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CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

VIOLET STARED AT Noah. “A cop? How did you come to that conclusion?” What had she missed in the interviews with Charity and Lauren that pointed Noah at one of his brothers in blue?

“Do you remember what Lauren said just before the ambulance arrived?”

She thought for a moment. “Something about the perp knowing too much information about the fake rape charges.”

“Lauren said her attacker knew details not released to the public. So how did he learn those details?”

Rayne twisted in the front passenger seat to look at them. “One woman might have talked about it.”

Violet frowned. “I don’t think so. The impression I got from Charity was that she and Lauren wanted to forget the incident ever happened. I can’t see either of them talking about the fake charges. It would have been embarrassing for them.”

“They could have ended up in jail where they belonged,” Grant muttered.

“Since Dana was gone, they didn’t have to worry about her punishing them for breaking their silence after all these years,” Rayne pointed out.

“Besides the police, who else would have had access to the case details?” Violet asked.

“The lawyers,” Grant said. “Family members on both sides.”

“Ask Zane to hack into the police files. We can make a list of people to question as we read the files.”

Noah pulled out his phone.

A moment later, Zane’s voice came through the phone’s speaker. “Yeah, Murphy.”

“It’s Noah. You’re on speaker with my team. I need a favor.”

“Name it.”

“Hack into the Laramie police files for a case involving a rape accusation against Bradley Melton by Dana Farraday.”

“Nothing I like better than to slip into official files I’m not supposed to have access to. You just made my day brighter.”

He chuckled. “Glad I could help.”

“Violet?”

Her stomach clenched. “Yes?”

“How are you holding up?”

How did she answer his question without lying or causing her friends to worry about her more? “I want Cami’s killer, Z.”

He was silent a moment. “I understand. Noah, the rest of your teams were deployed again.”

“Where did Maddox send them this time?” Noah asked.

“Brazil. It’s a protection detail. They should return by the time you and the others are back in Nashville. I’m sorry, Violet. Seth and the others were unhappy about it, but Maddox had no other teams available. Durango was supposed to take the Brazil assignment but couldn’t because of a delay in their current assignment.”

“I understand.” Violet knew how short-handed Maddox was. That was the reason he constantly recruited new teams. Fortress Security’s black ops teams were in high demand worldwide. Even though she was disappointed to not have Teagan and the others here, someone could be hurt or die if Echo and Artemis refused to go on a mission. Besides, Maddox took a dim view of his teams refusing assignments when the missions were life or death. Zane’s vague description put the mission into the critical category.

“When is your sister’s funeral?”

“The day after tomorrow. I’d planned to pack up Cami’s apartment tomorrow, but that’s unnecessary now.”

“The bomb?”

“Someone broke into her apartment and destroyed almost everything before we showed up. The bomb took care of the rest.”

“I’m really sorry.”

“So am I. At least I have her journals and the photos she had on her walls. We packed those before we discovered the bomb.”

“Huh. Have you read the journals yet?”

“No time.”

“Maybe you’ll find a clue to the identity of the killer.”

“Perhaps.” No guarantees, though.

“Can I do anything for you, Violet?”

“Not that I know of.”

“If you think of anything, contact me day or night. Noah?”

“Right here.”

“What did you think about Casey?”

He chuckled. “That woman is a barracuda. She impressed me and scared the Morrison police.”

“Always a good thing. Before I jump into the next task, do you need to report anything new?”

Noah glanced at Violet and gave her a nod.

She summarized the interview with Charity.

Zane whistled. “I assume you caught up with Lauren Gilmore. What did she have to say?”

“Not a lot. We found her in a pool of her own blood. She’d been stabbed several times.” She told the computer whiz the information they’d learned from Lauren, ending with, “Noah thinks our suspect might be a local cop.”

“Evidence to back that up, Noah?”

“Nothing yet. Just a gut feeling coupled with something Lauren said.”

“What was that?”

“The killer knew information no one should have known because at least one girl was underage.”

Their friend was silent for a moment. “Could be cops. Any cop in the Morrison PD could get access to the files. Could be the lawyers.”

“When you get me a copy of the case file, we’ll find out who represented both sides. Although I’ll talk to Melton soon, I want outside verification.”

“Trust but verify. Wise move. I’ll get on the file immediately. Any chance you’ll need Casey’s services again?”

“It’s possible.”

“I’ll let her know. Do you have other research I can assist with?”

“Dig deep into Lauren Gilmore. The killer ignored Lauren and Charity for years. Something set him off. I’m wondering if Lauren looked into Dana’s death recently.”

