He pressed his mouth firmly over hers and kissed her the way a man should kiss a woman. With utter respect and tenderness and mind-blowing desire.

She made the sweetest sound. Her fingers threaded into his hair and pulled him closer still.

The kiss went on and on. Deeper and deeper, then slower and sweeter.

He would have given almost anything to make love to her. But she was vulnerable right now. He wouldn’t take advantage of that. Instead, he lay down beside her and held her close. Let her feel how much he wanted her. Let her know that he was there for her.

Whatever the cost, he was in for the duration.

Debra Webb was born in Scottsboro, Alabama, to parents who taught her that anything is possible if you want it badly enough. She began writing at age nine. Eventually, she met and married the man of her dreams,and tried some other occupations, including selling vacuum cleaners, working in a factory, a day-care centre, a hospital and a department store. When her husband joined the military, they moved to Berlin, Germany, and Debra became a secretary in the commanding general’s office. By 1985 they were back in the States and finally moved to tennessee, to a small town where everyone knows everyone else. With the support of her husband and two beautiful daughters, Debra took up writing again, looking to mysteries and movies for inspiration. You can visit Deb’s website at www.debrawebb.com to find out exciting news about her next book.

Small-Town Secrets

By

Debra Webb

MILLS & BOON

www.millsandboon.co.uk

To my amazing editor, Denise Zaza, and to the readers

who keep the Colby Agency alive.

Chapter One

Chicago Inside the Colby Agency

“She’s the perfect choice.”

Victoria Colby-Camp reclined in her leather executive chair and considered the man who had spoken. Simon Ruhl was one of her most committed colleagues. He and Ian Michaels were her seconds in command. She trusted both implicitly. If Simon had concluded that Merrilee Walters was the perfect choice, then she was without doubt the ideal choice.

“Excellent.” Victoria nodded, punctuating the announcement. “Ian, you’ll follow up with Spence as to any possible legal ramifications in hiring an investigator who is hearing impaired?”

“I will.” Ian had left the final decision up to Simon. Still, he had reservations about Merrilee’s ability to fulfill the requirements of the position, but nothing conclusive to veto bringing her on board. More a feeling, he insisted in previous discussions.

“If Spence finds no legal precedent of concern, then we’ll move forward,” Victoria offered.

Simon and Ian exchanged a look. One that said the decision wasn’t nearly as cut-and-dried as Victoria suggested.

“What am I missing?” They had been over all the issues more than once. No one assigned to the agency’s Elite Reconnaissance Division had voiced a problem with this potential staff addition. The final approval was Victoria’s, but Simon’s and Ian’s agreement was paramount to her decision. If there was still a problem beyond the one Ian had mentioned, she needed to know.

Ian clasped his hands in front of him, an uncharacteristic move for a man whose absolute stillness even in moments of extreme tension proved intimidating to most. “My gut instinct hasn’t changed,” he finally said. “The Colby Agency has made its reputation on employing only the best. The most highly trained, the most honorable as well as the most physically able. Rarely have we stepped outside those parameters. Miss Walters is deaf—a challenge that puts her at a considerable disadvantage in normal situations.”

Ian held up a hand when Victoria would have interrupted. “I am fully aware that she reads lips with inordinate skill. The hearing impairment is not my actual concern, though there will be clients who won’t understand that Miss Walters is fully capable. My concern,” he added with a pointed look at Victoria, “is the seemingly relentless need to prove herself that she appears to possess. Her record at Nashville Metro is solid evidence of a potential problem. She may very well take risks that put both her and the client in danger.”

True. However, Victoria never allowed the evaluations of others to wholly guide her. Not that she doubted Metro’s assessment, but that was only one side of the story. Nonetheless, Ian’s point regarding Merrilee’s penchant for diving headlong into a situation without regard to caution held merit. Victoria was surprised that Ian felt so strongly about this particular characteristic. More often than not, he was an avid proponent of those who took the initiative to set themselves apart from the rest.

“Are you recommending we don’t move forward?” Victoria really hoped that wasn’t the case. Since she’d conceived the idea of an agency reconnaissance division, her primary goal had been to ensure the team was made up of members from every walk of life. After all, those who went missing came from all backgrounds. She wanted her team to be able to fit in anywhere. No one understood the needs of those physically challenged better than one who carried that burden.

The Colby Agency’s Elite Reconnaissance Division had one mission: find the missing. Victoria, with Ian’s and Simon’s help, had organized an elite team thus far. Like William Spencer, a former child advocacy attorney. And though, as Ian pointed out, Merrilee Walters was considered a bit of a rogue by her peers and superiors back in Nashville, she had definitely proven what she was made of over and over again.

Bottom line, Victoria wanted Merrilee on their team. But all seated in Victoria’s office at the moment needed to be on the same page.

“I’m recommending,” Ian explained, “that we hire Miss Walters on a conditional basis with an extended probationary period. We’ll see how it goes for a time before putting her in the field.”

“Fair enough,” Simon agreed. “I’m convinced you’ll grow to respect her ability to assess a situation before plunging in as well as her skills.”

“Time will tell.”

Obviously Ian was far from convinced. A good deal more than Victoria had realized. And she was relatively certain his reservations had more to do with the woman than the opinions of others. But, as he said, time would tell. “Very well. We’re all agreed then.”

With a nod from each man, both of whom Victoria respected tremendously, the meeting was adjourned. Simon would move into negotiations with Merrilee and Ian would follow up with Spence.

Before the door could close behind Ian and Simon, Mildred Ballard, Victoria’s personal assistant, stepped into the office. “Victoria, you received a call from Dave Glenn.”

Victoria smiled. She hadn’t spoken to Dave in ages. “Put him through.”

