“Thanks,” Amanda said.
“Don’t thank me yet. Just promise me you’ll watch your back.”
“Always.” She smiled, just a partial expression that didn’t reach her eyes. He’d guess it touched her he cared enough to say that, but of course he cared about her well-being. She’d have to be blind and stupid to believe otherwise.
“First stop?” He just wanted to get moving. Even if it was to watch video.
“As we told Graves, we need to see if we can find this guy. Let’s hit the gallery and go from there. Maybe we can tie the robbery victims to that gallery too.”
“All right. I’ll get the list of their names on my phone.” He did that, and they headed out.
Once on the road to Washington, he turned to Amanda. “By the way, I took a closer look at the Lawson file. The event was a fundraiser for an animal shelter in Washington called Pawsitively in Love. It was held at a rental hall, not an individual’s home.”
“Unlikely to track an incoming call for Martin then, but it sounds like a big affair. That’s good news. It would have taken a lot of organization and that might mean there’s a guest list we can get our hands on.”
“I’ve already put a call in to the shelter and spoke to the person who organized the event.” He paused there, swearing Amanda’s mouth gaped open. “A Paula Ferguson. She said she’ll see if she can find the list of those who attended. I gave her my phone and email.”
“How early were you in?”
“Seven.”
“Impressive.” She smiled, and he felt warmed by the expression as he realized how fragile it could be. He hated to think of Amanda ever suffering. She’d been through enough, but damn her pride.
“You really think Graves would take you off the case if she knew you were the one to receive the note?”
“Yep.”
“Why so sure?”
“I looked her up.”
He shifted in his seat. “You know what brought her to Prince William County?”
“Not that. Just why she might have left the NYPD.”
“And…” He stopped at a red light.
“I think she was squeezed out. Her position was filled by a relation to the NYPD police chief.”
“That might explain why she’s very mindful of showing any favoritism, perceived or actual.”
“Yep. To the point I think the pendulum swings in the extreme opposite direction.”
“Seems so. By the way, I spoke with Shell last night.”
“Oh? And did she know of any boyfriends?”
He shook his head. “Nope.”
“Logan neither. He didn’t know of any guys hanging around her when they first started dating or after.”
“Assuming that Claire is one of the two perps involved with the robberies, she must have done everything to keep him a secret.”
“Like most of her life from the sounds of it.”
“And now we have a mystery guy who wants to remain a mystery.”
She laughed, and he smiled.
