Colby Conspiracy

Lucas nodded. “She probably was, but that doesn’t mean he was in love with her.”

Victoria held up her hands in an act of self-protection. “I can’t talk about this anymore.”

“Why don’t you let me have a look at the letters and I’ll try and get to the bottom of what really happened, if you’re certain that’s what you want.”

“No,” she said sharply. “I’ll do that myself. But there’s no time now. Our full attention has to be on Jim. It’s going to take both of us working together to get him through this.” Victoria closed her eyes again and tried to find a place of calm in her mind where she could think straight.

“We have to assume that they have some sort of evidence against Jim or they wouldn’t have been prepared to make an arrest,” Lucas offered.

That much was true. Thank God Zach had been able to get a jump on the detective in charge of the case, Detective Franko. Apparently under Zach’s legal eagle scrutiny, whatever Franko had hadn’t been sufficient to proceed against Jim just yet. But Jim’s arrest was imminent. They’d taken him in with the intent of pressing formal charges. After tangoing with Zach, the district attorney, rather than risk running into a double-jeopardy wall, had suggested that Franko hold off until his facts were further substantiated. But that had only bought Victoria a little time; it hadn’t actually changed anything.

She had seen the way the very men who just a few days ago had respected her agency had looked at her son. One of their own was dead, and they believed they had his killer. She knew exactly how hard they would work to prove their theory.

Jim was at the clinic undergoing a full evaluation. He would not be allowed to return home unless the doctors were confident that Tasha could keep him under control and under constant supervision.

Tears burned in Victoria’s eyes. She didn’t want to believe that any of the men or women she knew and respected in Chicago PD would harm her son. But right now, considering the current circumstances, she wasn’t sure she could say that.

When a cop died, the whole law enforcement community wanted justice. She could understand how they felt. She wanted justice for Carter Hastings, as well. But not if it meant railroading her son for a crime he surely could not have committed. Her son hadn’t even known Carter Hastings.

“We need to know what they’ve got,” Victoria agreed.

“Ashton will get that for us,” Lucas voiced his certainty on the matter.

He would, in time. But did they have time? That was the question. Could they sit around here like this and assume that the police—who were obviously less than objective on the matter since one of their own had been murdered—would conduct a thorough investigation? Or would the boys in blue simply go after what they considered the sure thing?

Victoria knew human nature, and human nature would scream for vengeance.

None of this made sense.

Carter had been murdered. Then his daughter had mentioned the letters at his funeral service. What did his murder and those old love letters have to do with each other? And why now? After all this time?

Another wave of hurt washed over Victoria. How could her husband have turned to another woman when Victoria had needed him so very badly?

James had always been like a rock, unshakable. He’d survived being a prisoner of war, had stood fast by her side when Jimmy had gone missing. How could she not have known that there was someone else?

Someone involved in the investigation, for God’s sake.

Carter had known. A new kind of ache welled inside her. He’d been so kind to Victoria. Somehow, he must have found out after James’s murder and hidden the letters to keep Victoria from finding them. To protect her. Her gaze moved to her new husband. Just as Lucas had protected her from what he had known.

He would do the same thing now. Lucas loved her, would do anything to save her from further devastation. That’s why she had to do this herself.

Victoria thought of her faithful staff and, without doubt, knew that any or all of them would do whatever it took to clear Jim’s name, ultimately protecting her.

No one wanted Jim cleared more than Victoria. But more importantly, she wanted the truth.

There was only one way to be sure she had the whole truth when all was said and done.

She would oversee this investigation personally. She would allow no one whose first priority was to protect her to be involved.

That left her with only one option.

CHAPTER TWELVE

AT FIVE MINUTES BEFORE two on Friday afternoon, Daniel Marks stepped off the elevator in the lobby of the revered Colby Agency.

The receptionist greeted him immediately and promptly called Victoria Colby-Camp’s personal secretary to come and escort him to his appointment.

Victoria met him just inside her office.

When the initial formalities were out of the way, she suggested they sit. He took a seat at the small conference table and she did the same. He’d declined any coffee, but two bottles of chilled water with accompanying glasses sat on a tray in the center of the table.

“What do you think of the Windy City?”

Daniel came prepared to answer that question. He’d all but made an offer on a loft less than ten minutes from the Colby Agency. “I’m impressed.”

Victoria nodded. “You found the information packet we sent you informative?”

“Absolutely.” He didn’t mention that he’d already scouted out his permanent residence. He didn’t have the job yet, though he fully suspected that’s what this meeting was about. Since his arrival, he’d decided that this was what he wanted. He felt comfortable here, liked the pace of the city. Its location midway meant that either coast was a simple two-hour flight away.

“Mr. Marks,” she began, “I thought I’d learned everything there was to know about this business. I’ve been operating under the assumption that I’d seen the worst it had to offer. But then, just today, I learned something new.”

It was more the expression on her face than her words that made him uneasy. The meeting had definitely taken a different turn than what he’d anticipated.

“How’s that?”

“Trust has always been a major foundation of my life,” she explained. “As long as I had trust, I had no fears where anything else was concerned, but it seems I was wrong.”

Daniel tried to reason how her recent revelations tied in with his consideration for a position within her agency but found no connection. Obviously, he would have to let her lay it on the table for him.

“I’ve reviewed your record thoroughly and checked your references. I’m fully convinced that you would fit in perfectly here,” she told him bluntly.

There was a but coming, one he couldn’t quite nail the motivation for.

“I appreciate your confidence, Mrs. Colby-Camp. I have to tell you that I’ve done the same. I’m confident your agency is where I’d like to begin my new career.”

Victoria opened a bottle of water and poured herself half a glass. She sipped it a moment before continuing.

Daniel couldn’t help wondering if this was a test of some sort. His work and personal history were impeccable, as were his references. Whatever was going on wasn’t about his qualifications.

“Mr. Marks,” she eventually went on, “I need your help.”

Now she’d lost him again. “Excuse me?” He studied her face, saw the lines of worry he hadn’t noticed at first. Had he arrived at a bad time? Though they hadn’t met before, they had spoken several times by phone. What he saw definitely didn’t mesh with what he’d heard in her voice previously.

“Not so very long ago, a very cunning man named Cole Danes taught me that things are not always what they seem and that at times human emotion can be a considerable weakness.”

Daniel flared his hands. “That’s true in a military setting, as well. There are times when one must set aside human emotion and react on basic instinct, much as an animal does when going after prey or making any other survival decision.”

She nodded. “Then you know what I mean when I say that I’m certain the most thorough investigations are conducted by those who have no personal stake in a matter.”