Page 21 of Montana Manhunt

She raised one eyebrow. “If your sibling was murdered, would you let crime scene tape prevent you from searching for evidence as to the killer’s identity?”

“Not a chance.”

“Neither am I. If you three don’t want to risk a slap on the wrist by the Morrison cops, I’ll go alone.”

Noah shook his head. “Not happening, Violet. We stick together.”

Rayne ripped open a foil-wrapped tea bag, dropped it into a mug, and poured hot water over it. “Grant and I still need to shower and change. I know you’re eager for answers, Violet, but Noah is right. We need to stick together because we don’t know what happened or who’s responsible for Cami’s death. We can’t let down our guard.”

“Hadn’t planned to. Don’t worry. I’m not in so much of a hurry that I’ll go off and leave my team.”

“Good.” Rayne squeezed her hand. “Grant and I won’t delay you for long.”

“It’s fine. Don’t worry.”

Except it wasn’t fine. Noah could almost see impatience snapping at her heels, pushing her to confront the detectives as soon as possible. He didn’t blame her. However, antagonizing the detectives wasn’t the way to get what she wanted the most. Information.

He and Grant exchanged glances. Acknowledgment of the pitched battle Violet fought inside herself was in his friend’s eyes. They’d been in Violet’s shoes before, usually on the other side. Balancing the investigation against the needs of the family and friends to see justice done was challenging at the best of times.

This time, though, was different. He and Grant weren’t investigating some random stranger’s murder. Camilla wasViolet’s twin sister, and that made their drive to find the truth themselves all the stronger.

For now, he’d play nice with the detectives assigned to Camilla’s case. If they didn’t cooperate, the gloves would come off. No one would stop him from running the killer to ground if law enforcement couldn’t do the job. Justice would be served for Camilla’s death. He wouldn’t rest until the hunt ended with the killer behind bars or dead.

Noah picked up a plate, selected food he thought would be light on Violet’s stomach, and took her hand to lead her to the living room sofa. He set her plate on the coffee table. “I’ll get your tea.”

“Noah, I will not shatter.”

“That possibility never entered my mind. Take your time eating.”

She pushed the plate away. “I’m not hungry.”

“Your body needs the fuel. If we’re going to nail this killer, you need to be strong.”

Violet’s mouth curved. “Throwing my own words back at me isn’t nice.”

He chuckled and brushed her mouth with his. “Be back in a minute.” Noah went to the breakfast bar and returned with Violet’s tea.

His phone signaled an incoming message. Noah pulled it from his pocket and scanned the screen, frowning. Not the news he wanted.

“What is it?” Violet asked. “Is the news about Cami?”

“In a way. Zane looked for other deaths similar to your sister’s.”

“What did he find?”

Grant glanced up, listening to their conversation.

“He found at least six other women in the surrounding counties who died similarly.”

Grant scowled. “A serial killer?”

“Not officially, but that’s what Z thinks.”

“Have the Morrison cops called in the feds?”

Noah snorted. “Of course not. They can take care of their own business. Who needs the help of the feds?”

“Can’t blame them for feeling that way,” Rayne said. “The Chicago PD didn’t like to call in federal help, either, and we had more capital crimes than a town the size of Morrison.”

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