No one should die a virgin.

Shane took two steps into the bedroom from the en-suite bathroom and stalled.

Mary Jane lay snuggled beneath the covers of his bed. She didn’t say a word. She didn’t have to. The invitation was obvious. His body tightened at the idea.

He crossed the room and sat down on the edge of the bed. “This isn’t a good idea.” The fact that save for the towel he was naked and that she also appeared to be wasn’t helping.

“You might be right,” she allowed. “But it’s my idea and I don’t want to wake up tomorrow wishing I’d had the courage to do what I’d really wanted to…”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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 the age of nine. Eventually, she met and married the man of her dreams, and she tried various occupations, including selling vacuum cleaners and 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 mystery and movies for inspiration.

You can write to Debra with your comments at PO Box 64, Huntland, Tennessee 37345, USA or visit her website at www.debrawebb.com to find out exciting news about her next book.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Shane Allen – Former US marshal turned Colby Agency investigator. Nothing will stop Shane from getting the job done.

Mary Jane Brooks – Mary Jane will do whatever it takes to solve her sister’s murder.

Victoria Colby-Camp – The head of the Colby Agency. Victoria will see that the mystery of the remains discovered in the rubble of the agency’s former home is solved.

Rebecca Brooks – Her remains have been found nearly one year after her murder.

Detective Brandon Bailen – One of Chicago PD’s finest. He has been working the Brooks case since the beginning.

Anthony Chambers – The CEO of Horizon Software, the man Rebecca Brooks was set to testify against.

Jason Mackey – Musician and cousin to Anthony Chambers.

Special Agent John LeMire – The FBI agent assigned to the Brooks case.

US Marshal Derrick Mitchell – The US marshal assigned to the Brooks case. Shane’s former partner and the reason Shane and his wife divorced.

Jose Torres – Jason Mackey’s best friend.

Teresa Thomas – Jason Mackey’s girlfriend.

Ann Martin – Colby Agency investigator.

Colby Rebuilt

DEBRA WEBB

www.millsandboon.co.uk

MILLS & BOON

Before you start reading, why not sign up?

Thank you for downloading this Mills & Boon book. If you want to hear about exclusive discounts, special offers and competitions, sign up to our email newsletter today!

SIGN ME UP!

Or simply visit

signup.millsandboon.co.uk

Mills & Boon emails are completely free to receive and you can unsubscribe at any time via the link in any email we send you.

To the fans

Chapter One

Mary Jane Brooks understood the news was bad the moment she opened her door and saw the resigned slump of the detective’s shoulders.

“We’ve confirmed that the—” Detective Brandon Bailen, Chicago PD, cleared his throat “—the remains are Rebecca’s.”

Mary Jane’s heart plummeted and her knees weakened. Holding on to the doorframe was all that kept her vertical. “You’re certain there’s no mistake.” She moistened her trembling lips and struggled to hold back the tears. “Labs do make mistakes. I read about—”

“There’s no mistake, Ms. Brooks.”

Rebecca was dead.

On some level Mary Jane had known for a while now that her sister was gone, but hearing the words somehow made it new…made it hurt so badly.

“Thank you, Detective.” Mary Jane managed to draw in a deep, shuddering breath. “Do you know what happened? Was she—” working up the courage to say the word took monumental effort “—murdered?”

Sympathy softened Bailen’s usually firm expression. He was a tall, thin man with stark features, yet he was the kindest cop she had met during this awful ordeal. “Yes, ma’am, we have reason to believe so.”

Mary Jane closed her eyes. She wasn’t sure she wanted to hear the details, but how else could she ever know the whole truth? She opened her eyes and looked directly into the detective’s. “How?”

“Massive head trauma.”

The image of a broken and battered skull flashed in her mind. She tightened her hold on the doorframe, her fingers ice cold. “I see.”

But she didn’t see. Her sister hadn’t been in trouble. She had been guilty of nothing more than doing the right thing. Rebecca had told her weeks before she disappeared that she was going to have to take a stand against her employer. She hadn’t elaborated on the specifics, only that the company or the CEO or maybe both were up to something illegal. Rebecca had known she had to do something…the right thing.

Mary Jane had known the situation was far more serious than her sister had related when the federal authorities—FBI as well as the Marshals Service—had called to inquire as to Rebecca’s whereabouts less than forty-eight hours after she had vanished. Now, eleven months later, Mary Jane’s worst fears were confirmed.

There was nothing she could do but bury her only sibling just as she had buried both her parents in the past three months.

Mary Jane was alone. The realization crashed in around her, leaving her shaking in spite of her best efforts to remain stoic.

Her whole family was gone.

“When can I claim her remains?” Mary Jane forced the question past her lips. Seeing that Rebecca had a proper service and burial was the one remaining detail she could attend to for her sister. In all these months one would think that she would have been better prepared for this moment. But she wasn’t. It felt impossible…surreal.

