Colby Law

by Debra Webb

  When it was done, he would leave. And just like last time, he would take a part of her with him, leaving her damaged all over again. He’d been gone seven years, and it had taken a measly twenty-four hours for him to take her back to that same place he’d left her in all those years ago.

  “I’m calling the sheriff. If I need protecting—” she glared at him, barely kept her voice shy of a scream “—that’s his job, not yours.”

  She walked to the house. Her pulse thundering in her ears, her body trembling with an agony that was all too familiar. He followed, not ready to give up. She doubted his employer would be pleased if he failed to get the job done. Well, that was tough. She wasn’t about to do him any favors. One way or the other, he was out of here. Now. This morning.

  She didn’t need Lyle McCaleb.

  Seven years ago she had been a wild, starry-eyed teenager who was so in love she couldn’t see the forest for the trees. He had never loved her the way she loved him. He’d had other plans that didn’t include her. She had been a distraction. A way to pass the time until better things came along.

  She was a grown woman now. And she had other plans that didn’t include him. If she died single and alone it would be better than risking his or any other man’s betrayal ever again. To hell with them all!

  “Sadie, be reasonable,” he urged as she stormed up the steps to her porch. “This situation is too volatile and too dangerous to play games. That’s Gus’s style, not mine.”

  She turned on him in the middle of the porch, the dogs yapping as if there was no tomorrow inside the house. “Back off,” she warned. Damn it, she’d left her shotgun in his truck. “We are finished. No games. No talking. No nothing.”

  That he looked away, beyond her, in the middle of her tirade only infuriated her all the more.

  “What the hell are you staring at?” When he didn’t respond, Sadie turned around to see what was so fascinating behind her.

  Mommy’s coming for you, baby girl.

  The words were scrawled across her front door. The red paint had dripped down the weathered white wood in an eerie manner straight off the screen of a horror flick.

  “What the hell?” Sadie moved closer to the door, reached out and touched the paint. Still sticky. She smelled it. The air in her lungs evaporated.

  Not paint…blood. The message was written in blood.

  Chapter Eight

  Colby Agency, Houston, 8:30 a.m.

  Victoria Colby-Camp reviewed the assessment report compiled by the research department. The investigation conducted by the detectives in charge of the Princess Killer case twenty-two years ago was as close to flawless as any she’d reviewed for that period, considering the science and technology they had to work with at the time. A joint task force from several counties surrounding the small community of Granger had come together to find the killer and eventually the bodies.

  Over the course of ten years, more than a dozen young girls had gone missing. The M.O. was always the same—the girl simply vanished with not a single clue left behind. The victims were loosely connected by age, but even the ages weren’t consistent. Social status was all over the place, some from very poor families, others from considerably wealthy ones. Race, religion, none of it was truly consistent. The killer’s territory extended over several counties. In the end, the single thing all the victims had in common was that each one had a family dog adopted from a small veterinary clinic located outside Granger. But that connection had not been discovered until after the anonymous tip that led the police to the Barkers, the owners of that unpretentious clinic.

  Raymond Barker was a beloved member of his community. His wife, Clare, was always at his side. Their small clinic barely stayed afloat, considering the extensive rescue work the couple performed. The family, including their three little girls, never failed to be present on the front pew at church. The children’s clothes appeared homemade, their shoes hand-me-downs. Veterinarians from surrounding counties often suggested those looking for pets drop by and have a look at the many available at the Barker Clinic. Rafe and Clare’s compassion for animals was known far and wide beyond the boundaries of their small hometown. Since the visits to the Barker Clinic and the disappearances were sometimes months, as much as a year, apart, the remote connection wasn’t detected by the authorities.

  The case might have gone unsolved if not for that anonymous tip provided early one morning. That tip brought the authorities to the old farmhouse owned by the Barkers. Photos of each “princess” as well as thank-you letters sent by the victims to show their appreciation for their new pets were discovered in the Barker home. The remains recovered from the property were identified as eight of those who had gone missing. The half dozen other missing girls from the surrounding area had not been recovered to this day.

  Once the news broke, parents remembered their daughters interacting with Dr. Barker. He’d affectionately referred to their daughters as “princess,” prompting investigators to call the case by that moniker. Each victim whose remains had been recovered from the property, as well as several whose remains were still missing, had written to thank Dr. Barker, weeks, sometimes months after the pet adoption. The letters were presumed to be the tipping point—the impetus that solidified the selection process for a heinous serial killer.

  Victoria closed the file and her eyes. The images and words were gruesome. How could anyone, much less a mother or father, have committed such horrific acts? The evidence that connected Clare to the murders was far more circumstantial than that connecting her husband. Ultimately that was the reason she eventually won an appeal. There were those who would never believe her innocence, however, simply because of her dark past. Clare Barker’s parents, the Sneads, had been murdered when she was barely thirteen. Some who knew the family always suspected that Clare had somehow been involved in their deaths. Given that the latter surfaced only after the arrests, Victoria had to wonder if that were the case at all.

