Page 9

CHAPTER EIGHT

VIOLET STOOD BESIDE Noah and stared at the large white Victorian home with attractive landscaping and a welcoming air. “This is beautiful.”

“Most attractive lawyer’s office I’ve ever seen,” Noah said. His hand rested lightly against the small of her back. “Ready to do this?”

She nodded. If Bradley Melton had answers to her questions about Cami, Violet wanted them. Noah nudged her toward the front door, with Grant and Rayne trailing behind them.

Violet opened the front door and walked into a reception area in what would have been the living room of the home.

An attractive older woman glanced up from her computer with a smile of welcome to the group. “Hello. I’m Carol. How may I assist you?” Then her gaze zeroed in on Violet’s face and she gasped. Color drain from her cheeks. “It’s not possible,” she whispered.

Oh, man. She didn’t want the receptionist to faint on her. “I’m Violet,” she blurted. “Camilla’s twin sister. These are my friends Grant and Rayne and my boyfriend, Noah.”

“Oh, my,” Carol murmured. “You’re the spitting image of Camilla. I did not know she was a twin.”

“I’ve been gone from Morrison for a long time.”

The other woman drew in a deep breath and rose. She came around to the front of the desk and wrapped her arms around Violet in a brief hug. “I’m so sorry for your loss, Violet. I loved your sister. She was a fantastic social worker. The kids in her care were lucky to have her.”

Tears stung Violet’s eyes. “Cami would be glad to know you thought so highly of her. She loved her job and the children.”

“We could tell, believe me.” Carol stepped back. “How can I help, Violet?”

“I don’t have an appointment, but I need to see Bradley Melton.”

“Of course, my dear. Please, you and your friends have a seat. I’ll let Mr. Melton know you’re here. You may have to wait a few minutes. He’s with a client.”

“No problem.”

“May I bring you coffee, tea, or water? I think we also have soft drinks, if you prefer.”

“We’re fine. Thank you for offering.”

“If you change your mind, please let me know.” Carol excused herself and walked down a hallway to the left of the reception area. When she returned minutes later, she said, “Mr. Melton will be with you in about ten minutes.”

“Thanks,” Noah said. He wrapped his arm around Violet’s shoulders and settled back to wait.

Finally, a door opened down the hall and a feminine voice said, “He’s a lying, cheating louse, and I expect you to make him pay through the nose.” Seconds later, a beautiful brunette swept into the room with a young child perched on her hip and a scowl on her face. “See you later, Carol.”

“Good luck in court next week, dear.”

“Oh, trust me. Jason is the one who should be terrified.” With that, the woman opened the door and left the Victorian mansion.

Carol stood. “Let me see if Mr. Melton is ready for you.” She hurried down the hall again, only to return a minute later. “Please, follow me.”

“Rayne and I will wait here,” Grant said.

Violet and Noah followed the receptionist down the hall, where she knocked on a closed door. When she twisted the knob and pushed the door open, she said, “Violet, Camilla’s sister, and her boyfriend, Noah.” Carol stepped back so they could enter the room.

A tall, dark-haired man came around the desk and stared at Violet. He shook his head slowly. “If my assistant hadn’t forewarned me, I would have thought you were Camilla. The resemblance is remarkable.” Bradley held out his hand to Violet. “I’m so sorry about your sister.” His voice grew thick. “She was a warm, wonderful woman.”

“Thank you, Mr. Melton. That’s so kind of you to say when I know you must be hurting as well.”

He squeezed her hand gently before releasing her and shaking Noah’s hand. “Good to meet you, Noah. Camilla mentioned you several times.”

Violet’s cheeks burned. Maybe she’d mentioned the handsome operative a few times. Okay, a few hundred times. She’d been confused about where she stood with Noah, and Cami was the person she talked to about everything. Tears burned her eyes. Who would she go to now?

She swiped at the tears trickling down her cheeks and took a deep breath. Violet had to hold herself together. She’d accomplish nothing if she broke down every time she questioned anyone about her sister.

Bradley motioned toward the love seat and a pair of comfortable-looking chairs on the other side of the office. “Please, take a seat and let’s talk.”

“Do you have time for us, Mr. Melton?” Noah asked. “We don’t want to wreck your schedule.” When he and Violet sat side by side on the love seat, Noah wrapped his arm around her shoulders again and eased her against his side.

“Please, call me Bradley. I’ll make time for Camilla’s sister. My next appointment is in half an hour. If we take longer than that, Carol will reschedule the appointment.” He dropped into one of the padded chairs. “Is there anything I can help you with, Violet?”

“We have a lot of questions.”

“I imagine you do. Ask away. I’ll answer what I can.”

“Cami and I were close, but I didn’t know about her relationship with you. How long did you and Cami date?”

“Not long enough. I convinced her to give a relationship with me a try about six weeks ago. Camilla didn’t trust men. I’m honored that she finally gave me a chance.”

“How did you and my sister meet?”

