Page 18 of Montana Manhunt

“Yeah, Murphy.”

“It’s Noah.”

“How’s Violet?”

“Asleep. She’s having a difficult time dealing with the loss of her sister.”

“Understandable. How can I help?”

“Have you done any digging into the murder?”

“Some. The Morrison cops aren’t fast inputting data and observations.”

“Anything will help. I have a feeling we’ll be going to the police station first thing tomorrow morning. The detectives in charge of the case may not share what they know.”

“From what I can tell, Noah, they know little. Camilla was stabbed seven times. She might have survived the attack if the killer hadn’t hit her heart.”

Seven stab wounds. He frowned. No chance this was an attack in the heat of the moment. “No hesitation marks?”

“None.”

Not good. This guy wasn’t a rookie. “Are the detectives looking at similar crimes?”

“Unknown. Want me to do a search?”

“If you have time.”

“If I can’t work it in, I’ll ask one of the other techs to help. What else do you need?”

“See what you can find out about the detectives assigned to Camilla’s case. Background, experience, everything.”

“They won’t be as good as you and your teammates.”

“Maybe not. Still, the more information we have, the better Grant and I will work with law enforcement.”

“If they let you. You’re not carrying a badge anymore.”

“But I used to. I’ll use that and hope they’re more willing to cooperate with us than with a civilian.”

“Don’t hold your breath, my friend. I’ll see what I can find out. Is there anything I can do for Violet?”

“Not right now. If that changes, I’ll let you know.”

“Do that. Day or night. Violet is one of the good ones.”

Wasn’t that the truth. “Later, Z.” He ended the call and settled deeper into the cushions. He treasured every moment with Violet in his arms. Noah didn’t know what he’d done to catch the attention of this special woman, but he was grateful that she was giving him a chance.

He kissed the top of Violet’s head and let himself drift into a light sleep. Two hours later, Grant walked into the living room. His eyebrows shot up when he saw Violet on the sofa.

“Problem?” Grant whispered.

“She’s having trouble sleeping.”

A slight nod as Rayne entered the room. “We’ve got the watch. Sleep, Noah.”

Violet stirred. “Trouble?” she murmured.

“Watch change. Go back to sleep.”

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