Page 42 of Montana Manhunt

“Thank you, ma’am.” The detectives sat on the small sofa, and Freeman pulled out his notebook and pen. “What’s your name?”

And so the questions began. Ten minutes after Ellis started, he accepted a mug of coffee from Grant and shifted his attention to Violet. “So, you and your friends were visiting Mrs. White when the shooting occurred?”

“Not quite.”

“Help me out here, Violet. Let’s start at the beginning. Where exactly did you go after you left the police station?”

Noah wrapped his hand around Violet’s.

“The morgue. I wanted to see my sister.”

“I see. Did Dr. Royce arrange a viewing for you?”

“He did. He was very kind and allowed me to take as much time as I wanted.”

“When did you leave the morgue?”

She gave him the approximate time.

Ellis’ eyes narrowed. “That’s when the shooting occurred.”

“It is,” she confirmed.

“Are you telling me you were the target?”

“It’s possible. Other civilians were in the parking lot, heading toward the hospital entrance, so they’re potential targets as well,” Noah said. Yeah, he didn’t blame Ellis and Freeman for the expressions of disbelief on their faces. No question in his mind that he and Violet were the shooter’s intended victims.

“What about your friends? I assume they were with you and Violet.”

“Grant and Rayne were waiting for us in the SUV. They were parked at the entrance.”

“I see. Were any of you hit?”

Noah’s lip curled. “Shooter had poor aim.”

“You’re lucky,” Freeman said flatly. “The outcome could have been a lot different.”

“Perhaps.” From his perspective, the shooter must have had a scope. If he was any good at lining up a target, he shouldn’t have missed. That told Noah the shooter wasn’t as good as he thought.

He paused. Unless the shooter had deliberately missed them, hoping to send a message and scare off Violet. If that was his intent, he missed the boat. Noah’s woman had gotten the message all right, but instead of running scared, she was angry and more determined than ever to find her sister’s killer.

After going over the same questions with Grant and Rayne, the detectives ran through the entire interview again. When they finished, Freeman scowled. “Some hotshot black ops agents you are,” he muttered. “You didn’t see a thing and can’t give us any help. Three of you used to be cops, too. You rank near the bottom of the scale as witnesses. And by the way, you should have stayed around to report the shooting.”

Fury poured through Noah’s veins like lava. “Unlike you, Detective Freeman, I was more interested in protecting my girlfriend than acting like a sitting duck and daring the shooter to pick us off.”

Freeman’s face reddened.

Ellis held up his hand to prevent his partner from spouting a retort. “Thank you for your cooperation, folks. We’ll be in touch if we have more questions.” He looked at Noah. “I expect a phone call if anything like this happens again, Mann.”

Noah saluted without saying a word.

Ellis pressed his lips into a straight line and motioned for his partner to leave the apartment. He followed in Freeman’s wake.

“Well,” Mrs. White said. “That’s the most entertainment I’ve had in a long while.”

Noah and Grant chuckled. “We need to go, ma’am.” Noah helped Violet to her feet. Grant did the same for Rayne. “We have more errands to run before we return to the hotel.”

Violet hugged Mrs. White. “I’ll come back soon. I promise.”

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