MemoriesErasedTreachery

by Charlie Richards

"Hmm." Devin opened the file and scanned the contents. "Why have the Corbetts decided to retire out here?"

  "They're going to combine their law practice with private investigating, something the younger family members want to start." Timothy smiled. "Chris and I have talked about it a few times, and I'm interested."

  "Well, with your combined skills, it ought to work."

  A knock on the door interrupted their conversation. Timothy's admin entered first, followed by Christopher Corbett.

  Older than Devin remembered, Corbett's six-foot-four frame had retained its well-toned, muscular physique. His once totally sandy-blond hair, now sprinkled with gray, he still wore it cut high and tight. Classic features--cleft chin, firm mouth, and the distinctive high-bridged nose completed the man's overall handsome appearance. The reflective lenses of dark glasses concealed Corbett's eyes, but Devin had the instinctive sense of being under scrutiny.

  A tall, handsome young black man, who Devin recognized as Jered Reardon, entered the room behind Corbett. Timothy and Devin stood and shook hands with the newcomers.

  "We'll get started as soon as the brass arrives," Timothy told the new arrivals. "There's coffee, regular and decaf, water and juice, you can help yourselves. If you'd prefer something else, let Roger know."

  Two and a half hours later, Devin glanced at his watch and stood. The meeting had lasted longer than he had expected. He shook hands with his bosses, walked them to the door, and returned to his seat at the conference table.

  "It's official," Timothy said. "Congratulations! This is your office and I'll have my things out of here by the end of the week."

  "Thanks, Tim. There's no rush on clearing out. I have a lot to do before I take up residence in here." Devin turned to Christopher. "Will you be in town for a while?"

  "Yeah. My wife and I are staying with my brother in Riverview."

  "Maybe we can get together. I'd like a little background, from your perspective on what to expect when I go back east for training," Devin commented. "I'm sure Tim is tired of my questions by now."

  "Not a problem. I'm on vacation. I'll be in California for another two weeks." Christopher reached into the inside breast pocket of his jacket, pulled out a business card, and handed it to Devin. "You can reach me on my cell."

  "Thanks." Devin slipped the card into his pocket. "I have to go. My baby-girl is three years old today, and I have a date with her for lunch. Can't miss that."

  "Tell me about it." Christopher chuckled. "My baby niece turned three a few weeks ago, and she wanted the family together to celebrate. Since she has all of us wrapped around her little finger, my wife insisted we fly out early to be with her."

  "I feel you." Devin grinned and turned to Timothy. "Can you make lunch?"

  "No, I'll catch up with you tonight. Gem and Rosa have gone all out over Kieki's birthday, as usual."

  "Okay, see you then." Devin stepped into the outer office and caught a glimpse of those signature ponytail puffs half-hidden behind Roger's desk chair, and Roger nowhere in sight. Surprised, he looked around for Ewyn. The only other person in the room was a young woman seated on the sofa, flipping through a magazine.

  "Kieki." He headed around the desk. "Where's Ew?" He grabbed her shoulder and turned her to face him. In the split-second before he realized his mistake, pain exploded in his shin, followed by Kiera streaking through the office door screaming, "Daddy!" She pounced on the other child and all hell broke loose.

  "Hey!" The young woman rushed over and snatched Kiera off the little girl before turning on Devin. "Are you craz--ow, shit!" she yelped. Her gaze shot to Kiera who had kicked the side of her leg. Hand dropping away, the woman gawked, looking from one little girl to the other.

  Before the woman could say anything further, Ewyn stormed into the office, stepped between the woman and Kiera, and joined the conflict. "You touch her again…"

  "Whoa, Ewyn." Devin intervened. "It's okay." He bent and scooped up Kiera. "My fault." He looked at the woman who continued to stare at Kiera. "Sorry. I thought she was my little girl. I didn't notice the different color bows…clothes, until it was too late."

  Devin looked at the other child, and the resemblance--his head jerked around and his gaze locked with Christopher Corbett's steely grey stare. His earlier elusive memory became patently tangible. "Son of a bitch!" For two hours, he had looked into those seemingly familiar grey eyes, unable to make the connection. "You and I need to talk, Corbett. Now," he growled. "Inside." He handed Kiera to Ewyn, who set her on the floor.

