Investigating 101
Debra Webb

MILLS & BOON

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Our children are our future. There is

no more precious resource on the planet.

This book is dedicated to all those

who take the time to mentor a child. Your work

is an investment in our future. I salute you!

Contents

Cast of Characters

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

About the Author

Coming Next Month

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Todd Thompson—The Colby Agency’s new recruit. Todd is exactly the kind of raw talent the Colby Agency is looking for. Will his natural talent override his lack of experience? There’s only one way to find out.

Serena Black—She is young but dead serious about her work and finding her friend. But just when she is certain she knows who’s responsible for her friend’s abduction, a new clue gets tossed into the mix and points her in an entirely different direction. The only thing Serena can be sure of is her growing attraction to one sexy new recruit.

Dr. Charles Landon—A pioneer in his field, could he really murder his wife and unborn child? Everything he has worked for is about to see fruition, but how much is he willing to pay to reach that pinnacle?

Molly Landon—The only things she ever wanted were her husband’s love and to have the family she’d always dreamed of. Is it too late for that now?

Delia Neely—Was her affair with Charles Landon the reason his wife is missing?

Arthur Miles—He has every reason to be jealous of his colleague Charles Landon. How far would he go to see him fall?

Nolan Fairbanks—He knows plenty of secrets…The question is can Serena trust him?

A. J. Braddock—Colby Agency investigator. A.J. is supposed to keep Todd Thompson on the straight and narrow during his first assignment, but that may prove an impossible task—even for an ex-marine.

Chapter One

Victoria Colby-Camp sat at her desk and stared at the neat pile of manila folders Mildred had placed in the exact middle of her clean blotter pad.

It was the same each Monday morning. Mildred gathered the assignment and status reports from each investigator and brought the bundle to Victoria at nine sharp for her perusal. At ten, a standard staff meeting would take place in the conference room. New assignments would be dissected and doled out, old business would be discussed. The work week would continue from there.

The routine never varied.

Victoria sighed, the sound echoing softly in her empty office.

She had no right to feel this way. Life had been extremely good to her for months now. She certainly could not complain….

And yet, she felt…bored.

Her brow furrowed deeply in denial of her last thought. Perhaps bored was not the proper word. She and Lucas had celebrated their first wedding anniversary a few months ago with a long weekend in the Cayman Islands. Her son was happily married and anticipating the arrival of the first Colby grandchild.

What else could she ask for from her personal life?

The Colby Agency continued to thrive. The cases that walked through reception’s doors included the most intriguing and challenging from right here in Chicago as well as all across the nation—ones that no other agency seemed able to solve in addition to those of longtime, loyal clients.

Still, Victoria felt restless.

She pushed up from her chair and walked across the room to look out at the city she loved. A city pulsing with life, filled with magnificent and innovative architecture. A place rich with colorful and turbulent political history as well as vibrant cultural venues.

There was no other city in the country quite like it. No other place she’d rather be.

Dozens of memories filtered through her mind, warming her heart. It seemed so long ago now that she and James, her first husband and the father of her only son, had started this agency. She had known even then that the Colby Agency would be something very special. How could it be anything else? James Colby had orchestrated its creation.

But now, more than twenty years later, something was missing. She concentrated hard in an effort to pinpoint the motivation for the fleeting sensation.

This odd emptiness had started almost one month ago. At first she’d considered that, with her highly trained and efficient staff, maybe she was bored with her level of participation in the business of private investigations. Her right-hand personnel oversaw most of the day-to-day operations. Though she came to the office each and every day and reviewed all activities, she was not personally involved with the execution of assignments.

But her role had always been in oversight rather than execution. Why would she suddenly feel unsettled in that role now? Admittedly, change could be a good thing. With that in mind, and much to the dismay of her staff, she’d launched a complete overhaul of the agency’s decor. A smile tilted one corner of her mouth. Unquestionably the renovations were a nuisance, but she’d hoped that the transformations would fulfill this sense of lacking she suffered.

The distraction had not worked.

Victoria turned to view her elegantly decorated office. Though the new gold and red tones were quite exquisite, as were the rich jewel tones of the rest of the offices, the relief she’d hoped for had not come.

Nor had the carpet. Her gaze dropped to the beige carpeting on the floor. The contractor had apologized repeatedly for the error. The wrong color had been ordered and, of course, returned, leaving the floor rather bland amid the rest of the opulent decor.

Her attention moved back to her desk and the stack of files. She really should get on with her Monday morning review, but the usual anticipation proved glaringly absent.

There was always the chance that her lackadaisical attitude wasn’t work-related at all.

She’d toyed with the idea of a personal makeover. Nothing elaborate. A new hairstyle perhaps, and possibly a color. Victoria smoothed her hand over her firmly coiled French twist. Never one to bother with such trivialities, she’d worn her hair the same way for half a lifetime, never bothering with touching up the multiplying silver strands that gave away her true age.

Was it time for a personal change?

Lucas appeared more than happy with her hair just as it was. She traced the tiny lines accentuating her eyes and wondered why she’d never worried about those, either. Most women her age and of her social standing had undergone at least one facelift by now.

