Jade with me?”
“That’s right. I found your name in a listing of U.S. Marshals.”
A muscle in Micah’s neck twitched.
“Your office handles Witness Protection,” Violet continued. “I made the connection.”
“And did you receive information from a Mafia informant?”
“Yes, a contact in Chicago. Her boyfriend works for the Martino family and that’s how she gets her information. My informant believes both women were targeted by the crime family.”
“What else did your source say?”
“She sent an e-mail that mentioned Eloise Hill.”
The same muscle in Micah’s neck twitched as he flicked his gaze to Clay.
Oblivious to the look that passed between the two men, Violet explained what she knew about the woman who had testified against the old don, Salvatore Martino. Violet concluded by saying, “The Martino family somehow has figured out that Eloise was placed in the Witness Protection Program in Montana, and they’ve been hunting down and killing women in the program in this state, hoping one of them will be Eloise.”
“Is that your take or the source’s?” Micah asked.
“My source verbalized it first. But it’s obvious, isn’t it?”
“Do you have any additional information about your Chicago informant?”
“We communicate online. She’s called me a few times but always using a disposable phone. If I try to call her back, a recording says the number’s no longer in operation.”
Violet hesitated a moment before continuing. “We were going to meet at a coffee shop near the UMT campus, but she thought someone was following me and fled. Someone she recognized from Chicago.”
The Marshal glanced at Clay. “It wasn’t me. I was tailing Violet, but the gal in the coffee shop never saw me.”
“Someone scared her off,” Violet insisted. “She’s on the run and needs protection.”
“Did your source ask for your help?” Micah asked.
The look on Violet’s face didn’t require explanation.She had cooked up the plan on her own to get the woman into Witness Protection. True to character, Violet was sticking her nose where it didn’t belong. As much as Clay applauded her desire to help, she was putting herself in danger at the same time.
Micah explained his hands were tied unless the informant was willing to turn herself over to the authorities. No matter what Violet wanted, the mob girlfriend might not want protection, which was what Clay was beginning to think about Violet. She kept ignoring his warnings to be careful.
The Marshal straightened in his chair, apparently ready to end the meeting. “As I mentioned, Violet, I can’t move forward on this unless you can assure me the source is interested in working with my office and willing to provide evidence against the Mafia.”
Violet offered a weak smile. “There’s something else.” She pulled the picture of Jen Davis from her purse and handed it to Micah. “The informant said the mob’s looking for this woman. She’s in Witness Protection. Her name’s Jen Davis. My informant heard her boyfriend mention Mama’s Diner in Billings.”
Clay explained about the apartment where Jen had lived until a few days ago. He wrote down the address and handed the paper to Micah.
“We’ve been concerned about Jen. The FBI is tracking down all young women with green eyes in Witness Protection.” There was a sense of urgency in Micah’s voice that hadn’t been evident earlier. “We’ll focus on the address you provided and see what we can uncover.”
Micah concluded the meeting with a dose of advicefor Violet about staying clear of the mob and not bringing trouble upon herself.
She’d heard the same message more than once from Clay but hadn’t taken what he had said to heart. If only she’d be swayed by Micah.
The Marshal repeated his offer to help Violet’s informant should she be interested, then he stood and shook their hands. Clay expressed his gratitude for seeing them so quickly.
“I had to be in town on
“That’s right. I found your name in a listing of U.S. Marshals.”
A muscle in Micah’s neck twitched.
“Your office handles Witness Protection,” Violet continued. “I made the connection.”
“And did you receive information from a Mafia informant?”
“Yes, a contact in Chicago. Her boyfriend works for the Martino family and that’s how she gets her information. My informant believes both women were targeted by the crime family.”
“What else did your source say?”
“She sent an e-mail that mentioned Eloise Hill.”
The same muscle in Micah’s neck twitched as he flicked his gaze to Clay.
Oblivious to the look that passed between the two men, Violet explained what she knew about the woman who had testified against the old don, Salvatore Martino. Violet concluded by saying, “The Martino family somehow has figured out that Eloise was placed in the Witness Protection Program in Montana, and they’ve been hunting down and killing women in the program in this state, hoping one of them will be Eloise.”
“Is that your take or the source’s?” Micah asked.
“My source verbalized it first. But it’s obvious, isn’t it?”
“Do you have any additional information about your Chicago informant?”
“We communicate online. She’s called me a few times but always using a disposable phone. If I try to call her back, a recording says the number’s no longer in operation.”
Violet hesitated a moment before continuing. “We were going to meet at a coffee shop near the UMT campus, but she thought someone was following me and fled. Someone she recognized from Chicago.”
The Marshal glanced at Clay. “It wasn’t me. I was tailing Violet, but the gal in the coffee shop never saw me.”
“Someone scared her off,” Violet insisted. “She’s on the run and needs protection.”
“Did your source ask for your help?” Micah asked.
The look on Violet’s face didn’t require explanation.She had cooked up the plan on her own to get the woman into Witness Protection. True to character, Violet was sticking her nose where it didn’t belong. As much as Clay applauded her desire to help, she was putting herself in danger at the same time.
Micah explained his hands were tied unless the informant was willing to turn herself over to the authorities. No matter what Violet wanted, the mob girlfriend might not want protection, which was what Clay was beginning to think about Violet. She kept ignoring his warnings to be careful.
The Marshal straightened in his chair, apparently ready to end the meeting. “As I mentioned, Violet, I can’t move forward on this unless you can assure me the source is interested in working with my office and willing to provide evidence against the Mafia.”
Violet offered a weak smile. “There’s something else.” She pulled the picture of Jen Davis from her purse and handed it to Micah. “The informant said the mob’s looking for this woman. She’s in Witness Protection. Her name’s Jen Davis. My informant heard her boyfriend mention Mama’s Diner in Billings.”
Clay explained about the apartment where Jen had lived until a few days ago. He wrote down the address and handed the paper to Micah.
“We’ve been concerned about Jen. The FBI is tracking down all young women with green eyes in Witness Protection.” There was a sense of urgency in Micah’s voice that hadn’t been evident earlier. “We’ll focus on the address you provided and see what we can uncover.”
Micah concluded the meeting with a dose of advicefor Violet about staying clear of the mob and not bringing trouble upon herself.
She’d heard the same message more than once from Clay but hadn’t taken what he had said to heart. If only she’d be swayed by Micah.
The Marshal repeated his offer to help Violet’s informant should she be interested, then he stood and shook their hands. Clay expressed his gratitude for seeing them so quickly.
“I had to be in town on
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