Page 53 of Last Seen Alive

Duncan’s phrasing implied he felt he’d done Claire a favor despite the money. “Didn’t you or Cindy find it odd she handed over that much in cash?”

Duncan tilted his head. “Myself and two others in the firm specialize in defense. There are some questions we don’t ask our clientele. Where they get their money is one of them.”

Don’t know, can’t tell…“So what did Claire want your help for?”

A crooked smirk and a wagging finger.

“All right, let me ask this then. Did she give you the specifics of what she wanted help with?”

He shrugged—noncommittal, but she’d take it as a yes.

“Did she say that she expected charges would be levied against her soon?” Amanda asked.

“Yes.”

“Robbery charges?” Her mind was on all that cash. It had to have come from somewhere and theft seemed like a fast way of getting it.

A slow blink. “Yes.”

“But there’s more…?” Amanda angled her head, prompting the attorney to continue.

“Ask a question.”

Amanda’s thoughts shifted to the unregistered gun in Claire’s possession. “Did she shoot and injure someone in the course of a robbery?”

“No.”

“She…” Amanda had expected a different response. She leaned back in her chair. Claire was involved in a robbery, as confirmed by Duncan. But how the hell did the gun tie in? Or did it? Were she and Trent eager to see what wasn’t there? Maybe she’d just picked up the gun along the way for protection—nothing more.

“Listen, I’ll save you any more trouble. We didn’t get into a myriad of specifics, as I said. We were scheduled to meet yesterday, but she never showed. You said she’s dead, so I guess that explains why.”

Still no real regard for the fact a woman wasmurdered.“That’s all then? Nothing more to share with us?”

“Nope. And don’t trouble yourselves with a court order. I’d swear on a stack of Bibles, there’s nothing more to say.”

“Then we’re done here. Thank you for your cooperation today.” Amanda gave him a pleasant smile as she stood. She gave him her card—even if it might land straight in the trash. He said there was nothing more to say, and somehow Amanda believed him.

She and Trent left the firm and headed back to Central in Woodbridge.

“There’s only one reason you reach out to a criminal defense attorney,” she muttered, not even sure where she was going with this or how Trent would pick up from there.

“Claire figured she would need one at some point. That much is clear.”

“Yeah.” She worried her lip. Her gut was telling her Claire’s Glock was more than an accessory she toted around. “If Claire didn’t shoot someone and the gun wasn’t for personal protection, that leaves one viable possibility. She may have had a partner on the robbery whodidhurt or kill someone. She might have even planned on turning them in. It would seem she was planning to confess her wrongdoing.” Claire getting a lawyer suggested that much.

“That right there could be motive for murder. That’s if there is a partner and they found out.”

She nodded. “But when did this robbery even happen? Years ago, I suppose we’re assuming, and she just held on to the gun all this time?”

“She could have thought it offered her a bargaining chip or protection. But there’s a flip side to consider. If that was her intention, and she revealed her hand, she could have been viewed as a liability.”

Amanda felt nauseous. “Why Claire was on the run all these years.”

“But how did Claire come into possession of the gun in the first place?”

“And, then there’s this. What’s to say the gun wasn’t planted too?”

“For what purpose, though?”