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“You can wander,” Alexander said from the kitchen. “Winston will show you what he considers the important areas.”

He looked toward the open terrace doors. “Winston.”

A moment later, large paws crossed the hardwood floor. He came from the direction of the terrace with the easy confidence of a dog who knew every inch of this place. He stopped in the center of the room and studied me with the sweet attention of a golden retriever conducting a thorough assessment.

“Emilia,” Alexander said. “I’d like you to meet Winston.”

I crouched down. Winston crossed the remaining distance and placed his chin on my knee as though the decision had already been made. I met his eyes, dark and thoughtful, as I reached to touch his head. His tail began to move and I could swear he was smiling at me.

Alexander was watching from the kitchen doorway. The expression on his face was one I had seen only in fragments before, and one I wished I saw more often. I remembered it from the balcony at the masquerade, from our walk home after the opera committee, and from the lab when we were talking about data.

He looked at Winston and then at me. “He doesn’t do that,” he said.

“Do what?”

“The chin. He’s particular about it.”

I looked down at Winston, who had chosen to remain exactly where he was. “I’m glad he’s made an exception.”

“He has good instincts.” Alexander turned back toward the stove. “He’s more discerning than most people I’ve met.”

I stayed on the floor for another minute. When I finally stood, Winston accompanied me toward the kitchen doorway and settled into a nearby bed.

“Emilia, before we start the evening, there is something I need to tell you.”

“That sounds ominous.”

Alexander tensed. “There has been an update in Security’s investigation of the fire. We can no longer safely assume it was an electrical accident.”

“What makes that a possibility?”

“There was a period when the camera coverage leading to the storage corridor was compromised.”

“Oh. So the possibility exists because someone could have reached the storage corridor without being seen?”

“Yes.”

“Why was the camera offline?”

“We are working on that right now.”

“Was it only the storage corridor camera that was impacted?”

Alexander hesitated. “No. The disruption affected more than one camera.”

“Okay.” I thought for a second. “If someone caused it, that person would have to have badge access.”

“Maybe.”

“Maybe? Can anyone without access credentials enter the building?”

“Not when the system is fully operational.”

“I need to think about what this means for the team. Above all else, I need to be transparent with them. I can’t protect them by deciding what they’re allowed to know.”

Alexander nodded.

“I also want to limit late night and weekend work. They can only work after hours when at least one other person is present.”