“Unfortunately he was on his way to a meeting.” Mildred glanced at the note in her hand. “He wanted to know if you could have lunch with him at Tony’s Pub around one.”

Victoria checked her wristwatch. It was eleven now. She had to pick up her granddaughter from preschool at twelve-thirty. With Jim and Tasha out of the country, Victoria generally brought Jamie back to the office with her for the afternoon.

“Don’t worry,” Mildred said, reading her mind, “I’ll pick up Jamie and keep her out of trouble. Go to lunch,” she urged. “You’ve been spending too many lunches in the office lately.”

That was all too true. Victoria would very much like to catch up with Dave. “You’re absolutely right. Do I need to leave him a message to say I’m coming?”

Mildred shook her head. “All you have to do is show up. He’s already made the reservation for the two of you.”

That was Dave all right. Always completely sure of himself. But then, he’d trained with the best: Lucas Camp. Victoria’s husband was a man who never took no for an answer. Lucas and Dave had been friends since childhood. Lucas’s unwavering determination had long ago rubbed off on the other man.

“You don’t have another appointment until three-thirty,” her loyal assistant added. “Take your time. Enjoy catching up.”

“Thank you, Mildred.”

As the door closed, Victoria found herself sighing. She’d suffered so much loss and pain in the past. Taking for granted a moment of her wonderful life now was out of the question. She had the most amazing husband whom she loved more deeply every day. She had her son and he was well and happy. And she had a beautiful granddaughter. Not to mention the agency continued to thrive.

Basically, Victoria had it all.

She deserved this happiness. She intended to enjoy it to the fullest.

AT ONE WHEN VICTORIA entered Tony’s Pub, Dave Glenn waited at the bar. As she approached, Victoria took a moment to consider the man. The same age as Lucas, his hair had long ago paled from blond to a lustrous white. Age had not diminished his intimidating stature or his proud military bearing. He was still a force with which to be reckoned.

As if he’d sensed her presence, he turned on the bar stool to face her. Sharp blue eyes lit with the smile that broadened his lips in welcome.

“Victoria, I’m glad you could come.” He set his glass aside, slid off the stool and reached for a hug. “It’s been too long.”

Victoria relished the embrace of a dear friend. It really had been too long. Drawing back, she assessed the rugged face that spoke of decades of too many secrets and too little R&R. He needed to slow down and enjoy life. Lucas had told him so many times. She wished Lucas were here now.

“Dave, it’s so good to see you.”

He reclaimed his glass and ushered her toward the dining room. “Our table is waiting.”

When Victoria had settled into a chair and Dave had done the same, she sent a pointed look at his drink of choice. “It’s a little early for scotch, isn’t it?” She’d never known Dave to indulge in the middle of the day. “Are we celebrating something?”

Dave peered into his glass a moment before meeting her gaze. This time there was a bleakness about his expression. “I’m old, Victoria.” He gave his head a little shake. “The job is finally beginning to get to me.”

A frown tugged at her brow. Though both she and Lucas had seen this coming, the statement was uncharacteristic of the man who never failed to present himself a pillar of strength and determination.

“Our chosen fields can become burdensome at times.” She knew this all too well. But to her knowledge Dave had not suffered the personal loss Victoria had experienced. Perhaps this was nothing more than the long overdue realization that his work could not continue to have priority over his personal life. “Is Catherine doing well?”

Dave managed another smile, but this time it didn’t reach his eyes. “She’s tired of spending so much time alone.” A halfhearted shrug lifted his shoulders. “She’s found other ways to occupy her time.”

Victoria ached for the man. A breakup was never easy, but he and Catherine had been married for twenty-five years. Clearly he was devastated. “I’m sorry to hear that.” What else was there to say? Sorry, however, seemed a pathetic offering.

Dave pointed to his glass as the waiter paused at their table. “And a white wine for the lady.” When he’d returned his full attention to Victoria, he said, “It happens. I suppose I should have been paying better attention.”

A gentleman to the end. It would have been so easy to blame everything on his wife’s inability to appreciate his commitment to his country. “Perhaps you’ll find a way to work things out.”

“Perhaps.” He finished the last of his drink. “How’s Lucas?”

Victoria’s lips slid into an automatic smile at the mention of her husband’s name. “He’s well. He’s away on business for a few days. Thankfully he’s home more often than not, but he continues to work in an advisory capacity when he’s needed.”

Dave gave her one of those looks that said he knew exactly what she meant despite her understanding words. “You remind him that retired means precisely that. I knew he wouldn’t take himself completely out of the game.”

“Now that’s the pot calling the kettle black,” she teased, opting to lighten the moment.

He laughed, but the sound was dry. The waiter arrived with their drinks, and they placed their meal orders.

“And Jim?” Dave asked. “He’s still doing well with his shop?”

“Yes.” Victoria’s chest tightened with pride. “The Equalizers are doing exceptionally well. Jim is happy helping those who don’t seem to fit in anywhere else. He has a knack for resolving the unsolvable.”

“Like father, like son,” Dave offered, his gaze distant as if he were remembering his days with Lucas and Jim’s father, James Colby.

Victoria sipped her white wine, mainly to restrain herself from asking the question pressing against her sternum. This small talk was nice, but it failed to camouflage a glaring ulterior motive for today’s impromptu invitation. Victoria’s instincts were on point. Something was very wrong. Something more than her old friend’s personal problems. Dave was not himself by any means.

He lifted his glass, apparently thought better of it and lowered it back to the table. He exhaled a heavy breath. “There’s something I need to tell you, Victoria, and I’m not sure how to go about it.”

“Don’t mince words with me, Dave. We’ve known each other far too long for that. Say what’s on your mind.” Lucas was deep in negotiations related to national security. Jim and Tasha were on safari in Africa. She’d heard from them only two days ago, just before they left for an extended excursion into a remote jungle location. Whatever Dave’s news, it couldn’t be related to her family.

