Page 7 of Alibi for Murder (Colby Agency: The Next Generation #2)

Foster Residence

Allie watched as the group of agents filed out of her house for the last time.

Outrage did not begin to describe how this felt. These people had combed through her house, through all her things, literally all night. She had been forced to stay outside. Steve had tried to talk her into going to a hotel, but she’d refused, so she’d ended up in his SUV for the duration.

As her attorney, he had been allowed to stay and to watch the proceedings inside the house.

He’d come outside to check on her more times than she could remember.

Actually, she remembered every single one.

His blond hair was darker now, more a light brown.

And his eyes were the most calming shade of blue.

Stop, Al. He was here to help with legal issues not fulfill her fantasies.

She straightened in the passenger seat, now that it appeared to be over, finally. Maybe she could put this behind her and life would go back to normal.

She blinked. Had her life ever been normal?

Allie pushed the thought away. She wasn’t going there right now.

Steve stood on the sidewalk and watched the crew load up and drive away before returning to where she waited.

She reached for the door handle. All she wanted to do was get in her bed and sleep…

put this nightmare out of her head. Maybe check her email.

Social media wasn’t her thing. She was probably the only person her age on the planet who had no social media account.

He opened the driver’s side door and slid behind the steering wheel. “You up for Red’s?”

A frown furrowed across her brow. How could he sound so chipper?

Then again, he wasn’t the one whose life was suddenly upside-down.

Besides, he likely experienced situations like this in his work.

It was probably par for the course on any given day at the agency.

While her life was a continual routine of bed at ten, up at six, work and then repeat.

There was something to be said for routine… but mostly her life was dull.

Allie took a breath. Red’s was a local diner that opened at five every morning for breakfast. The good, old-fashioned kind of food like her grandmother used to prepare. As if that wasn’t incentive enough, when was the last time a handsome man had invited her anywhere?

Her stomach rumbled, but she shook her head. “I’m really not hungry. I’d like to go inside and—”

“Let’s have breakfast first.” He started the engine and turned the vehicle around.

She plowed her fingers through her hair, imagining how utterly awful she looked. The ponytail had to go hours ago. “It must be bad if you don’t want me to go in there before having sustenance.”

“They put things back where they found them, just not quite as neatly.”

She groaned. “Yay. I might as well do a little late spring cleaning.” That would make her vacation even better. How much more exciting could her life get? Woo-hoo!

Considering she was under suspicion for murder, maybe that might not be a good question to ask herself. In this case, excitement was a little overrated.

He drove to Red’s, which was only minutes from her house. She ordered delivery from them a few times each month. It was her grandparents’ favorite dining spot. Maybe because Red Shepherd, the owner, was an aging hippie just as they had been. Allie couldn’t help smiling. She missed them so much.

She covertly glanced at the driver. Her grandmother had always said Steve was a good boy. Like his father, she’d said. Allie had seen photos of her mother as a teenager with Steve’s father. Her grandmother had given the impression that she’d wished those two had ended up together.

Steve glanced at her. “You must be thinking about the past.” He guided the SUV into a parking slot. “The present certainly wouldn’t prompt a smile like that one.”

She touched her lips. Hadn’t realized she’d been smiling. “I was thinking about my mother.”

He smiled back at her. “You look like her. Exactly like her.”

“Everyone always says that.” And the family photo albums confirmed it.

He hopped out of the vehicle and hurried around to her door before she could rally the energy to open it.

“Not that I really remember her,” he said as she emerged. “But my mom has lots of photos of family gatherings that included your parents.”

“I’ve seen a few in my grandmother’s albums.” Allie smiled. She and her grandparents hadn’t gone to very many gatherings with neighbors after her parents were gone. Things had changed after that.

The bell over the door jingled as they opened it and walked inside.

“Looks like we’re the first customers today,” Steve noted.

The smell of bacon drifting from the kitchen had Allie’s stomach rumbling again. “I think I changed my mind. I’m starving.”

He grinned. “Good. We need to load up on carbs and sugar and then deal with this thing.”

