Page 20 of Alibi for Murder (Colby Agency: The Next Generation #2)

Chicago

The elevator doors opened, and Allie stepped into the lobby of the Colby Agency.

This was exactly what she had expected based on all she’d read about the venerable Victoria Colby-Camp. The agency—the woman, really—was legendary. Whether you were in Chicago or Paris, those in the know recognized the Colby name.

The lobby was large and decorated in a sophisticated yet comfortable style.

A glass desk that actually looked like a work of art stood in front of an enormous glass wall that showed off the breathtaking view of the city beyond it.

Also behind the desk was a woman, who Allie decided must be a receptionist.

“Good morning, Ms. Foster.” The woman, who was around Allie’s age, smiled then looked to the man right behind her. “Mr. Durham, Victoria and Jamie are waiting for you.”

“Thank you, Madeline.”

Steve pressed a hand to the small of Allie’s back and gently guided her toward a long, wide corridor.

Still gawking in an attempt to take it all in, she wondered how different these offices were from the original ones.

According to her research on the Colby Agency, the original offices had been blown up by a longtime enemy.

The family had withstood far more than their share of personal attacks and tragedy.

But they were survivors with a truly incredible history.

Allie could not believe she was here. She only wished she didn’t feel so underdressed.

The black slacks were the closest thing to dressy she owned.

The white button-down with the big collar was from forever ago.

She’d spotted it online and had to have it.

She’d worn it one other time besides today.

The biggest change to her usual look was that she’d left her hair down.

She never did that.

She glanced at the man next to her. It was mostly because of him. He looked great. It was impossible not to feel lacking in style around him. His navy slacks and the lighter blue button-down looked amazing just because he was wearing them.

Good grief, she was besotted with the man. Which was only going to make it harder to say goodbye when this was over.

Dismissing the thoughts, she focused on this place and how lucky she was to be here.

The agency hired only the very best and had a reputation for being the most discreet in the industry.

She was so grateful to have this team on her side.

She was reasonably certain she had told Steve this countless times already.

She sent him a sideways look. “This place is amazing.”

He smiled. “It is. More than you know.”

No doubt , she mused.

The desk in Victoria’s private lobby was empty.

“Rhea, Victoria’s personal assistant, is off today,” he explained as he walked straight through to Victoria’s door. He opened it and waited for Allie to go in first.

Always the gentleman. As old-fashioned as it sounded, she liked that too.

Holding her breath, Allie stepped into the head of the agency’s private domain.

Victoria met them in the middle of the room. Allie had seen images of her online, but she wasn’t fully prepared for just how awe-inspiring it was to be in the woman’s presence. There was a sense of sophistication and wisdom that made Allie want to curtsy as if standing before a queen.

She definitely wouldn’t say that out loud.

“Allie.” Victoria extended her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’ve heard so much about you already.”

Allie glanced at Steve as she took the other woman’s hand. “The pleasure is mine, ma’am.” She bit back all the new gushing compliments that came immediately to mind.

“Please, call me Victoria.” She gestured to a young woman seated at the small conference table on the far side of the office. “This is my granddaughter, Jamie.”

Jamie extended her hand across the table as Allie approached. “It’s such a pleasure to meet you, Allie.”

“The pleasure is all mine, I assure you.” Allie couldn’t help smiling as she shook the other woman’s hand. She wore her blond hair down around her shoulders, and her blue eyes literally sparkled when she smiled. The gray sheath she wore looked as if she’d just stepped off a fashion show runway.

“Let’s sit,” Victoria urged, taking her seat at the head of the table. “The others will be with us soon. I’m aware you have another appointment, so we’ll make this quick.”

With those FBI agents. Allie wished she could forget about that meeting, but unfortunately it was impossible.

They all settled into upholstered chairs around the table just as three other members of the Colby team entered the office.

Steve made the introductions. “This is Nicole Reed Michaels and Simon Ruhl—he worked at the Bureau in a former life. He may be able to provide some insight into their agenda in your case.”

“A very long time ago,” Simon pointed out.

Allie smiled at the two. “Thank you for all you’re doing to sort this mess.”

