Page 19

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

NOAH STEPPED BACK and looked at the long line of large sheets of paper stuck to the walls around the sitting room, covered with information about each of the serial killer’s victims.

Grant studied the lists, his expression grim. “This guy’s been busy for years. Why did the local cops sit on this?”

“You know why. Cops want to keep investigations in house. None of them want to admit they can’t solve a crime in their own backyard.”

“How many women could have been saved if the cops had swallowed their pride and asked for help?”

Noah shook his head. They’d never know now. No use in speculating about something that couldn’t be changed.

He glanced at Violet. When he saw tears trailing down her cheeks, Noah’s heart turned over in his chest. “We need to take a break,” he murmured to his friend.

Grant turned. “Rayne, want to help me get cold drinks to go with dinner?”

Rayne set aside the journal she was reading and rose. “I think we have a vending machine on the other end of the floor.”

“We’ll be back in a few minutes, Noah.” Grant wrapped his hand around Rayne’s, and they left the suite.

Noah sat beside Violet and wrapped his arms around her. He stroked her hair, trailing a hand up and down her back until she calmed.

“Sorry,” she whispered.

“Don’t be.”

“Reading Cami’s journals made me feel like she was here with me. Then I remembered she was gone.”

“I understand, baby.”

Pain flashed in her eyes. “How could you understand?”

“I lost a sibling, too.”

Her head whipped up. “When? How?”

“My brother went to a convenience store on the way home from work one night to buy milk for his boys. A punk walked in, waving a pistol, as Colby was paying for the milk. When my brother swung around to face the gunman, the kid got scared and pulled the trigger. The bullet struck Colby in the chest. He died on the operating table three hours later.”

“Oh, Noah. I’m so sorry.”

“Me, too. Colby was a brilliant brother, husband, and father. Even though it’s been five years, his loss still hurts like it was yesterday.”

Violet wrapped her arms around Noah and held him tight. “Being here with me under these circumstances must bring back painful memories for you.”

“I don’t want to be anywhere else. I’ll always be here for you, Violet. Always.”

She watched him for a moment. “What if we break up?”

His gut twisted into a knot. Man, if he ever lost her, his life wouldn’t be worth living. “We won’t.” He made it a decree. For him, this was non-negotiable. End of story.

“How can you say that with such confidence? We’ve only officially been together for a few days.”

“I just know.”

“Noah.”

He cupped her face with his hands. “Sweetheart, I’m never letting you go. You’re mine. You have been since the day I met you. There is no one else for me.”

She stared. “I don’t understand.”

“Yes, you do. How can you not? I love you, Violet. I fell in love with you the day we met. You own my heart. It beats only for you.”

She stood frozen. No expression on her face.

Noah began to sweat. The silence couldn’t be a good sign. Wasn’t the love of your life supposed to at least smile when you confessed your love for her? He dredged up the courage to say the words he never wanted to utter to Violet. But she must have the choice, even if it killed him. “You don’t have to say anything right now. I know I surprised you. Promise you’ll think about giving me a chance. Test drive the idea and see how it feels. I won’t push you for an answer right now.”

Total lie. He was desperate to know if he was in this boat by himself. Some Special Forces soldier he was. Noah was almost at the point of begging.

A sweet smile curved her mouth.

That was promising, right? If she hated the idea, Violet wouldn’t smile at all. He breathed a little easier. This had to work out. No other outcome was acceptable.

“How do you test drive love?”

“Easy. Say to yourself every hour, ‘Noah loves me.’”

“And?”

“And if that sinks in deep and feels right, like it’s natural, we’ll go to the next step.”

Amusement lit her eyes. “What’s the next step?”

“I ask you to marry me in such a way that you can’t turn me down.” He’d successfully accomplish this mission, no matter how long it took. He needed Violet Trevelyan in his life permanently.

“Can I tell you a secret?”

“If it’s a fast one. We’ll have company soon.” He was surprised their teammates hadn’t returned already with the drinks.

“I love you, Noah.”

Now it was his turn to freeze. Seconds passed while his brain scrambled to come up with a response. “You do?”

She wrapped her arms around his neck. “I have a second secret.”

“What?”

“Ask me the question from the second step first.”

