Page 31 of Alibi for Murder (Colby Agency: The Next Generation #2)

Madison Residence

Hamilton Road

“Why am I a target?” Allie struggled to maintain her composure. Strangely, it seemed staying calm made a difference.

“The answer is one I can’t provide,” Tommy said.

He sounded human. Maybe he was. She had no idea who that scumbag Rivero had been keeping locked downstairs.

By his own admission, he came into this house after Thomas Madison’s health became so bad he couldn’t care for himself or defend himself.

He’d been here often enough to know all the secrets of the home and its owner.

“What did that man who was here before, Rivero, do to your father?”

His brow lined in thought. “My father’s time here was finished. I was supposed to go before him, but he grew too ill to perform the necessary dismantling. Mr. Rivero explained that he would be supervising my continued existence.”

Allie tried to remember if Rivero had hit her on the head or drugged her somehow. This couldn’t be happening.

She kept recalling the man who’d done the Madison child’s cremation saying that his eyes were missing, and now…

Allie looked directly into this man’s eyes—the ones that looked exactly like that little boy’s. But that was impossible. This person was…too human to be a robot?

“Is Rivero the one who made me a target?”

“Yes. He has that authority now.”

Allie stared at the back door he had effectively blocked by standing in front of it.

“I need to go home, Tommy. Can you please just let me go home? Someone burned down my house, and I need to see if I can salvage anything.”

She told herself she could talk her way out of this. This man—person, whatever he was—was about her same age, and if he had lived with the Madisons all this time, he surely understood how relationships worked. Could he experience emotions? Determine right from wrong?

Good grief, she should have done more research on the subject. She really had no idea how far the technology had advanced, much less how it worked.

“You cannot go home, Allie. You are the target, so your existence must be terminated. I’m sure you understand the decision is out of my hands.”

Somehow she had to get past his sweet, boyish looks and the charm he emanated and understand that apparently he was a cold-blooded killer. She had to be prepared to defend herself.

With what? She surveyed the kitchen for a knife…anything.

Dear God…would a knife even work? Was it possible to stop him?

“I understand you’re disturbed by this news. I suggest we make this as quick and painless as possible. There are a number of options. We can discuss them if you would like, or I can choose and surprise you.”

Her heart quickened, started to pound. This was like a nightmare come to life. She wanted desperately to believe this was not actually happening…but it was. She was right here looking her would-be executioner in the eye.

He smiled suddenly. “I’m aware that you’re thinking there has to be a way out of this. Anyone would think the same, but please be advised that I am faster than you. Much stronger than you and far more capable at the art of strategy.”

She was screwed.

There was maybe a dozen feet between them.

She stood just inside the wide cased opening that led from the living room into the kitchen area.

He stood directly in front of the back door, blocking her escape.

She’d made a run for it, dashing up the stairs and toward the back door, which generally didn’t have as complicated a locking system as front doors.

He’d easily overtaken her, but instead of grabbing her, he’d rushed ahead of her and placed himself in her path.

Did that mean he liked to play with his targets?

“Have you had other targets before?”

He blinked, considered her question. “Yes, but only electronic ones. My father and I played games together. Sometimes I even allowed him to win.”

Electronic games. Allie nodded. “So you haven’t ever terminated a living being?”

“No. You are the first living being, as you say, I’ve encountered other than my parents and Mr. Rivero.”

The pieces started to come together in her head.

His parents had been devastated when their child died.

The mother had said his father would bring him back.

She made that promise because his father worked at a cutting-edge lab that was already building robots who looked human and behaved like humans.

What parent wouldn’t do whatever necessary to have their child back?

But this was not a child…this was a grown man. Was this man/machine capable of growing, or had they built a new model as needed and transferred the necessary data?

Oh God, she felt ill.

Steadying herself, she tried another approach. “Tommy, I think there are rules about robots hurting humans. Did anyone talk to you about those rules? Mr. Rivero is a bad man, and what he has asked you to do is illegal and immoral.”

“All targets are evil,” he argued. “You are a target, and therefore you are evil. You must be eliminated.”

“The targets you and your father eliminated were in games, not in real life.”

