Colby Roundup: Colby RoundupColby Agency Companion Guide

by Debra Webb

  But Rafe and Weeden had failed in their ultimate goal.

  The double doors marked Authorized Personnel Only swung open and Olivia broke from her disturbing thoughts. Dr. Raby, the E.R. physician who’d been on call, breezed into the lobby for the first time in more than an hour.

  Olivia stood as he approached. Her sisters came to her side. The feelings that flooded her at having them with her were nearly overpowering. “How is she?” Her voice trembled but there was no help for that. She was still shaky considering what could have happened at that damned farmhouse and all the wondrous emotions she had been experiencing since.

  “She has three fractured ribs and a concussion, but Clare is going to be fine.”

  Despite scarcely knowing the woman and having thought she was a heinous murderer, Olivia breathed a sigh of relief.

  “Can we see her?” Sadie asked.

  “Detective Whitt is questioning her,” the doctor explained. “He can answer that for you when he’s done. There is no medical reason to restrict visitors but I don’t know where the police stand on the matter.”

  “Thank you, Dr. Raby.” Olivia produced a smile for him and tried valiantly to stop the trembling in her body.

  Victoria and Lucas joined their huddle. “Simon just confirmed that Tony Weeden has been charged with multiple counts of attempted murder as well as murder in the first degree for the death of Terrence Kingston.”

  Kingston was Laney’s little boy’s father. Weeden had killed him and taken the boy. It was a miracle the little boy had been returned to his mother unharmed. Probably only because of Clare’s intervention. There Olivia went, giving Clare the benefit of the doubt. Olivia gave herself a mental shake. There were still a lot of unanswered questions from twenty-two years ago. Clare’s guilt or innocence, in Olivia’s eyes, was still in question.

  “That’s a relief,” Laney said. “No matter that Buddy’s father was a jerk, he didn’t deserve to be murdered. And his killer definitely shouldn’t get away with it.”

  Olivia hugged Laney. As brave as Laney wanted to appear, Olivia could see that she suffered on the inside with the loss of a man for whom she had obviously once cared.

  “Victoria and I are going to the cafeteria for coffee,” Lucas said. “Would you ladies care for anything?”

  All three declined.

  When they were alone, Olivia fixed another, brighter, smile into place. “So, what have you two been up to the last twenty years or so?”

  They all laughed and the tension shrank a little. Laney and Sadie filled her in and Olivia had just gotten started when Detective Whitt appeared.

  “Clare would like to see the three of you,” he announced.

  “Is that okay with you?” Olivia held her breath, hoped he wouldn’t deny them at least a few minutes.

  “It’s time the four of you had some time together.” Like the rest of them he looked tired and rumpled and relieved. “I’ve spent the past two decades plus believing that Clare Barker was as guilty as her husband. But it appears I may have been wrong.”

  Olivia and her sisters waited in stunned silence for him to continue.

  “I’ll let her tell you her story. I have to hand it to the higher courts, they definitely got it right this time. We made a mistake by coloring her with the same brush we used on Rafe. She has paid a heavy price for that mistake.”

  “Does that mean she won’t face any charges for her complicity in Weeden’s actions?” Olivia understood that there were extenuating circumstances. Still, she had been aware that Tony had done certain things that were unquestionably criminal.

  “I think I can convince the D.A. to let her off with a year in a recovery center. After what she’s been through I suspect some time in real counseling and with structured daily activities will help her to transition back into society. There’s a very good place just outside Houston. She’ll have her own small apartment and she can have visitors but she’ll get the help she needs to come to terms with the bad hand she was dealt in the past. For now, the hospital is keeping her overnight for observation considering what she’s been through mentally and physically.”

  “That’s an excellent idea.” Olivia was relieved that he had come to that conclusion. “Thank you, Detective.” She had been so wrong about him. Justice was often difficult to bring about under such puzzling and emotional circumstances as all involved faced twenty-two years ago.

  He gestured to the doors. “Let the desk nurse know and she’ll buzz you ladies back.”

  As they passed through those foreboding doors, the Barker sisters held hands. They would face this together as they would likely face much more together, both good and bad, in the future. It was a genuine relief to know that Clare had not been a part of those tragic murders. But they had a long ways to go before Clare would feel like family.

  Clare’s eyes were closed when they entered the room. She looked as pale as the white sheet covering her. Soon she would be transferred to a room for her overnight stay. Olivia suspected the observation was more for monitoring her mental state than the concussion.

  When the door closed behind them Clare’s eyes opened. Her lips trembled into a smile. “I was afraid you wouldn’t want to see me.”

  Sadie and Laney looked to Olivia to speak first. “We wouldn’t leave without seeing you first.”

  “Thank you.” She fiddled with the sheet. “I don’t deserve your compassion.”

  Sadie moved to her bedside first. She reached out and took her hand. “Are you comfortable? Did they give you something for the pain?”

  More of those hot tears slid down Olivia’s cheeks. She and Laney exchanged a look and then they both went to Clare’s side. It would take time and there would be many bumps on the road, but they would find their place together.

