Crazy For You (8 page)

The ringing of the telephone jarred her to awareness and she hurried to pick it up. “Hello?”

“
Kendra
? Hi, this is Lucinda.”

She snapped to attention
, excited to hear from
Terrel’s
housekeeper
. “Hi. How are you?”

“Fine.”
She paused and cleared her throat. “I am calling because I found some pictures you might like to see.”

“Really?
What pictures?”

“They are from
Terrel’s
childhood.”

Kendra
clutched the phone. “Are they any with his brother Joshua?”

“
Sí
.”

Her heart beat with renewed life. “Oh, you’re the greatest
, Lucinda
. When can I see them?”

“I have this afternoon off. Would you like me to bring them over to your place?”

“Yes, please.”

“I will be there in a few minutes.”

“Lucinda, you, umm, didn’t tell Lisa did you?”

“Of course not.
Besides,
Señora
Montgomery has not been around the house lately.”

“Oh, Lucinda, please don’t let Lisa know. I think she’d get upset.”

The housekeeper chuckled. “I stumbled across them in the back of one of her walk-in closets. I knew you would like to see them.”

Kendra
laughed. “You’re a treasure.”

“And do not forget it.”

Kendra
waited for Lisa’s
housekeeper
to arrive, pacing the front room floor like a caged animal. It seemed like the minutes passed by slower than the hours. Finally, there was a knock and she bolted to the door, twisting her ankle on the way. Gritting her teeth against the sharp pain, she opened the door and let Lucinda in. The older, rotund woman with white stripes in her black hair was the friendliest woman
Kendra
knew. Lucinda would give the shirt off her back if it meant helping someone in need. After hugging
Kendra
, she led them into the front room and sat beside her on the sofa.

“I found three boxes full of pictures hidden way back in one of
Señora
Montgomery’s closets.” Lucinda pulled out a large manila envelope. “I do not know why she would have shoved them behind everything unless she is still mourning her husband and Joshua’s death.”

Kendra
kept herself from grabbing the pictures out of Lucinda’s hands, but waited until her friend handed them to her. The first bunch of pictures was of
Terrel
in his younger years. He was a cute boy, so blond he looked almost white, but the slightly older boy in the photo caught her attention.

“Who’s this?”

Lucinda smiled. “I believe that is Joshua. He looks so much like his father.
Sí
?”

Kendra
’s heart softened when she looked at the dark haired boy with the brilliant smile, and as she continued flipping through the pictures, her heart melted even more. By the time she held the photos of Joshua as a man, she was at a loss for words. He was absolutely the most handsome man she’d ever seen. Now she knew where Eli inherited his good looks.

Joshua was leaner than
Terrel
, and in most of the pictures, he was the one smiling.
Terrel
held a scowl.

“I wonder why
Terrel
didn’t like to smile.”

“I do not know.” Lucinda shrugged. “Right after I started working for
Señora
Montgomery, I could not help but think what a happy person
Terrel
was. At first, it bothered me a little because he was not mourning his father and brother like I thought he should, but then I realized he mourned in a different way.
Terrel
had to be outgoing and happy. He was the new president of a major department store. He had to act the part.” She shook her head.
“Poor boy.
He could not express his loss for his father the way he had wanted.”

Lucinda gave
Kendra
a hug. “You have been good for
Terrel
. Since he started dating you, he has been a different person. He has been more self-assured; he thinks about the company more, and how he can expand his wealth. To me, that is a good sign. It says he is thinking about his future, and the future of his posterity. I am assuming you plan on having children with him?”

The subject of children turned
Kendra
’s stomach. If what Eli said were right about
Terrel
, her fiancé wouldn’t make a very good father.

She forced herself to smile. “I do want children.”
But not with
Terrel
.

Lucinda patted
Kendra
’s knee, then stood. “I hope those pictures helped.”

“Yes, they really did.
Terrel
has been so closed mouth about his past, and especially about his older brother. I’m happy you shared these with me.”

Kendra
gave Lucinda another hug before the housekeeper left. Thankfully, the pictures helped put a face to the man Eli kept talking about, and if Joshua Montgomery was truly alive, it was her duty to free him from his five-year prison.

After a full day’s search, Eli’s temper was ready to snap. He’d tracked down five of the nine servants who’d been in Adam’s employ, only to find those five had left the country unexpectedly right after they were laid off, or they had died from unnatural causes. The information left a bitter taste in his mouth.
Eli had a sinking feeling
Terrel
and Lisa
were
behind it.

The end of the day approached quicker than he’d expected, leaving him no choice but look for the other four servants tomorrow. Hopefully, they would have a different fate since leaving the Montgomery household.

On the subway ride back to
Kendra
’s apartment, he kept a sharp eye out for anybody suspicious that might be watching him in a peculiar way. During this time, he reflected on today’s events. This morning, all he’d wanted to do was hold
Kendra
in his arms and comfort her, yet he’d also wanted to find
Terrel
and beat some sense into him. That man was so sure of himself he never thought she would find out about his past.