“I’ll see what I can find. Have you told Brent the latest? If you haven’t, you need to report to him. This could get ugly fast.”

Could get ugly? Violet grimaced. Looking at the situation from her perspective, it was ugly already and would be worse the longer the killer remained free to do as he pleased.

“He was my next call,” Noah said.

“I’ll transfer you. Hold.”

Seconds later, a gruff voice said, “Yeah, Maddox.”

“It’s Noah.”

“Sit rep.”

For the next few minutes, Noah updated their boss about the latest developments in the case.

“Someone is tying up loose ends.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I was afraid that would happen. Update me again as soon as anything changes. If you need more boots on the ground, let me know. Shadow unit is not on rotation this month, but they’ll be glad to help if you need them.”

Violet looked up at Noah and shook her head. No way. Shadow unit took on the worst missions dealing with human trafficking. They needed their months off the rotation to keep them mentally healthy.

Noah gave a slight nod. “I’ll keep that in mind, sir.”

“Violet.”

“Sir?”

“I’m sorry I had to send your teammates on another mission. If I’d had another team available, they would be in Montana with you as we speak.”

“I understand. Zane explained. It’s fine.”

“Take as long as you need before you return to work.”

Violet stiffened. “Artemis needs me. I won’t leave them without a medic.”

“I can send a substitute medic with your team. I can’t replace you if you make a fatal mistake on a mission because you returned to work sooner than you should have and were distracted at a critical moment. Are you hearing me?”

She gritted her teeth. “Yes, sir.”

“Noah, whatever you need, we’ll take care of it if possible. Maddox out.”

He slid his phone into his pocket.

“We can’t call in Shadow,” Violet said. “They need their time off to decompress.”

Noah wrapped his hand around hers. “I agree with your assessment, but we may not have a choice if this mission goes sideways.”

“Then we can’t let it go sideways. I won’t cause them more stress.”

“I’m with Violet,” Rayne said. “I think we can handle this on our own.”

Grant slowed for a right turn. “Brent’s right. The killer is cleaning up.”

“But what’s the connection between Cami and Lauren?” Violet asked. “Cami never mentioned Lauren, Charity, or Dana to me in our conversations.”

“Is it possible Lauren contacted Cami?”

“Maybe. How we’ll prove that is another matter altogether. We don’t have Cami’s computer.”

“That may be something Zane can help us with. We can ask.”

“Her laptop may not be on or connected to a network,” Rayne pointed out. “One of the tech geeks might have an easier time hacking into Camilla’s work computer.”

Violet stilled. Cami’s work computer. That’s where she would have written her notes on the cases of the missing girls. Violet doubted child services would allow her access to the computer. While she understood their need to protect the privacy of the children, if she and her teammates could not find what they needed elsewhere or through Zane’s efforts, they might have to break into Cami’s office.

“One step at a time,” Noah said. “Let’s have a talk with Melton first, then we’ll go back to the hotel and regroup.”

She smiled at him. “Do we need to ask the hotel management for white boards or those large pads of paper that stick to walls?”

He chuckled. “I’d rather not explain that we’re on the trail of a killer. If we find an office supply store, we’ll pick up what we need.”

“As long as we put everything away before the maids service the room,” Grant said. “Don’t want to give the hired help nightmares.”

“Or call the police on us if they misunderstand what we’re doing,” Rayne added.

An hour later, Grant parked in front of Bradley Melton’s home and office. “Hope we can talk our way past Carol,” he said. “Melton isn’t our biggest fan.”

“He’ll talk to us,” Noah said. “He won’t be able to help his curiosity.”

“Let’s find out if you’re right.” Violet opened her door and stepped out.

The operatives walked into the receptionist area and greeted Carol. Her eyebrows rose. “Well, hello. How can I help you?”

“We need to speak to Mr. Melton again,” Violet said. “I know he’s busy, but this is important. We won’t take much of his time.”

Carol glanced at her computer and tapped a few keys. “I’ll tell him you’re here. I’m not sure he has the time to speak with you. He has back-to-back clients this afternoon and a court case tomorrow morning.”

“Please, tell him it’s important. We wouldn’t bother him otherwise.”

Carol’s expression softened. “I’ll try, Violet.”

“Thank you.”

Melton’s assistant walked down the hall to his office and knocked. A minute later, she returned. “He’ll see you for ten minutes. After that, you’ll have to leave.”

Noah nudged Violet forward.