Heart slamming against his chest wall, Noah gazed down into her eyes. Did she mean it? He prayed, begging God to grant him the greatest gift of his life. “Will you make me the most blessed man on this planet by becoming my wife, Violet Trevelyan?”

She rose on her tiptoes until her mouth brushed against his. “Yes,” she whispered. “I’d love to marry you.”

Joy and relief exploded inside Noah. Thank God. For a minute, he’d been terrified that the woman of his dreams might reject him, crushing his heart. Instead, she’d made him the happiest man in the world.

Noah claimed her mouth in a long, deep kiss, conveying without words the depth of his feelings for his woman. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he registered the presence of Grant and Rayne in the suite.

Gradually, he softened the kiss until he was exchanging a series of butterfly kisses with Violet and bringing their pulses out of the stratosphere. When he finally lifted his head and broke the sizzling kiss, he smiled. “Thank you,” he whispered.

“For what?”

“Trusting me with your heart. You won’t regret it.”

“Have something to share with the class, Mann?” Grant asked.

Noah didn’t take his gaze from his soon-to-be-wife. He raised his eyebrow.

“Not yet,” Violet said to Grant. “When our teams are together again, we’ll make an announcement. We want to tell everyone at one time.”

Rayne pumped her fist. “Yes! This will be a good announcement, won’t it?”

“The best.”

“I knew it. Teagan will be so jealous that I knew before she did.”

Grant scowled. “Hey, will somebody please take pity on me and let me in on the secret?”

“Later,” Noah said. He dropped a light kiss on Violet’s mouth and released her. “Let’s eat and get back to work.”

Throughout the meal, Noah kept stealing glances at Violet. He almost couldn’t believe she’d agreed to marry him. He wasn’t a prize. She was a treasure, one he planned to love and protect for the rest of their lives.

When they finished the meal, cleared the dishes, and parked the serving cart outside the suite’s door, the operatives returned to the sitting room to study the large sheets of paper on the walls.

“How should we handle this?” Grant asked.

“Find the common factors with all these victims. There has to be something tying them together.”

“We found nothing as we went through the files, Noah. Many of them lived in different cities.”

“Let me pull up a map.” Rayne sat on the sofa and grabbed her laptop. When she clicked on a map of the area, she said, “Read off the names of the cities and towns where the murders occurred, and I’ll mark them on the map. There has to be a pattern somewhere.”

Grant read off the names, then joined her on the sofa and studied the map. His expression darkened. “Morrison is at the center of all these murders.”

“Can you add the dates of the murders?” Violet asked.

“I think so,” Rayne said. In minutes, she sat back. “What do you think?”

Noah stood behind Violet and rested a hand on her shoulder. “Looks like I was right. The murders started the same year Violet left Morrison.”

Violet shivered. “Coincidence?”

“You know the chances of that being true are between slim and nil, and slim is out of town.” Grant shook his head. “We need to figure out how you’re connected.”

“The first murder was in February of my senior year.”

“Do you remember anything about it?”

“Amanda Billings attended my high school. She was a junior. Everyone was so shocked that a murder occurred in Morrison. The only crimes reported on the news were thefts, vandalism, and a few domestic assaults, usually because one or both partners had been drinking.”

“Did you know her?” Grant asked.

“Only in passing. I didn’t have classes with her. Remember, I worked full time so Cami and I would have a place to live. I didn’t have time to socialize, even if the kids at school wanted to hang out with me.”

“And they didn’t?”

She laughed. “Cami and I weren’t popular. We wore clothes and shoes from the thrift store and box store.”

Rayne’s forehead furrowed. “Teenage peer pressure is terrible.”

“What kind of reputation did Amanda have?” Noah asked.

Violet remained quiet for a beat. “Painfully shy and studious. Amanda made the best grades in every class. She wanted to be a writer.”

“Did Camilla know her?” Grant asked.

She tilted her head. “Now that I think about it, she knew Amanda. They weren’t best friends, but they spoke to each other in the library and lunchroom.”

“Did Camilla mention if Amanda was worried about something or someone that winter?” Noah asked.

Violet shook her head. “I don’t remember. It’s been too long.”

“Maybe you should scan your sister’s journal for the year you graduated from high school,” Rayne suggested. “Camilla might have mentioned Amanda’s death or anything that struck her as odd.”

“Good idea. I’ll get on that as soon as we finish this.”

They talked about each murder victim, but Violet could not offer more information on the others.