  Eyebrow arched, Christopher didn't bother to respond. Instead, he looked quizzically from the young woman to Reardon, who stood beside the woman and the little girl with a bewildered expression on his face. Corbett's attention finally focused on his great-niece then Kiera. "What the…"

  Puzzled, Ewyn looked at the perplexed expressions on everyone's faces not realizing the significance until Devin's words and the other man's mumbled response registered. His eyes moved from Kiera to the other little girl, mouth opening, he stared, dumbfounded. Except for the eye color, the girls were identical. He whirled around, scrutinizing each person in the room until his stare settled on the man Devin had addressed.

  "Dev, what does this mean? He's one of ours, right. But it's not possible, he's…Kieki isn't…" His gaze flew to the young black man. "I don't understand."

  Timothy cleared his throat. "I think we should take this discussion inside." He glanced at his admin re-entering the office.

  Devin stepped aside and let everybody precede him into the office. As the young woman passed, he heard her whisper to Reardon, "We need to call Mom. Something isn't right." Jered nodded, lifted his child into his arms, and trailed Timothy into the office.

  Once seated, Timothy said, "I believe introductions are in order." With that taken care of, he looked at Devin. "So, what's the problem?"

  Seated at the desk with Kiera on his lap and Ewyn standing beside his chair, Devin said, "Look at the girls, Tim."

  Timothy frowned and looked at Kiera then the other child. "What the…damn." He whipped around and stared at Christopher. "But Kieki is…" He stopped, his gaze going to the young woman holding Kiera's look-a-like. Kristen Corbett Reardon, Corbett's niece--skin the color of parchment, long thick, reddish-brown hair with a slight curl, blue-green eyes. An ethnic mix of African-American and Caucasian like Kiera and the other child.

  "Exactly," Devin declared. "Earlier, I remembered meeting Corbett's son about the time you said Corbett came to California to resolve family issues. I believe Corbett's son is only part Caucasian, and I remember he has grey eyes like his father."

  "So what are you getting at," Kristen demanded. "Is that child's mother accusing Ricardo of being the father?" She snorted. "If so, she's a liar."

  Red-hot anger motivated Ewyn across the room. "You bitch!"

  Reardon came to his feet and stepped in front of his wife, blocking Ewyn's attempt to get to her. "Whoa, kid! You don't want to do that."

  "Kid." Ewyn glared up at Jered and snarled, "You'd better back up off of me." Timothy moved to Ewyn's side and grabbed his shoulder. Ewyn glanced at his uncle, nodded, shrugged off his hand and stormed out of the room mumbling, "Son of a bitch."

  "Ew!" Kiera hopped off Devin's lap and ran toward the door. Devin called after her. Halfway across the room, she came to a sudden stop and glared up at Reardon, before looking at his wife and child. Without a backward glance, she continued out the door, saying, "Ew, Daddy."

  Corbett, who hadn't said a word so far, finally spoke. "May I suggest everyone calm down so we can resolve this?" He turned to Kristen. "You owe the young man an apology, Kris."

  "Why?"

  "Yeah. Why should she," Reardon scoffed as he reseated himself next to his wife. "He should be glad I didn't knock him on his ass for…" His voice faded, eyes widening, he looked from Devin to Timothy. "Oh, shit! I remember hearing--the accident--he's that Ewyn Kelley isn't he?"

  "Yes," Christopher responded before Devin or Timothy coul
d answer.

  "So," Kristen prompted.

  "The little girl's mother was his niece," Christopher replied.

  "Was…oh, no." Kristen looked at Devin, tears welling up in her eyes. "I'm sorry. I--"

  "Don't." Devin cut her off. "You need to tell Ewyn." He went on to explain about Nicole and what had happened since her death, concluding with, "The resemblance of the girls and Kiera's gray eyes, the proximity of your son at the time of Kiera's conception makes me suspect she's your grandchild, Corbett."

  "Yes, it would have been my conclusion, too. Except, I'm familiar with Corbett genealogy." Christopher glanced at Kristen.

  "Meaning," Devin prompted.

  "I have a twin brother," Kristen replied. "It's more likely Korey is Kiera's father. He grew up in Riverview, he had friends at Pepperdine, and our mother is African-American. Whereas, my cousin grew up on the east coast, only attended school back there, and Ricardo is part Hispanic, not Black." She looked at Timothy. "About your nieces…my condolences, and my apologies. I get defensive about my family."