Okay, then. Looked like she was taking point on this interview. If Cami’s boyfriend could get past his anger, he might help them in the investigation.

Carol preceded them down the hall and knocked on her boss’ door. “Sir, Violet and her friends are here.” She pushed the door open wider and stepped back for them to enter. “Good luck,” she whispered to Violet.

From the expression on Bradley’s face, Violet and her friends faced an uphill battle. Once Carol closed the door, Violet said, “Thanks for agreeing to see us, Bradley. We appreciate you taking the time.”

“Don’t waste your ten minutes.” He pointed at her. “And I’m only doing this because of Camilla.”

“We spoke to Charity about the accusations against you by her, Dana, and Lauren when you were in high school.”

His lips pressed into a straight line. “I was never charged with sexual assault.”

“They lied.”

He froze. “What did you say?”

“Charity admitted she and her friends lied and filed false police reports.”

“She and Lauren admitted it?”

“Charity said Dana bullied them into filing charges against you because she was angry. Dana made a pass at you and you turned her down. Her ego couldn’t handle a rejection, so she got back at you for it. Look, Charity was new at your high school and didn’t have many friends. She was afraid to go against Dana, who was in the group of popular kids.”

Bradley waved to the chairs in front of his desk. “Sit down. I apologize for being rude. Why did you go to Charity and Lauren?”

“How else was I to discover the kind of man my sister was dating?”

He sighed. “Fair enough. What did Lauren have to say about the false charges?”

“Nothing. We found her on the floor of her office in a pool of blood.”

Blood drained from Bradley’s face. “She’s dead?”

“Critically injured. Bradley, she was stabbed like Cami. I think the attacker heard something that spooked him because he didn’t stab her in the heart.”

“Did you talk to her? Does she know who tried to kill her?” He straightened. “It wasn’t me. You can ask Carol. I’ve been here all day meeting with clients and preparing for a court case tomorrow morning.”

“The man who attacked her wore a ski mask. Bradley, he mentioned you by name and told Lauren she deserved to die for what she did to you.”

“That’s impossible. The case was closed and sealed because we were juveniles.”

“Who would have access to off-limits information?”

“My father knew. He represented me when the police questioned me. The Laramie police department has the file. I suppose an officer could have accessed the information somehow.”

“What about the girls? Did they have a lawyer representing them?”

“Hanson. Jeff Hanson.”

Violet stared. That had to be a coincidence. Didn’t it? She swallowed hard. “Do you know if he’s related to James Hanson, the chief of police in Morrison?”

“It’s his oldest son. He was a newly minted lawyer. The ink was barely dry on his diploma when he walked into the interrogation room.”

“What happened during the interrogation?” Noah asked.

“Standard interview. The Laramie detectives questioned me for hours about the supposed rapes, but the timeline didn’t fit. Dana was stupid enough to claim I’d been with her for an hour, and that I followed the same pattern with her friends. I had an alibi for each time the girls claimed I was with them. My only shaky alibi was with Dana because I had been at her house for about ten minutes. Their home was enormous, so it took me a while to go through each room to make sure no one had broken in and was waiting for her.”

“You had an alibi for part of the time Dana claimed you were assaulting her?”

Bradley nodded. “We had an alarm system at home with cameras. The cameras were always on. Dad gave the detectives a copy of the footage from the security cameras with the time and date stamped on it. I couldn’t be in two places at once, and Dana and her friends refused to submit to an examination at the hospital. Based on those two things, the detectives didn’t have enough evidence to prosecute me, so they dropped the case.”

“Let’s go back to Cami and her missing girls,” Violet said. “Did she talk to you about them?”

“Some. Like I told you before, she was careful to protect their privacy, so I don’t know details.”

“When did she come to you about the missing girls, Bradley?”

“Camilla was concerned about them when we started dating.”

“Did she tell you why she suspected the missing girls were dead?”

He shook his head. “I just know she spent long hours looking for them. Camilla chased leads everywhere, including checking the area shelters and checking in with the rest of her clients to find out if they’d heard from the missing girls.”

Violet scooted to the edge of her chair. “Cami always kept notes on everything. She would have written down her concerns and what she’d done to follow up and try to find them. Do you know where she kept her files?”

He frowned. “You didn’t find her notes at the apartment?”

“We didn’t have time to search long. When we reached her apartment, we found it in shambles. Someone tore the place apart. My friends helped me pack her photos and her journals. That’s when we discovered someone planted a bomb. We barely made it out before the bomb detonated.”