No, she decided, that wasn’t the problem.

As simple as it would be to pretend a new wardrobe and a visit to a salon would cure her restless feelings, she knew deep down that it wouldn’t help.

Her working life lacked the edge and excitement of the past. Though it was certainly true that the Colby Agency worked many, many intriguing and exciting cases, that wasn’t what she meant.

When she and James had first started the agency, everything had been new, including the investigators they hired. One or two had had previous experience in the field, but most learned from the master, James Colby himself. Time and experience had honed this agency to a gleaming, precious jewel among its competition.

No more rough edges, no more raw exhilaration.

Affection tugged at her lips when she thought of Trevor Sloan and his untamed surliness. He’d been a man with more rough edges than most, and yet the best damned investigator any agency could hope to retain. He’d been young and so had Victoria.

On the heels of that thought came an epiphany.

That was the missing ingredient that had her out of sorts.

Youth.

It wasn’t that she resented growing older. On the contrary—her life was everything she wanted it to be and more. This was strictly business.

And no one knew better about the business of private investigations than she.

Victoria stepped over to the phone on her desk and pressed the intercom button.

“Mildred, find the date and location of that job fair we talked about last week. I’m considering participating.” Anticipation surged in Victoria’s veins. She was on to something here. She could feel it all the way to the pads of her feet.

“I have it right here, Victoria,” Mildred said as she shuffled through her calendar. “Embassy Suites downtown, this weekend.”

Perfect. “Sign the agency up ASAP. I don’t want just a booth, I want a conference room. Get it in tomorrow’s edition of the Tribune.”

“It may be too late to sign up,” Mildred warned.

Victoria grinned. “Talk to Lyle Vandiver at the Chamber of Commerce. He’ll get us in. Pull out all the stops, Mildred. I want to make a big splash.”

“The usual employment requirements?” her secretary asked.

There was no need to mull over the question; Victoria knew what she wanted. “No. This is going to be different. No experience necessary. Drop the age requirement to twenty.”

“Pardon? Did you say twenty?”

“Twenty,” Victoria repeated. That was a far cry from the twenty-five guideline the agency generally used. It had been a very long time since she had considered an applicant too young to have any real job experience. And there was no time like the present to see what she’d been missing.

Still sounding befuddled, Mildred assured, “I’ll get right on it.”

Victoria sat at her desk and began to review the case files with a new sense of purpose.

That was what she’d been missing—just exactly what this agency needed—new blood. Young blood. Raw talent.

The unexpected.

AT 10:00 A.M. on the dot that morning Victoria moved to the conference room where all not on assignment waited.

Ian Michaels and Simon Ruhl sat on either side of her vacant chair at the head of the long polished mahogany table. Ian’s wife, Nicole, as well as Ric Martinez, Ryan Braxton, Pierce Maxwell, Ethan Delaney, Doug Cooper-Smith, Daniel Marks and A. J. Braddock, one of the agency’s newest investigators, were present. Patrick O’Brien, the other new member on Victoria’s staff, was currently on assignment, as were three other investigators.

As Victoria took her place at the table, Elaine Younger, the agency receptionist, poked her head through the door.

“Victoria, the gentlemen are here to install the carpet.”

A litany of groans and sighs went around the room. Elaine looked worried, as if she feared she’d somehow done the wrong thing by making the announcement no one in the room—other than Victoria—wanted to hear.

“Excellent,” Victoria said with a nod of approval in Elaine’s direction. “Let them know they can start in my office.”

Elaine nodded eagerly and quickly closed the door to carry out her orders.

“Victoria.”

Victoria turned to Simon and waited for him to proceed.

“Mildred mentioned that you had decided to join in this weekend’s job fair.”

He didn’t have to say the rest; Victoria read the question in his eyes. Why on earth had she lowered the usual standards for hopeful applicants?

“That’s correct.” She surveyed the table. Judging by the expression on each face, all present had heard the news. “I felt the need to venture into new territory.” She clasped her hands and placed them on the table in front of her. “I’d like to sample the raw talent out there,” she added bluntly. “Any questions?”

Victoria didn’t miss the smile that flirted with Ian’s lips. “You have someone in mind for heading up the event?”

Leave it to Ian to cut to the chase. “Actually,” Victoria said, “I do.” She turned her attention to the right. “I hoped Nicole would be free to handle the job fair.”

Nicole Reed-Michaels was former FBI. She had the incredible beauty of the women gracing the covers of fashion magazines. Sleek blond hair and breathtaking blue eyes. But anyone who let her appearance fool them was in for a big surprise. Nicole was not only highly intelligent, she was downright lethal. No one got in her way.

“I’d be happy to, Victoria,” Nicole volunteered without hesitation. She shifted those assessing blue eyes to her husband. “You won’t mind watching the kids, will you, Ian?”

A moment of loaded silence passed as every man in the room struggled to restrain a grin or a chuckle. Victoria didn’t bother holding back. Her lips spread wide with amusement. She loved the power Nicole had over the enigmatic Ian.

“Of course not,” he said to his wife before turning back to Victoria. “Shall we move on?”