“That may take some time,” Bailen warned, his tone careful. “The FBI is launching a new investigation and, of course, we’ll be coordinating our own with theirs in an effort to get to the bottom of what really happened.”

Mary Jane understood. “You’ll keep me posted?” That seemed like the proper question to ask next in light of the circumstances. She had no idea how this sort of business was handled. Her only experience with criminal investigations was watching television. Surely the authorities kept the family informed.

Dear God. Her sister was dead.

Mary Jane was alone.

“As soon as we know any details,” Bailen promised, “I’ll pass along what I can.”

Her head moved up and down in a motion of agreement, but Mary Jane’s thoughts were churning on the horror evolving in her head. Rebecca running away from her killer…or maybe struggling with him. Him bashing her over the head…once, twice and then again.

“Where?” Mary Jane hadn’t even realized the inquiry had taken shape in her brain until she heard the word echo in the corridor outside her apartment. She should have asked the detective in, she realized belatedly. Instead, she’d stood here in the doorway and listened to the news no one ever wanted to hear.

Bailen looked confused. “Where?”

“Where did you find her…remains?”

With that question, the full implications collapsed around her with new, brutal impact. She had another funeral to plan. It seemed unbelievable. So much death in so little time.

“That’s part of the puzzle,” Bailen said wearily. “Her remains were found amid the rubble of the building downtown that once housed the Colby Agency.”

Colby Agency?

“What sort of business is that?” Mary Jane wasn’t familiar with the name. Insurance? Staffing?

“The Colby Agency is a private investigation agency,” Bailen explained. “Been a prominent Chicago fixture for more than a quarter of a century. The building was blown up last Christmas Eve by thugs attempting to cover up fraud at an investment firm located at the same address. For a while there was some question as to whether the Colby Agency or the investment firm was the target, but that investigation is closed now.”

“Why would my sister have been at a private investigation agency?” That didn’t make sense to Mary Jane. Why wouldn’t Rebecca have told her about that kind of thing? But then, she hadn’t told her everything about the trouble with her employer. Did the Colby Agency have something to do with her testimony against Horizon Software?

There was no way for Rebecca to even guess. Her sister would have kept things from her in an effort to protect her. It was part of the “older sibling” mentality. She hadn’t told Mary Jane the gritty truth about her employer for that very reason. Sure Mary Jane had known there were problems and that Rebecca was going to blow the whistle, but, as Mary Jane had learned over the past few months, those details had only scratched the surface. Mary Jane doubted she would ever know everything that had happened between her sister, Horizon Software and the federal authorities.

“I can’t answer that question, Ms. Brooks,” the detective admitted, drawing her from her painful thoughts. “But I can tell you that we’re going to find out. That’s a promise.”

Mary Jane thanked the detective and then watched him go. The thought of going back into her apartment was almost unbearable. She knew what would happen.

She would go inside and close the door. And then she would break down. The idea of being in public, if only in the deserted corridor of her apartment building, helped to keep her unsteady composure in place. She had to be the strong one when it came to situations like this. She’d always been the one everyone counted on to handle the routine things life threw in her path…the one who took care of things no one else had the time or inclination to. Rebecca had been too busy making her mark in the business world to bother with the everyday trivialities.

Now she was alone. Completely alone.

Mary Jane straightened away from the door, squared her shoulders in defiance of the trembling rampant in her body. Yes, she would cry. And then she would pull herself together and notify the distant relatives; and then she would make the memorial service arrangements—with or without the remains.

Then, when those necessary arrangements were out of the way, there was one other thing she decided she had to do.

She had to know for certain why Rebecca was dead.

Rebecca Brooks had been a good person. A wonderful woman, barely thirty-two, with her entire life ahead of her. She had gone to church most Sundays and had provided significant financial support for her elderly parents. Rebecca’s help was the reason Mary Jane had been able to take an extended leave of absence from her teaching and stay home to care for their ailing parents rather than putting them in a nursing home.

Someone had murdered Rebecca for attempting to do the right thing—that had to be it, there simply was no other possible reason—and Mary Jane intended to see that whoever did this horrible thing was punished to the fullest extent of the law.

She had no idea how a murder investigation was conducted, but she did know where to start.

The Colby Agency.

The last place her sister had been before she was murdered. The place where she’d taken her final breath.

THE COLBY AGENCY HAD A NEW HOME. The tenth floor of a daring high-rise that gleamed against the Chicago skyline, displaying the same elegance and domination the world had come to expect of the prestigious agency.

Victoria Colby-Camp smiled as she looked out over the city she loved. The view was somewhat different, but the pulse of the thriving metropolis stretching out before her was exactly the same. Thanksgiving was only a couple of weeks away, and Victoria had a great deal to be thankful for.