Dave propped his forearms on the table and rested his gaze heavily on hers. “You know how the world of intelligence operates. I don’t have to spell it out for you. We trawl for information. Sometimes in the worst possible places, dredging intel from the worst possible characters. That’s how the job gets done.”

Victoria nodded. Like Lucas, Dave worked in intelligence. Lucas worked directly for the government as an advisor while Dave was employed by a government contractor. And he was right; the job could take them into gritty places.

Uneasiness stiffened Victoria’s spine. “You’ve heard something of a personal nature that concerns you.” It wasn’t a question. She knew perfectly well where this was going.

He nodded. “You know if it was insignificant, I wouldn’t bother passing it along.”

She did. “Does this information involve the Colby Agency?” No matter that the Colby Agency maintained a prestigious reputation, enemies were made. It was part of the business.

“No. Not directly.”

“Me, then.” She would much prefer he simply get to the point.

He nodded. “Yes. I attempted to trace the information beyond my source, but I was unsuccessful. So, be advised that I have no tangible evidence to back up what I’m about to tell you. All I have is a rumor. A rumbling of discord so to speak.” Those assessing blue eyes bored into hers. “But this source is solid. Precautions need to be taken.”

“Have you spoken to Lucas?” It suddenly struck Victoria as quite odd that he didn’t go to Lucas first. But then, she didn’t know the nature of the information he was about to pass along.

“I couldn’t reach Lucas this morning. And I feel this shouldn’t wait.”

She inclined her head in question.

“My source,” he began, “indicated that there’s an operation in the final planning stages to take down Lucas where he is most vulnerable.”

Victoria’s breath stalled in her chest. “You’re right. Precautions do need to be taken.” She didn’t have to add that this, of course, wasn’t the first time nor would it be the last that someone attempted to seek vengeance on Lucas. He’d made more than his share of enemies while working with the CIA. But no one was better at taking care of himself than Lucas. Dave was well aware of that fact.

Victoria understood with complete certainty that the other shoe was about to drop.

“Whoever has set this plan in motion intends to use you to get to Lucas.”

Victoria considered the warning. “I’ll beef up my personal security, particularly while Lucas is away.” Nothing she hadn’t faced before. She knew the proper steps to initiate.

Dave shook his head. “It gets worse, Victoria.”

A blast of adrenaline seared through her limbs. “Don’t keep me in suspense.”

“I don’t know many of the details, but I do know that the plan supposedly involves kidnapping your granddaughter.”

Tentacles of fear constricted around her chest.

“This could be nothing more than grumbling from someone you or Lucas have brought down. Blowing off steam and tossing around threats,” Dave suggested, his voice uncharacteristically soft and soothing. His eyes reflected just how badly he’d hated to pass along this information. “But considering what happened in the past, I felt you’d want to hear this as soon as possible whether or not it is warranted.”

Victoria knew that Mildred and Jamie were at the office. She’d touched base with Mildred en route to meet Dave.

That didn’t stop Victoria from reaching for her phone.

She couldn’t take any chances. Not with her granddaughter. She had to be sure.

Victoria couldn’t live through that kind of pain again.

Chapter Two

Dana Hall reminded herself to relax. The hustle and bustle of the Colby Agency lobby had kept her distracted at first. But now, forty-five minutes later, things had grown quiet and her anxiety had started to build.

It was almost half past four and her appointment had been at three-thirty. Dana glanced at the receptionist. She’d apologized repeatedly for the wait.

But it wasn’t the wait that had Dana’s tension escalating. It was second thoughts.

Was she making a mistake by starting this? Should she leave the past in the past? She was twenty-nine years old. What difference did it make now? Learning the truth wouldn’t change anything. Her sister would still be dead. In reality, the truth would change nothing at all that mattered.

What did she hope to accomplish?

Dana closed her eyes. Peace. That was her goal. She couldn’t live with the uncertainty or the nightmares. Not anymore. The longer this went on, the more detailed and intense the nightmares became.

It was time to have closure.

To know the truth…whatever the cost. Whatever it accomplished.

“Ms. Hall?”

Dana looked up, then stood. “Yes.”

The older woman who’d called her name smiled. “I’m Mildred Ballard, Victoria’s personal assistant. I apologize for the wait. Victoria can see you now. This way, please.”

Dana followed Ms. Ballard along a long, lushly carpeted corridor until they reached a smaller, but every bit as impressive, lobby. Ms. Ballard indicated the double doors across the carpeted expanse. “Go right in, Ms. Hall. Victoria is waiting.”

As the older woman took her seat behind her desk, Dana gathered her fleeing courage and walked toward the double doors. She was doing the right thing. No question. She couldn’t continue to live this way. She had to know the truth, and this was the only way.

The Colby Agency came highly recommended. Not one she’d looked into had a better reputation. The agency’s long-standing in the business and priority on discretion sealed her decision.

Dana opened the doors and entered the elegantly appointed office of Victoria Colby-Camp, head of the prestigious Colby Agency. The woman in charge stood in greeting.

“Ms. Hall, welcome to the Colby Agency.”

Dana summoned a smile. “I appreciate your personal attention to my case, Ms. Colby-Camp.”

“Call me Victoria.” The head of the agency directed Dana to one of the chairs flanking her desk. “I give my personal attention to all our clients.”

Dana’s spine stiffened with continued uncertainty as she lowered into the upholstered chair. This was good, wasn’t it? Assuredly she couldn’t complain about not getting her money’s worth if the woman in charge saw to Dana’s needs personally.

Victoria reclaimed the seat behind her desk. “How can my agency help you, Ms. Hall?”

