Page 72 of Last Seen Alive

She knocked and waited.

“One minute,” a woman’s voice called out from inside. Then the door opened. “Yes? How can I help you?”

Amanda had her badge up, and so did Trent.

“We’re Detectives Steele and Stenson with the Prince William County PD,” Amanda said, clipping her badge back onto the waistband of her pants. “We’re looking to speak with Sylvia and Albert Hamilton.”

“I’m Sylvia.” Her brow furrowed as she danced her gaze over the two of them. “Albert’s not home right now. What’s this about?”

“We have questions about a girl you fostered a number of years ago. Claire Ramsey.”

“Oh.”

One little utterance, and Amanda wasn’t sure what to make of it. “Could we come inside to talk about her?”

A car pulled into the driveway, a man behind the wheel.

“Good timing. That’s Albert. I’m sure he’ll have things to say. Come on in.” She spun, while waving for Amanda and Trent to follow her.

They set up at a dining room table. Sylvia had put on a pot of coffee without asking if Amanda and Trent would want one. Maybe they wouldn’t be offered a cup. Albert came into the kitchen, popped open the fridge door and took out a beer, snapped the cap off and drained back a good amount. He ran the back of his hand over his mouth.

“Now, I’ll talk. Who are you, and what do you want?” He narrowed his beady eyes on Amanda.

“We’re—”

“They are with the police, Bert. They’re here about Claire Ramsey.”

“Oy.” He pulled out a chair and joined them at the table. “Did something happen to her?”

“She was murdered last Friday.” Amanda delivered it pointedly as she felt like the couple could handle anything.

Both Hamiltons looked at each other, their mouths curving down into frowns.

“We can’t say that surprises us entirely,” Albert said.

“Why is that?” Trent had his notepad out and his pen at the ready.

“Claire was one of the most interesting children Sylvia and I ever cared for. But she was a child going on woman.”

“She was very smart,” Sylvia inserted.

Michelle had said the same thing. And while she might have been intelligent, she’d made some poor decisions along the way, at least one Amanda was certain got her killed. “Why don’t you tell us what you mean about ‘going on woman?’ Did she have boyfriends, possibly someone older than she was?”

“Not under this roof.” Albert swigged back more beer.

Sylvia was shaking her head. “He’s very stubborn when it comes to young people dating.”

“They don’t know what they want. They don’t even know who they are themselves yet.”

Amanda wasn’t getting pulled into that debate, and she doubted he had traveled his moral high road when he was a teenager. “So nothing that made you think she was seeing anyone?” She put her attention on the wife who was now fidgeting in her chair, sneaking in glances at her husband. Sylvia got up to get coffee and did offer one to Amanda and Trent. They both accepted.

“Who knows? She could be a wily one.” Albert went to take another drink of his beer but set it down with a look of disappointment at the fact it was empty already.

“Mrs.Hamilton?” Amanda prompted.

“I think she was seeing someone.”

“Sylvia?” Albert said. “You never said anything to me.”