A soft rap on her door pulled Victoria’s attention from her thoughts and the view. Ben Haygood, the agency’s software and hardware expert, hovered at the door of her office.

“Yes, Ben?”

Now that, to his way of thinking, permission to enter had been granted, he burst into the room like the lean mass of vibrant energy he was. “Ma’am, we’ve encountered a slight glitch in the backup files we retrieved from the cyber storage system.”

All had been lost in the explosion that had brought down the agency’s former home. Ben had worked tirelessly for weeks since the opening of the new building to get everything in order. While working from their temporary quarters, minimal files had been pulled from cyber storage. Now that they were settled in their new home, hard copies of all electronically stored files were to be retrieved and reorganized.

“What sort of problem?” Victoria asked as she moved to the chair behind her desk. It wasn’t the one she had used for so very many years—the one that James, her first husband and the founder of the Colby Agency had used—but it was quite comfortable and unquestionably elegant.

“The download has stopped midstream, and a secondary password has been requested.” Ben pulled at the tie that already hung loosely at his throat. “I…ah…can’t remember the secondary password we selected.”

That didn’t sound like Ben at all. He never forgot anything, much less a password. And even when there was a glitch, he generally took care of it and then told her about it. Evidently settling into the new building had disrupted his usually unshakable sangfroid. “Is that going to be a major problem?” she inquired cautiously, not wanting to make him more uncomfortable but needing clarification.

He shook his head enthusiastically. “I just need your authorization to override the password.”

Now she got the picture. “Of course.” Victoria settled into her chair and opened the laptop on her desk. “Walk me through the steps, Ben.”

Ten seconds later Ben had his authorization.

“Thank you, ma’am.”

Victoria gifted him with a smile she hoped relieved his obvious embarrassment. “Thank you, Ben, for taking such good care of our files.”

He nodded as he backed out of her office, then he wheeled around and promptly bumped into Elaine Younger. Victoria smothered a laugh as Ben went overboard to offer his apologies. She sincerely hoped that one of these days he found someone who would truly appreciate him for all his many endearing assets. He could certainly do with a little grounding.

When Ben stepped aside, Elaine and Darla White, the agency’s new receptionist, entered Victoria’s office. Victoria didn’t miss the way Ben stared, quite dreamily, after Darla before heading off to attend to the files. A secret smile tugged at the corners of Victoria’s mouth. So maybe this was the reason Ben was so out of sorts lately. She would definitely have to look into the idea of a match between Ben and Darla.

“Do you have a moment, Victoria?”

“Certainly.” Victoria indicated the chairs in front of her desk. “What can I do for you?”

Elaine gestured to the younger woman beside her and said, “I believe Darla is ready to take over on Monday, if that’s agreeable.”

Today was Friday the tenth, and Darla had worked a full two months under Elaine’s tutelage to learn the ropes of being the receptionist for the Colby Agency, a job that entailed far more than merely answering the telephone and greeting visitors.

“You’re absolutely right,” Victoria concurred. “I’ve been very impressed with your progress, Darla.”

The agency’s newest employee blushed. Only twenty-two, this was Darla’s first job since graduating college. Her father was a longtime friend, who owned one of Victoria’s favorite restaurants. Victoria was more than glad to bring his lovely daughter on board. Darla, who wanted no part of the family business, made a fine addition to the agency’s staff. In the past seven months, since getting business back up to full steam, they had gone through three trainees. Two had realized, within a week of starting, that the job was more then they could handle. The third, very promising candidate had been forced to leave after her fiancé had been reassigned to his company’s Tokyo office.

Darla, however, had proven unshakable. She rolled with the punches and didn’t let anything undermine her confidence. Now that Victoria thought about it, the nice young lady would be the perfect match for Ben.

“I’ll be moving on to research…” Elaine went on, prodding Victoria back to the business at hand, “as soon as I’m back from my honeymoon.”

More romance in bloom. A definite cause for celebration. Elaine and Brad Gibson were getting married next week. She would be working alongside her new husband in the agency’s research group. This wasn’t the first married couple to be employed by the Colby Agency. Nicole Reed and Ian Michaels had been successfully working together for years. In actuality the entire agency was like one big family. A feat that was a matter of pride to Victoria.

“Excellent.” Victoria thought of her own husband, Lucas Camp, who was out of town yet again on business. She missed him when he was gone. Thankfully, he would be home this evening.

Mildred Ballard, Victoria’s personal assistant and dear friend, stuck her head through the open doorway. “Detective Brandon Bailen is here to see you, Victoria.”

“Thank you, Mildred. Tell Detective Bailen I’ll be right with him.” Victoria shifted her attention back to Elaine and Darla. “Why don’t you take the rest of the day off, Elaine? Darla can manage without you, and I’m certain you have a million and one things to do.”