“Did Camilla mention the murders to you?” Noah asked.

“She talked about positive or fun things happening in Morrison and the surrounding area. It was her way of making sure I didn’t worry about her.”

“Did you talk to your Aunt Rosalie at all?” Rayne asked.

“Never. When she kicked us out of the house, she cut ties with us. Occasionally, Cami would cross paths with her in town.”

“How did your aunt react?”

“Ignored her or made some cutting remark.”

Noah’s heart ached anew at those words. How could Rosalie Trevelyan treat her own kin like that? “Rosalie’s loss.”

Violet gave a slight nod. “Cami was special. I’m sorry my aunt never figured that out.”

“You’re positive you didn’t know the rest of these women, Violet?” Grant asked.

“I don’t recognize the names or remember Cami mentioning them.”

He frowned. “That shoots down one theory.”

“What theory?”

“The one that pins you in the bullseye of this map. You aren’t the connection between the victims.”

She studied the map. “Why would I be in the center of these crimes?”

He shrugged. “It was a starting point since the murders began your senior year, and the only thing you’ve mentioned besides having to fend for yourselves is your run-in with Fitz Hanson.”

Rayne’s eyes narrowed as she stared at the screen. “And Noah thinks the perp is a cop.”

“That might be a viable theory if Hanson was broken up about Violet refusing to sleep with him.” Noah squeezed Violet’s shoulder gently. “He was angry but not devastated by the refusal. He just moved on to the next woman.”

“We need to find out if you’re right,” Grant murmured.

Noah clenched his teeth. Hanson was the last man he wanted near Violet. Unfortunately, his friend was right. The swaggering cop had answers if he’d share them. No guarantees on that. He had a chip on his shoulder and an attitude that rubbed Noah the wrong way.

With a growl, he grabbed his phone and called Zane. When his friend answered, Noah said, “I need a location for a Morrison cop. Name’s Fitz Hanson.”

Silence, then, “Is this the clown who gave Violet a hard time her last year of high school?”

“That’s the one.”

“Do me a favor.”

“Name it.”

“Punch him for me.”

Noah snorted. “I wish, buddy. I’d rather not end up in jail.”

“Too bad. Hold.” Seconds later, Zane said, “You will not believe this, but he’s sitting in a donut shop on Maple Road.”

Seriously? Hanson would give all cops a poor reputation if he camped out in donut shops. Noah couldn’t count the number of citizens who either teased or insulted him with remarks about cops and their donut consumption. They forgot that most restaurants weren’t open overnight. Coffee and donut shops kept odd hours. “Monitor him. We’ll head out in five minutes.”

“Copy that. Watch your back.” Zane ended the call.

Noah glanced at Violet. “Find Camilla’s journal for the year you graduated. See if she mentioned anything bothering Amanda during that time.”

“It’s a long shot.”

“Welcome to police work, babe.”

Soon, they headed back to Morrison. When they reached the town limits, Noah called Zane again. “Has he moved?”

“Nope. Must be the longest coffee break in history.”

“Well, his daddy is the police chief. He’s not worried about following all the rules like his coworkers.”

“I’ll be available to help if you need me.”

“Thanks, Z.” Noah ended the call.

“Where is this donut shop?” Grant asked Violet.

“Turn left on the next street and drive four blocks. Donut Delights is on the right.”

Five minutes later, Grant parked in front of the shop, and the operatives got out of the SUV. “How do you want to handle this, Noah?”

“We’ll let him come to us.”

Rayne wrinkled her nose. “You really think that will work?”

“He won’t be able to resist another opportunity to needle Violet.”

Violet sighed. “He’s not wrong. Fitz hasn’t changed at all.”

“And if that doesn’t work?” Grant asked.

“Violet and I will talk to him. If we look like we’re ganging up on him, he’ll be defensive. That’s the last thing we want.”

Noah rested his hand on Violet’s lower back and guided her toward the donut shop. Aside from Fitz Hanson sipping coffee and reading the newspaper, the tables were empty.

When they reached the counter, Violet leaned against Noah. “I don’t think I can eat anything right now.”

He gave a slight nod and murmured, “Order a drink. We’ll take the donuts back to the hotel for tomorrow morning.”