The status of each ongoing case was reported and new ones assigned. Victoria observed the well-educated, refined members of her outstanding staff. Only the best. The Colby Agency employed the most outstanding in their respective fields…the cream of the crop from many walks of life, including the military as well as other government agencies and law enforcement. Victoria had always prided herself on ferreting out those who had excelled in their former careers. Men and women who were highly trained and well experienced.

But that was about to change.

She needed an infusion of the unknown…of raw, edgy talent.

Excitement. That was what the Colby Agency needed.

Pure T-type adrenaline. Young blood, ready to do anything to prove him or herself.

Just like in the old days.

Chapter Two

It wasn’t every day a guy got the goods on a cheating, backstabbing employee. Especially one who was in line for the job said guy wanted.

Todd Thompson grinned.

He’d gotten the evidence.

Pictures didn’t lie.

He tapped the nine-by-twelve envelope on the passenger seat of his car. Oh, yeah, today was going to be a very good day. Less than one year out of college and he would make senior associate at the agency.

He’d gotten a callback on his résumé even before graduating. Todd had never believed in waiting until the last minute. He’d liked being prepared, knowing what his future held. So he’d sent out résumés six weeks before graduation. The Wellsly Agency of private investigations had contacted him immediately.

It wasn’t every day a student with a major in psychology and a minor in criminology knocked on their door. The way he saw it, his choice of studies gave him an edge as an investigator. That was exactly how he’d known that his colleague was up to no good. He had a knack for reading people.

Todd parked his beat-up Volvo in the only vacant slot in the parking lot of the building his agency called home. Six months on staff and he was up for promotion already. The only problem was, there was only one senior associate position available and both he and his colleague Janelle Dryer wanted it. Janelle had two months on him at the agency. She also had a killer pair of legs.

But she’d made one fatal mistake. She hadn’t covered her tracks well enough.

The agency had suspected for a while now that someone amid their ranks was leaking information to the attorneys of certain high-profile targets. At least two incidents had led to this conclusion, but no one had been able to nail the culprit.

Until now.

Todd had decided to do a little extra investigating himself. The fact that his nemesis was the leak just made victory all the more sweet. When he’d set out to do this he’d merely hoped the move would get him the attention he wanted, and, of course, the promotion. He’d never expected to knock the competition completely out of the running in the same blow. Janelle was guilty. No question in his mind. Why else would she be sleeping with one of the attorneys involved? No reason he could think of. At the very least, this infraction made her unreliable and put him at the top of the food chain.

He felt a prick of guilt, might even have felt some remorse if Dryer hadn’t backstabbed him three times already in the past six months. She’d taken every opportunity to make him look bad. Had accomplished her mission once. But this wasn’t about revenge—this was about survival of the fittest. The best man should get the job and all that jazz.

He was the best man.

He hustled through the front door and straight up to the bank of elevators a full thirty minutes before his workday actually began. His immediate supervisor, Chet Syler, was waiting. Todd had called him at home last night and informed him that he had evidence as to the identity of the leak. His supervisor had insisted that the information be kept between the two of them until whatever evidence Todd possessed could be confirmed. Todd didn’t have a problem with that. It was hard to dispute Dryer and the attorney rolling between the sheets when he had a whole roll of prints to back up his assertion.

He stabbed the button for the seventh floor and leaned against the back wall of the elevator. He held the envelope firmly in one hand. It wasn’t that he enjoyed ratting people out, but this was business. Dryer would have done the same to him. It didn’t take a degree in psychology to know that. And he had one.

On the seventh floor he said hello to the receptionist already at her post then strode confidently to Syler’s office. He didn’t particularly care that the receptionist didn’t bother returning his greeting. Maybe she was distracted. Whatever. He had bigger things on his mind. Such as his first promotion.

Feeling triumphant and utterly satisfied, Todd took one last deep breath before knocking on the door.

Oh, yeah, today was definitely going to be a stellar day.

Syler glanced up but didn’t bother standing as Todd entered his office. Funny thing was, his superior didn’t look the least bit happy. Without so much as a good morning, Syler reached for the envelope. Confusion elbowing out his victorious afterglow, Todd placed the envelope in his boss’s hand. He didn’t sit since he hadn’t been invited to. The whole situation suddenly felt off kilter somehow.

Syler shuffled through the glossy eight-by-tens, his expression never changing. Somehow Todd hadn’t expected this kind of reaction. Anger, disappointment, jealousy maybe, but not this total lack of emotion.

The older man shoved the pictures back into the envelope and turned his full attention on Todd. Todd had the uneasy feeling that he’d just walked into a trap.

“Did you know that Ms. Dryer had been married and divorced?” Syler asked, his voice flat as he delivered the seemingly irrelevant question. “Her maiden name is Syler.”

Todd blinked as the relevance hit him square between the eyes. “No, sir,” he admitted before swallowing hard to force down the massive lump of crow in his throat. “I didn’t know that.” But he knew exactly what it meant. “She’s your daughter?”