Elaine’s face lit up. “Thank you, Victoria.”

The two hurried away and Victoria couldn’t help feeling a bit nostalgic. Where had the years gone? She was a grandmother. Her son was happy with his lovely wife and beautiful baby girl. Another grandchild was on the way. Victoria sighed. Everything was changing, maybe a little too fast, but all for the good.

She rose as her visitor from the Chicago Police Department reached her door.

“Detective Bailen, this is an unexpected pleasure.”

Bailen strode straight to Victoria’s desk and took the hand she offered. “It’s very good to see you, Victoria. The new place—” he glanced around her office “—is very elegant. It suits you.”

“Thank you. We’re still settling in.” But she sensed this was not a social call, so she got straight down to business. “How may I help you this afternoon?”

“I have some rather belated and unsettling details from the lab regarding your former business address.”

“Please—” Victoria gestured to a chair “—make yourself comfortable, Detective.”

When Victoria had taken her seat, Bailen settled into his. From his weary expression she surmised that whatever he had come to report was not something he looked forward to passing along.

“We’ve just learned that the human remains discovered in the rubble of the Colby Agency building belonged to two different people.”

His revelation sent a shock wave through Victoria. “Two? Was there another perpetrator involved that we didn’t know about?” Elaine and Brad had barely survived that final night in the Colby Agency’s former home. One of the perps who had tried to kill them had been murdered by his own people and left in the building. Additionally, the three musicians the agency had hired had been murdered in their van in the parking lot. But, so far as they knew, no one else had died inside the building except the one man. This revelation didn’t quite add up.

Bailen’s expression showed his own frustration. “According to the three convicted perps sitting in prison, there was only the four of them. The remains of their dead partner, as you know, were recovered a few weeks after the explosion.”

Victoria didn’t understand. “So, if there was no one else in the building, how could there be remains from two people?”

“I wish I knew. All I can tell you is that there were two distinct sets of remains. Unfortunately, the second set of remains was separated from the first due to a simple human error, which caused the lab initially to report on only the one. Apparently, a recent inventory uncovered the glitch, and additional testing was done to confirm the error.”

“You’re certain—” Victoria hated to broach the idea but there was certainly just cause to be skeptical “—that the lab didn’t make a mistake in where these particular remains came from?” After all, nearly a year had passed.

“We’re certain,” he assured her. “The trace evidence on the remains conclusively confirms where they were discovered.”

“Do we have any idea who this person was?” The idea that remains were discovered in the rubble didn’t guarantee that the individual had been in the building to visit the Colby Agency. A number of other businesses had been housed at that location, as well.

“Rebecca Brooks. Dental records confirmed her identity.” Bailen seemed to consider the name before he continued. “We have reason to believe she was in the building to see someone in the Colby Agency. Part of the basis for that conclusion is related to several calls to your agency that showed up on the cellular records of her boyfriend. The calls were made during times that FBI surveillance puts the two of them together. But the primary rationale is that she was about to go into the Witness Security Program related to the Horizon Software case. We feel she may have felt the need for the kind of support you provide your clients.”

Victoria was vaguely familiar with the Horizon Software case. Considering Ms. Brooks’s situation prior to her death, Victoria could see how the detective had come to the conclusion that she had contacted the Colby Agency. Someone about to go into Witness Security wouldn’t likely be making investments or purchasing insurance. None of the other businesses housed in the building that was the agency’s former home would offer much to anyone in that position…except for the Colby Agency. Using her boyfriend’s phone would certainly have provided some anonymity in her efforts to reach out under the circumstances.

Still, the conclusion was more hunch than fact. “I’d like the name of her boyfriend, if possible.”

“Jason Mackey.”

Recognition nudged Victoria. Jason Mackey was one of the musicians murdered in the parking lot only hours before the explosion. Victoria hadn’t known him personally as she had the other two members of the trio. Mackey had been a last-minute stand-in with the group Mildred had hired to provide entertainment for the annual Colby Agency Christmas party. The idea that Mackey wasn’t a regular member of the band and that his girlfriend had been about to testify in a federal court case hardly seemed a chance occurrence, but wasn’t totally outside the realm of possibility.

“Since no one at your agency,” Bailen went on, “knew Jason Mackey or coordinated the entertainment for your office Christmas party directly with him, there’s no apparent reason for him to have made those calls. On the other hand, Rebecca Brooks was in a prime position to be in search of exactly the sort of assistance your agency provides. Perhaps someone here spoke with her,” he suggested, “maybe even met with her that day.”

Speculation, sheer speculation. Or, as she had already considered, coincidence. Still, Victoria had never been one to believe in coincidences. The only question that remained was, What did the woman’s death have to do with the Colby Agency?