“Court. I represented a child under Camilla’s care when the girl wanted to be emancipated from her abusive mother. The young lady was six months away from turning eighteen and had essentially been caring for herself since she was twelve and doing a great job of it, I might add.”

His lips curved. “Took me nearly a year to convince Camilla to move me from the friend zone.”

“Were you and Cami having problems?”

Bradley stared. “No. Why?”

“Cami called me twice while I was deployed with my unit. She sounded upset and afraid and wanted me to call her back when I returned.”

His gaze looked haunted. “You’re right. She was afraid.”

“Of what?”

He shook his head. “I don’t know. She wouldn’t tell me.”

Noah frowned. “You didn’t persuade her to share what was troubling her?”

“In our work, some things can’t be shared. I thought the problem was connected to her job.”

“But you don’t know for sure.”

Another head shake. “I’m sorry. I can’t be more helpful on that point.”

“When did you last see Camilla?”

His gaze sharpened. “Why?”

“Just answer the question, Bradley.”

“I’ve already answered that question for the police.”

“Indulge us. You said you wanted to help.”

“How is it helpful to go back over the same ground again and again?”

“You do the same thing in your job, Counselor. Besides, at the moment, we don’t have access to the Morrison police’s witness statements, and they’re a little busy right now.”

Bradley stiffened. “What’s happened?”

“A sniper took several shots at us this morning outside the hospital, and two hours later, we found a bomb in our SUV.”

“I don’t believe this,” the lawyer muttered. “Has the entire world gone crazy in the last few days? Why would someone want to kill you and Violet? She hasn’t been to Morrison in years.”

“Someone doesn’t want me to dig into my sister’s murder.” Her hands fisted. “He or she wants me to shut up and go home, to leave everything alone so he can go on with his life while my sister is lying on a metal slab in the morgue. That will not happen. I don’t care who is behind this. I will identify them and make them pay.”

“That’s a job for the police.”

She smiled. “Lucky for me, I’m dating a former cop.”

Bradley’s gaze shifted again to Noah. “You used to be on the job?”

“Ardmore PD for ten years. Before that, I was an Army Ranger. I know how to get the job done.” He tilted his head. “So, why don’t you tell us when you last saw Camilla?”

“Three hours before she died.”

Violet straightened away from Noah. “Where?”

“Her apartment.” He rose and paced across the open space between the love seat and the chairs. “We were supposed to go out to dinner that night.”

“But you didn’t?”

He shook his head.

“What happened? Why didn’t you go out?”

Bradley spun to face them. “We had a fight, all right? I acted like a spoiled brat and left her there alone, and I’ll never forgive myself.”

Noah stood, positioning himself slightly in front of Violet.

Although it wasn’t necessary, she appreciated his effort to shield her from potential violence. Since she’d have an easier time defending herself and giving Noah backup on her feet, Violet stood.

“What did you fight about?” Noah asked softly.

“Does it matter? I was stupid, all right? Isn’t that enough?”

“You know better, Counselor.”

“Please, Bradley.” Violet eased out from behind Noah to eye the lawyer. “Anything you can tell us will help narrow down the possibilities.”

He paused, then sighed. “All right, but please don’t judge me by my selfish motives and childish behavior. Camilla and I had dinner plans. I’d made reservations at an exclusive restaurant in Sawyerville, and Camilla wanted to cancel at the last minute. A work thing, she said. I didn’t react well to the news. She’d been working late every night for weeks, and I selfishly wanted her attention on me, not on her work.”

“What happened when she backed out of dinner?” Noah asked.

“I lost my temper, and I will regret that to my dying day.”

“What exactly did you do, Counselor?”

“I accused her of being so focused on her career that nothing and no one mattered to her except the job.” Regret filled his eyes. “You don’t have to say it. I know I was a selfish jerk and had no right to accuse her of neglecting me. The accusation was unfounded. I hope she would have forgiven me, but I’ll never know now. Someone took away our chance to work things out between us.”

“Did you hurt her?”

Bradley’s eyes widened. “What?”

“You heard me.”

“You’re accusing me of physically assaulting her?”

“Not accusing, Melton, asking. I would appreciate an answer to the question.”

“I can’t believe this. I fell in love with Camilla. Why on earth would I hurt the woman I hoped to marry?”

Marry? Violet stared at the handsome lawyer. Was he serious? Camilla hadn’t even mentioned this man to Violet in the six weeks they’d been dating, yet he was planning to marry her? “Fast work,” she murmured, watching as powerful emotion reddened his face.

“I knew she was the only woman for me the moment I saw her. Took me months to convince her to go on a date with me. In my book, this isn’t fast.”

Noah took a step forward, his gaze locked on the lawyer. “Did you hurt Camilla, Counselor?”

“Yes, I did,” Bradley snapped. “I yelled at her and accused her of something that wasn’t true. She was angry and hurt, and I stormed out of her apartment and left her to die at the hands of some madman.”

Another step forward, this time with Noah’s hands fisted. “Did you do more than yell at her?”