  Though a quiet, seemingly work-oriented family, the Barkers had earned the respect of their neighbors. Not social folks by any means, Rafe and Clare had stayed to themselves when not working, ostensibly completely focused on and devoted to their children. But the findings inside the home had told another story. Closets turned into prisons for the girls when they were in the way. Evidence of other, despicable abuse was also discovered. How had this travesty gone on for so many years without anyone noticing?

  A rap on her door drew Victoria from the disturbing thoughts. She smiled as best she could as Simon Ruhl entered her temporary office. It would eventually be his conference room. For now he graciously lent it to her and Lucas whenever they were here.

  “Is there news?” Victoria had spoken to Lucas earlier that morning. Had something happened since that call? She sincerely hoped not.

  Simon settled into a chair across the table from her. “Research just uncovered a small but stunning piece of information. We may have a lead on Janet Tolliver’s connection to the Barkers.”

  Victoria hoped this would prove the break they had been eager for. There had to be more information out there, and they needed to find it. Otherwise, their investigation was going to end similarly to that of the detectives more than two decades ago. “Finally.” Tolliver’s name was not mentioned in the previous investigation in any capacity. “Does this give us a starting place?”

  “Actually,” Simon said as he passed a report across the table, “it gives us another ending place. Janet Tolliver was Clare Barker’s biological sister, older by two years.”

  How was that possible? “The police never found that connection? That’s quite a strong tie to be overlooked.”

  “The Sneads were different,” Simon explained. “They lived more or less outside society. Religious extremists. The girls were homeschooled. Clare was three and Janet five when they were separated. No one noticed. The Sneads, minus Janet, of course, moved to Austin. Nine-plus years later the parents were murdered. Clare was found covered in their blood and in a sem
icatatonic state. She spent several months in an institution before being introduced into the foster care system. Meanwhile, the Tolliver family took Janet in as their own. Eventually the adoption was legalized through a private attorney.”

  “Have you spoken to Lucas?” The need to hear his voice was suddenly a palpable force in Victoria’s chest. “Have you briefed him on this new information?” Lucas was doing surveillance on Clare Barker. He needed to know immediately that there was reason to believe she was quite possibly dangerous, no matter that an appeals court had overturned her verdict and the evidence against her alleged past deeds was wholly circumstantial.

  “I briefed him first,” Simon assured her. “I felt he needed the information, pronto.”

  Of course he had. Victoria had worked with Simon for many years. He was well versed in the critical steps in a case such as this. She was unsettled this morning. The case file on the Barkers had gotten to her in a very personal way. The evil acts committed against children hit far too close to home, considering her own son had been missing for twenty years before finding his way home. During that time, Jim had suffered every manner of atrocity.

  Victoria had to find and hang on to her objectivity. Funny, she and Lucas were supposed to be retired, and here they were embroiled completely in this case. But this one was different. Victoria sensed that there was a profound injustice here, and she needed to set it to rights. To do that, she needed clear, unbiased focus.

  “How is Lyle doing with Sadie?” Victoria wanted these women protected above all else. Finding a way into their lives so quickly had not been an easy feat for the Colby Agency. Since Lyle had a history with Sadie, his way in had proven a bit more of a natural entry. With the other two, the investigators had no choice but to watch from a distance until they were accepted, which made their protective efforts much more difficult.

  “Lyle hasn’t checked in this morning but all was under control last night.”

  “How is the confirmation process going?” Research was attempting to verify the thumbprint in each photo album provided by Janet Tolliver to that of the women allegedly the long-missing, presumed-dead children of the Barkers.

  “Laney Seager’s was easy,” Simon explained. “She was arrested on assault charges as a teenager. Olivia Westfield’s work mandated a background check, which required fingerprints. Sadie we can’t confirm until Lyle gets fingerprints to us. She has seen her share of trouble with the law but her father has kept her from being arrested.” Like everyone else working on this case, Simon looked tired. This kind of case was hard on the emotions. “I feel confident with the other two having been confirmed, that it’s a safe bet to assume Sadie will be a match, as well.”

  The story was an incredible one. The sheer number of confusing layers was nearly overwhelming. Victoria could now better understand how so much was overlooked twenty-two years ago. The connections were vague, disjointed and deeply buried.

  The reality of the investigation at this point was that investigators were in place with all three women. Clare Barker was under surveillance. And Rafe sat in prison, another day closer to death.

  Still, if Clare didn’t kill Janet Tolliver and with Rafe in prison, one of the two had contacts who willingly committed murder. Janet Tolliver had been expecting a visit from the Colby Agency, which seemed to indicate Rafe was the one to order her murder. Clare had no way of knowing Victoria had met with Rafe. But why have her murdered and at the same time have her expecting help from the Colby Agency? Not reasonable or logical. But then, what about this case was?

  With Clare’s chilling past, it was an easy leap to conclude that she was the most likely of the two. But then the justice system had deemed her not guilty, if not entirely innocent. Rafe was the one whose guilt no one questioned. Then there was the letter. Victoria could not get past the letter when considering his guilt or innocence. That gnawing instinct went against how the evidence had stacked up against him. Victoria’s instincts were never that far off the mark. Had Clare purposely been setting up her husband to take the fall if she were ever caught? Could either of them been so blind as to not know what the other was up to, considering the evidence of abuse taking place inside the home?