The blush of fury started at his superior’s crisp white collar. “That’s right.” He snatched up the incriminating envelope and shoved it into his middle desk drawer. “I’ve suspected for some time that one of the senior partners was the leak. I asked Ms. Dryer to find the truth.” His jaw flexed twice with rage. “She was to do whatever necessary to accomplish her mission. Today she will announce her findings in a closed briefing to the senior partners.”

The whole scenario suddenly made perfect sense to Todd. Syler was a partner, but not a senior partner. If he could prove one of the senior partners was the leak, he would be in line for a promotion, as would his lovely daughter. The information she had obtained would cinch both moves.

Oh, man. “I can assure you, sir,” Todd put in quickly, “no one will hear about her methods from me.”

“The problem is, Mr. Thompson—” Syler rose from his chair as he said this “—I don’t like you. My daughter doesn’t like you. Let’s just leave it at that. When you’ve cleared out your desk, you can pick up your severance pay from the receptionist.”

There was nothing else to say. Todd knew a brick wall when he hit one and he’d damned sure rammed headfirst into this one.

Todd cleared out his desk and picked up his severance pay as instructed. All under the careful watch of a security guard. As hard as he’d tried to be out before the staff started to arrive, he ran into Dryer in the lobby. She smirked and gave him a universal hand signal that stated her position quite clearly.

She’d won. The promotion was hers and he was out of a job.

He tossed the box of odds and ends into the backseat of his car and then dropped behind the wheel. At least it was Friday. He’d have time to look over the classifieds and update his résumé before hitting the streets on Monday.

The severance pay would cover the coming month’s rent.

He swore as he twisted the key in the ignition. Maybe he should have gone to grad school. His folks had said he’d regret not pursuing a higher degree. But no, he’d been too on fire to get out there and dive into the world of investigations. It had been his dream since he was a kid.

It should be simple. He was good. Just ask any of his professors. Hell, he’d even lived a double life for three whole months to write a thesis like no other. The plan had backfired a little, but he’d come out all right. His advisor had secretly told him he’d never read a thesis so compelling. So what if Todd had pretended to be someone he wasn’t to make it happen. No harm had been done, except to a few egos.

Oh, well. Chicago was a big city. There had to be an agency that would appreciate his particular skills.

He pulled over to the curb in front of the diner where he usually grabbed breakfast on Saturdays. Might as well eat and maybe scan today’s paper. Anything was better than going back to his studio apartment and walking the floors.

He couldn’t call his parents. They would only plead with him to come back home to Alabama. What was a small-town boy like him doing in a big city? That was his folks’ way of looking at the situation. He couldn’t explain to them that there was a great deal more to life than being the star football player on the high school team and going on to teach at the same school as his father had. No offense. Todd loved and admired his father. But that life just wasn’t for him.

He wanted—yearned for—excitement. The kind he wouldn’t find in Birmingham, Alabama. Chicago was the place to be. And even if Wellsly wasn’t the very top agency in this city, it had been a damn good starting place.

But he’d blown that opportunity by being overzealous.

Who the hell else would give him a shot without any real experience? Listing Wellsly as a previous employer might not be the best way to get his foot in the door someplace else, considering he’d just been fired.

“Morning, Todd.” Anna, the waitress who took his order every Saturday morning, greeted him from behind the counter. “You want the usual this morning?”

He dredged up a friendly smile. “You got it, pretty lady.” He winked and the older woman blushed. She reminded him of his mother. Gray hair tucked into a practical bun. Conservative uniform concealing every inch of her from the knees up and shiny pink lip gloss making her smile sparkle. A genuinely nice lady.

Todd slid onto a bar stool and listened to Anna chatter about late April’s sudden cool snap as she poured him a cup of coffee.

“Winter’s determined to hang on this year,” she said knowingly, then shivered visibly. “It’s almost May, it ought to be warmer than this.” She sat the carafe back onto the warming plate and snagged the nearest newspaper. “Here you go.” She studied him a moment, her expression suddenly serious. “Looks like you could do with something to occupy your mind this morning.”

Yep, just like his mother. A mind reader.

“Thanks.” Todd took the paper and turned the page without even surveying the front headlines. It wasn’t that he didn’t care about current events but he had his own problems today. Such as finding a job and pretending that his ego wasn’t stinging like hell.

His gaze snagged on a large advertisement for this weekend’s job fair. He scanned the staffing agencies and firms participating, his hopes faltering with each name he read. The dead-last one had him sitting up a little straighter.

The Colby Agency.

He steadied his runaway imagination and reminded himself that he’d looked at their requirements once before. Minimum age was twenty-five with at least two years of pertinent experience. And, as good as he was at pretending to be someone or something he wasn’t, lying wasn’t going to work with the premier investigative agency. A firm like the Colby Agency would surely do an extensive background search.

Just when he would have moved on, his eyes encountered three seemingly innocuous words that sent a broad smile stretching across his lips and a burst of adrenaline-driven anticipation through his veins.

No experience necessary.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” he muttered. Maybe he’d done something right lately, after all. Whatever had gained him the favor of the gods, he hoped it was enough to see him through the screening process.

