Carol Ericson - Eyewitness

Devon came up behind him, clutching one of Michael’s toys in her hand. “Yeah. If you couldn’t tell, this was an old house. The builders left the dumbwaiter thinking it would give the place character, but it’s been a pain.”

“Why?”

She waved the toy at the dumbwaiter. “Because you can manipulate it from the inside and Michael kept crawling in there.”

Cold fear slithered up his spine. “Does it work?”

“Yeah, it works.”

“And it goes down to Mrs. Del Vecchio’s kitchen.”

She cocked her head. “Yes.”

“Did Michael ever use it to go down to Granny Del’s?”

“H-he did, but I told him to stop. I was afraid it would break or he’d get trapped.” She hugged the toy. “Why the interest in the dumbwaiter, Kieran?”

He took two steps and slid open the door of the dumbwaiter. The space yawned in front of him, inviting, doubly so for a young boy. He toed off his running shoes and ducked inside.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m going in.”

“Why? What’s this about?” Devon’s voice had raised two octaves. She’d caught his edge of worry. “You’re not going to fit.”

“I’ll be right back.” He folded his frame, pulled his knees up to his chest and crammed his body inside the cavity. He yanked at the ropes to lower the dumbwaiter, and it inched down the space inside the wall.

A four-year-old boy would love this.

When the dumbwaiter descended and plunked to a stop, Kieran slid open the door just a few inches. He had a view of Mrs. Del Vecchio’s kitchen…and her sink.

Hand over hand, he pulled at the ropes, ascending back to Devon’s apartment with his heart hammering in his chest. He slid the door open, and Devon’s face, etched with worry, appeared in front of him.

“What is it? What did you see?”

“Everything. Michael is the one who witnessed Granny Del’s murder.”

Devon sagged to the floor and Kieran scrambled from the dumbwaiter to catch her.

Her knees hit the tiles, and Kieran crouched beside her, his words drowned out by the roaring in her ears.

“No. No, that’s impossible. He was sleeping.”

“Think about it, Devon.” He cupped her face with both of his hands. “Why would Michael be so upset that a neighbor died? Most kids his age don’t even understand the concept of death.”

“They were close. Sh-she…” Oh, God. Devon covered her eyes. Mrs. Del Vecchio was the one who had encouraged Michael to use the dumbwaiter to visit her. Had Michael defied her rule in favor of Granny Del’s much more exciting one?

She repeated. “No. It can’t be.”

Kieran continued in his low voice, which seemed so odd next to the panic sweeping through her body. “The water in the sink. Do you remember how upset he was that day in the kitchen? Our arguing hadn’t upset him. It was the overflowing sink-just like the overflowing sink in Mrs. Del Vecchio’s kitchen when she was being murdered.”

The truth of Kieran’s words hammered at her consciousness. Trying to push it away, she grasped at straws. “I’m not saying it’s true, but if it were, if Michael really did witness the murder, the killer doesn’t know that. The killer’s after me.”

Please, God.

Kieran pulled her against his chest. “I don’t think so, Devon.”

Her body convulsively jerked in his arms, and he wrapped her tighter in his embrace.

“The shot at Columbella House. That was meant for me. Michael wasn’t even there.”

“Maybe the killer figured he could get to Michael better with you out of the way.”

She struggled out of his arms and pummeled his chest. “Stop. It’s not true.”

“Devon.” He grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. “And now you’re out of the way. We need to get back to Michael.”

This new realization dropped on her head like an anvil and she gasped for breath. She scrambled to her feet and lunged for her purse on the table in the entryway. She punched in the number for Elena’s cell phone and nearly cried out when she heard Elena’s voice mail message.

She dragged in a breath and huffed it out. “Elena, this is Devon. Michael is in danger. We think he’s the one who witnessed the murder. Take him to the Coral Cove P.D. as soon as you get this message and call me back.”

Kieran smoothed a hand down her back. “That’s the way. He’ll be fine once Elena gets him to the police station. We’ll pick him up there and head out of town.”

Another thought slammed against her brain and she sank to the nearest chair. “Kieran, why does Elena’s new boyfriend look like one of Johnny Del’s gang members?”

Kieran’s face showed no surprise, only a deepening of the lines bracketing his mouth. “Coincidence. You heard Detective Marquette-The Pelican is dead.”

“How did the killer know we were at Elena’s office? How did he know when he texted me that you wouldn’t be there? You know he never would’ve tried anything with you there.”

A muscle twitched in Kieran’s jaw and he rubbed it with his thumb. “I don’t know, Devon.”

She bent forward and leaned her forehead on her knees. “Sam came into Elena’s waiting room that day, remember? He’d forgotten something. That told him Elena was seeing Michael first and you next. He knew I’d be waiting for you with Michael.”

“What did Elena say this morning? Sam was out of town today.”

“Yeah, out of town because he thought we were all going to San Francisco. What do you want to bet he changed his mind after he heard from Elena?”

“Let’s get back.” Kieran grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the chair.

When they got to the car, Devon called the Coral Cove P.D. “Clark, you need to look for Dr. Elena Estrada. My son is with her and he’s in danger.”

“From Dr. Estrada?”

Devon pounded the steering wheel. “No, from Sam…Sam Frost. He’s the financial adviser who just moved into the same building as Dr. Estrada.”

“I don’t think the chief’s going to launch a manhunt on your say-so, Devon. Is there some kind of APB out for Dr. Estrada or a warrant for this Sam?”

“No. I’m telling you. My son is in danger. Elena took him on a picnic to the beach.”

“We have miles of beaches here, Devon.”

“Start searching them!” she screamed into the phone and threw it against the dashboard.

Kieran scooped up the phone from the floor. “I’m calling Detective Marquette.”

He left a message for the detective and then placed the phone in the console. “Elena will protect Michael from Sam.”

Devon shot a sideways glance at Kieran, his face dark and menacing. She’d put her money on Kieran over Elena, Chief Evans and the entire CCPD and SFPD wrapped together.

She maneuvered through the streets toward Fisherman’s Wharf and then hit The Embarcadero. The tension in her shoulders didn’t abate until she accelerated onto the freeway.

“Try Elena again.”

Kieran shook his head as he held the phone to his ear. “Not picking up.”

Devon said a silent prayer for the safety of her son as she raced up the freeway. God, keep my son safe until his father can rescue him.

DEVON BLEW INTO CORAL COVE and raced up the back way to the center of town. They planned to drop by her mom’s house first and then check Elena’s office before hitting the beaches.

Devon’s stomach dropped when she didn’t spot Elena’s car out front. “She’s not here.”

“Let’s check inside in case she left some indication where they were going.”

“She texted me over three hours ago that they were picnicking at the beach. They wouldn’t still be there. Look at the weather.” She waved her arm at the overcast skies.