Victoria needed an idea of where this was going. “Will you be heading an investigation, or is the Bureau going to handle this?” She was relatively certain the Bureau would have priority.

“I’ll be coordinating with the Justice Department,” Bailen confirmed her conclusion. “Both the Bureau and the Marshals have a vested interest in this case, though the Bureau will certainly be lead. I wanted to give you a heads-up. You could have information that would help us solve this mystery. If there is any record of her speaking with or coming to see one of your investigators, anything she might have said could be useful to our investigation. Ascertaining what might have been going on in her life that she may have kept hidden from her Bureau contact could prove pivotal.”

“The name isn’t familiar,” Victoria told him, even as she turned the name over in her mind a second time, “but we’ll double-check our records just to be sure. Under the circumstances, she may have used an alias to protect her identity.”

“I’ll e-mail a photo and a few other pertinent details for your use in discussing Ms. Brooks with your staff.” Bailen stood. “Thank you, Victoria. I knew we could count on your agency for cooperation.”

Victoria rose and offered her hand once more. “Of course, Detective. We’re always pleased to assist Chicago PD any way we can. Please pass that sentiment along to your Bureau counterpart.”

“Will do.” Bailen gave her hand a final shake and made his exit.

Victoria felt certain Chicago PD and the Bureau would get to the bottom of this mystery, but the one thing she never did was leave anything to chance, especially if it involved her agency on any level. The Colby Agency would launch its own investigation.

And she knew just the man for the job, considering Witness Security had been involved.

Former U.S. Marshal Shane Allen.

Whoever Rebecca Brooks had been and whatever her reasons for becoming a homicide victim, the Colby Agency would find the truth.

Chapter Two

Shane Allen stared at the blinking light on the telephone for five seconds, which lapsed into ten, then twenty before he decided to pick up the receiver. He didn’t want to take this call, now or ever, but he had little choice in the matter.

He pressed the blinking button and said, “Shane Allen.”

“Mr. Allen, this is Harry Rosen, attorney for—”

“I know who you are,” Shane interrupted. He didn’t want to hear the man explain how he represented Shane’s ex-wife. He also didn’t want to hear how his petition for visitation rights was totally unfounded. It seemed impossible that the woman he had once loved could do this, but she had. Matt wasn’t his son, but Shane had loved him for three years as if he were. It just wasn’t fair that because the marriage had ended he was now supposed to stop loving the little boy and never see him again.

Nor was it fair that his former partner was the reason his life had gone to hell in such a hurry.

“Your attachment to Matthew is understandable,” Rosen began. “But you have no legal recourse when it comes to Sharon’s son. You surely know this.”

Yeah, Shane knew. But that didn’t mean he had to like it. He leaned back in his chair and forced himself to take a breath before he said something he would be sorry for later. “I suppose I was hoping Sharon would do the right thing since her son is the one who’s going to be hurt by this battle.” The kid’s own father had already abandoned him without a backward glance. How was a five-year-old supposed to cope with losing the second person he’d trusted with his little heart?

The question infuriated Shane all the more.

“Mr. Allen, it would be in your best interest, as well as the boy’s, if we moved past this issue. Sharon is relocating to Denver with her new husband, and there won’t be any easy way for you to have access to Matt. Quite honestly, children of this age are rather resilient. Matt will forget all about you in a far shorter time than you realize…if you allow him to. I’m certain you have his best interests at heart. Do you really want him to feel unsettled any longer than necessary?”

Fury unfurled in Shane’s gut. He wanted to reach through the phone and strangle this guy. Shane’s relationship with Matt wasn’t like last season’s baseball statistics or an old toy to be set aside and forgotten. Didn’t anyone see this besides him?

“I’ll see you in court, Rosen,” Shane warned. “Have a nice day.” He hung up the phone and pushed to his feet. How the hell could the law allow this kind of thing to happen?

He paced the narrow expanse of floor space in front of his desk in an attempt to wear off some of the adrenaline. It didn’t help. He stopped at the window and stared out at the November afternoon. Life went on even when things were damned wrong. Not that Shane still had any feelings for his ex—he didn’t. Not in the least. But the kid… well that was a different story. He couldn’t just pretend he didn’t love the boy. Shane couldn’t imagine never seeing Matt again.

A quick, short burst of sound echoed from the phone on his desk, alerting him to an internal call. Until the official hearing, there was nothing he could do. He might as well focus on work. He crossed to his desk and picked up the receiver. “Allen.”

“Mr. Allen, this is Darla.”

The new receptionist. She still addressed everyone at the Colby Agency as mister or missus. He’d done that, too, for the first couple of months.

“Have I missed an appointment?” He didn’t remember anything on his calendar this afternoon. Still, he double-checked even as he asked the question.