Eli smiled as his hopes escalated. Perhaps he’d stopped the wedding after all?

He hated to see
Kendra
so upset. He didn’t like her frown, and he didn’t like the lines of stress marking her flawless face. His gut wrenched. He also couldn’t stand seeing her broken heart reflected in her amazing blue eyes.

Of course,
Terrel
and Lisa were in the business of ruining people’s lives, which was why Eli had to stop them.

He balled his hands at his side when he thought about all the injustice those two people had created. He was lucky to be able to come back and
attempt
to correct the wrong that had been made, but when he thought about leaving in a few more days, a wrenching pain began in the pit of his stomach and made his chest hollow. How he’d fallen head-over-heels so quickly for that woman, he didn’t know. But she’d formed a place in his heart, a place he rather enjoyed having there. When he made her smile, it brightened his day, and when he made her laugh, it was like angels singing from heaven. How could he live without that? He couldn’t. But he just might have to, and the thought tore him apart.

Why, out of all times in his life, did Cupid
had
to strike him now?

He stepped off the subway and headed slowly toward
Kendra
’s house. Through the busy streets, he kept searching for anything suspicious. He didn’t trust anybody, except
Kendra
, and it worried him somebody would eventually try to stop him from completing his mission.

After dropping by a drug store to get
a comb, toothbrush, and deodorant that he actually liked.
..Eli hurried toward
Kendra
’s apartment. He knocked on the door before opening it. “
Kendra
, it’s me.” He stepped inside and closed the door.

“I’m in the kitchen,” she answered.

He grinned. The kitchen was where they’d started things last night. He hoped tonight would be a repeat. More than anything, he wanted to show her how he felt. He’d fallen for
Kendra
fast, but it comforted him to know he was falling in love with her. Because of the uncertainty
Terrel
placed on Eli’s life, he didn’t know what his future would hold, and he wanted to be with
Kendra
as much as he could
before return
ing to
his time
.

He set the small plastic bag on the end table and followed the scent of food into the kitchen.
Kendra
sat at the table reading the newspaper as she ate her dinner. He glanced at the large flat box beside her and laughed.

“Pizza?”

She shrugged. “I didn’t feel like cooking.”

“You’re just so perfect in every
way,
I didn’t think you’d be the type to like pizza.” He walked to the table and plopped down on a chair, lifting the lid to the pizza box.
“Sausage and mushroom.
My favorite.”

Her eyes widened. “Are you serious?”

“Yes. Why? Don’t you think they have pizza in the future?”

She shook her head. “I...I just can’t believe we have the same taste in food.
Terrel
absolutely abhors eating this.”

Eli rolled his eyes. “Goes to show you how much
Terrel
knows.” He picked up a slice and sank his teeth into the gooey cheese and sighed. “
Terrel
is definitely missing out on the finer foods in life,” he mumbled with a full mouth.

“Guess what I did today?” she asked.

He shook his head, continuing to consume another bite.

“Lisa’s housekeeper, Lucinda, found some old photos of
Terrel
and his brother when they were growing up, and she brought them over for me to look at.”

Eli met her stare, but said nothing.

“For some inane reason, Lisa had hidden all the pictures in boxes and stuffed them in the back of her closets.”

“Well? What did you think when you saw them?” he muttered in between chews.

She tilted her head, her eyes narrowing on him. “I think you resemble your father and grandfather quite a bit.”

He smiled. “Thank you. I take that as a compliment.”

“I also noticed Joshua smiled a lot more than
Terrel
.”

He swallowed before talking this time.
“Of course.
Terrel
was extremely jealous of Joshua. Lisa wanted her son to have everything, but Adam knew who
was the rightful heir
. Although Adam loved his stepson, Adam could never love him as he loved his own flesh and blood.
Terrel
couldn’t stand that, which made
Terrel
one very unhappy child.”

“Did your father ever like
Terrel
?”

He nodded. “My father told me stories of when he and
Terrel
were younger. He enjoyed having a younger brother to play with. It wasn’t until they were older when he noticed the selfish change in his stepbrother.
Terrel
was all the time trying to get Joshua in trouble, and when his plans failed, it made
Terrel
even angrier. That’s why I think
Terrel
had
him
locked up in an asylum.” He hesitated, scratching his head. “I just wonder how he was able to buy people to lie for him. Most people liked and trusted Joshua more than
Terrel
, so I wonder where
Terrel
found the people to do his bidding.”

“I think that will be hard to prove.”

“Yes, but we must in order to get my father released.”

She leaned forward, crossing her arms on the table. “So, what did you do today?”

He blew out a frustrated breath. “Not what I’d planned, that’s for sure.”

“What happened in your search?”

“You wouldn’t believe it. I didn’t.”

“What?”

“I found five of the nine servants who would know my father, but I didn’t get to talk to one.”

Her perfectly shaped brows drew together.
“And why not?”

“Because they were either dead or had moved out of the country.”