“Here you go, son,” Anna announced as she set the plate laden with eggs, bacon and toast in front of him. “Clean your plate, you’ll feel like a new man.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Todd dug in. He would need every ounce of energy he could summon for today’s performance. And that was all any job interview was. The opportunity for a prospective employer to watch candidates perform to whatever music they played.

And no one was better at that dance than Todd. He had every intention of dazzling whoever was in charge. It was what he did best.

He could charm or talk his way out of practically anything, anywhere, anytime.

Well, except for this morning. But then he hadn’t known he was taking pictures of his boss’s daughter. Even he wasn’t that good.

Chapter Three

When the elevator stopped, Todd hesitated before stepping into the lobby of the Colby Agency.

This was definitely the floor on which security had instructed him to alight. But this wasn’t at all what he’d expected.

The furnishings, chairs and tables, including what was clearly the receptionist’s desk, sat in one corner while three men worked quickly to install new carpeting starting at the opposite wall.

“Mr. Thompson?”

Todd’s gaze turned to the woman who’d said his name. “That’s me.” The smile he saved for charming the ladies pushed automatically into place. “And you are?”

The pretty lady’s cheeks turned pink, but she managed a shaky smile of her own. “Elaine. The receptionist.” She glanced around the spacious lobby. “Sorry about the mess. They were supposed to have finished last week, except something went wrong and…” She shrugged. “May I get you a cup of coffee?”

After leaving the job fair, Todd had spent the entire weekend walking the floor of his one-room apartment. The call from Victoria Colby herself this morning had dragged him from the closest thing to sleep he’d gotten since. A quick shower and about a dozen cups of strong black coffee had followed that much anticipated call. He definitely did not need any more caffeine.

“No, thanks.” Somehow he managed to keep his smile in place. The receptionist’s blush deepened and for a moment she seemed completely flustered.

“This way, Mr. Thompson,” she said finally, with a gesture toward the corridor to the left of where her desk likely sat under normal circumstances.

“Call me Todd,” he insisted as he followed Elaine to what he presumed would be Victoria Colby’s office.

His guide took him to the far end of the long corridor and another, smaller lobby. This one had already been dressed in the new, no doubt expensive gold carpeting. He wasn’t that knowledgeable about decor, but even he was impressed with the lush ambience he’d encountered so far. But then, this was the Colby Agency, the very top of the tip top of the private investigations heap. He expected nothing less.

“Mildred, this is Mr. Todd Thompson,” Elaine announced to the older woman behind the desk. “Victoria is expecting him.”

Elaine flashed him a shy smile then headed back to her own domain. Todd watched her for a second longer than he should have, but she had a nice walk. In fact, she was very, very nice. He liked this place already.

“This way, Mr. Thompson.”

The stern tone tugged him back to attention. Though he felt confident the gesture was wasted, he gifted the lady—Mildred Parker, according to the name plate on her desk—with a flash of pearly whites that generally charmed most of her gender. As he suspected, she wasn’t buying it. Despite the firm expression, she had a pleasant face and looked to be well into her fifties. This, he decided, was a woman on whose good side he definitely needed to stay. She might not be the boss, but she was damned close.

“Mrs. Colby-Camp is ready to see you now.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Taking note of the addition tacked onto Victoria Colby’s name, Todd followed the all-business Mildred through a set of double doors and into a lavish office that made him think of royalty.

“Good morning, Mr. Thompson.”

Victoria Colby-Camp stood near a small conference table to the left of her impressive desk. She looked exactly as he had expected, extremely classy and completely unreadable.

“Thank you, Mildred,” she said, her tone soft, polite and yet commanding somehow.

Todd took the hand Victoria offered and shook it firmly. Behind him he heard the door close with Mildred’s exit.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Colby-Camp.” He wondered if she had any idea just how sincere those words were. He wasn’t entirely sure it was possible to relay with a mere sentence how much it meant for him to be here.

Victoria indicated the chair closest to him. “Let’s sit and talk, Mr. Thompson.”

“Todd,” he suggested as he waited for her to take her seat first. She acknowledged his suggestion with a nod and settled into the chair at the head of the oval table. He pulled out his own chair and got comfortable. At least as comfortable as he could with his whole future hanging in the balance. He wasn’t generally a guy who got nervous about much of anything but this was the most important moment of his life—he had to make this happen.

“Nicole and I reviewed the video of your interview and considered the results at length.”

Todd wasn’t surprised that the interview had been videoed. Agencies this high profile didn’t leave anything to chance. If he was hired it would likely be by committee.

“I assume your conclusion was favorable,” he offered. His confidence level rose significantly. He’d known he had impressed Nicole Reed-Michaels. Unlike this lady, Nicole had been somewhat easier to read. And gorgeous. Was everyone who worked here beautiful? Whatever Victoria’s age, she was still an attractive woman.

Life at the Colby Agency would certainly be easy on the eyes, at least if the rest of the female staff lived up to what he’d seen so far. Beautiful, intelligent. Very cool.

