Page 14 of Alibi for Murder (Colby Agency: The Next Generation #2)

The clay and ceramic pots were in various sizes and styles as well as colors. The plants in each were long dead. Allie resisted the urge to dump the contents just in case something was buried in all that potting soil.

Just because the FBI and cops had been here already didn’t mean they wouldn’t be coming back.

No one would be happy with the news that Allie and Steve had been on the property having a look.

Disturbing anything at all that would be easily noticed wouldn’t be smart.

They hadn’t broken into anything—technically.

But they were trespassing, and the foray into the garage was not exactly a legal move.

Maybe not the barn either, no matter that it was fully open with only stall gates on one side.

She kind of liked that Steve wasn’t afraid to stretch the boundaries. Another indication that he wasn’t so perfect or so uptight.

The fact was she liked everything about him.

The distinct sound of an engine and then a car door slamming had them both lowering the pots they held.

The next sound they heard was someone shouting, “Hello.” Female.

“Stay here.” Steve walked around the end of the house toward the voice.

Allie wasn’t inclined to follow orders at the moment, so she did the same, ensuring that he was well ahead of her and didn’t notice.

A woman stood next to a white sedan. She held a shotgun braced against one shoulder, but the barrel was extended toward the ground. “This is private property,” she stated, looking directly at Steve.

“Yes, ma’am.” Steve came to a stop at the front corner of the house. His arms hung loosely at his sides. His hands visibly open. “My name is Steve Durham. I work for a private investigations firm, the Colby Agency, and I’m following up on Mr. Thomas Madison’s death.”

This was true. Mostly.

The woman leaned to one side and peered past him. “Is this your colleague?”

Allie came to stand beside him. “My name is Allie Foster. Mr. Madison was a friend of my family. I’m the one who hired Mr. Durham.”

The woman was older than she had looked from a distance. Closer to seventy than sixty. She was trim and well dressed. Her light-colored hair was actually a very flattering shade of gray. And she appeared quite fearless.

“The FBI and the police have been here already,” she said. “I can’t imagine what you hope to find.”

“We have a photo,” Steve said, “if you wouldn’t mind taking a look. It’s a couple who associated with the Madisons, and we’re attempting to identify them. We believe knowing who they are might be very helpful to our investigation.”

She hitched her head for them to come to her, but she didn’t put down the shotgun. “I’ll have a look.”

Steve went first. Allie stayed close behind him.

“Do you live nearby?” Allie wondered how this woman had known they were here.

“I live across the road. I saw you turn into the driveway. My husband and I always kept a watch on the place for Thomas. He traveled a lot with his work.”

“You’ve been neighbors a long while,” Steve suggested.

“We were here when he and Jane bought the place.”

“You knew Jane well?” Allie hoped for more information on the other property.

“Well enough,” the woman said without further explanation. She reached for the photo Steve held. She studied it for several seconds, then shook her head. “I don’t recall ever seeing them.” She handed the photo back to him. “Why do you want to find them? The photo is obviously quite old.”

Allie took another photo from her purse and handed it to the woman. This one was of her parents. “What about this couple?”

The woman stared at the photo for a while, her face blank. Then she shook her head. “Never seen them before either.” She passed the photo back to Allie. “Again, why are you trying to find people in old photographs?”

“We have reason to believe they may have information,” Steve said. “It’s important that we find them.”

“I have no idea who they are. Now, obviously you’ve had your look around, so you need to go. I don’t want to have to call the police and report the suspicious activity.”

She kept her gaze on Steve. Wouldn’t look at Allie. The idea that this woman way lying about not knowing the people pictured in those photos had a stranglehold on Allie.

“Alice and Jerry Foster,” she said to the woman, ignoring her edict and waving the photo again. “They were my parents.”

The woman blinked, then reluctantly dragged her gaze back to Allie. “I’m sorry for your loss, but I never saw them before.”

“Did Thomas live here alone?” Steve asked, drawing them past the awkward moment.

“After his wife…Jane died,” the nosy neighbor confirmed, “he almost never came home anymore.”

Allie fired another question at her. “Did he sometimes stay at the McHenry property Jane’s father gave them?”

The neighbor stared long and hard at Allie then. “I have no idea. I don’t know anything about that property.”

“Like this one,” Steve said, “it looks abandoned. Overgrown. Didn’t Thomas have someone to take care of the place?”

“There was a man who did the lawn mowing and things like that,” she said, “but I haven’t seen him in a while.”

“Do you know his name?” Allie asked.

The woman shook her head. “I never spoke to him myself. Just saw his truck coming and going.”

“When was the last time you saw him here?” Steve prodded.

She shrugged. “Maybe a month ago.”

“There was no business info on his truck?” he asked.

Good question.

“Nothing. Just a plain white truck pulling a black trailer with a riding lawnmower parked on it.”

“I have a business card I’d like to give you.” When she didn’t argue, he reached for his wallet and removed one. “I hope you’ll call me if you think of anything else that might be useful in our search for the truth.”

She accepted the card but frowned at the question. “What truth?”

“The truth about who murdered Mr. Madison,” Steve explained. “I’m sure you and your husband will feel safer when that person is identified and brought to justice.”

Another series of slow blinks. “Yes, of course.”

“Do you know what happened to Jane’s mother?” Allie asked. “Her father passed away, but there was no mention of her mother.”

The neighbor looked startled at the question. “Luellyn. Luellyn Talbert. She and her husband were estranged, but I don’t think they ever officially divorced. She had nothing to do with the family.”

“Is she still alive?” Allie wasn’t sure yet why it mattered, but she needed to check off that box.

“As far as I know. The last time Thomas mentioned her, he said she was a resident at Our Home, an assisted-living facility on the other side of town. She’s been there a good many years. Maybe seven or eight.” She frowned. “Why would you want to know about Jane’s mother?”

“We want to know about anyone who may have any insights into Madison’s final weeks of life.” Allie felt confident the woman understood this but wanted to ask just to get a response. “Or who might be able to identify the couple in the photograph I showed you.”

The neighbor nodded, the vaguest of movements.

“Thank you, Mrs…?” Steve shook his head. “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name.”

“Gayle Fischer. My husband Frank and I live across the road.”

“Thank you for speaking with us, Mrs. Fischer,” Steve went on. “We’re doing all we can to figure this out.”

“Isn’t that the job of the police or these FBI people who’ve been coming around?” She looked suspect of Steve and Allie’s motive for being on the property.

“I’m sure both the police and the FBI appreciate any help they can get.”

She made a maybe-so face. “I’ll talk to my husband. See if he has anything to pass along.”

“Thank you,” Steve said.

Fischer, still holding on to her shotgun, loaded back into her car. Before turning the vehicle around, she took a last, long look at Allie.

When the neighbor had driven away, Allie turned to Steve. “She knows me or my parents. Her reaction to their photo was different from her reaction to the mystery couple.”

“I noticed.”

“Should we drive over and talk to her husband?” Allie’s pulse had started to race. These were people who may have known her parents. There were so many things she wanted to ask. So much she apparently needed to know.

“Not just now. We should go see Mrs. Talbert. If the FBI hasn’t interviewed her yet, we have a far better chance at learning anything she may know.”

Something else Allie liked about this man. He was really intuitive and could see the bigger picture.

He was exactly what she had needed to get through this.