Blood drained from the lawyer’s face. “You’re accusing me of killing her?”

“For the moment, I’m asking nicely if you put your hands on her in anger.”

Bradley shoved his fingers through his hair, rumpling the dark strands. “You’re out of your mind. I would never harm a hair on her head. I adored Camilla.”

“Good. Then you won’t mind telling us where you were when the woman you loved was murdered.”

The other man flinched. “You don’t pull any punches, do you?”

“It’s a waste of time, and we’re on a short clock.”

Another frown. “What does that mean?”

“The more time passes after a murder, the greater the chance the killer gets away with his crime.”

“And four days have already passed.” Bradley dropped into his chair. He sighed. “What do you want to know?”

“Where were you when Camilla died?”

“Here. I live on the second floor.”

“Can anyone verify that?”

The lawyer glared at Noah. “Are you seriously asking me if I had a woman here after what I told you?”

The operative held up both hands. “Look at it this way, Counselor. We have to eliminate you so we can move on to other suspects on our list.”

He huffed. “Well, thank God you have other people on the list besides me. To answer your question, no one else was here. I hoped she would change her mind about spending the evening with me. Truthfully, I would have been more than happy to order a pizza as long as I could spend time with her. The reservations didn’t matter. I just wanted to spend more time with her.”

Bradley dragged a hand down his face. “I should have stayed with her and helped however I could. My selfishness cost the woman I loved her life.”

“Did Cami tell you what was worrying her?” Violet asked. While she hated to hear the lawyer berate himself for something that wasn’t his fault, Violet was more interested in finding out what was troubling her sister. If she knew that, she and Noah might track down the killer or mark more suspects off their list. At the moment, the only person in Morrison she knew without a doubt was innocent of Cami’s murder was Mrs. White. Everyone else was still a suspect.

“Like I said before, I don’t know. I’m sorry. Besides, you know she would have protected her kids’ privacy as fiercely as I protect my clients.”

“Do you know of anyone who would want to hurt Cami?”

Bradley remained silent a moment before slowly shaking his head. “I don’t know of anyone. Everyone loved her.”

“At least one person didn’t.” Noah folded his arms on his chest. “Otherwise, she would still be alive. Do you have a security system here?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Cameras?”

“Of course.”

A nod. “Good. Since you’re innocent of Camilla’s murder, you won’t mind giving me access to the system and allowing me to download footage from the night she died.”

Bradley’s jaw tightened. “Neat way to box me in. Knock yourself out, Noah. I have no secrets.”

“I hope not because in a murder investigation, every secret comes out.”

“Are you threatening me?”

“Nope. Just a word to the wise. If you or anyone else has any secrets, I’ll find out. The killer won’t get away with his crime. Justice will be served.”

“Duly noted.” He stood. “Come with me.”

Bradley led Violet and Noah to a small room behind the stairs. He turned on the light and motioned to the table with four monitors spread across the surface and a laptop. On each monitor, the screen was divided into four sectors, each with a camera view of a different part of the house’s exterior.

The lawyer sat in the chair in front of the table and tapped a few keys, then opened a box with flash drives inside. Bradley selected one and inserted it into the drive. “How much footage do you want to see?”

“The day before Camilla died through the day after she was killed.”

After a long stare at him, Bradley complied. A minute later, he removed the flash drive and handed it to Noah. “Have fun with all the hours of boring footage. Before you ask, I don’t know enough about the system to erase my coming and going. What’s on the drive is exactly how things happened.”

Noah’s smile was wintry. “If you tampered with the footage, we’ll be back. You can take it to the bank that you won’t like the return visit.”

Bradley surged to his feet. “If there’s nothing else, I have another appointment in a couple of minutes.”

“Bradley.” Violet waited until the lawyer who loved Cami faced her. “Thank you for your help.”

“No matter what your boyfriend believes, I didn’t kill Camilla. I loved her with every breath I took, and I will never get over her loss.”

“Neither will I.”

Noah rested his hand against her lower back. “We need to go,” he murmured. “Time for our other errands.”

Although she nodded and walked from the security room ahead of her boyfriend, Violet’s emotions were so overwhelming that she couldn’t remember where they needed to go next.

They said goodbye to the receptionist and left the Victorian home with Grant and Rayne a few steps behind them.

As soon as Grant closed the door, Noah murmured, “Violet, you and Rayne stay here while Grant and I check the SUV.”

“Learn anything while Noah and I were with Bradley?”

“Carol thinks the sun rises and sets on her boss, and he can do no wrong. She also loved your sister and thought she was the best social worker this city had ever seen.”

After circling the SUV, the men raised the hood of the vehicle and peered down. A minute later, Grant lowered the hood. “We’re clear.”

“Come on.” Rayne said. “Let’s get out of here.”

Suited her. Violet was eager to move ahead in the investigation. She had a feeling time was running out to find the culprit. The longer he was free, the greater the chance he would destroy evidence.