"Let's find Myce," Kiera told Niqui. "Show you pictures of my momma and my ganpa."
Ewyn watched them scamper from the room before he turned back to Kristen. "Come on," she said. "My mother and my aunt are eager to meet you." Two women stood by the bar watching his approach. The taller of the two had to be Kristen's mother. They resembled each other in looks and stature. Kristen introduced the shorter woman first.
Five feet tall, she had a pretty, heart-shaped face with full lips, and a lovely smile. Her olive-toned skin, dark, shoulder-length slightly wavy hair, and soft brown eyes spoke of her Hispanic lineage.
"Ewyn. This is my aunt Villa Leon Corbett, Christopher's wife, and their son, Ricardo."
Ewyn shook hands with the woman and her son, but he couldn't stop gawking at the young man. Almost as tall as Christopher, Ricardo had a swarthy complexion and thick dark lashes highlighting startling grey eyes so similar to Kiera's, his baby-girl resembled Ricardo more than her father.
"Ewyn," Kristen prompted.
"Oh, sorry. I can't get over the resemblance."
"It's the eyes. Wait until you meet Uncle Tony and see him and Niqui together." She turned to the other woman. "Mom, this is Ewyn. Ewyn, this is my mother, Marissa Wells Corbett.
Almost as tall as Ewyn, her smooth, caramel colored skin had very few wrinkles, but there were laugh lines around her mouth and eyes. She had amber eyes, a deeper hue than Devin's, and her shoulder-length reddish-brown hair had a minimum of grey streaks threaded through the soft waves. Her trim figure suggested a strict regimen of physical exercise.
Ewyn extended his hand, but the woman stepped forward and hugged him. "It's a pleasure to meet you," Marissa said. "And thank you."
"It's nice to meet you, too." Eyebrow arched, he asked, "Uh, why are you thanking me?"
"Come on, let's sit…talk." She moved to the other sofa. "Your aunt told me, you're responsible for Kiera's upbringing. You and Devin. I owe you a debt of gratitude, and before we go any further, let me assure you, our family doesn't plan to change a thing," she said then turned to the men she left standing by the bar. "Korey…Tristan, come meet Ewyn."
Ewyn shook hands with Marissa's husband Tristan, the blond Ewyn had been drooling over earlier. About Devin's height and physique, he had the same turquoise eyes as his daughter. Turning his attention to Korey, Marissa's son and Kiera's father, Ewyn found himself staring up at another first-rate specimen of the male species. The same height as his father, Korey had a slightly slimmer build, and deep amber colored eyes like his mother.
Ewyn couldn't help but stare. The Corbett men had identical features, yet the different eye and hair colors made them standout as individuals. Dragging his gaze away from Korey, Ewyn formally introduced his family, including Mick and Taggart, and he introduced Detective Patterson. By the time Mycelia announced dinner, Ewyn had dropped his guard with the Corbetts. It seemed right--they fit.
Chapter 17
He flipped open the phone on the third ring. "Hey. What's up?"
"Where are you?"
"At the estate, and besides the usual players, there's a lot more activity this year, more people."
"Do you recognize any of them?"
"Only the police detective and I can't figure out why he's at her party."
"Could be part of her protection, so don't worry about him. Get pictures of everyone else."
"Will do. And speaking of protection, they have the condo locked down so tight the Feeb almost caught me outside the other day."
"Hmm. Forgot who you're playing with, huh." There was the sound of chuckling. "You need your a-game on. You're not playing with the locals. Devin and his cohorts are no dummies. Stay off their radar."
The connection ended.
* * * *
Kiera had chosen her own menu--all of her favorite foods--barbeque chicken, corn on the cob, macaroni and cheese, biscuits, butterfly hotdogs, and baked beans with honey and onions. Rosa added baby spinach, a few varieties of lettuce, an assortment of chopped and diced veggies, and a variety of salad dressings. She had everything set up buffet style.
Mycelia settled Kiera and Niqui at the table, their plates filled with a smidgen of everything, while the adults fixed plates for themselves then joined the two girls. Dinner became a boisterous affair with both families sharing hilarious and hair-raising anecdotes of their lives.
The estate children joined the festivities when the ice cream and cake arrived. Everyone sang the birthday song to Kiera's delight, while she stood on her chair, clapping and giggling.
