.
"Back up. What does your mother have to do with a rock?" The Director rubbed his forehead.
Lowering her voice, the professor tried to collect her thoughts. "The first morning I was back at the house, I felt...unsettled."
That was putting it mildly, but Noble didn't want to let on about just how useless she had felt.
"My mother took me on that walk, and to make me feel better, she described the process of grieving she went through when Dad died. The goal was to help me realize how even though you didn't want to, all of you had slowly started to move on without me."
"Did that make you feel better?" Fort furrowed his brow.
"In a way. It put things in perspective that I needed to be patient. And she was right. I can already see how much better it is getting." Noble clutched the communicator in her hand. "But that is beside the point. During the conversation, Mom let something slip that she has been holding onto for years."
"What did she say?" Fort felt a knot forming in his stomach.
"That's the thing. She wanted me not to tell anyone. But I wouldn't agree to that. And that is why I need you to promise that no matter what, you won't take any action with what I'm about to tell you." Noble winced.
"You are scaring me," the Director looked at the pebble in his hand.
"What I am about to imply is scary," Noble confirmed. "Promise me."
Fort shook his head. "But what if I need to…"
"Promise. Promise you will be better than I was." Noble looked at the ground, ashamed.
The Director clenched his jaw. "Fine, I promise not to take action. Now tell me."
"My mother believes the accident that took my father's life was not an accident. She believes he was murdered by one of the legacy clans." Noble blurted the words out before she could stop herself.
She didn't like keeping secrets from her husband and this one had been weighing particularly heavy on her soul.
"What?!" Fort, understandably, was in disbelief. "No one has ever even hinted that there might have been foul play. What makes your mother think—"
"Dad had found something upsetting in one of the clans, and he was arranging a clandestine meeting to work things out. But mom thinks it must have been a setup since there was no one else inside the building when it collapsed." Noble swallowed.
She was accusing the government of letting her father's murderer go unsolved. The fact was not lost on the Director.
Fort took a deep breath, trying to contain the initial feeling of outrage. When he spoke again, his voice was strained.
"It is not that I don't believe your mother," he began, "in fact, if it were anyone else making these claims, I would dismiss them immediately. But, does your mother have any proof?"
"No, and she hasn't ever sought any. She believed that if whatever the secret was got Dad killed, it could be harmful to me, you, and eventually the kids as well. She told me not to mess with it either." Noble would not meet her husband's eye.
"But you didn't listen…" the Director guessed. "Wait, that conversation on the train. The hypothetical one. That was about your father?!"
"It was. And instead of taking your advice, I got Teddy to send a copy of the accident report." Noble tapped on her communicator to bring up the full document. "Before you say anything, as next of kin I had a right to the information without using your influence."
Fort grunted softly as he took the device and read the limited information provided. When he got to the bottom, his eyes narrowed on the picture that had been shown to him at the beginning.
"That was found at the scene?" Frowning, the Director's mind raced. "It could be a coincidence…"
"But it doesn't seem like one, does it?" Noble could see the wheels turning in the man's head.
"No, it doesn't," Fort answered at last. "The locations and circumstances surrounding his death. I had no idea! It reeks of foul play. This merits more inquiry. If we can find out why…"
"No! After looking at the report I decided it wasn't a good idea to risk our family on something so far in the past. The pink stone just caught me off-guard. I chose not to ask for the Awakened's name because what can I really do with that information? It will only bring trouble down on us."
Noble had looked at the situation from every angle. As much as she wanted to solve the mystery, the potential cost was too great.
"You promised you wouldn't pursue this," the professor reminded her husband.
"That was before I knew we were dealing with a possible murder." Fort ran his fingers through his hair.
"It doesn't change that you promised. We cannot act on this information, no matter how tempting." Noble shook her head emphatically.
The two stared at each other for a long time. Fort finally broke eye contact with an exasperated sigh.
"Fine, fine. I won't act on it." The man threw his hands in the air.
Reaching forward, Noble caught it and tucked her arm neatly into the crook of his elbow. "Thank you," she kissed his cheek. She sighed, and her eyes finally showed their exhaustion. "If you don't mind, I've had way too much excitement for my first day back."
Fort had to agree that the safety of home was all too tempting. He nodded.
"Let's go home."