  Clare told them the story of how she’d had no idea her husband was a murderer. He’d always seemed so kind and caring. Until Janet showed up in their lives. She and Rafe would drink and behave badly. Clare looked away when she told them that part. It was still hard for her to believe that he’d been doing those awful things for most of their marriage. She felt like a fool for not recognizing that side of him. Olivia and her sisters didn’t ask any questions.

  “I don’t know,” Clare said, “if it was the alcohol or her, but something made those evil urges of his escalate.” She looked from one of her daughters to the next. “That’s when I knew something was wrong. He and Janet would come home in the middle of the night. They’d have blood all over them. I didn’t know what to think. The way they were acting I was afraid to ask. The next morning he would tell me that he’d rescued some animal or done some sort of emergency surgery to explain his bloody clothes. Lies.” She shook her head. “All of it. They were out hunting little girls to slaughter. When I tried to question Janet, she warned what she would do if I made trouble for her.” Clare’s gaze settled on each of her daughter’s in turn. “She threatened to hurt you girls. She watched everything I did. I was trapped for those four long months after she showed up. I couldn’t run without leaving the three of you behind and that was out of the question. Finally, I took that chance by telling my minister what I suspected and all hell broke loose. Janet had been following me. She didn’t know what I told him but she knew I told him something. She and Rafe went into a frenzy.” She closed her eyes ad shook her head. “I was terrified for you girls.”

  Olivia cleared the lump of emotion from her throat. “I saw you cleaning up blood from the floor once.” Remembering that scene in a dream had made Olivia believe that Clare had been involved in the murders or that, at the very least, she had known about them.

  “Janet got injured somehow on one of their outings. I found her on your bedroom floor the next morning. By the time I got her patched up and in bed in the guest room and returned to clean up the mess, the three of you had gotten up, seen the blood and hidden in the closet. You were scared to death. I tried to assure you everything was okay. But it wasn’t. It was never okay. I was just too blind to see
it until the end.”

  “Why did Janet try to hurt you so?” Laney wanted to know.

  Clare reached for Laney’s hand. “She hated me. When I was born she thought our parents loved me more so she tried to drown me. After several attempts to kill me, my parents sent her away to live with another family.”

  Clare blinked at the emotion shining in her eyes. “A part of me always suspected she was the one who murdered them, but I couldn’t be sure and she never said. When she helped me with Tony, I thought maybe I’d been wrong about her all that time. But I know now that she only did that to hurt me more. She did terrible things to him and the people she sold him to were even worse. He’s not entirely to blame for how he turned out. I’m responsible in large part.”

  She sighed mightily. “When she learned I was happily married with three beautiful daughters she wanted to ruin that, too. Discovering that she and Rafe shared evil urges was just icing on her poison cake. God only knows what they did with the bodies of those girls they murdered. Rafe won’t ever tell. I guess we’ll never know.”

  They talked for a long time. Many tears were shed, but in the end it was a new beginning for them all.

  And the secrets of the past were finally revealed for Olivia and her sisters. Now they could try to move on with their lives.

  It wouldn’t be easy. There was a lot of healing ahead of them. But Olivia knew exactly where she wanted to start.

  Chapter Nineteen

  10:30 p.m.

  Russ couldn’t sit still. He had paced the hospital lobby for the past hour. McCaleb and Hayden had done the same. They’d driven back to the hospital as soon as Weeden’s interrogation and booking was complete. When they arrived, Victoria explained that Olivia and her sisters were talking to Clare. Russ had been losing his mind ever since.

  The sinking feeling that had about stolen his legs from under him when he heard the first explosion would haunt him for the rest of his life. They had intercepted Weeden about a half of a mile from the old Barker place and even at that distance they had heard the explosions as if they were right on top of them. Not knowing if anyone was injured had ripped his heart from his chest.

  As soon as he heard that Olivia and everyone were safe he’d been able to breathe again. It had taken every ounce of restraint he possessed not to beat the hell out of Weeden then and there.

  Now that bastard would end up on death row like his pal Rafe. Only Rafe wouldn’t last long enough for a reunion. Victoria had told them that Olivia had called her boss and told him to withdraw the petition, considering Weeden’s confession of Rafe’s part in this latest travesty. Detective Whitt had spoken to him, as well. The three had ultimately had a conference call with the D.A. and the Governor. Rafe’s execution would be carried out as scheduled.

  Now Olivia and her sisters could move forward toward getting to know each other without all those questions hanging over their heads. Russ hoped Olivia felt the way he did about his being a part of her future. It was hard to believe they’d only been together a few days. But he’d been watching her a lot longer than that and the truth was he’d fallen for her just a little before they’d even exchanged a word.

  As if his thoughts had summoned her she walked right up to him and smiled. His heart took a leap.

  “Hey,” she said.

  “Hey,” he said back, his insides shaking with anticipation.

  Laney and Hayden were hugging, as were Sadie and McCaleb. Both couples were engaged. Made Russ a little jealous, even though he was happy for them. If he had his way, he would fix that in the very near future.