"Make wish, Kieki," Niqui shouted while the other children yelled, "Make a wish then blow." Prompted by their encouragement, Kiera managed to blow out the candles, all three of them, at the same time. While Rosa and Mycelia sliced the cake and dished out ice cream, Kiera opened her gifts. It surprised Ewyn to find gifts from the Corbetts among the presents, but it astounded him when Patterson presented Kiera with one.
By the time everyone had finished dessert, it was close to midnight, and both baby-girls were almost asleep on their feet. Ewyn checked with Kristen before directing Mycelia to take the two girls up to the nursery. "Niqui can nap with Kieki until you're ready to leave," he told Kristen.
With the children out of the way, both families moved to Gregorio's office. They talked well into the early morning hours, discussing every aspect of Nicole and Carolyn's deaths, and the combined strategies in play to insure Kiera's safety. Once they had exhausted all opinions and options, Devin and Ewyn walked the Corbetts out to their cars.
"I think your little girl is out for the night," Ewyn told Kristen as he watched Jered secure the child in her seat.
Kristen snorted and climbed into her vehicle. "But it doesn't mean I'll get to sleep late. She'll be up before dawn."
"Oh, hey…I feel you."
"It was a rocky start, but Niqui and Kiera have moved passed that, and I'm not surprised. Considering the forced isolation of their lives," she said. "Or maybe they feel a connection. So, if you don't think it's too soon, I'd like to set up some play dates, so they can get to know each other better." She grinned. "And you know Mom is looking forward to spending time with her too."
"Uh…sure." Ewyn cast an anxious glance at Devin.
"Hey." She took Ewyn's hand. "We don't intend to overwhelm her, so whatever you decide." She looked at Devin. "Listen. Even without paternity tests, the family has acknowledged, and accepts Kieki is a Corbett."
Devin nodded. "I'll talk to Myce, see what times are good for her, then get back to you."
"Sounds good, and thanks." Kristen closed her car door and drove away.
Ewyn had started back toward the house when Kiera's father approached him. "I didn't know Nicole very long, but I'd like to learn everything about her, and get to know Kiera," Korey said. "Can we get together sometime? I'd love to see pictures."
"Sure."
"Thank you." Korey handed him a business card. "Call me when you want to get together."
Devin and Ewyn stood huddled together in the doorway watching the cars disappear down the drive. Ewyn glanced at his watch when they turned back into the house. It was three a.m.
* * * *
Hell. How much longer do I have to wait?
Following them over here wasn't supposed to be an all-nighter, not on a weekday. She's not usually with him during the week. What is wrong with people? Where is their routine? They think I'm too crazy to keep my act together. They want to put me away.
I'm wasting too much time. I don't need this. Damn it, another headache, they're coming too close together, and I'm taking too many pills. If I close my eyes…wait a minute, people are leaving. Ducking down on the seat and peering through the windshield, hmm, must have been a party…uh-oh. Uncle Ewyn and his partner are going back inside. It'll be light soon, and I can't let them catch me now. Shit, I'll have to chance it because everything is ready. I wonder if Ewyn is going to take her back to his place today. Hell. Why don't these people stay consistent?
O
kay, I'll wait. Pull the hood up, have gloves, a blanket…might as well get comfortable. At least I prepared for the weather this time.
* * * *
"I'm impressed, Dev. Not once did any of them try to deny Kieki."
"How could they? The two girls are identical in everything but eye color, and Korey admitted to sleeping with Nicole. Kristen said they have acknowledged and accepted Kiera as one of their own."
"True. Why was I so worried? Their family as a whole should be good for Kieki. Give her a chance to interact outside our closed environment."
"I agree. Did you notice Kieki never hesitated? She wasn't nervous or shy with any of them, boldly walked up to her grandfather, introduced herself, and asked him his name. She let them hold her while she laughed and chattered non-stop."
"Yeah." Ewyn chuckled. "Baby-girl took to Marissa right away, calling her ganmom, mimicking Niqui."
"Gem feels comfortable with them, too," Devin remarked. "They impressed her because they didn't act condescending toward the mobsters." He snorted. "Her words, not mine. She can go on her trips, her mind at ease, knowing Kieki not only has other mother figures, but an honest-to-goodness grandmother."