“Mr. Rivero said the games have invaded real life now. We can no longer trust what we once thought was the difference between this life and those in games.”

Well shoot. That scenario pretty much eliminated any hope of swaying him with reason.

Okay. He talked about strategy. Well she had one.

And only one, as far as she could see. “Your mother would not want you to do this. She was friends with my mother. You and I played together when we were children…at the other house—the one with the pool.”

He gave her a knowing look. “Targets often make up stories to mislead.”

Oh crap. “What about photo albums? Your mother kept photos. Where are they? I’ll show you that I’m telling the truth.”

Please, please let the woman have kept photos from before…before this Tommy.

“Turn around,” he instructed, “walk into the living room and to your right. You will see a bookcase that contains our family albums.”

If she turned her back, would he rush up behind her and strangle her or break her neck?

This is the only option, Al.

She took a breath and turned around, following his instructions exactly. Three rows of shelves were lined with photo albums. She searched for the ones from twenty-eight to thirty years ago.

“Here we go.” She removed two then carried them to the coffee table. She sat in a chair that faced the sofa in hopes he would decide to sit there. No such luck. He crouched beside her.

It took only a moment to find the photos she needed of their parents together. She pointed to her parents. “That’s my mother and father. Your mother, Jane, and my mother, Alice, were best friends. Your father, Thomas, worked at Ledwell with my father, Jerry.”

He studied the photos. “Where are the ones of you and I?”

Allie reminded herself to breathe. “Well let’s see if your mother kept any of those photos in here.” She turned a page, then another. Fear crept up her spine when there were no photos of them. Still, she kept turning pages.

“This is the house—” she pointed to a photo of the house where the Madisons lived before “—where the pool is.”

He nodded. “I know about the pool.” He looked directly at her then. “I drowned there.”

She nodded. “You did.” She turned another page. There was a whole page of photos with Tommy in them and two included her. Her relief was so profound she barely kept her wits about her. “See.” Her voice squeaked a little. “I told you we played together when we were little.”

He leaned closer and studied the photos. “You are correct.” He studied her face. “Our families were friends. We were friends.”

She summoned a smile. “We were.”

He turned back to the photos in the album. “I was very sad when my mother died.”

“Me too. My mother and father both died not long after these photos were taken.”

“What happened to them?”

“They died in a car accident.”

He considered her words. “Who took responsibility for you?”

“My grandparents, my mother’s parents.” Another thought occurred to her. “You have a grandmother. Did you know that?”

“I do not.”

“Yes. You do.” Allie flipped back several pages, the idea or maybe her desperation gaining momentum. “This is your grandmother.” She pointed to a photo of Mrs. Talbert and Jane.

“She died when I was a child.”

“No,” Allie argued. “I saw her two days ago. She is alive, and she misses you very much.”

“My father would not lie to me.” Anger flashed in his eyes, echoed in his voice.

Maybe this particular part of her strategy hadn’t been such a good one. “I think he may have been afraid she might accidently tell someone about you, so he had to keep you a secret from her and her a secret from you.”

“Take me to see.” He stood. “I will pause your termination until you do this for me.”

Allie nodded. “We’ll need a car.”

“There is a car in the garage.”

“All right.” She closed the photo album. “But we have to wait until morning. She lives in a building where there are certain visiting hours. We can’t go in the middle of the night like this.”

Headlights swept across the front window.

Tommy moved to the window and stared out. “Someone is here.”

Allie wished she knew what the best course of action was.

She should run while he was distracted. It could be Rivero coming back.

“A man is coming this way.” Tommy turned around. “We should go downstairs.”

Shouting outside drew Allie’s attention beyond Tommy and to the window. Banging on the front door came next.

“Allie! Are you in there?”

Steve. She started for the door.

A strong hand clamped on her arm. “We cannot allow him inside.”

Allie winced at his tightening grip. “This man is my friend. His name is Steve, and he isn’t here to cause trouble. He wants to help.”

“How can I be certain?”

“Why would I lie to you?”

“You are a target. Targets often lie.”

“I told you Rivero is the one who lied,” she reminded him.

“Allie! Are you in there?”

“Please,” she urged. “Steve and I will see that you get to your grandmother, but you have to trust me. Please.”