“No, sir. There’s a visitor in with Mrs. Colby-Camp, and she would like you to join them in her office if you’re available.”

Sounded like he had a new assignment. Whenever he was called to Victoria’s office, it usually involved an incoming case. He could definitely use the distraction. Working a case would keep his mind off Matt…and the hearing…and his ex.

“I’m on my way.” He thanked Darla and settled the receiver back into its cradle. Taking a moment, he cleared his head of personal issues, then grabbed his notebook and headed for the boss’s office.

The long stretch of corridor outside Shane’s office went in both directions and was flanked by doors on both sides. At the end, near the stairwell, was Victoria’s office. The layout was similar to the one in the old building, according to his colleagues. The décor was cutting-edge contemporary with a definite elegant flair. Very different from the monochromatic beige of his last workspace as a U.S. Marshal.

Shane had hired on with the Colby Agency right after New Year’s. His former career had ended as abruptly as his marriage eventually had. A gunshot wound had shattered his hip, catapulting him into multiple surgeries and months of physical therapy. Despite his insistence that he could handle the physical requirements of his job, he’d been forced into retirement. Sharon had dumped him once he was out of the woods physically, and he’d spent several weeks feeling sorry for himself.

All that had changed come New Year’s. He’d made one of those resolutions people never kept—only he had been determined to keep his. He was looking forward, not looking back. No wallowing in what might have been.

He gifted Mildred, Victoria’s assistant, with a smile and entered the private domain of the woman who had turned the Colby Agency into one of the nation’s most prestigious private investigation agencies. A woman who accepted him as he was, denim and leather included. That was another New Year’s resolution he’d made: to be himself—not some spit-polished stuffed shirt like he’d pretended to be for six years. Nope. Just himself.

This was what he did now. This was his future. This was who he was.

“Shane,” Victoria said as he strode across her office, “thank you for joining us.”

As the boss made the formal introductions, he shifted his attention to the woman seated in front of Victoria’s desk.

“This is Mary Jane Brooks.” Victoria gestured to her guest. “Ms. Brooks, this is Shane Allen, the investigator I was telling you about.”

Medium height, too thin. Mary Jane Brooks looked to be mid- to late-twenties with long red hair that spilled down her shoulders in sassy curls. Her pale, pale skin offered a stark contrast to her vibrant blue eyes.

“Mr. Allen.” Mary Jane thrust out her hand as he approached the chair next to hers.

“Ms. Brooks.” He closed his hand around hers, didn’t miss her tremble as their palms made contact. That she drew her hand away quickly signaled that he, or men in general, made her nervous. He felt certain he wasn’t what she had expected.

“Ms. Brooks has come to us regarding her sister’s death,” Victoria said as Shane took his seat. “Her sister’s remains were among the ones found in the rubble after the explosion at our former building.”

Now there was some interesting and unexpected news. From the corner of his eyes, Shane considered the woman next to him. He’d noticed the detective from Chicago PD in the lobby earlier today, but hadn’t heard any news regarding the visit. If Ms. Brooks had been made aware of the news around the same time Victoria had been, she had certainly wasted no time in looking into the matter.

“Really?” He allowed the word to reflect his surprise. “Was she a client?” he asked Victoria.

“There’s reason to believe she may have attempted to contact this agency,” Victoria explained, “but we have no record indicating she ever followed through. I’ve spoken with the entire staff employed at the time, and no one remembers the name or the face.” To Mary Jane Brooks she added, “Detective Bailen of Chicago PD’s homicide division was here earlier today, and he provided photo ID for that purpose.”

“Rebecca was going into Witness Security,” Ms. Brooks put in, her tone stilted. “She was supposed to testify against her former boss, but she disappeared right before the trial was set to begin.”

Interesting. Shane still had contacts in his former career. He would see what he could find out about the case. “Can you give us a few more details about your sister’s employer?”

“She was the administrative assistant to the CEO of Horizon Software.” Ms. Brooks cleared her throat. “She discovered he had been selling the same software his company designed for the Pentagon to one of the country’s enemies. She reported him to the FBI in late October of last year. The day before Christmas Eve she disappeared. I never heard from her again.”

Shane recalled hearing something about Horizon Software and suspected charges of treason. The whole ordeal had been kept hush-hush until the key witness had disappeared and the case eventually had to be dropped. By then, he had already been employed by the Colby Agency and had only gotten the scoop provided to the media.

“I don’t know any specifics about the case,” he said to Ms. Brooks before turning his attention to Victoria. “But I can try and reach out to some of my former colleagues. Depending on whether there is any hope of reopening the investigation, I may or may not be able to negotiate any useful information.”

