Page 18 of Alibi for Murder (Colby Agency: The Next Generation #2)

“Looking back, Allie,” Quentin said, “I believe there was more to your parents’ accident, and I am equally certain there was something the Madisons wanted to keep hidden about their own tragedy.

The old saying hindsight is twenty-twenty is sadly true.

We can see so much now that we didn’t then.

In part because we didn’t realize we needed to look.

Basically, we ended up chalking it all up to gossip and fear of the unknown.

I mean, let’s face it, even now the AI stuff is a little unsettling. ”

Martha nodded. “All that aside, there was something odd about some of the things that went on with Ledwell back then. Looking at each piece or incident individually—as we did when it was happening—it didn’t feel so pressing, so overwhelming.

But when you consider it all as a whole, it’s entirely overwhelming. ”

“There’s no question in my mind,” Quentin went on, “that those same sorts of things are still happening. They’re just better at hiding their secret activity these days.

It’s funny. With social media, the average person’s whole life is out there for all to see.

But those with the power can hide just about anything. ”

Steve knew all too well how true that statement was.

“I can’t help wondering,” Allie said, “if what happened back then is the reason Mr. Madison was…” She looked toward the kids. “Why he went away so mysteriously.”

Steve noted that his sister was scrolling on her phone with one hand and lifting her fork with the other.

As a single parent of two kids, she rarely got a moment to herself to do as she pleased.

She took her moments where she could find them.

He stifled a grin at the boys, who stared wide eyed at Allie, mouths slightly open.

“Don’t worry,” Amanda said as she glanced up at Steve, “they’re really into mysteries right now. The scarier the better.”

The boys, Clint and Carson, immediately launched into tales of their favorite true-crime episodes.

By the time dinner was over, Steve wondered if his sister was raising future investigators or serial killers.

While everyone else drank more wine and had cake, the future crime fighters retired to the den downstairs to catch up on whatever was streaming. Amanda insisted on cleaning up, and Steve and his father pitched in. His mom had family photo albums to show off to Allie.

When the cleanup was nearly done, his dad hitched his head toward the door. “Go on. Make sure your mom is not boring her to death.”

Steve tossed the dry towel onto the counter. “You know Mom is never boring.”

“You haven’t lived with her as an adult,” Amanda challenged from the refrigerator, where she was storing leftovers.

Steve laughed. “You talked me into it. I’ll go check on them.”

He found his mom and Allie on the sofa in the living room. The fact that they were laughing suggested there was no boredom with which to be concerned.

Allie held up a handful of photos. “Your mom gave me most of the photos she had that included my parents. One even has me in it.”

Steve sat down beside her. “I didn’t realize there were so many,” he said to his mother.

“Neither did I. Oh.” Martha raised a hand as if to rally their attention. “I think the mystery couple is Lucille and Dennis Reger or Regers. I’m not sure about the last name. I ran into Lucille, the redhead, in the market. She was with Alice. She seemed very nice.”

“That could really help.” He smiled. “Thanks, Mom.”

“I could ask around,” she offered. “I still have a good many friends from back then. A few who even still work for Ledwell. Someone else might recall some relevant fact about the couple.”

An alarm triggered in Steve. “As much as we appreciate the offer, I’d feel more comfortable if you waited a bit on any actions like that. We don’t want to stir up any undue attention to what Allie and I are doing. We’ve already hit a number of roadblocks.”

Her mouth formed an O, and she pressed her hand to her chest. “Oh my. I never considered this was more of an undercover investigation. You’re right.” She pinched her thumb and forefinger together and slid it across her closed lips. “I won’t say a word to anyone.”

“Thank you so much for the thought,” Allie spoke up. “You’ve already been so helpful. Really. I cannot tell you how much it means to me to hear these details about my parents. My grandparents found it difficult to talk about that time, and I never wanted to press.”

Martha smiled sadly. “I understand. I assure you, Allie, if we think of anything at all that might help, we’ll call Steve and let him know.”

Steve was surprised at just how quickly his mom and Allie had bonded.

He was also surprised at how very much he’d missed family gatherings like this one.