He’d been somewhat surprised that Nicole had conducted the interviews alone. He’d expected at least three interviewers and that a minimum of two would be male. But the Colby Agency appeared to know exactly what they’d been looking for. He’d watched with interest as Nicole had weeded out literally hundreds of applicants. Only twenty had moved on to the written exam. A mere twelve had survived that portion of the extensive interview. Less than half of those had remained once the intense one-on-one portion concluded. Nicole Reed-Michaels was a hell of a looker, but that hadn’t kept her from being as hard as nails. She was one tough lady.

But not nearly as tough as the one analyzing him just now.

“Favorable yet cautious,” Victoria allowed. “This is the Colby Agency, Todd. We don’t take chances with our reputation.”

He experienced a glimmer of worry, but he didn’t flinch. “Understandable.”

She assessed his response for three seconds. “Of the five recruits Nicole selected, only three received a call this morning,” Victoria informed him, her eyes still gauging his response.

Todd held his ground, didn’t let her see him sweat. “I’m flattered to be among those three.”

“Considering the number of applicants, you very well should be.” That dark gaze that gave away nothing remained pinned to his, waiting, watching for him to make his first mistake…for him to falter.

The next ten seconds ticked by with excruciating slowness. He gave himself a mental pat on the back when he managed not to squirm.

“You did extraordinarily well on the written exam,” she said eventually, tossing out that bone with scarcely any inflection in her tone.

“Thank you.” He’d known he’d aced the test. He was particularly good at giving the answers people wanted—which weren’t even always the correct ones. Because folks had certain expectations of success as well as failure and he’d met each one as if he’d designed the test himself. No one was better in that arena. Every professor whose class he’d taken at the University of Alabama had said the same: Todd had his own personal guardian angel when it came to test taking…either that or he was the luckiest bastard on the planet.

“My single hesitation, Todd,” Victoria went on, instantly snapping him back to the present and putting him on edge, “is with your somewhat overlarge ego.”

Uncertainty streaked through him. For the first time in his life he wasn’t sure how to respond. Though he felt confident Victoria wasn’t the first to think as much, she was definitely the first to say so.

“Not that there is no place in this line of work for a healthy ego,” she allowed. “To the contrary.” The knowing expression she kept aimed in his direction did nothing to alleviate his mounting uneasiness. “It takes courage and confidence to be the kind of investigator this agency seeks out.”

“I agree,” he said, seeing no reason to deny what she obviously understood about him. “You’ll find that I have no shortage of either. But I also know how and when to keep the latter in check.”

A smile gave him a moment’s reprieve. “I’m certain you know exactly how to conduct yourself in any given situation.” She leaned back into her chair, adopting a more relaxed posture. “Let me be frank, Todd.”

He didn’t relax, couldn’t have if his life had depended upon it. That fleeting reprieve he’d experienced had just vanished. This was the moment. Whatever she said next would determine where he went from here. Every minute of every hour of his adult life so far had been leading up to this.

“This agency is constantly inundated with applicants more than qualified,” she explained. “We choose carefully, and only the very best.”

And then he knew why he was here. He didn’t have to see it in those closely guarded eyes or to hear it in her voice. He understood exactly why a lady who could command this prestigious agency even bothered to talk to him, a guy who lacked any semblance of the qualifications of which she spoke.

“Mrs. Colby-Camp,” he said, that cocky attitude he was known for taking precedence and showing, probably a little more than it should. “I don’t have that experience you speak of with such reverence, but I do have a couple of assets you might find every bit as admirable.”

She inclined her head slightly to the right and waited for him to continue.

“Ambition. Determination. You give me this opportunity and I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.” He leaned forward, anticipation burning through him like flames licking a path through a dry field. “I will do whatever it takes to ensure you’re impressed.”

The intensity in those dark eyes cranked up a notch. “Make no mistake, Todd, I am already duly impressed, otherwise you would not be here.”

With considerable effort, he reclined into his chair, barely resisting the urge to jump up and do a little victory dance. “What happens next?”

That smile that had toyed with her lips moments ago reappeared full-force. “Now you have to impress the rest of my staff. Do that, and you’ve earned yourself a permanent position here.”

It was his turn to smile. Oh, yes, he was in. “Just tell me what you want me to do and consider it done.”

“YOU’RE CERTAIN about this, Victoria?”

She turned from the view outside her office window to face her second-in-command. “Yes, Ian, I’m absolutely certain.”

He nodded once. “How would you like to begin?”

Victoria considered his question for a moment. The three new recruits were currently in the conference room with a member of human resources. There were numerous forms to be filled out. Benefits to be discussed. All of which would buy Victoria time for this final phase of the plan.

“Let’s start with Mr. Thompson.” There hadn’t actually been any question in her mind. He was the one who stood out to her. The other two, both female, were excellent candidates, but neither possessed the level of in-your-face self-assurance young Mr. Thompson did.

“He’s a cocky one,” Ian offered.

Victoria had to smile. “Yes, he is.”

“You reviewed the background details in Simon’s report?”

“Yes.” Victoria knew of which detail in particular he spoke. Todd Thompson had decided that for his final thesis he would write about taking on a new identity and how easy it would be to fool people. In his opinion, most people wanted to believe what they were told, and he proved as much by living a double life for a short period and fooling all those around him. No actual harm had been done, but the small community where he’d played out his little hypothesis had been less than pleased to learn they’d been deceived by the young man they had presumed to be a traveling missionary from another country.