To Shane, Victoria showed her approval of his proposed strategy with a nod, while to the woman seated next to him she said, “Detective Bailen offered a possible connection between Rebecca and our agency. Evidently the cell phone of one of her close personal associates had been used to call our agency a couple of times. His name was Jason Mackey. Mackey was scheduled to perform at our annual Christmas party last year. But then he was one of three men who lost their lives to the perpetrators involved in the bombing of the building. Does his name sound familiar to you?”

“Jason Mackey was Rebecca’s boyfriend,” Ms. Brooks said without hesitation. “They’d been seeing each other for a couple of months when she went missing.”

“So they became an item,” Shane suggested, “after she turned Horizon Software in to the federal government for possible treason?”

Ms. Brooks shook her head. “Right before. I’d guess they had been dating maybe a couple of weeks when Rebecca decided to go forward with her plan.”

Shane recognized the potential for a possible set up, but things weren’t always what they seemed. It was possible that Mackey had nothing to do with what had happened to Rebecca, but that was definitely the first place, right after Rebecca herself and her former employer, that Shane would start looking if assigned to the case. That it appeared to Mary Jane that the couple had started seeing each other prior to Rebecca’s decision to thwart her boss might only be because Mary Jane hadn’t known her sister’s intent until well after the decision had been reached. “Was the relationship serious?”

“I think so,” Ms. Brooks said hesitantly. “Rebecca was stressed about the trial. She didn’t talk to me very much those last few weeks.” She clasped her hands in her lap. “And I was a little busy, so I didn’t push it.”

If she planned to leave that statement hanging she should think again. “Busy in what way?”

Mary Jane Brooks looked from Shane to Victoria and back. “Our parents were ill. I was their full-time caregiver.”

Was. “Who takes care of them now?” Shane needed specifics. Anything that related to Mary Jane’s life might have impacted her sister’s.

“They passed away.”

The undeniable shine of emotions in her eyes made him wish he hadn’t needed to ask the question.

“I’m very sorry for your loss,” he offered. That was a real shame. The woman had lost both her parents and now her sister. Talk about a triple whammy.

“What kind of relationship did you and your sister maintain?” Victoria asked. “Specifically, those final months before her disappearance. You indicated that you didn’t talk very often.”

Shane was glad Victoria had asked the question. He didn’t want to sound insensitive, and, coupled with the question he’d just asked, that one likely would have come across as unfeeling or accusatory.

“We were close on some levels,” Ms. Brooks said. More of that hesitation. “Not so much on others.”

“Can you elaborate?” Shane prompted. This was territory the lady clearly didn’t want to go into, which told him in no uncertain terms that all was not as it should have been between the sisters.

“Rebecca loved our parents a great deal, but she didn’t have the patience for taking care of their needs. Her financial resources allowed me to take an extended leave of absence from work and do what needed to be done. That arrangement put a bit of a strain on our relationship,” she confessed. “But we got past it, and I believe we were as close as most sisters. Still—” she shrugged “—I recognized that there was an aspect of her life that Rebecca never allowed me into.”

“Did you perceive that the things she kept from you were work related?”

Ms. Brooks considered Victoria’s question for a moment. “That, and, during those final weeks, her social life. We’d always discussed boyfriends and such in the past but with Jason that changed.”

More of those telltale signs of a possible setup: estrange the victim from those closest to her. “So, you didn’t know Jason Mackey at all?” Shane suggested.

Mary Jane shook her head. “I only met him once. But I knew that Rebecca was a little afraid of him.”

“Did your sister say she was afraid of him?” Shane pushed. “Or is that your perception of how she felt about him?”

“A couple weeks before she disappeared,” Ms. Brooks replied slowly as if she were taking pains to answer accurately, “she told me that he had been tense. That he made her nervous when he got that way.” Mary Jane turned to face Shane more fully. “You had to know my sister, Mr. Allen. She wasn’t afraid of anyone. This was not like her at all. I asked her why she didn’t break it off, and she refused to talk about it.”

“Anything else you might think of would be very useful,” Shane assured her. “Make notes whenever anything at all comes to mind. Frankly, my initial assessment would be that her former employer is responsible for her death, but your feelings regarding the boyfriend muddy the waters to some degree. I would suggest moving forward under the assumption that either one could be responsible.”

“The truth is all I want,” Ms. Brooks insisted. “She would do the same for me.” She looked to Victoria. “After Detective Bailen gave me the news about the possible connection between my sister and your agency, I did a little research. The Colby Agency is the best. I want you to find out what happened to her. So, how do we do this? I’m sure there’s a retainer fee.”

“Under normal circumstances,” Victoria agreed, “there would be a retainer fee. But this case is different. I had already decided that we would launch our own investigation after Detective Bailen’s visit today. There won’t be any fees involved with our taking this case, Ms. Brooks. We need the truth, as well.”

The lady’s relief was undeniable. “I appreciate that, Mrs. Colby-Camp.”

