Page 98 of Last Seen Alive

The clerk licked his lips and shifted his posture. “Sure. Come back.”

The clerk took them to a tiny room with a few monitors and a chair. He sat down and brought up the time Amanda was interested in.

And there it was—a silver Toyota Camry, a person behind the wheel. “Right there.” She pointed at the screen. “Can you zoom in on the driver’s face?”

The clerk took a few minutes to figure out how to do that. The person’s face wasn’t clear, but it was unquestionably a man.

“Try moving in on the license plate,” she said.

Finally luck was on their side. Given the positioning of the late afternoon sun, the tinted cover was useless at concealing the digits.

Trent scribbled them in his notepad and was on the move through the lobby back to the department car. “I’m on it.”

“Thank you,” she told the clerk.

She caught up with Trent at the vehicle and got in the passenger seat. He was clicking away on the onboard computer.

“Nick Clayton, forty-one. Lives in Dumfries,” he told her.

“Nick Clayton. Are you serious right now?”

“Yeah, not exactly the time to be joking around.”

“He works at the Lawson estate. Think he helps with the landscaping. We need to get cars to his apartment right away. We’re doing this by the book.” She made the calls while Trent drove.

He was pulling to a stop down the street from Clayton’s about ten minutes later. Cruisers were already there, as Amanda could see ahead of them. Strategic Weapons And Tactics, better known as SWAT, came up on their rear. They’d go in first, with Amanda and Trent on standby once it was confirmed the place was clear. This was the safest way to handle a search and arrest when a suspect was considered armed and dangerous.

One officer came over to Trent and Amanda about a half hour after SWAT entered Clayton’s house. Trent lowered his window.

“No one is inside. We’ll have the place swept of course, see if there’s anything we can use as evidence against him.”

Amanda nodded but wasn’t confident they’d find anything. And after last night, Clayton was probably on the run… or hiding in plain sight. She touched Trent’s arm. “We need to get to the Lawson estate immediately.”

“Ma’am, do you want another team to follow you?” asked the SWAT officer who was still standing there.

“Yes.” She gave him the address.

“On it.” He pushed off the car, and Trent hit the gas.

They sped through the streets and hit the intercom at the gate. They announced themselves to Ingrid, and she said, “I’m sorry, but Ms.Lawson is unavailable.”

“Open this gate,” Trent barked.

Nothing for several seconds, then the buzzer sounded, and the gates opened.

Trent sped down the lane to the front doors. Ingrid was standing in the open doorway. Tears were streaked down her face.

Amanda went right to her. “What is it? Where is Ms. Lawson?”

Ingrid pointed toward a staircase that went to the basement. Her eyes were widened with fear. “She… she…”

“Take a deep breath. She what?” Amanda spoke calmly, though her heart was racing.

“She has Nick…”

“Nick Clayton?”

The maid nodded.