“He’ll require close supervision,” Ian countered as he considered the four case files in his hands.

“Without a doubt,” Victoria agreed. “I was thinking A.J. would be an excellent mentor.”

Ian nodded. “Perfect choice.”

Though A. J. Braddock was fairly new to the agency, his record spoke for itself. A former marine who’d turned Homeland Security agent, A.J. had worked through a number of domestic crises that required an innate ability to maintain calm in the worst possible situations. Not to mention that as a marine, he’d been one of the first assigned to Iraq when that deadly dictator had been brought down. A.J. would know just how to take the roughest edges off Mr. Thompson.

“The Serena Blake case is my top priority.” Victoria considered, remembering the young woman’s desperation. “I think Mr. Thompson’s unique skill would be an excellent match.”

“Might I recommend that we put these new recruits in the field one at a time?”

Ian’s concern was first and foremost for the agency and its clients. He was absolutely right to make such an assertion. Victoria had already decided as much.

“Agreed.” Victoria took a deep breath. “Shall we brief A.J. first?”

TODD WAITED as patiently as he could for the next step. The other two recruits, Gabrielle Hanson and Michelle Robb, had gone to lunch with Nicole Reed-Michaels.

He wasn’t worried that his being left behind was a bad sign. Nope. He figured he had been chosen for another meeting with the boss.

Or maybe they’d found out about his thesis. There was a good chance he might never live down “Charmed and Dangerous.” He’d shown quite literally that fooling others was a simple matter of determination versus skill. Anyone could do it and anyone could be conned. It was simply easier to believe what one was told. Most folks did just that. And none wanted to learn they’d been wrong. As cynical as some parts of American society had become, folks still preferred the uncomplicated. Believing was far simpler than overanalyzing.

Would Victoria change her mind about him in light of his college exploits?

She’d said she was impressed. Maybe she’d changed her mind since learning a few more details.

The door opened and the woman herself appeared as if he’d somehow summoned her with his troubled musings.

“Mr. Thompson.”

He stood. “Todd,” he reminded her.

“Todd,” she allowed, “this is A. J. Braddock.”

A big guy, definitely former military, Todd decided, considering his bearing and the high and tight haircut, followed Victoria into the conference room. The big guy closed the door behind him and thrust out his hand.

“Mr. Thompson,” he said as he grabbed Todd’s hand, “I’ve heard a lot about you this morning.”

The guy looked sincere and quite friendly. He had to be six-three if he was an inch, close to two hundred pounds. Even the nice suit jacket couldn’t disguise what were likely bulging biceps to go along with those extra-wide shoulders.

“Call me Todd.” He looked from Braddock to Victoria, determined not to be dismissed without an opportunity to prove his worth in the field. “Is this the part where you see if I can play nice with the other kiddies?”

Apparently his humor wasn’t appreciated.

“This,” Braddock said with an edge no doubt prompted by his total lack of a sense of humor, “is the part where we see if you can hold your own with the big boys.”

Todd grinned. “Touché.”

Victoria took a seat at the conference table. Braddock joined her. Todd did the same.

She opened a manila folder and viewed the contents for a moment before she began. “Serena Blake is a lab assistant at Milestone Laboratories.”

Todd wasn’t familiar with Milestone Laboratories so he sat quietly and listened.

A. J. Braddock took the ball. “Serena’s immediate supervisor is a research scientist named Charles Landon. He is also the heaviest investor at Milestone as well as the most renowned scientist on staff.”

Now there was a name Todd recognized. “His pregnant wife went missing a few weeks ago.” Every local channel, and some national, had carried the story for weeks. In the past two or three, the hype had appeared to dwindle, but as far as Todd knew, the woman hadn’t been found.

Victoria nodded. “She was seven months pregnant and simply disappeared. The police have excluded Dr. Landon as a suspect. They believe he is innocent of any wrongdoing and that, in fact, there may not be any foul play involved at all. According to my sources at Chicago P.D., the unanimous conclusion, considering certain details, is that Mrs. Landon left of her own volition. Since the police have no evidence to the contrary and there has been no ransom demand, the case is being treated more like a missing-person case rather than a kidnapping.”

“What kind of details?” Todd wanted to know.

With approval in her eyes, Victoria answered, “A large withdrawal made by Mrs. Landon the day before and a missing photo album from her childhood.”

Todd chalked one up in his favor. His new boss liked that he asked questions. He quickly reviewed what he’d watched about the case on the news and read about in the papers. He’d never heard the name Serena Blake. “So what does Miss Blake have to do with this?”

“She,” Victoria explained, “believes that foul play is definitely involved.”

“She has no evidence,” Braddock put in quickly.

“This is more her gut feelings. Apparently she and Mrs. Landon were friends.”

Todd thought about that for a second. “Does Mrs. Landon have any other friends who support this scenario?”

Victoria sighed. “This is part of the problem. Mrs. Landon had no real friends. She had acquaintances of her social standing with whom she attended parties and sat on various charity committees, but she didn’t have a single true friend that we know of. Even her relationship with Miss Blake had been kept secret from her husband. Miss Blake insists he can’t know about it now.”