Shane’s senses went on alert. Something in her voice had changed. The change in inflection was so subtle that he might have missed it had he not noted the shift in her posture. She sat up a little straighter, poised for battle.

“But,” she continued, “you see, I need to be involved in this investigation. Fully involved. That may change the way you see things.”

Shane and Victoria exchanged a look.

Since Victoria was the boss, Shane let her take the lead. She asked, “Involved in what way, Ms. Brooks?”

Shane watched her chin tilt slightly as she braced to argue her position.

“My sister was murdered,” she said, “possibly for nothing more than her desire to do the right thing. As far as I can tell from the past eleven months, the only thing the authorities are worried about is finding a way to reopen their case. They don’t care about my sister. And I doubt that Chicago’s finest will get very far with the FBI and the U.S. Marshals running things to facilitate their own interests. I don’t want Rebecca forgotten, and that’s exactly what I believe will happen unless someone goes into this investigation with her interests as their primary goal.”

“Solving your sister’s murder would likely prove helpful to the Bureau’s case,” Shane countered. “Certainly, bringing down Horizon Software will be their goal, but don’t believe for one second that Rebecca will be forgotten.” He had to give credit where credit was due. Federal law enforcement took a bum rap for a lot of things. He couldn’t in good conscience fail to speak up when he was all too well aware of protocol.

Mary Jane Brooks shifted her attention to him. The doubt was crystal-clear in her eyes. “That may be, Mr. Allen. But I need to be sure. I’m not taking any chances where my sister is concerned. I want the truth. The whole truth. Not some version that serves the best interests of anyone else involved.”

“Rest assured, Ms. Brooks,” Victoria cut in, “we will find the truth, and it will not be diluted by anyone’s influence. You have my word on that.”

Shane couldn’t say whether or not Ms. Brooks understood what she was getting when she got Victoria Colby-Camp’s word, but he hoped she understood exactly how significant the offer was.

“Then you won’t mind if I follow this case with your investigator,” Ms. Brooks countered, a hint of defensiveness in her tone. “Generally when there’s nothing to hide, full disclosure isn’t a problem.”

“Full disclosure and shadowing an investigator,” Victoria reminded her, “are two very different things. Ms. Brooks, there are safety issues that cannot be ignored. We have to assume whoever murdered your sister doesn’t want to be revealed. Any attempt to do so will likely have dangerous repercussions.”

“I’m aware of that,” Mary Jane returned crisply.

“You need to consider carefully what you’re asking,” Shane said, jumping in and reiterating Victoria’s words. If this was going to be his case, and it seemed it would be, he had no desire to be saddled with a civilian. Especially not one emotionally connected to the victim.

The would-be client didn’t so much as spare him a glance. “I have to do this,” she announced, undeterred. “If you can’t allow me to participate, I’ll be forced to go to another agency.”

That could present a whole other set of problems. Not the least of which was the source of personal information the woman could provide.

“Ms. Brooks,” Shane spoke up again, “we completely understand your concerns.”

“You can’t possibly.” All signs of hesitancy or uncertainty were gone now. She looked at Shane with something bordering on contempt. “My sister was murdered. To the police this is just another case in a city where there’s likely to be another murder later today. And another one tonight and maybe tomorrow.” Her hand rested against her chest, over her heart. “She was my sister. I need this done right. For her.”

Shane looked to Victoria for confirmation before making a move he would likely regret. Victoria gave him a single, slight dip of her head as authorization to proceed as he saw fit.

“All right, Ms. Brooks,” he relented with a heavy dose of lingering doubt as to the intelligence of the move. “You’ve made your wishes perfectly clear. I’ll do what I can to facilitate your request. But—” he fixed her with a gaze that said his terms were non-negotiable “—you will be required to operate under my rules. No exceptions. What I say goes one hundred percent of the time. I make the decisions and set the pace.”

Surprisingly, she thought about his offer for a time before responding. He had expected her to jump at the chance.

“As long as your rules don’t prevent me from knowing and comprehending each step taken. I won’t be left in the dark, Mr. Allen.”

She’d definitely thrown down the gauntlet. The depth of her strength startled him just a little. She looked so delicate and fragile on the outside.

He might be about to make the first major mistake of his new career, but this woman had pretty much left him without any alternatives.

“Then we understand each other, Ms. Brooks,” he confirmed. “We’ll start today. If—” he directed his attention back to Victoria “—that’s what you had in mind, Victoria.”

She gave him another succinct nod of endorsement. “The sooner the better.” Her gaze moved between them. “For all involved.”

Mary Jane Brooks stood and turned to Shane. “I’d like to start with Jason Mackey. I’m certain he’s the key to what happened.”

Oh, yeah, he’d definitely made a mistake. Sixty seconds into the agreement, and she had already broken his first rule.

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.