Page 52 of Montana Manhunt

Country club? As soon as they sat in the living room filled with leather and wood furniture, Noah said, “We appreciate you talking to us. We know you’re busy.”

“I don’t know what I can tell you, but I’ll be glad to help. Would you like coffee or a soft drink?”

“No, ma’am. Thank you for the offer, though.”

Rosalie turned back to Violet. “Why are you here, Violet?”

“To ask you about Camilla.”

A frown. “I don’t understand. You obviously know she’s dead. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be in Morrison. What else can I tell you?”

“When was the last time you saw her?”

“Over the weekend. I was surprised to see her.”

“Why is that? I thought you and Camilla had a good relationship.”

The older woman snorted. “You know better than that. You and your sister weren’t grateful for anything I did for you. She was as disrespectful to me as you always have been. The only difference is Camilla waited until you left Morrison for her true colors to show who she really was.”

Noah locked down his temper. Rosalie Trevelyan needed to take a long look in the mirror if she wanted to see an authentic example of disrespect. “If your relationship with Camilla was so poor, why did she come see you?”

Rosalie frowned at Noah. “I don’t see what business this is of yours. You’re not family.”

Violet gasped. “Aunt Rosalie!”

Noah squeezed her hand. “Anything that impacts Violet is my business, ma’am. That makes everything connected to Camilla also my business.”

“Noah, Grant, and Rayne were law enforcement officers,” Violet said. “They volunteered to come to Morrison to help me look into Cami’s death.”

Rosalie’s frown intensified. “Someone killed your sister. She meddled in something that wasn’t her business, and this was the result. Are you so eager to die, too?”

“What did she meddle in, Ms. Trevelyan?” Grant asked. “If she came to see you, she must have had a reason. What was it?”

“Anything you share might be the key to finding Camilla’s killer,” Rayne said.

Rosalie’s expression showed her doubt. “I don’t see how that’s possible.” She sighed. “Camilla wanted to know if the women at the country club were talking about teenagers and women going missing in this area. It was a ridiculous question, and I told her as much. We don’t talk about distasteful things like that at the club. We spend our time discussing more important issues.”

“What’s more important than people?” Violet’s hands fisted. “Did you ask Cami why she was interested in the missing women?”

The other woman blinked. “What missing women? Really, dear, you aren’t making sense. No women have gone missing in the area. If that was true, James would have made an announcement. He wants to protect the public from criminals.”

“James?” Violet stared at her aunt. “You call Chief Hanson by his first name?”

“Why, yes, dear. Why wouldn’t I? We’re close friends, after all.”

Close friends. Noah studied the older women. Was that a euphemism for dating? “You’re seeing Chief Hanson?”

Rosalie’s cheeks turned pink. She smiled. “I am. He’s a wonderful man.”

Time to pull Violet’s aunt back to the topic at hand. “Did Camilla say why she was so concerned about missing women?”

“She had some outrageous notion that a few of her misfits were victims of crime rather than juvenile delinquents who ran away from their caregivers. I told her she was being foolish. Most likely, those girls ran off with their boyfriends and got themselves into trouble. Those who make poor choices have tolive with their consequences.” She lifted her chin and looked pointedly at Violet. “Isn’t that right, Violet?”

“I didn’t run away and get into trouble, Aunt Rosalie. I joined the Army and became a paramedic.”

“The Army is no life for a lady. I raised you better than that.”

Enough. Noah rose and drew Violet to her feet. “You helped raise an amazing medic who saved hundreds of soldiers’ lives on the battlefield. Because of Violet, those men and women went home to their families instead of going home in a casket. Take my word for it. As a Special Forces soldier, I’m grateful for every sacrifice Violet made to keep us alive.”

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