There was something to be said for his strategy. Allie just wasn’t exactly sure what it was quite yet. She was, however, immensely grateful to have someone to help her navigate this nightmare.

They took a booth near the back since the diner would likely fill quickly on a Saturday morning. A waitress materialized, carafe of fresh coffee in hand. She filled the waiting mugs and took their order.

When she disappeared back into the kitchen, Allie said, “Tell me about your work at the Colby Agency.” It would be nice to think about something else for a little while.

He nodded. “The Colby Agency is the best in the business. Truly the best. Victoria is an incredible force, as is the entire staff. It’s a privilege to be a part of the team. I’m happy there.”

“Do you investigate cases?” She pressed a hand to her chest. “Like this mess I find myself in?”

“Actually—” he took a sip of coffee then set his mug aside “—I don’t do the investigating, but I get involved when there are potential issues that fall into the legal category.

I do a lot of advising on cases with the investigators.

My time with Chicago PD helped with that aspect of my work.

It’s one of the reasons Victoria was interested in interviewing me when I finished law school. ”

Allie studied him for a moment. “I always got the impression that college was not your thing. I mean, you never talked about it. What made you change your mind and go to college and then to law school? That’s a serious commitment for someone who wasn’t big on the idea of university life.”

He laughed. “I think my experience is a little like your own. I very much enjoyed my work on the force, but I felt there was more I could do from this perspective, so I changed gears.”

The waitress arrived with their orders, and they dug in. Apparently, Allie really had been starving. She’d barely eaten last night. The food he’d brought had been great, but her appetite had been absent. The whole situation with the murder and those FBI agents had been overwhelming.

It still was, but her body was adjusting to this new stressor.

After the need for food had been satisfied for the most part, she lifted her gaze to his. “Tell me about what happened inside my house. You spoke to Fraser and Potter, I assume.”

He nodded and set his fork aside. “Both are convinced the woman in the video is you.”

Her hopes sank.

“That said,” he went on, “both are fully aware the video could have been created from one taken when you were employed at the hospital. They aren’t convinced that you are the person who murdered Mr. Madison, but the only evidence they have points to you.

For the most part, I believe they feel whatever happened is somehow connected to you, and this is the leverage they have, so they’re using it. ”

Allie shook her head. “Why would I kill a man I don’t even know?”

“Exactly. They’re aware.”

“Did they go into the case that involved Madison—the one they were working prior to his death?”

“They did not, but it is related to Ledwell. I was able to get that out of Fraser. This has something to do with the company, and your father’s connection—however old—to that company lends credence to your possible involvement.

Which is why they wanted to see whatever was in the house and on your computer. ”

Allie’s heart sank, joining the hopes that had fallen around her feet. “They took my computer.”

He nodded. “And your laptop and cell phone and tablet.”

The thought shook her. How would she do anything without one or the other of those devices? Her whole life was electronic.

She sagged deeper in the booth.

“They will return all your belongings,” he promised. “The only question is when. For now, we will get you another phone and a laptop if you need one for work.”

She shrugged. “I’m on vacation until a week from Monday. I can live without my laptop. But not my phone.”

He grinned. “Who could?”

“Well, well, if it ain’t my favorite goddaughter.”

The boom of Red Shepherd’s voice turned every head in the diner, and the place had pretty much filled up at this point.

Allie wasn’t so much concerned about anyone recognizing her.

She rarely left the house. Anyone who had known her growing up wouldn’t remember her now. Likely wouldn’t even recognize her.

Along with social media, she hadn’t bothered to cultivate friends.

Her life was all about work. But there were other people—ones who had known her parents and grandparents—who still remembered her.

There were a few at work she considered friends, sort of.

She knew their online work profiles, their voices.

But that didn’t really fit the definition of a friend.

Allie worked up a smile. She wasn’t actually Red’s goddaughter, but he had claimed the title when she was a kid. “Great to see you, Red.”

He slid into the booth next to her. He studied Steve a moment. “You’re Martha’s boy, aren’t you?”

“Yes, sir.”

Red looked from one to the other. “Good to see folks from the old neighborhood still coming around.”