Page 113 of Montana Manhunt

“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?”

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