  "Don't we all," Timothy remarked. "Does your brother have grey eyes?"

  She glanced at Devin. "No, they're a darker shade of amber than Devin's. But you'll notice mine are a blue-green, almost turquoise, and my husband's are hazel, yet my daughter has cobalt blue. Uncle Tony has the cobalt blue eyes," she explained. "It's a freaky Corbett thing."

  Ewyn and Kiera re-entered the office. Kiera climbed onto Devin's lap and Ewyn positioned himself beside the chair, his hip touching Devin's shoulder.

  Kristen passed her sleeping daughter to her husband, stood and approached Devin's desk. "May I speak to you outside, Ewyn…please?"

  Devin felt Ewyn stiffen and glanced up at him. Eyes narrowed, Ewyn stared at Kristen, but he made no move to comply with her request. Devin nudged his leg, smiled, and nodded.

  "Fine." Ewyn sighed and followed Kristen from the room.

  The moment the door closed behind them, Devin turned on Reardon. "Jered. Two things. First, Ewyn is older than you are. Second, Ewyn is quite capable of defending himself, but make no mistake, Ewyn means as much to me as your wife does to you." He frowned. "Do you understand what I'm telling you?"

  "Understood."

  "Good. Because you and I need to work together, amicably."

  "Oh-kay." Christopher stood and walked over to the wet bar. "With that out of the way…" He poured himself a cup of coffee and returned to his seat. "First priority, paternity tests, although gut instinct tells me Kiera is a Corbett," he stated. "And I want in on your investigation because, like you, I don't appreciate one of my own being in jeopardy."

  "Not a problem," Timothy said. "If your boys aren't involved."

  "Oh, I can vouch for my son and nephew. Neither has been on the west coast since the entire family came here three years ago," Christopher assured him. "Both were studying law, and when not in school, they clerked for the family firm in West Virginia. Neither is married."

  "Fuck," Devin growled and glanced at Kiera, glad to see she had dozed off. "Now I realize what's been bothering me. We've assumed father and husband were the same, but all indications--rumor combined with the journal-- pointed to separate entities." He shook his head. "Who the hell did Nicole marry?"

  "Good question, if you've eliminated the friend, Calabria," Christopher commented.

  "Yeah, he had an alibi of sorts, and we couldn't disprove it. But Nicole had stopped talking to him long before her death." Devin shook his head. "Damn. The case had gone cold even before we knew about your family. Now…"

  "We've eliminated the father as the perp." Christopher stared at Devin while he sipped his coffee. "Whoever is behind the deaths must be someone your nieces knew, to get that close to them. Making the perp stupid in every sense of the word, or verifiably insane."

  "Why do you say that?"

  "Hell. Who in their right mind would think it's possible to eliminate a Calderone without repercussions, even with Gregorio out of the picture." Christopher shook his head. "Uh-uh. You may have Vincenzo convinced his cousins' deaths were the result of an accident, for now. However, if he's still suspicious and the UNSUB goes after Kiera, Vincenzo will find out, and our perp will have signed his or her death warrant.

  "If the perp doesn't know that, he or she is stupid, or worse, we're talking nutcase, which makes this person extremely dangerous," he stated. "No offense, but I'm thinking…"

  "Ewyn is right to be looking over his shoulder until we have concrete proof of Cecilia's death," Devin concluded. "She fits both qualifications, stupid and insane."

  "From everything I've heard about the woman, I concur."

  "Yet, knowing the animosity between Cecilia and her daughters, none of us believe the girls would have let their mother get close to them. She killed their grandmother and tried to kill their uncle. They would have told us."

  "They may not have known it was her," Christopher suggested.

  "Again, Ewyn keeps saying something similar. He's convinced she's had reconstructive surgery."

  "If it's her, she may have changed her appearance and created a non-threatening personality beforehand. They could have become familiar with someone routinely seen around campus."

  "Damn. We never considered her establishing a new identity in their environment in advance. Where was my mind? She plotted on Ewyn and his mother for years before making her move. Ewyn is the only one whose single-minded focus remains on Cecilia."

  "Because the rest of you don't believe she's indomitable. It's the logic of our jobs. Whereas Ewyn operates primarily from fear and hatred," Christopher said.

  "True."

  "Another thing," Christopher added. "If this is about the will, how does this nutcase expect to inherit? Whoever comes forward will be the prime suspect."