“Dana, please.” Dana took a breath. “I suppose I should start at the beginning.” When Victoria nodded, Dana continued. “I’m from a small town in Indiana. Brighton. My family and I lived there until…my sister was murdered when I was thirteen. My sister and I are…were twins. I’m looking for closure. I’m hoping the Colby Agency can help me find it.”

Victoria leaned forward and penned a note on a file that likely had Dana’s name on it. “A tragedy such as that is difficult to move past. I’m sure you were all devastated.”

Dana managed a wooden nod. “At first we tried to move on with our lives, but considering the murders went unsolved, staying in Brighton was impossible.”

“Murders?”

Dana swallowed tightly. “My sister was one of three victims murdered that fall. All three were local children. They died within mere days of each other. The whole community was devastated.”

Sympathy etched itself across Victoria’s brow. “Does the case remain on active status or has it been officially closed?”

Dana shrugged. “My mother receives calls from time to time whenever some new-to-the-force deputy decides to take a look at the town’s most infamous case. Nothing has ever come of it. The case has been cold for nearly a decade now.”

“But,” Victoria offered, “you need to know the truth. Closure, as you said.”

Dana’s heart pounded harder with each passing moment. “Yes.” The word was scarcely a whisper. She needed the truth. She needed to face the past or put it behind her once and for all. So far she’d been able to do neither on her own nor with the help of a psychiatrist.

Victoria braced her elbows on her desk and steepled her fingers. “Losing a family member is difficult under any circumstances,” she said gently. “But losing a twin is like losing a part of yourself.”

Echoes of memories whispered in Dana’s ears. She moistened her lips. “Yes.” It was a nightmare…one that wouldn’t end. “My mother and I faced a second blow when six months after we moved from Brighton my father committed suicide.” She fought back the emotion that accompanied thoughts of that time. “He blamed himself for not taking better care of us.”

After a moment’s consideration, Victoria said, “William Spencer is a member of our Recon Team, a division of the Colby Agency created specifically to find the missing. Though the children in this situation are deceased, the truth is missing.” Victoria settled a reassuring gaze upon Dana. “The members of this team are the best in the business, Dana. If it’s humanly possible to find the truth for you, Spence will find it.”

Victoria checked what appeared to be a large desk calendar. “I’d like you to meet Spence. We’ll go over the details you remember and determine a starting place and strategy.” She reached for the phone on her desk and gifted Dana with another reassuring smile. “You can take a deep breath, Dana. The Colby Agency will find the answers you’re looking for.”

Dana wished she could take a deep breath…wished that what she felt at those sincere and comforting words was relief, but the truth was, in this case, she felt fear. Fear and dread.

Was she putting the past behind her…or the rest of her life?

WILLIAM SPENCER TYPED the conclusion and hit Print. His first “final” field report was finished. He’d worked six months for the Colby Agency before being assigned a case where he was the primary investigator. Until then he’d done research and assessments. It felt good to be a full-fledged Colby investigator. The work here gave him a sense of accomplishment and self-satisfaction—something that had been sorely missing in his former career as a child advocacy attorney.

He gritted his teeth when he considered the numerous times he’d helped remove a child from harm’s way only to have another judge overrule the decision and place the child right back into dangerous territory—typically with his or her own mother or father. The last child he’d rescued using his legal expertise had been returned to his mother and stepfather only to end up dead twenty-four hours later.

Spence had walked away from his firm. Enough was enough. He wanted to be at a place where his efforts actually did some good for the long term. Landing at the Colby Agency was the best thing that could have happened to him, professionally as well as personally.

A distinct buzz drew his attention to the telephone on his desk. Anticipation zinged through him. He pressed the speaker button. “Spence.”

“Spence,” Victoria said, “I have a client, Ms. Dana Hall, in my office. Could you join us?”

“Absolutely.” His pulse quickened as he tapped the speaker button to end the connection and grabbed his notepad and pen. The idea of being assigned a new case immediately after completing his first had him practically sprinting toward Victoria’s office.

Grinning, he gave Mildred a little salute. She smiled back at him. That was another thing he loved about working at the Colby Agency. The staff operated like one big family. Since he had no family of his own, not since he was sixteen anyway, the camaraderie filled a long, empty void.

As he entered the boss’s office, she announced, “Ms. Hall, this is William Spencer.”

The obviously nervous client extended her hand as he approached. “Mr. Spencer,” she said softly.

“Ms. Hall.” Spence gave her a firm handshake then settled into the chair next to hers.

Dana Hall was blond and petite. She dressed like most female white-collar professionals, skirt and matching jacket, with a starched white blouse and practical shoes. But it was the big brown eyes filled with sadness and intense worry that overwhelmed her attractive oval face. This was a lady with heavy personal baggage. He knew that look.

Victoria briefly reviewed Ms. Hall’s situation. Spence had to admit that he was a little surprised he was chosen for the case considering the three children involved were deceased, more specifically murdered. The only homicide he’d been involved with had happened in the present. Personally, he wasn’t sure he was the right man for the job. But he trusted Victoria’s judgment. She had a reason for asking him to sit in on this meeting. And if she asked him to take the case, she had her reasons for that as well.

“I’d like to be closely involved with the investigation,” Ms. Hall said when Victoria had finished bringing Spence up to speed. “The police haven’t been very cooperative with any of my past efforts. I need to have an active part in solving this painful mystery once and for all.”

“That’s understandable,” Victoria granted. She turned her attention to Spence. “Ms. Hall’s participation will likely be an asset, don’t you agree?”

“I do,” Spence concurred. Dana Hall would know those closest to the victims and would likely recall the players involved in the official police investigation that followed the murders.

“I’d like to get started as soon as possible,” Dana went on to say. “I’ve lived with this a very long time. It will be a tremendous relief to put this behind me. The sooner the better.”

