Colby Rebuilt [Harlequin Intrigue Series #1023]

Mary Jane Brooks understood the news was bad the moment she opened her door and saw the resigned slump of the detective's shoulders."We've confirmed that the--" Detective Brandon Bailen, Chicago PD, cleared his throat "--the remains are Rebecca's."Mary Jane's heart plummeted and her knees weakened. Holding on to the doorframe was all that kept her vertical. "You're certain there's no mistake." She moistened her trembling lips and struggled to hold back the tears. "Labs do make mistakes. I read about--""There's no mistake, Ms. Brooks."Rebecca was dead.On some level Mary Jane had known for a while now that her sister was gone, but hearing the words somehow made it new...made it hurt so badly."Thank you, Detective." Mary Jane managed to draw in a deep, shuddering breath. "Do you know what happened? Was she--" working up the courage to say the word took monumental effort "--murdered?"Sympathy softened Bailen's usually firm expression. He was a tall, thin man with stark features, yet he was the kindest cop she had met during this awful ordeal. "Yes, ma'am, we have reason to believe so."Mary Jane closed her eyes. She wasn't sure she wanted to hear the details, but how else could she ever know the whole truth? She opened her eyes and looked directly into the detective's. "How?""Massive head trauma."The image of a broken and battered skull flashed in her mind. She tightened her hold on the door-frame, her fingers ice cold. "I see."But she didn't see. Her sister hadn't been in trouble. She had been guilty of nothing more than doing the right thing. Rebecca had told her weeks before she disappeared that she was going to have to take a stand against her employer. She hadn't elaborated on the specifics, only that the company or the CEO or maybe both were up to something illegal. Rebecca had known she had to do some-thing...the right thing.Mary Jane had known the situation was far more serious than her sister had related when the federal authorities--FBI as well as the Marshals Service-- had called to inquire as to Rebecca's whereabouts less than forty-eight hours after she had vanished.Now, eleven months later, Mary Jane's worst fears were confirmed.There was nothing she could do but bury her only sibling just as she had buried both her parents in the past three months.Mary Jane was alone. The realization crashed in around her, leaving her shaking in spite of her best efforts to remain stoic.Her whole family was gone. "When can I claim her remains?" Mary Jane forced the question past her lips. Seeing that Rebecca had a proper service and burial was the one remaining detail she could attend to for her sister. In all these months one would think that she would have been better prepared for this moment. But she wasn't. It felt impossible...surreal."That may take some time," Bailen warned, his tone careful. "The FBI is launching a new investigation and, of course, we'll be coordinating our own with theirs in an effort to get to the bottom of what really happened."Mary Jane understood. "You'll keep me posted?" That seemed like the proper question to ask next in light of the circumstances. She had no idea how this sort of business was handled. Her only experience with criminal investigations was watching television. Surely the authorities kept the family informed.Dear God. Her sister was dead.Mary Jane was alone. "Where?" Mary Jane hadn't even realized the had taken shape in her brain until she heard word echo in the corridor outside her apart-She should have asked the detective in, she belatedly. Instead, she'd stood here in the and listened to the news no one ever agency," Bailen explained. "Been a prominent Chicago fixture for more than a quarter of a century. The building was blown up last Christmas Eve by thugs attempting to cover up fraud at an investment firm located at the same address. For a while theWebb, Debra is the author of 'Colby Rebuilt [Harlequin Intrigue Series #1023]', published 2007 under ISBN 9780373692903 and ISBN 0373692900.