  Olivia looped her arm in his and pulled him close. “We’re the only ones out here who aren’t getting married,” she whispered. “I’m now scheduled to be a bridesmaid twice in as many months. I’ve never been a bridesmaid before.” She smiled again but her eyes told the tale. She was wondering where they went from here, as well.

  Russ leaned closer to her, loving the electricity that instantly sparked. “You’ll love it. And since I’m a groomsman, we’ll have to make sure we get to walk together.” Practice, he wanted to add.

  She lifted a skeptical eyebrow. “I don’t know about the loving-it part. Since both their mothers are gone, I think they’re expecting me to be in charge of the wedding plans. I’ve seen movies about how crazy that can get.” She shrugged. “I suppose as long as it doesn’t include taffeta I might survive.”

  They shared a nervous laugh. God, he just wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her right there. Instead, he worried about whether or not she had ever considered marriage in her future. “You should be proud to have that honor.”

  Her cheeks flushed as she chewed on her lower lip. “I guess I am. I just never expected to be in a wedding period.”

  “Not even your own?” he ventured, his nerves vibrating with uncertainty. He wanted to show this woman just how good the right relationship could be. He wanted that chance more than he’d ever wanted anything.

  “Especially not my own.” She laughed, the sound as nervous as he felt. “Remember I’m the woman who doesn’t know how to have a relationship.”

  He put his hand over hers and squeezed. It was time to man up and pop the first preliminary question. “I thought we were going to change that.”

  She smiled up at him, her eyes hopeful. “I was afraid you might have changed your mind now that your assignment is over and things are back to normal. Not that anything about my life will ever be completely normal. I’m fully aware that people do and say things in the heat of the moment that they regret later. If you want to rescind the offer now I understand. I’m not exactly a safe bet in the relationship department.”

  He kissed her. It was the only way to show her in no uncertain terms that he had no intention of retracting anything. Her arms went around his neck and his went around her waist. It was the perfect fit. He had no intention of letting this lady go. She hadn’t been the easiest filly to round up but she was his now.

  Applause echoed around them. They drew apart and Olivia’s cheeks turned a deeper red as her sisters and their fiancés continued to clap loudly and cheered them on.

  “Looks like it’s official,” Russ warned her.

  “What’s that?” she asked, that uncertainty still shining in her eyes.

  “Your sisters approve. We can’t let them down.”

  “So where do we go from here?”

  “My place,” he said with a wink.

  “And after that?” She toyed with a button on his shirt, still obviously a little skittish when it came to putting her hopes in the future of a relationship.

  “We’ll work that out as we go. There’s no hurry. As long as we’re committed, the rest will fall into place.”

  She turned those big brown eyes up to him and the uncertainty was gone. “I’m definitely committed.”

  He grinned. “That makes two of us.”

  She made a face that warned she was worried about how he would take what she had to say next. “I was thinking about going back to law school and finishing that final year.”

  “If that’s what you want, I’ll back you one-hundred percent. Never doubt that, Liv. I’m with you, whatever we do and wherever we go.”

  Her relief was palpable. “My reason for walking away was a cop-out.” She shrugged. “Another one of those commitment issues. But I’m not afraid anymore. Not with you backing me up.”

  “That’s my girl.”

  Olivia rose up on tiptoe and kissed him. More of that zany applause broke out behind them.

  Russ intended to take the lady home with him and spend the rest of his days showing her how good life and the right relationship could be.

  * * *

  VICTORIA WAS IMMENSELY thankful they were almost home. She refused to let Lucas drive with that cast. He’d finally stopped arguing and settled in for the three-hour trip.

  They’d chatted about how thankful they were that the facts in the Princess Killer case had been brought to light once and for all. They’d even d
iscussed the possibility of Russ and Olivia joining the ranks of the engaged. It seemed that the Colby Agency had facilitated the love lives of three happy couples.

  She sighed. She loved it when things turned out exactly right.

  “Did I tell you that Casey called?” Lucas said.

  He knew perfectly well he had not. “When did he call?” Thomas Casey was one of Lucas’s oldest and dearest friends, as well as his former boss from their CIA days.

  “Oh, yesterday or the day before.”

  Lucas was still annoyed that she was pushing the issue of total retirement. The truth was, she loved being a part of the cases that came into the Colby Agency. The trouble was, Lucas too often ended up in danger. She would not allow him to continue to risk his life for anything.

  “What did Thomas have to say?” Thomas Casey’s niece, Casey Manning, had helped Levi Stark, one of Victoria’s investigators from the Chicago office, with an investigation last fall into the troubles with Lucas’s son, Slade Keaton. Casey and Levi had fallen in love and had been together since.

  “His niece Casey is getting married next spring.”

  Why hadn’t Victoria heard about this? Levi hadn’t said a word. Of course, she had been down here in Texas and rather busy. “That’s wonderful.”

  “As soon as the arrangements are final he’ll let us know. We’re at the top of the guest list, of course.”

  “Of course.”

  “He also asked me to consider doing some advising with his team later this year. I told him I would think about it.”

  Victoria held her tongue until the wave of frustration had eased to a tolerable level. “You worked in an advisory capacity in D.C. for many years, Lucas. I thought those days were over.” She wanted him at her side. Safe.