When she spoke of the murders, she avoided eye contact with him, Spence noted. There could be a number of reasons for that, none of which were particularly good. “I’m available immediately.” He’d finished the final report on his last assignment. There was no reason he couldn’t get started right away.

Dana met his eyes now. “When can we leave?”

Brighton was only a few hours’ drive from Chicago. “I’ll make the necessary arrangements this evening, and we’ll meet here at nine tomorrow morning. We can be there shortly after noon.” She nodded and he went on. “I’d like you to compile a list of any relevant details and names you recall that we haven’t already discussed. We’ll go over those on the way and lay out our strategy.”

Dana took an audible breath. “Excellent.”

As the meeting concluded, Spence watched Dana interact with Victoria. Every instinct warned him that the lady wasn’t being completely open. He had worked with the parents of abused and neglected children long enough to recognize deception on any level when he saw it. This lady was hiding something…something she understood was relevant to the case.

The only question was why.

Chapter Three

Brighton, Indiana

Dana hadn’t been back to her birthplace in sixteen years.

Nothing had changed.

Brighton was one of those towns where time seemed to stand still.

Her stomach twisted into knots as if her thirteenth birthday had been just yesterday. Images from the party…her and her sister, Donna, wearing silly pink party hats. Balloons floated everywhere and the clown dancing around the room laughed loudly. Dozens of kids played and sang—then everyone had gone home. Night had come and their parents had tucked them into bed. They’d giggled and whispered, too excited to go to sleep. Donna had wanted to sneak out to play in the woods behind their house. Dana hadn’t wanted to…but she’d caved beneath her sister’s pleading. She’d never been able to say no to Donna.

Dana remembered playing in the damp grass beneath the moonlight. Even now she could almost feel the wet blades tickling her toes…the crisp air whispering against her skin.

But she remembered nothing beyond that.

In the wee hours of the following morning, after an intensive search by local authorities and neighbors, she and her sister had been found deep in the woods behind their home. Her sister was dead, and Dana was disoriented and suffering from mild exposure.

Dana blinked away the past, stared out the car window at the storefronts lining the main street that split the town in half. A left turn would take one to the downtown area where the courthouse dominated a well-manicured square of shops and offices. Beyond the town square were neat rows of streets dotted with brick ranch homes and painted bungalows. A right turn revealed the smaller, mostly rundown homes of the poorer residents. The railroad, light industry and warehouses were interspersed with blocks of tiny duplexes and walk-up apartment buildings. A mile or so outside the town limits lay a stretch of road with a few scattered houses surrounded by big yards and woodlands.

Home.

A place so calm and quiet. Not at all the type of town where one expected to encounter evil.

But it had been here.

And now she was back.

Would anyone suspect her motive?

Or her?

“Dana?”

Banishing the disturbing thoughts, she dragged her attention back to the driver. “Sorry, I was lost in thought.”

“Which way to the police department?”

Dana frowned, surveyed the street name on the corner sign and dredged her memory banks for the directions. The last letter her mother had received from the chief had been from the same old address. “Two more red lights then right. You’ll see the building on your left, I believe.”

William Spencer, or Spence as his colleagues called him, focused on making the turns she’d suggested. Dana studied his profile. He wore his dark brown hair short. His eyes were equally dark. Thirty-six. Law school graduate. She’d looked him up on Google the night before. He’d graduated at the top of his class and gone on to work at one of Chicago’s most prestigious law firms. But then the county had persuaded him to give up half his income to work as a child advocacy attorney. Married once. Then divorced. No children. He’d worked at the Colby Agency for only eight months.

Fear that she’d started something she would regret abruptly clasped around Dana’s chest. She should just let the past go.

But then she would never know.

“Here we are.”

Spence braked to a stop in the parking lot. Dana stared at the long, drab brick building that housed the police and fire departments. Despite the air-conditioning in the car, perspiration dampened her skin as her heart thumped harder and harder.

“Chief Gerard is expecting us.”

Dana heard the words Spence said, but the larger part of her attention was focused on the official lettering sprawled across the glass entry she’d last entered sixteen years ago.

“Dana.”

Dana gave herself a mental shake and reached for the car door. “Right.” Chief Gerard had struggled through the town’s first homicide case. Her sister’s case.

Sherry’s and Joanna’s case.

Three victims…three unsolved murders within a week in a town small enough that everyone knew everyone else. Three young girls killed by someone they apparently knew since there were no signs of struggle. How was it possible that no one admitted to having the first clue who that someone was?

Stop. Dana slammed the car door and squared her shoulders. She had to stop allowing her thoughts to go down that path. Focus. She had to focus and let this man—she glanced at William Spencer—do his job. He was the expert here…she was just the desperate client.

And maybe, just maybe, she would learn that she wasn’t the one who’d killed her own sister…and two of her best friends.

SPENCE WATCHED Dana Hall closely as they waited for Chief Gerard to finish an afternoon meeting that had, according to his secretary, run over. Dana’s emotions appeared to vacillate between high anxiety and extreme dread. The anxiousness was to be expected. The dread, however, surprised him. This was a woman who had clearly suffered for years due to not knowing what really happened to her sister. She’d sought the Colby Agency’s help in finding the truth. Despite her insistence that she needed to learn what happened sixteen years ago, she appeared to fear learning that truth.

Spence recognized the symptoms. The woman knew something she wasn’t sharing. In his experience with the parents of abused or neglected children, he’d seen those very symptoms time and time again. The burden of guilt weighed on most, even when their instincts urged them to protect themselves. No one wanted to face the reality of what they had done much less the consequences related to the act or acts.

But what had Dana Hall done besides find herself a victim of the most heinous of crimes?

“I realize,” Spence began, “this is difficult.”