"Right." Ewyn yawned. "I'm glad Kieki feels comfortable with them. It could have been a catastrophe. This morning…uh…wait. I should say yesterday wasn't an auspicious beginning." He laughed. "By the way, you know how you're always razzing me about Kieki having my personality. Well, Daddy, when Niqui asked about Kieki's mommy, baby-girl's concentrated stare, answering a question with a question, she jumped all over your attitude."
"Makes a daddy proud, huh."
"Oh, yeah. She handled it better than I would have."
"No doubt."
"Hey!" Ewyn pouted.
"Yeah…"
"Whatever," he grumbled. "I told Marissa about Mick and Tag being Kieki's godparents--Marissa's Catholic-- and I expected her to object. Instead, she laughed and said, "Baby-boy, pul-lease. Do they love her, will they protect her with their lives, take care of her if you and Devin can't?"
"She reminds me of Mairianna," Devin stated.
"Yes, she does. Easy to talk to, doesn't hold back, and says what's on her mind. Mom would have liked her."
Ewyn stopped walking, cocked his head to one side and listened, surprised to hear Mick, Taggart, and Timothy in Gregorio's office. "I thought they had gone to bed." Mick and Taggart stayed at the estate when they had late meetings, but they never stayed up so late. Ewyn stepped into the room and saw Patterson, whose presence explained why the guys were awake. "Hey. If we're going to hang for a while, we need to move this party to the kitchen," he said. "I'm hungry."
Taggart shook his head. "Tell us something we don't know. Gem is a step ahead of you. Rosa is fixing breakfast as we speak."
"Where is Gem?" Devin asked.
"She went to bed," Timothy said. "She's doing so well, I don't want her to overdo it and have a relapse."
"So what did you think of the Corbett's?" Ewyn asked Taggart as they headed for the kitchen with the others trailing behind them.
"Hmm. Let's say, you weren't the prettiest face in the room tonight," Taggart teased, and received a punch on the arm. "I mean, Kieki's grandfather, whoa--okay!" He threw up his hands in surrender when Ewyn turned on him. "Seriously. They're good people, and Kieki's grandmother really impressed me." He looked at Mick as they seated themselves at the table. "I think our people should recruit Marissa for our BAU. Her intuitive skills seem off the chart."
"Yeah," Mick concurred. "But I'd wager Christopher already uses her skills." He turned to Devin. "Why so quiet?"
"Something Marissa said." He looked at Patterson. "Where is Calabria?"
"Went back to the Chicago area after he graduated," Patterson replied. "Why?"
"I'm not sure. Are you still keeping tabs?"
"Not for some time, but I have contacts back there who can check him out. What are you thinking?"
"Marissa asked about Nicole's phone records, about the friends Nicole called. Calabria was one of those friends, but we never considered the timeline, damn it!" Devin abruptly pushed away from the table, stood, and started pacing. "Patterson. You need to call your contact. Have him track down Calabria."
"Why, Dev?" Ewyn went to Devin and grabbed his arm to stop his pacing. "What is it?"
"Maybe nothing, but who was the only friend she didn't call after she changed her phone number…"
"Calabria," Ewyn whispered. "That son of a bitch!"
"Hold on. Let's not get excited." Devin pulled Ewyn close. "Remember, Jennifer said Niki and Calabria were on the outs before she changed numbers. His number not showing up on the new phone billing could be connected to that." He turned to Patterson. "We need to go over those phone records again, and find out exactly when she stopped talking to him on her old cell."
"Will do," Patterson said. He grabbed his napkin, wiped his mouth and hands, stood, and headed for the door. "I'll get right on this. It's the first fresh idea we've had in more than a year. I'll touch base with you later." He hurried away.
"Mick…Tag." Devin tugged Ewyn back to the table and they sat down. "What did you find out about that rental car?"
"Stolen," Taggart told him. "I'm working on it. I put out a BOLO. However, if it's connected to our case, I doubt we'll find any trace."
"Tim, can you have someone check the Chicago area for a marriage license?" Devin asked.
"Sure, I could. But you're the boss now, you can do it yourself."
"Damn." Devin shook his head. "Between Kieki's birthday and discovering her other family, I totally forgot."