“And this,” Steve said, gesturing to the final arrival taking a seat, “is Jackson Brennan. He is a former bounty hunter and very, very good at tracking the missing and solving cold cases.”

“Thank you,” Allie said. “I am truly lost in all this.”

Jackson gave her a nod. The man was tall, young. Midthirties maybe. If she were a bad guy and this man was tracking her, she would be very afraid.

“You needn’t worry,” Victoria assured Allie, drawing her attention to the head of the table. “We will get to the bottom of things as quickly as possible.”

“We’ve tracked down the mystery couple,” Jamie said. “They moved from Woodstock to Yuma, Arizona, twenty-six years ago. They declined to be interviewed by phone or in person. We have a local contact who showed up unannounced and made an attempt, but Mrs. Reger shut it down.”

Allie’s heart sank a little. She was really hoping the couple would be willing to answer questions. The husband having been employed at Ledwell and the two being friends with her parents had given Allie such hope they would know something helpful for moving forward.

“We’ve also looked,” Nicole spoke next, “into the death of the Madison child, Tommy. There was no autopsy conducted—at least not in the state of Illinois—and the single document related to the child’s death that we did discover indicated his remains had been cremated.

This document was from a funeral home in Woodstock.

The Wembley.” She looked to Allie then. “But the part I found strange was that there was nothing else. No further indication that he died or that he was even born. No birth certificate. No medical records that we’ve been able to locate.

We’ve been searching every available database for the past twenty-four hours, and there is simply nothing. ”

“Are you suggesting,” Steve spoke up, “that the child was perhaps not the Madisons’ biological child? Maybe there was an adoption they kept secret for whatever reason.”

“That’s possible, of course,” Nicole agreed. “But what I’ve found is that, for all intents and purposes, this child did not exist. Not on paper.”

“How is that possible? There were photos of him,” Allie spoke up, “at the grandmother’s house. Basically everyone we’ve spoken with who knew the family recalled the child.”

“Private adoption,” Steve suggested. “Illegal adoption.”

“We ran his description,” Jackson said, “through more databases to see if a child matching that description was reported missing during the target timeframe. Not a single name popped up. Then we searched for infants and toddlers in that category. The few we found who fit the search criteria were part of cases that were all solved favorably.”

“It’s possible,” Nicole explained, “this is why there was no coverage of his death. If the child had been stolen, the last thing the Madisons would have wanted to do was have photos of him in the news.”

Allie’s heart had started to pound at this new scenario. “What I’m getting from this is that my parents may have somehow figured out the child was stolen, and they were killed to prevent them telling others what they had discovered.”

“It’s certainly a theory that merits consideration,” Victoria agreed.

“There are documented cases of personnel having bizarre accidents and people protesting the work being done at Ledwell, which we, as you know, believe to be the primary scenario related to the possibility of how the accident happened. I fear we’ll have to dig much deeper to find anything one way or the other.

The person or persons behind all this have been very careful in covering their tracks. ”

“But there were no investigations,” Allie said. “At least, none that were conducted officially. How can we prove these allegations or suspicions if we can’t get anyone to talk?”

“None we’ve found so far,” Victoria reminded her. “But, in my experience, if you poke at a bear you’ll get a reaction. Maybe not the first time, but he won’t ignore you for long.”

Allie smiled. She really liked this lady and the way she thought.

“I’ve reviewed the accident report from the night your parents died,” Simon spoke up.

“Mechanical failure is the only cause listed—which you already knew. The deputy who was first on the scene and who investigated the accident is retired now.” To Steve, he said, “I’ve forwarded his contact information to you.

Unfortunately, the mechanic mentioned as having conducted the actual examination of the vehicle has since died. ”

“The reporter,” Nicole said, “Rivero, may be an important link in this chain of information. If you can get him to talk—” this she directed to Steve “—he could provide useful details.”

Steve nodded. “We’ll get him to talk.”

Allie was still reeling with all she’d heard when it was time to go. As she and Steve rode the elevator down to the main lobby, she tried to remember if she’d thanked everyone. They were all working so hard—even using their weekends—to help her find the truth.

Without the truth…she could end up being charged with a murder she didn’t commit.

Federal Bureau of Investigations