Dana Hall jumped as if he’d startled her from her thoughts. “I’m sorry.” She cleared her throat. “What did you say?”

Seriously distracted. To some degree that was to be expected. “This is difficult, I know,” he reiterated. “Revisiting a painful past is never easy. But it’s my job to ensure that it goes as smoothly as possible.”

She wet her lips. Until then, he hadn’t noticed how full they were. Incredibly full and rich in color. She blinked, as if clearing her weary eyes of any emotion that might give away her true feelings. “I can handle it.” She glanced around the small office. “I have to.”

Was she attempting to convince him or herself?

“Afternoon, folks.” Chief Gerard hustled into the office, coffee cup in one hand, a stack of files and papers in the other. “I apologize for keeping you waiting.” He shook his head as he rounded his desk. “Sometimes things get a little hairy even in a small town.”

Spence stood. “William Spencer. The Colby Agency,” he said as he shook hands with the chief. “You may remember Dana Hall.”

Dana remained seated, her gaze locked on to the man in charge of local law enforcement.

“Gracious, young lady.” The chief beamed a broad smile. “I haven’t seen you in…” His expression fell and sadness appeared as if he’d only just remembered the circumstances of their last encounter.

Dana cleared her throat. “Chief Gerard,” she said, her voice faltering.

Obviously shaken, the chief indicated the chair Spence had vacated. “Have a seat, Mr. Spencer.” He lowered into the one behind his cluttered desk. “What can I do for you folks?”

This was the moment Spence should have felt guilty for not cluing the man in on the subject of the appointment. But Spence wanted to get his reaction to Dana’s sudden reappearance after nearly two decades. He’d definitely gotten one.

“We’re here,” Spence said, leveling his gaze on the chief’s, “to ask you a few questions about Donna Hall’s murder.”

Chief Gerard looked from Spence to Dana and back. “It’s been a long time.” He took a sip of his coffee. “Several of my deputies have, over the years, taken a look at the case hoping to find something new. No one has ever found anything. But I’m happy to be of any help if you’re set on looking for yourself.” He studied Spence a moment. “Your agency is looking into the case?”

That Gerard had blanked his expression told Spence that like all officers of the law, he didn’t appreciate a private investigator coming into his territory, nosing around into a case he hadn’t been able to solve with his own resources.

Understandable. “That’s correct,” Spence confirmed. “My agency is aware that your department did everything possible with the technology available at the time.” Spence gave a succinct nod. “There are resources available now that might help in solving the case. We’d like to see what we can learn, with your guidance and expertise, of course.” Making friends was a far better strategy than drawing battle lines right off the bat.

That seemed to appease Gerard. He relaxed visibly. “I’ll pull the files and have them available for you to look at later this afternoon. Around five sound all right to you?”

“Absolutely. That would be very helpful.” Spence didn’t want to wait for the files. Having to come back to see them gave the chief time to select what would be shared and what wouldn’t. Only one way to try and head that off. “Perhaps you could share your thoughts on the case. Anything specific you remember that, in looking back, might have been more suspicious than it seemed at the time?” The chief couldn’t very well leave out anything he mentioned before he’d had time to think better of it.

Gerard propped his forearms on his desk and clasped his fingers. He stared at his hands for a bit before speaking. “The people in this town are good folks. We’d never had so much as an attempted murder before…that. When the first two girls were found.” He took a deep, burdened breath. “Sherry and Joanna. We were all devastated. Who would do such a thing?” His head moved side to side slow and stiff. “Go into a little girl’s room and kill her in her sleep. The calls came in at practically the same time. At first we thought we had some sort of lethal virus. Both girls,” he said and glanced at Dana, “were tucked under the covers, eyes closed just like they were sleeping.”

He heaved a heavy breath. “Then Dana,” he said looking directly at Spence, “and her sister went missing from their beds. We couldn’t believe it. How could it happen again? We didn’t have the first suspect. No evidence to go on. Nothing. Thank God you were still alive when we found you,” he said to Dana.

Dana shifted in her chair as if the weight of his gaze as well as his words were too much for her to bear. She managed a faint nod.

“According to my research,” Spence interrupted the silence that went on a little too long, “the girls weren’t sexually assaulted. They were apparently suffocated with something while they slept.”

Gerard nodded slowly. “The strangest part was that they appeared to have been attacked by a person or persons who didn’t inspire the slightest fear or hesitation. Neither Joanna’s nor Sherry’s home had been broken into. Dana and her sister were lying on blankets from their own beds in the woods behind their home. There was no evidence of a struggle, none of any sort, not even a suspicious fiber. There was a pillow at the scene in the woods. According to Mrs. Hall, the pillow had come from Dana’s bed.” Gerard hesitated. “A pillow was the one consistent item at each of the scenes.”

Dana jerked as if startled.

“No footprints, other than those of the victims?” Spence prodded. “No indication anyone else had been at the scene?”

“Nothing,” Gerard confirmed. “It was as if they’d just stopped breathing or…been suffocated by an invisible assailant. The inconsistency was Donna’s head injury. The autopsy results suggested she’d been struck on the head.”

“Any speculation on the head injury? Was that a contributing factor in her death?” Spence prodded. Dana hadn’t mentioned the head injury.

“She could have fallen and hit her head before the attack,” Gerard offered. “There’s no way to know.”

Dana shot to her feet. “I…excuse me.” She rushed from the room.

Spence resisted the urge to go after her. To see that she was okay. But the chief’s reaction to her abrupt departure was something he needed to analyze first.

“That poor girl,” the man muttered. “Waking up alive and finding her sister dead was just about more than she could take. She wasn’t the same after that. You know her daddy killed himself barely six months later.”

Who would be the same after that? “I can only imagine,” Spence agreed.