"Dev…"
He turned to Ewyn and saw disquiet reflected in the green eyes. "Hey. I don't want to get all excited, then not have it pan out." He reached over and rubbed Ewyn's neck, feeling the tension. "Let's get some sleep and start fresh in the morning."
"Okay." Ewyn yawned. "I am tired. Are you going to call the Corbetts?"
"Not until I hear from Patterson." They finished their meal in silence, then everyone trudged upstairs.
"Hey." Devin came out of the bathroom, climbed on the bed, and turned out the light. He pulled Ewyn back against him and nuzzled the slim neck. "Are you going to work today?"
"No. Staying here. Kieki may have questions about the Corbetts. Are you going in?"
"Uh-uh. Want to follow up with Patterson, talk to Christopher, and see what other leads I can unearth." Devin stifled a yawn. "We need to put this to rest before our perp makes a move."
"Dev…"
"Hmm."
"I'm thirty-six, almost thirty-seven. Don't I look thirty-six?"
"Where is that coming from?" Devin chuckled. "Because Marissa called you baby-boy." He rolled Ewyn over to face him, palmed the stubborn chin, and tilted Ewyn's head. "Babe, some families use the term as a generational thing, and for others it's a slang thing, referring to you being the younger one. I call you baby-boy all the time, and we call Kieki baby-girl. Neither of you are babies anymore."
"Dev." Ewyn sighed. "I know that, but Reardon called me kid, and I'm several years older than him."
"It's the pretty face."
"Yeah, right."
"Hey." Devin leaned over and took a quick kiss. "I need at least an hour of sleep in order to function today. Okay, baby-boy."
* * * *
Devin hung up the phone just as Kiera skipped into the office with Mycelia close on her heels.
"Hey, Kieki."
"Dev…" She climbed onto his lap and frowned. "Ew said I could see Niqui at Niqui's house and Myce said not today maybe tomorrow, but Niqui's ganmom said I could see her anytime I wanted to." She took a deep breath. "How come I can't go now, huh, Daddy?"
Devin struggled to keep a straight face, and refrain from laughing at the seriousness of Kiera's expression. Just as he opened his mouth to respond, Ewyn came barreling into the room, dressed in sweatpants, tee shirt, and barefoot.
"There you are. Baby-girl, why did you run off?" Ewyn turned to Devin and
grinned. "I've already taken care of it." He dropped down on the chair in front of the desk. "I spoke to Kristen and she's coming by to get Myce and Kieki."
"Oh-kay. See, Kieki, Ew fixed it." Devin kissed her brow.
Kiera hopped off Devin's lap and ran to Ewyn. "Thanks, Ew." She hugged him and placed a noisy kiss on his lips. "See, Myce, told'ya."
Mycelia chuckled and took her hand. "Well, I think you might want to change out of your pj's, huh." They walked out of the room with Kiera chattering about what she wanted to wear.
"Kris will be here within the hour," Ewyn called after them then turned back to Devin. "Kieki seems to be all right with the Corbett situation. Her only question was when she could go to Niqui's house. I figured why not let her go today, let the bonding start at her pace."
"Good idea."
"Yeah. The Corbetts are so anxious to get to know her, Kristen jumped on the opportunity to start today," Ewyn said. "Furthermore, I want to help with the investigation. Without Kieki around to distract me, I figured I could get a lot more done."
"Are Mick and Tag still here?"
"Mick is here, and I told him about Kieki going to the Corbett's house. He'll be ready when Kristen arrives." Ewyn stood and came around the desk, picked up the phone, and pressed the intercom button. "Have you eaten?"
"Not since four hours ago, when we went to bed."
Ewyn grinned, sat on the edge of the desk as he spoke into the phone, and requested breakfast--Devin's smoothie, fresh fruit, two omelets and his decaf coffee. Turning back to Devin, he said, "After talking to Kristen, I called Kieki's pediatrician and arranged for the paternity tests. Since Korey already admitted his responsibility, it's just for the record."
"Right."
"So what did Patterson have to say?"
"According to Calabria's family, Anthony has been in Europe for the last eighteen months. He went to visit family in Italy and decided to stay for a while."
"Damn." Ewyn frowned. "He can afford to do that?"
MemoriesErasedTreachery Page 20