“We haven’t confirmed this part as of yet,” Braddock added. “We only have her word.”

“There is always the possibility that Miss Blake is hoping to damage her boss’s career,” Victoria suggested. Before Todd could ask questions along those lines, she went on. “From what we’ve discovered since she came to us four days ago, there is some tension between her and Dr. Landon. Apparently he has passed her over for promotion once and he requires long hours without additional pay more often than not. I get the impression that he takes advantage of her any way he can. The consensus is that as far as his work goes, he’s quite ruthless.”

Todd shrugged. “Then why take the case?” Seemed like a no-brainer to him. The police didn’t think the guy had anything to hide. Why believe his assistant who, apparently, had reason to want to hurt him?

“First,” Victoria said with a bluntness that told Todd she didn’t like being second-guessed, “Miss Blake was willing to drain her savings to put up the required retainer fee.”

So she was willing to give her life’s savings to get this done. Todd didn’t see where that let her off the hook. Anyone with a little ambition would have done the same and would have considered it an investment in the future.

“Second,” Victoria continued, “if there is even a remote chance that this man had something to do with his pregnant wife’s disappearance, we have an obligation to take the case. As a private agency there are steps we can take that the police cannot.”

Todd knew the statistics; when wives went missing or were found dead, more often than not the husband was responsible. Landon certainly had the kind of money required to get rid of a wife he no longer wanted without sullying his hands. But did that make him guilty?

“Of course, we must tread carefully,” Braddock suggested. “We have to approach this in a way that gives us access without allowing damage to the doctor or his reputation, since he could very well be innocent.”

In other words, they had to pretend to be someone they weren’t. Now he got the picture. This was his specialty.

“Who do we need to be?” he asked with the same bluntness Victoria had used.

“I have a dear friend in nonfiction publishing,” she explained, “who is very interested in genetics, which is one of the main fields of research at Milestone. This friend will allow one of my investigators to open a line of dialogue with Dr. Landon in pursuit of a book about him and his research. Since my friend is genuinely interested, our investigation will set things in motion along that avenue while allowing us to get close enough to make our own conclusions about the good doctor.”

“And if all goes well,” Todd concluded, “Dr. Landon will get a book deal and we’ll have our answers. Miss Blake will simply have to come to terms with her friend’s disappearance.”

“This case is too high-profile to approach it any other way,” Braddock put in, apparently annoyed by Todd’s elementary assessment.

“A.J. is new at the agency as well as in Chicago, making him the logical choice,” Victoria interjected. “There’s little possibility that anyone, including Landon, would recognize him.”

“How do I fit into this scenario?” Todd liked doing things his own way, but he had a feeling that wasn’t going to happen this go-around.

“You’ll be introduced as A.J.’s research assistant,” Victoria told him. “This will be your trial run, Mr. Thompson,” she added, her tone direct and to the point. “If we like what we see on this assignment, you’ll stay on. If not…”

She didn’t have to clarify. “When do we start?” Todd didn’t see the need to waste any additional time. He intended to prove himself beyond a shadow of a doubt. Now was as good a time as any.

Victoria stood. She stopped him when Todd would have done the same. “I’ll leave you and A.J. to work out the finer points. An initial appointment with Landon has been arranged for nine tomorrow morning. I’ll expect you to let me know if you decide to withdraw, Mr. Thompson.”

With that ominous statement, she left the conference room. Why in the world would he withdraw?

“There are a few details we’ll need to iron out, Thompson,” Braddock said, calling Todd’s attention back to him.

“Shoot.”

The look in the other man’s eyes had Todd wishing he’d used some other terminology.

“During the course of this investigation, you will answer to me,” Braddock stated flatly. “You will do exactly what I say when I say. No exceptions. Period. There will be no second chances. Do we understand each other?”

Todd wondered briefly how much of his military time Mr. Braddock had spent as a drill sergeant. “Perfectly.”

Braddock pushed in Todd’s direction what on first glance gave the impression of a simple typed report. “This is your cover profile. Study it. Preparation is the key. I’ll pick you up at eight in the morning. If you’ve changed your mind, you will notify Victoria prior to that time and save us both the unnecessary trouble.”

Why the hell was everyone so concerned with whether or not he would change his mind?

“Don’t worry, Braddock,” Todd replied without reservation, dropping the “mister” as the older man had done when addressing him. “I won’t change my mind.”

The hint of a smile cracked the man’s no-nonsense exterior. “Maybe you’d better read the profile before you make that decision.”

The big guy pushed out of his seat. “Take the rest of the afternoon off, Thompson. Consider long and hard whether you’re cut out for this line of work. The Colby Agency employs only the best. Ask yourself one defining question. Can you, no matter the circumstances or personal sacrifice, be the best?”

Todd didn’t get up. He just watched the other man leave. Then he picked up the single page that outlined his cover for this assignment.

“Might as well see what all the fuss is about.”

Nothing Victoria or Braddock could have said would have properly prepared him for the blow to his ego.

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