“She was suffering from exposure. Shock. She didn’t speak for days. And then her mind just blocked whatever she might have heard or seen. Her mother tried everything. Even some kind of regression therapy. But the child reacted so adversely to the treatment that Delores, her mother, was afraid to try a second time. She didn’t want to risk the only child they had left. They’d already lost one.”

“No one close to the girls was considered a suspect? Nothing they had in common that might have proven a viable link to their deaths?”

Another sad shake of his head. “Four good girls with no enemies. This is a small town, Mr. Spencer. There wasn’t a soul I knew then or now—and I personally know every citizen in Brighton—that would have hurt those girls.”

“Yet,” Spence countered, “someone killed three of them.”

OUTSIDE, DANA STRUGGLED to catch her breath. Her heart pounded so hard that the effort was impossible.

How could she have thought for even a minute that she could do this? She had to have lost her mind.

Every word had sent another surge of adrenaline roaring through her veins.

No signs of forced entry or a struggle…just stopped breathing. Suffocated by an invisible assailant…

Dana closed her eyes and tried her level best to banish the images that accompanied the words echoing inside her head.

“Dana? Dana Hall?”

Her eyes snapped open and her attention jerked to the left.

“That is you.” A big burly man stepped into her personal space and crushed her in an embrace. “Lord, girl, how long has it been?”

The scent of his familiar cologne and freshly chopped wood assaulted her nostrils. Dana’s head was spinning like a top when he released her.

“The last time I talked to your mama she said you was living in the big city. I’ll bet she’s real…”

Dana’s brain wouldn’t absorb the rest of what the man said. Every fiber of her being was focused on his face…his massive frame. Carlton Bellomy. Her former neighbor. He’d lived across the street from her childhood home for as long as she could remember.

He’d found her in the woods…picked her up and carried her all the way back to her house, leaving another searcher with Donna’s body.

Dana shuddered. She tried to slow the quaking but that wasn’t happening.

“You all right, Dana?”

She blinked, told herself to respond, but it wasn’t happening.

When Spence stepped into her line of vision, she sucked in a ragged breath. He looked from her to the man still hovering over her.

“William Spencer,” he said as he thrust out his hand.

Mr. Bellomy, his expression cluttered with new worry, glanced from Dana to Spence. “Carlton Bellomy.” He pumped Spence’s hand.

“I’m a friend of Ms. Hall’s,” Spence explained. “We’re in for a short visit from Chicago.”

Bellomy’s wide smile slid back into place. “Why I’ve known this girl and her family since the day she was born. Was their neighbor until they moved away.” He made a pained sound in his throat. “After the tragedy.”

“Mr. Bellomy,” Dana squeaked out, “lived…right across the street.”

“Still do,” Bellomy said. “I sort of keep an eye on the place. Tack down a loose shingle now and then, keep the grass cut. Stuff like that. I check in with her mama three or four times a year.” He set his hands on his hips. “Has your mama finally decided to sell that place? Are you here to get the process started?”

Dana shook her head. Her mother didn’t know she was here. She would be extremely distressed if she heard.

“I’m certain we’ll see you again while we’re here,” Spence offered.

“Why sure you will,” Bellomy insisted. “I expect you two to come to dinner. Why not tonight?” He looked from Spence to Dana and back. “Unless you already have plans. The diner’s ’bout the only place around here to get a decent meal, and it’s nothing to compare with the wife’s.”

Spence looked to Dana for the right answer. “That would be nice, Mr. Bellomy,” she managed to squeeze out. Nice was nowhere near the proper description, but she couldn’t be rude to the man. Not after what he’d done for her—and her mother—all these years. They hadn’t wanted to sell the home that had been in her father’s family for three generations. Her mother paid the property taxes, insurance and utilities while Mr. Bellomy took care of everything else. He’d done so for sixteen years. The least she could do was accept his kind invitation.

“Right fine,” Bellomy said with a nod. “I’ll let the wife know, and we’ll expect you folks around six-thirty if that’ll work.”

Spence said something else…yes and maybe goodbye. Dana wasn’t sure if she said goodbye or not as Mr. Bellomy walked away. She could only watch the big bear of a man stride toward his truck. The same one he’d had sixteen years ago.

He would tell his wife Dana was back in town. His wife would tell her friends. By sundown everyone would know.

The only survivor of the town’s tragic murders was back.

And just like sixteen years ago, it was obvious that she still wasn’t right.

That was another thing Dana hadn’t worked up the courage to tell the Colby Agency.

Most folks in her hometown thought that night in the woods when her sister was murdered had stolen her sanity.

Poor, crazy little Dana.

She wouldn’t ever be right again.

Chapter Four

Spence stared into the dusk outside the motel window. The case file had given him crime scene details and backgrounds on the victims but nothing truly useful in the way of suspects.

All three victims had grown up in the area. All three were thirteen. There was no trace evidence that connected anyone to the scenes other than the victims. A single hair belonging to Dana Hall had been discovered on the clothing of one of the first two victims. That had been easily dismissed considering the victim had spent the night at the Hall home the night before her death. The four had friends, teachers and neighbors in common. But not one of those common denominators appeared to have had a motive for committing the crimes. The girls were simply murdered for no apparent reason.

But Spence understood that wasn’t the case. No one was murdered without reason. He’d considered the victims’ families and found nothing documented in the way of enemies or recent problems, financial or otherwise. From the reports taken at the time of the murders, each one represented the perfect family. No readily detectable skeletons in the closet. Nothing.

There had to be something the investigation had missed. The fact of the matter was that small-town murder investigations rarely looked very hard at friends and neighbors. Everyone knew everyone else, just as Chief Gerard had said, and it was unthinkable that anyone would commit such a heinous crime. Therefore no suspects.