  "Right. But regardless of our suspicions, the burden of proof will be on us. The blood trace found in the car belonged to Jennifer. She often drove Nicole's car, and the gun, stolen," Devin informed him. "We have no evidence and the perp must have realized it by now, which is why I'm concerned about Kiera."

  "With reason." Christopher frowned. "Consider this. Nicole wasn't supposed to die with her sister there. She should have been alone, and in the driver's seat, so it would have seemed as if she'd gone into labor and ran off the road. Kiera wasn't supposed to survive."

  "So you're thinking premeditation, too. The husband married her intending to kill her." Devin glanced at Timothy.

  "Caro died because she refused to leave her sister." Timothy sighed. "And, as Chris said, she knew or recognized the perp."

  "Yes," Christopher said. "Furthermore, if your UNSUB wanted money so badly, he or she killed two young women in cold blood, this nutcase will blame Kiera by proxy for things not working out. The hatred is for Nicole because your perp has the new will and realizes, even in death, Nicole thwarted him or her."

  "We've taken that into consideration," Devin mentioned. "Hence the security measures we've implemented to insure Kieki's safety."

  "Threat assessment--this person will come after Kiera," Christopher stated. "After three years, it's no longer about money. In all probability, the perp's mindset has escalated from greed to hatred to unadulterated rage and revenge."

  "You've given us a lot to reconsider, Chris," Timothy told him.

  "Speaking from my own personal experience with nutcases," he stated.

  "Tim's right. Yours could be the fresh perspective we've needed, and I would like to continue this discussion." Devin leaned forward and kissed Kiera's forehead. "But I have a date with a special lady." Sleepy grey eyes peeped out at him from behind half-closed lids. "Hey, baby-girl. Ready for lunch." Her eyes widened and she grinned, then she looked around the room.

  "Ew?"

  "He's outside waiting for us." He stood with her in his arms and headed for the door.

  "Devin, we need to get on this," Timothy said. "Kieki is going to be more exposed now."

  Devin stopped, hand on the doorknob, he turned back. "You'
re right." Kiera pushed against him. "Daddy…let go." He set her down and watched her scoot out the door. "Except for Detective Patterson, everyone involved in the case will be at the estate tonight. Chris, how do you feel about family get-togethers?"

  "What do you have in mind?"

  "Kieki's birthday bash at the Calderone estate. If you and your family can make it, I think tonight would be the perfect occasion for Kieki's introduction to her other family."

  "Not a problem and you're in luck. Korey and Ricardo are in town working on the family's new business venture. I'll round up everybody." Christopher grinned. "With family get-togethers in mind, I should warn you about members of my family."

  "Oh?"

  "Paternity tests or not, just by looking at Kiera, I believe your baby-girl is a Corbett. And regardless of which Corbett is the father, you need to prepare yourselves for the introductions to my wife and my sister-in-law. Their reactions to another child, especially a girl in a male-dominated family, might be a little over the top."

  "Not a problem." Devin headed out the door. "You'll find our extended family a treat, too. Tim, will you get hold of Patterson?"

  "Will do."

  Chapter 16

  Ewyn opened the rear passenger door and Kiera clambered into the SUV. She settled in her car seat, fastened the safety harness and grinned. "Big girl now, Ew."

  "Yes, you are. You'll be going to school soon, huh." He closed her door and climbed onto the front seat, belted up, and glanced over his shoulder. Her smile had disappeared. "Hey. What's up with the frowny face? You don't want to go to school, play with other children, and learn your ABC's."

  "Play with Mario, Stefan, and Josie at home." She pouted. "'Ready know ABC's, Ew."

  "You're right. I'm sorry." Ewyn looked at Devin and nodded his head toward Kiera.

  "Uh-oh." Devin scanned her features while fastening his seatbelt, then started the truck and drove off. "What's with the face, baby-girl?"

  "I don't think she likes the idea of going to school," Ewyn replied. "Says she already knows her ABC's."

  Devin grunted. "We know that's true, since she recites them every chance she gets." He looked over his shoulder. "Hey, little miss, today is your birthday. We'll go to lunch, and afterward, off to the amusement park, then you're having a party--lots of gifts, food, cake and ice cream. We can save the school talk for another time, okay." Glancing in the rearview mirror, he chuckled. "She's asleep. It's been a busy morning for all of us, huh."