“Perhaps. In our line of work, coincidences don’t happen often.”
“What is your job?”
“We work for Fortress Security.”
A frown. “Alarms and stuff?”
“One arm of our company sells and monitors alarm systems. Rayne and I are on a black ops team.”
“You carry guns?” Charity’s voice rose.
“And knives.”
“Several of them,” Rayne said.
“Did you keep in touch with Dana after you left Laramie?” Violet asked.
“No way,” Charity muttered. “Lauren and I wanted nothing to do with her after graduation. We just wanted to forget anything that happened with her and move on with our lives. Our parents saw Dana’s family once in a while and kept up with the latest gossip around town. Other than that, we ignored that part of our lives. Trust me, it was better for all of us that way.”
“Can you tell us anything else that might help us figure out who killed Dana?”
A frown. “Aren’t you looking for your sister’s killer?”
“I am.”
Charity stared at her. “Wait. You think the same person killed Dana and your sister? But that’s impossible. The deaths were years apart.”
Rayne stood. “Not impossible if the killer is hunting in this area. Thanks for your help.”
“Are you going to talk to Lauren?” Charity rose and grabbed her cell phone.
“She’s our next stop.” Violet joined Rayne near the office door. “Is that a problem?”
Charity shook her head. “I wanted to let her know you were coming. Lauren has been acting strange lately.”
“What do you mean?”
“She seems almost paranoid. Lauren works from home, and I’m having a terrible time getting her out of the house. She says she’s fine, but I know she’s not. If I don’t warn her ahead of time that you’re coming, Lauren won’t answer the door.”
“When you talk to her, tell Lauren that our boyfriends will accompany Rayne and me.”
Charity nodded as she called her friend. Concern filled her gaze as the seconds ticked away. “She’s not answering.”
“Maybe she stepped away from her desk for a couple of minutes,” Rayne suggested.
“Keep trying to get Lauren on the phone.” Violet opened the door. “Tell her we’ll be on her doorstep in fifteen minutes.”
Instinct told Violet they needed to get to Lauren’s home as soon as possible.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
NOAH STOOD WHENhe saw Violet. One look at her face, and he knew something was wrong. “What happened?”
“Not here. We need to go.”
He fell into step beside her, with Grant and Rayne bringing up the rear. Noah rested his hand against Violet’s lower back and nudged her toward the SUV. When they reached the vehicle, he climbed into the backseat with her.
Once Grant drove toward Lauren’s home, Noah said, “What happened in there, Violet? Why are we in a hurry?”