Violet and Rayne ordered hot tea. Noah and Grant ordered coffee and two dozen donuts. The operatives chose a table in the middle of the restaurant to wait for their order to be filled. Noah watched Hanson out of the corner of his eye.

Didn’t take long for the lazy cop to fold his newspaper and push back from the table. He ambled to the counter for a coffee refill, then tossed his paper in the garbage can. Hanson turned to stare at Violet. After a beat of debate, he made his way toward Violet. “You’re still in town,” he said flatly.

“Cami’s funeral is the day after tomorrow. I’m not leaving, Fitz.”

“Nobody wants you in Morrison. You’re nothing but trouble.”

“Is that a threat?” Noah asked mildly, keeping his hands visible and relaxed.

“Just stating facts.”

“Join us.” Violet inclined her head to the chair across from her.

“I have to go back on patrol.”

Noah suspected no one had missed Hanson. “Two more minutes won’t hurt.”

“Please,” Rayne said, gifting him with a sweet smile. “We’d love to talk to you for a minute and get your opinion on some things.”

Hanson paused a moment, then pulled out a chair and sat. “What do you want?”

Her eyebrow rose. “You think I have an agenda?”

“Everybody does.” He sipped his coffee. “So, what’s yours?”

“Fair enough.” Rayne wrapped her hands around her cup of tea. “What do you know about Amanda Billings?”

He stared. “Amanda? Why do you want to know about her? She died years ago.”

“What do you remember about her?”

“Not much. She was mousy. Talked little and always had her nose stuck in a book.”

“Did she have a boyfriend?” Grant asked.

Hanson snorted. “Are you kidding? She didn’t know what to do with a boyfriend.”

Noah frowned. “How do you know that?”

“Personal experience.”

He’d noticed a wallflower? “You dated her?”

“For two weeks.” The cop shook his head. “Waste of my time.”

“When were you together?” Rayne asked.

“I don’t know exactly. January, maybe. It was right after the second semester of school started.”

“What went wrong?”

“Let’s just say she wasn’t good at taking care of my needs and leave it at that.”

“She wouldn’t sleep with you,” Violet said flatly. “You never change, do you, Fitz?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“You did the same thing to me in May our senior year. When I wouldn’t sleep with you, you dumped me.”

He shrugged.

“How much did it bother you to get turned down by Amanda?”

“It was irritating, sure. If a man spends a couple of weeks wining and dining a girl, he expects a reward for his trouble and his money.”

“So you were angry with her.”

He frowned. “Irritated, not angry. Look, I don’t know what you want from me, but I can tell you there were and still are plenty of women out there who enjoy rewarding a man for his trouble.”

“What do you know about Jade Ramsey?”

Hanson looked puzzled. “Nothing. I don’t know her.”

Rayne rattled off the names of the other victims. “Do you know any of those women?”

The cop scowled. “I arrested Kennedy Lane, Moira Stocks, and Lara Turner. Caught them shoplifting. Pack of losers.”

“What happened to them?” Noah asked.

The scowl deepened. “They’re dead.”

“How were they killed?”

“Stabbed to death. Are you going somewhere with this?”

“What about Lauren Gilmore? What do you know about her?”

His expression went blank. “I don’t know who you’re talking about.”

Liar. That name rang a bell, all right. “All the women we asked you about are dead, except for Lauren. Stabbed to death, like Amanda. Like Camilla Trevelyan. Do you see a pattern here, Hanson?”

The cop stiffened, his face turning red. “Are you accusing me of killing those women?”

“Someone is.”

“Well, it’s not me.” He shoved back from the table and surged to his feet. “You’re as much of a troublemaker as Camilla was, Violet. You and your friends will be better off the sooner you leave town. This isn’t any business of yours.”

“Wait a minute,” Violet said. “You talked to Cami about these murders?”

“Unlike you, she trusted me to tell her the truth. This is police business, not civilians or nosy social workers.” Hanson’s hands fisted. “She should have listened to me. I told her to stop asking questions or she might get hurt. Look what happened to her. She ended up on a steel slab in the morgue. I may be a lot of things, but I’m not a killer.” Fitz glared at Violet. “I’m not the one you should be worried about.” With that, he grabbed his coffee cup and left.

Grant went to the counter to pick up their donut order and returned to the table. “So, what did you think about Hanson’s responses?”

