Page 86 of Last Seen Alive

Amanda went on. “Martin Lawson was a wealthy businessman who was murdered during the course of a robbery.” Brianna was watching her, soaking up every word; this was coming as news to her.

“I’ve never heard of him,” she ended up saying.

“So no idea why she’d go to his estate?” Trent asked.

“You still refer to it ashisestate even though he’s dead. Does his widow or family live there?”

Trent nodded.

“If I was right and Claire witnessed a murder, maybe it was this Lawson guy. She could have gone to tell the family that she knew what had happened? Confess? Just an idea.”

“She never talked about this with you? She went there Thursday morning, before seeing you that afternoon,” Amanda said, wishing for more.

Brianna shook her head. “She never mentioned the name at all, or even what else she’d done that day.”

“Okay, you’ve done great, Brianna.” Amanda pulled her card. “You have my number and can call me any time.”

“You were getting me protection?”

“Yes, and I will the second I step out that door.” Amanda pointed toward it and went that way. She stepped into the hall with Trent and spoke once they boarded the elevator. “Between you and me, I’m surprised she’s still alive. The killer seems to have been watching Claire’s steps. Why take the chance on what she might have disclosed to her best friend?”

“Can’t kill everyone.”

“Let’s hope that’s the truth. Now if only we could ID the man involved with the heists. Was he the one who took Claire to the gallery? Is he also the mystery man in the silver Camry?”

“I think that’s a solid bet.”

“As for Brianna, I believe her when she says Claire withheld a lot from her.”

Trent pressed his lips and shrugged. “People can be good actors. Look at Rita Flynn. I’d say she lived a lie and sold it to her husband and children.”

“Me too.”

The elevator dinged their arrival on the ground floor, and they unloaded and went to the department car. Amanda pulled her phone and made the call to Graves to get protection detail on Brianna. Hopefully, she wouldn’t end up needing it.

THIRTY-ONE

It took time and convincing, but Amanda finally got it through Graves’s thick skull that Brianna needed protection. Minutes passed, an hour, two, before a cruiser pulled into the hotel’s parking lot. Officer Wyatt was behind the wheel. Amanda got out of the air-conditioned department car and filled him in, not trusting that he was fully briefed. “You’ll need to watch her room.”

“Okay, I wasn’t told that.”

Amanda felt anger heat her blood. Watching the hotel from the parking lot wouldn’t accomplish anything. “You need to go inside.”

“I’ll pass it by my sergeant, see if that’s what he wants me to do.”

“Do that. Morris could be in danger.” As Amanda stressed the importance of sticking close to Brianna, her thoughts went to the note left on her front step. “Tell me you’ll do it.”

Wyatt seemed to hesitate. “I’ll see what he says.”

She raked a hand through her hair, looked at the clear, blue sky. Then back to Wyatt. She let out a deep breath. “Do what you must. But if you aren’t going in, watch for a silver Toyota Camry.”

“A newer model,” Trent added. He must have walked over while she was speaking with Wyatt.

The officer nodded and got on the phone.

She didn’t want to leave, feeling tethered to the hotel, to watch over and protect Brianna. But her job was to catch the killer. “Let’s go. We need to press Austin Flynn some more. Find out if he knows more than he told us—about his wife’s past, about her last contact with Claire.”

Trent hobbled a bit and let out a wince. Stopped.