“How did you meet the family?”

“I heard through the neighborhood grapevine that they were in need of a cleaning lady, so I went by to see if I could help out. I cleaned for a number of people in the neighborhood back then.” She held up twisted fingers. “Before my arthritis forced me into early retirement.”

“Do you know why Courtney took the children and went home to Virginia?” Sam asked.

“Oh, well... Marriage is such a difficult thing sometimes. Are you married?”

“I am,” Sam said, giddy on the inside that this lovely woman had no idea who she was. Since that happened so rarely these days, she decided to enjoy the anonymity.

“And you?” she asked Avery.

“Engaged.”

“Then you know. You both know that relationships have their ups and downs. Courtney and Troy hit a rough patch where they couldn’t seem to see eye to eye, so she took the children home to her mother’s for a little cooling-off period. They were back together a few months later. They had their other son, Josh, and I still get Christmas cards from them to this day.”

“So you don’t know of any specific incident that caused them to separate?” Avery asked.

“No, like I said, it was a buildup of things, and Courtney thought it best for the children if they spent some time apart because they were fighting so much. She was quite sad about leaving. She had a nice circle of friends here, a bridge club and a book club and the country club. She was a joiner, that one. And the kids were doing well in school. It wasn’t easy for her to decide to leave, because she loved her husband. I never doubted that.” She offered a coy smile that lit up her eyes. “He was a good-looking devil. Like you, Agent Hill.”

“Oh, um, well, thank you, ma’am.”

“Before she left, I told her, don’t let that man get away. You’ll regret it down the road. I’m glad she listened to me, and they patched things up. My heart has been breaking for her since I heard the news about Troy last night. I can’t imagine what she must be going through.”

“Did you ever see the Hamiltons again after they left the area?” Sam asked.

“Not in person, but Courtney and I kept in touch by letters and the occasional phone call. It’s dwindled to Christmas cards in recent years, but I do remember them fondly.”

“This has been very helpful, Mrs. Spires.” Avery rose and handed her his card. “If you think of anything else from back in the day that you think might be helpful, you can call me anytime. My cell number is on there.”

“I’ll do that.” To Sam, she said, “I feel like I know you from somewhere.”

“Not sure where. I’ve never been to Knoxville before. Do you get up to D.C.?”