Bradley’s face grew even paler. “I don’t understand. Why would someone destroy Camilla’s possessions and her apartment?”

“The killer wants to make sure we don’t find information that will lead us to him,” Noah said. “Our deaths would have been a bonus.”

“This is crazy. Who is doing this?”

“Someone desperate to stay in the shadows,” Grant said. “He has a lot to lose, and Violet won’t stop until she runs him to ground. None of us will. We’ll find this guy and take him down.”

“If I had to guess where Camilla’s notes would be, I’d look in her office files or her computer. She might have mentioned her steps in her journal, but Camilla kept her work and home life separate if possible.”

Carol tapped on the door. “I’m sorry to interrupt, sir, but your next appointment is here.”

The operatives stood. “Thanks for your help.” Noah shook Bradley’s hand. “If we think of anything else to ask, we’ll contact you.”

“I want to know who took Camilla away from me. You find this creep and make him pay,” the lawyer said, eyes glittering.

“That’s the plan.”

“I’m counting on all of you.” He offered a grim smile. “I’ll even throw in discounted legal representation for your team if you find the man who took the love of my life from me.”

Noah inclined his head. “We appreciate the offer.”

The operatives filed out of the office and down the hallway. “Thanks, Carol,” Violet said.

“Was Mr. Melton able to help?”

“I believe he did.”

“I’m glad. Best of luck, all of you.” Carol turned to the older woman seated in the reception area. “Mrs. Brown, Mr. Melton is ready for you now. Please, follow me.”

Back in the SUV, Grant looked at Noah. “Where to now? Back to the hotel, or have you thought of another stop to make?”

“Office supply store, then the hotel.” Noah glance at Violet. “Unless you have a different plan.”

“I want the Fortress tech geeks to monitor Lauren’s condition overnight. Tomorrow, I want to talk to her if possible. We also have the visitation at the funeral home tomorrow evening. The announcement has already been made to the public about the visitation and the funeral the day after.”

“Do you have what you need for the visitation and funeral?” Rayne asked. “I know you bought the outfit for Camilla. What about for you?”

“I picked up something for myself as well.”

Grant nodded. “We’re off to the office supply store, then.” Ten minutes later, he parked. “I can get what we need. The rest of you stay here. I’ll be back in a minute.”

He returned with one large bag that he handed to Rayne. “Any other stops before we return to the hotel?”

Noah shook his head. “Let’s go. We have work to do.”

But would it be enough to catch a killer before he struck again?

Later, Noah slid the key card into the lock of the hotel room and opened the door. He signaled Violet and the others to wait while he searched the suite for signs of intrusion. Noah slid a hand into his cargo pocket and pulled out an electronic signal detector. He moved from room to room, then returned to the sitting room. “We’re clear.”

Violet sat at one end of the couch and leaned her head back. “Where should we set up?”

“This is the biggest space,” Grant said. He assembled an easel, set an oversize note pad on the tray, and laid four markers on the coffee table. “We’re set. We should order dinner from room service before we start.”

Rayne grinned. “Always thinking with your stomach, Grant.”

He shrugged. “What can I say? I have a fast metabolism.”

Noah snorted. “More likely it’s the rigorous workouts Seth puts us through. You’re right, though. We should order food. Suggestions, Violet?”

“Club sandwiches. I can’t stomach anything heavy.”

“Sound good to everyone else?” When no one objected, Noah called the front desk and placed their order. “Food delivery in forty minutes.”

“How should we handle the work?” Rayne asked.

Noah turned. “Violet, do you want help to skim Camilla’s journals, or would you rather handle it on your own?”

“I don’t mind help.” The faster she scanned the journals, the better. Going back for a more detailed reading could wait. “I think the Morrison detectives were right to zero in on the last two years of Cami’s journals. My sister didn’t keep many secrets from me. The longest one she kept to herself was Bradley.”

“Do me a favor and read through her journal the year that you had the run-in with Hanson.”

Violet stilled. Noah was right. If Fitz said or did anything back then that shed light on what happened in recent days, Cami could have written an observation that pointed to the killer. “Good idea. I should have thought of that myself.”

“Rayne, give Violet a hand with the journals. Grant and I will go through the files Zane sent and start looking for connections between the murder victims. We also need to find the connection between Camilla and the other victims.”

Violet stood. “I’ll get the journals.” She carried the box with her sister’s journals into the sitting room and placed it on the floor in front of the couch.

Noah picked up a marker. “Let’s get to work.”