He had to make more of an effort to be here for these times.

He watched his mother’s vibrant expression as she spoke.

No one was promised tomorrow. Something else he should be keeping in mind—especially when involved with a case like Allie’s.

An hour later, there was a round of hugs at the door in another Durham family tradition. Nobody left the house without a big hug and an I love you . Amanda hugged him harder than usual. While her cheek was pressed to his, she whispered, “She’s a keeper. Don’t let this one slip away, bro.”

He smiled as he drew away. “I’ll keep that in mind, sis.”

She punched his shoulder. “Good. Be smarter than me.”

As a kid, he would have tossed back that he already was, but as an adult he recognized how intelligent his big sister was and what a tough lesson she had learned about trust. Cheating spouses sucked.

Outside, the night had grown sultry. The June temps were record-breaking this year.

“Your family,” Allie said as she settled into the passenger seat, “is really amazing. I love your mom.”

“I think she’s very fond of you as well.” He closed Allie’s door and walked around to slide behind the steering wheel. “I’m glad we were able to get together.”

“I didn’t realize how much I missed family dinners.” She stared out the window as she said this.

“I had the same thought.” The difference was, he still had that option. He wanted to say more, but he wasn’t sure any words he drummed up would fill that void.

Instead, he drove through the darkness, his mind rushing forward to find a way to put the information they had gathered into perspective.

He really enjoyed his work, but this was the first time it felt personal.

Others had told him how difficult it was when a case crossed that line.

Now he understood. It was a physical pain.

Allie relaxed deeper into her seat. “Thank you.”

He glanced at her, grateful for the reprieve from his thoughts. “For?”

“For coming to my rescue.” She turned to him as he slowed for a red light. “I know that sounds a little dramatic, but you could have said no. You could have put me off on another investigator.”

“No way. This is what you do for friends.”

“Well, again, thank you for remembering me and being my friend.”

He almost told her how easy she made the effort, but he decided maybe that might be a little more forward than she would find comfortable.

“Home sweet home,” she said as he pulled into her driveway.

He wondered if she actually saw it as home sweet home or home lonely home. The thought of her here alone so much of the time bothered him. A lot.

Allie wondered what Steve was thinking as they climbed out of his SUV and walked toward her porch. He and his family had been so kind to her tonight. And more helpful than she’d anticipated.

The photos Martha had given her were priceless.

Steve unlocked the door and insisted on going in first. She locked it once more while he wandered through the first floor.

Flipping a couple of switches, she turned off some of the exterior lights.

She liked leaving them on for when she was out and would be returning home in the dark.

But once she was here, she toned it down.

Until now, she hadn’t really understood why her grandparents were so fixated on security.

She so wished they had shared their concerns with her.

On one level, she understood why they hadn’t.

They had wanted to protect her, and, honestly, she would likely have started looking into all these odd circumstances if they had.

She supposed she should be glad they hadn’t told her.

Putting the worries aside for now, she needed to find her phone charger. With all the calls and research she’d been doing, she had almost drained the battery.

If she remembered correctly, she’d left it in the bag from the store.

Upstairs. In her room. Or maybe in her office.

She headed that way, turning on the hall light as she reached the top of the stairs.

In her bedroom, she grabbed the bag. “And there it is.” She snagged the charger and headed back out of her room.

She’d almost made it to the stairs when she stalled.

Her gaze had stumbled over something. She backed up a couple of steps.

The door to her parents’ bedroom was open.

Hadn’t she closed it? She usually left it closed.

It was just a habit of hers. Same one her grandmother had.

Leave a room, flip off the lights and close the door.

Moving in a sort of slow motion, she turned and took the two steps to the door. Her fingers slid over the wall next to the frame, turning on the light.

The room looked as if a small tornado had gone through it.

She blinked twice, told herself she wasn’t seeing clearly.

Still the same. Her parents’ room had been ransacked.

Clothes and other personal items littered the floor.

Drawers had been dragged out of their slots and left upside down on the floor.

The closet looked as if someone had tossed a hand grenade inside.

Someone has been in the house.

She turned all the way around in the room. Maybe they still were.