Noah sighed. “Unfortunately, I think he’s telling the truth. I don’t believe he killed the women or tried to kill Lauren.”

“He isn’t limping,” Violet said. “And he doesn’t look as though he has a bandage around his thigh.”

“So, he’s not the man who attacked you in the bathroom.”

“Too bad,” Grant muttered. “I don’t like him. Would have thrilled me to see him behind bars.”

“Same. Doesn’t mean he’s not a party to what’s going on. Perhaps he has a partner.” Noah stood and held out his hand to Violet. “Since we’re in town, is there anywhere you want to go?”

She was silent a moment, then shook her head. “Mrs. White will be asleep by now. I don’t want to wake her. Besides, I should see her tomorrow.”

“All right. Let’s go back to the hotel, Grant.”

“Copy that.”

An hour later, inside the suite, Noah went through the same routine of checking their rooms for unwanted electronics. Once again, he found the rooms were clear. He breathed easier. Good. Violet needed a night to regroup and rest before she faced the visitation tomorrow. If the enemy knew where they were staying, he hadn’t breached security. “We’re clear. Grant, get some rest. I’ll take the first watch. Violet will be with me for a while. You and Rayne will take over in four hours.”

Grant nodded. “If you need me to take over sooner, wake me.”

“Copy that.”

After he went into the second bedroom and shut the door, Rayne hugged Violet. “Rest if you can. Tomorrow will be hard.” She released her friend. “Wake me if you need to talk.”

“Thanks.”

A moment later, the sitting room was empty aside from Violet and Noah. “How can I help?” Violet asked.

He wrapped his arms around Violet and pulled her against his chest. “Keep me company for a while, then stretch out on the sofa and take a nap.”

She frowned. “I should keep watch like everyone else.”

“We’re here to support you, Violet. We can’t take the burden from your shoulders, but we want to help you be ready for tomorrow. That means you need more rest than you’ve been getting.” He smiled. “Besides, I can all but see your head throbbing. You have a monster headache, don’t you?”

Violet wrinkled her nose. “How did you know?”

“Shows in your eyes.” Noah nudged her toward the sofa. “Get some rest, sweetheart. Rayne is right. Tomorrow will be tough. If you sleep better tonight, you might get rid of the headache and help yourself deal with the heavy emotions the visitation will bring.”

“I hate not doing my part. I feel like I’m letting everyone down.”

“You do more than your part for Artemis and Echo when we’re on missions. It’s our turn now.” Noah walked into the second bedroom and grabbed a pillow from his bed and an extra blanket, and brought them to Violet. “Settle in and relax. I’ll be here if you need me.”

“You’re too good to me, Noah.”

“Not possible.” He kissed her forehead. When she stretched out on the sofa, Noah spread the blanket over her and brushed a light kiss over her lips. “I love you.”

“Love you, too. Wake me if you need help to stay awake.”

“Sure.” He wouldn’t need help, though. Noah never struggled to stay awake during night watches. None of his teammates did, either.

After surveying the view outside the window, Noah picked up his laptop and settled into a recliner to work. Although looking into Hanson’s past might be a long shot, he logged into his Fortress account and checked his emails. Sure enough, Zane was as good as his word. He’d sent files on Rosalie Trevelyan, Fitz Hanson, and James Hanson. Excellent. All he needed now was a check on Jeff Hanson.

Noah sent Zane an email, asking for information on the lawyer, then settled down to read the files he had. He started with Rosalie Trevelyan, making notes about things that seemed off and asking for further details as he read.

He set his computer aside and scanned outside the French doors. So far, nothing had changed. After making a pot of coffee, Noah returned to the recliner and his computer.

He logged in to the Fortress search engine and checked for insurance policies taken out by Violet and Camilla’s parents. Noah scanned the files that popped up. One caught his attention. Reading the file in closer detail, he clenched his jaw. Rosalie had lied to Violet and Camilla for years. He sighed, disgusted. That woman was a piece of work. She made the girls suffer and feel guilty for nothing.

Shaking his head, he switched his attention to Fitz Hanson’s file. He expected more than what he was seeing. With his attitude toward women, Noah figured at least one woman would file a complaint against him, but nothing was in his file. No commendations. No complaints. Looked like the cop did his job and stayed out of trouble.

Or someone wiped his record clean. If that was the case, what trouble had been hidden from prying eyes?