“They had that barbecue for the office that one time,” Dale said. “Right before the Mrs. took off to go home.”

“They were fighting that night,” Danielle recalled. “Everyone was uncomfortable. The party broke up early.”

“Do you remember what the fight was about?” Avery asked.

“I don’t, just that they were very obviously in the midst of some sort of marital meltdown, and we were there to witness it,” Dale said. “My Mrs. predicted they were going to split, and sure enough, they did a couple days later.”

“How long were they apart?” Avery asked.

“The last six or so months he was here,” Danielle said. “Not sure what happened when he transferred to headquarters, but they got back together at some point and then we heard they’d had Josh.”

“So that news came after he was in D.C.?” Avery asked.

“A short time before he left,” Danielle said. “We were all surprised because they’d been separated awhile by then. We figured Courtney must’ve been pregnant when she left here, but later we heard they’d adopted Josh.”

“This has been very helpful,” Avery said. “Thank you both for your time.”

“Could we get the address of where the Hamiltons lived when they were here?” Sam asked, working a hunch.

“I’ll check the files,” Danielle said. “Give me a minute.”

They left the office a few minutes later with the address in hand.

“What’re you thinking?” Avery asked.

“That it might be worth knocking on some doors to see if anyone in the old neighborhood remembers the family. And I don’t know about you, but I have more questions for Courtney Hamilton.”

“You read my mind.”

“I’ll call Malone, tell him what we’ve got and ask him to go back to her mother’s place. I don’t think we ought to wait on that. If she’s involved, it would be easy for her to disappear.”

“Agreed.”

Sam placed the call to Malone and waited for him to pick up. When he did, she first asked about Josh’s condition.

“I don’t know yet. The paramedics were tight-lipped, and we’re waiting on the doctors.”

“Avery and I interviewed two people who worked with Hamilton and Jacoby while they were in Knoxville.” She related what they’d learned and their concerns about Courtney Hamilton being a flight risk. “Is there any way you can track her down and maybe bring her in? You could use the pretense of precaution because people are attacking her family members. I’ve got one of my feelings about this, Cap. We need to act fast.”

“I’m on it. Keep me posted on what else you find out.”

“Anything back from the lab yet on the prints found on the golf club?”

“Not yet. We’re leaning on them. And Lindsey is wrapping up the autopsy report too. Should have more on all of it soon. I’ll let you know.”