  “We still have no connection between any of the adopting parents and Janet Tolliver. All three of the Barker children were legally adopted in private transactions. The paper trail was difficult to follow, but having the birth certificates provided by Tolliver is helping. Olivia, the oldest, is the only one who knows she was adopted. She has never sought her birth parents.”

  Victoria rubbed the back of her neck. That would change soon enough. Would that be when the next tragedy in this ongoing travesty occurred?

  No matter how hard the Colby Agency tried, there was no protecting these women from the reality of who they were when true justice finally found its place in this complicated and chilling story.

  Allison Ingram, Simon’s secretary, appeared at the door. “Simon, Lyle McCaleb is holding on line one.”

  Simon thanked her. He and Victoria exchanged a worried look.

  What now?

  Chapter Nine

  Second Chance Ranch, 8:50 a.m.

  Lyle had tried to reason with Sadie for more than an hour. She refused to listen. He sat on the porch now, her final order still resounding in his ears.

  Leave! And don’t ever come back.

  He’d just gotten approval from Simon to do what he’d hoped to put off until the danger had passed.

  Lyle pushed to his feet and walked to his truck. His hands shook as he unlocked the storage compartment behind the driver’s seat. He removed the leather pouch containing the album. How had he come to be the person who would exert this shocking blow? Chance? Fate? Whatever the reason, he prayed that God would give him the wisdom to do this right and the strength and opportunity to protect Sadie afterward.

  He hesitated at the door, took a deep breath, then rapped on the wood still marred by the threat the sheriff had taken one look at and chalked up to one of Sadie’s many enemies pulling a prank on her. Sheriff Cox had additionally suggested that the missing horse was the same. He’d show up, Cox had declared.

  Clearly the man had concluded exactly what Gus Gilmore had told him to conclude. Gus had been using his power to manipulate Sadie for years. To his credit, he had protected her once or twice when she’d pursued her goals a little too passionately. But manipulation was manipulation. Neither Gus nor the sheriff understood that some of the events occurring now were about far more than Gus and Sadie’s relationship. The danger was real.

  Had Gus learned that the Colby Agency was looking into Rafe Barker’s request? Discovering that Lyle worked for the Colby Agency had probably been easy. But to learn the case he was on and to use some aspect of it to scare Sadie, that was just plain evil. As stern and hard as Gus Gilmore had always seemed to Lyle, this was a new low even for him—if he was the one responsible.

  Sadie opened the door and glared at him, fury emanating from her whole body. At least now she wasn’t toting her shotgun. “What is it going to take to get you out of my life, Lyle McCaleb?”

  “You wanted the truth.” He indicated the package he held, emotion crowding into his chest. “I’ve been authorized to give you that now, if you’re sure that’s what you want.” Misery dumped another load on his shoulders.

  She stared at the leather pouch he held, the color seeping from her face even though she had no idea what was inside. Deep in her heart she suspected something was off with her history. Lyle had sensed that uneasiness since his arrival early yesterday. Her frustration with life in general was about a little more than Gus or him.

  “You have five minutes,” she said as she stepped back and pulled the door open wider, “to convince me to hear you out. Don’t test my patience.”

  “Fair enough.”

  “If I think for one second that you’re giving me the runaround, I’m done,” she added, leading the way to the living room. “So don’t waste my time.” She plopped dow
n on the same old sofa he’d waited on seven years ago when he’d dared to visit her at her grandmother’s house. Adele Gilmore had liked him, he’d learned. He wished she were here now to referee. And maybe to explain some of the missing details. Sadie was going to need someone to lean on through this. He hoped she would allow it to be him.

  Lyle had considered at length the best way to start when it came to this part. None of the options were ideal, but starting at the beginning seemed best. During his call to Simon earlier this morning, he’d learned yet another piece of the puzzle. Janet Tolliver and Clare Barker were related by blood. The layers were slowly peeling away.

  He sat down on the opposite end of the sofa. “Twenty-two years ago,” he began, “a man and his wife, Raymond and Clare Barker, were arrested for multiple murders.” He removed the copies of the newspaper clippings from the leather pouch but left the album inside for now. He spread the clippings on the coffee table. “You might want to look over these.”

  Sadie picked up the first article. “This is the woman you mentioned might have some bone to pick with Gus?”

  Lyle steadied his breathing. “Yes.”

  The black-and-white photos in the articles wouldn’t show Clare Barker’s green eyes. Sadie had those green eyes. And the blond hair. When they got to the photo album, she would see. His fingers clenched on the case. He’d give most anything not to have to show it to her. But there was no way around it. Part of him wanted to be the one to help her through this, but the more selfish part hated to be the one since she would most assuredly despise the bearer of this news long after the dust had settled.

  After reading through the articles, Sadie looked up and asked, “They still haven’t found the other bodies?”

  He shook his head. “A lot of folks had hoped that Rafe would eventually suffer some sense of remorse and give up that information. But he has never acknowledged or denied any of the murders. Clare has claimed innocence the whole time. She stood by her word that she had no knowledge of the murders.”