But Spence didn’t know any of these people. Each one was as much a suspect as the other in his opinion. And from what he’d learned so far there was only one way to go about solving this mystery.

Start at the beginning. Nudge the players and watch for the reactions.

He gathered his notepad and pen and headed for the room next door. Dana’s room. She had blocked the memories of the events that night. But the memories were there. His goal was to cautiously prod those memories loose from the layers of fear and disbelief that had them buried.

Cooperation was key.

To cooperate she had to get past her fear.

Just like the kids he had worked with for the county. Guide them away from the fear and toward the light of truth.

They still had more than half an hour before they were to arrive at the Bellomy’s. Time enough to topple that first domino.

Spence rapped on the door of the room next to his. A moment later, probably after visually identifying who had knocked, the door opened.

Dana Hall looked tired and pale. Interaction with the chief and her former neighbor, Mr. Bellomy, had shaken her. They’d barely arrived in town. His investigation had scarcely gotten out of the gate. If she wanted the truth, she was going to have to rally the necessary courage to go the distance and face her past.

Her lack of cooperation was the one primary stumbling block to getting the job done.

“I’d like to go over a few details with you.” He indicated the pad and pen. “We have a little time before dinner with the Bellomys.”

She looked past him, then at the pad he held. “I’ve told you everything I know twice already.”

There was some truth to that. She had gone over all she claimed to remember at the agency and then again en route. But there was much more she didn’t want to remember, and that was what he needed.

“This part of the investigation can be tedious, but it’s necessary if we hope to succeed.”

She considered his statement for a moment before relenting and allowing him into her room. That one instant of hesitation, like so many others he had noticed since meeting her, was the part of this mystery that puzzled him the most.

If she didn’t want the truth, why come to the Colby Agency looking for it?

He understood how difficult this was for her, but murder was never easy.

As she sat down on the edge of the bed, he settled into the chair at the nearby desk. He placed his pad on the desktop and clicked his pen into writing position. “Start at the beginning.”

She licked those plump lips and took a deep breath. “It was our birthday party.” She stared at the beige carpet as she spoke. “The party was okay. Mom insisted on having it in spite of what had happened. Not so many kids came, but there was lots of laughing and presents and two cakes. One for each of us.”

Her silence dragged on until he prodded, “After the party, what happened?”

“We had a late dinner with our family and went to bed.”

“But your sister wasn’t ready to sleep.” Dana had consistently maintained that it was her sister’s idea to leave the house that night.

She nodded. “It was really late but not late enough to deter Donna. She was always the outgoing one. I was the quiet bookworm.” Dana clasped her hands in her lap. “She loved walking in the woods. It was a full moon. She said we’d go to the stream and look at the stars. We did that a lot in the summer.”

“But this was October. Had to be pretty chilly.”

She nodded. “We bundled up, grabbed a blanket and sneaked out of the house.”

“Was this the first time you’d left the house at night without telling your parents?”

A quick shake of her head. “We’d done it a couple times before. We’d meet Joanna and Sherry at the stream. Sometimes Lorie would come, but not that last time.”

There was a name he hadn’t heard. “Who’s Lorie?” This was exactly the reason for going over and over the details. Something new eventually surfaced.

“Lorie Hamilton. She was a friend of my sister’s. Most of our friends were really my sister’s friends. I guess I was a little too boring for them. Too shy. Too much of an introvert.”

Spence could see the remembered pain in her eyes.

“Lorie and my sister didn’t hang out together often. Lorie was fourteen and had friends her own age.”

Spence hadn’t seen an interview report on a Lorie Hamilton in the case file. “Did you mention to the police that Lorie occasionally came to the stream with you?”

A frown furrowed its way across Dana’s brow as she bit her lip. “I’m not sure. She wasn’t there that night so I probably didn’t.”

“Your parents never suspected the two of you left the house without their knowledge?” That part nagged at him. But then, he’d grown up in the city. Maybe that was the difference.

“My parents slept upstairs. We used the downstairs den for a bedroom because of my sleepwalking.”

Something else he hadn’t heard about. “You walked in your sleep?”

“When I was younger. They were afraid I’d fall down the stairs or something. They kept the deadbolts secured…or they did until I’d stopped doing it. By then Donna and I didn’t want to move back upstairs. We’d gotten used to the room.”

Spence imagined that her parents had beaten themselves up over and over again for that decision.

“What did the two of you do after you left the house?” He guided the conversation back to the details of that tragic night.

“We danced around in the yard. Let a couple of leftover balloons go in honor of Sherry and Joanna, then headed into the woods.” Other than lacing and unlacing her fingers repeatedly, she sat perfectly still. “When we got to the stream we spread the blanket and laid down to stare up at the stars.”

“Donna didn’t fall? Hit her head?”

Dana shook her head. “Nothing like that happened.” Inwardly she cringed at the thought that her sister had been hit in the head with a rock…or fallen against one. Why couldn’t she remember any part of that?

“What did you talk about?”

She stared at the wall across the room, her gaze distant. “How much she missed her friends. How we couldn’t wait until we were old enough to get our driver’s licenses. Nothing in particular.”

More of that prolonged silence.

“Who fell asleep first?”

Dana thought about the question, then said, “I guess I must have. I could still hear her talking as I drifted off.”

“What happened when you woke up?”

Her gaze collided with his. “I don’t remember waking up. I told you that.”

Her defensive tone also told him she didn’t want her claim disputed and definitely didn’t want to try remembering.

Move on for now. “Okay. So tell me more about Lorie Hamilton.”

Dana blinked. Her frustrated expression relaxed fractionally. “She was a cheerleader. Very popular. Everyone loved her. She and Donna got to know each other when my sister tried out for the cheerleading squad for the upcoming school year.”

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