Free Crazy For You by Marie Higgins Page B

took the flashlight out of her mouth and focused on the file as she pulled it out and opened it. Invoices. She glanced over at the figure column. One hundred thousand dollars? She raised her eyebrows in suspicion as she turned over the invoices. They dated back for five years.
    Five years.
    This had to be what she was looking for.
    A noise from out in the lobby stopped her. She froze, except for her heart beating out of control. Somebody was here. She was going to get caught! Prison—and orange jumpsuits —were just around the corner, she just knew it!
    She closed the file and slipped it in her jacket, pushing the drawer closed with her foot as gently as she could. She turned off the flashlight then searched the darkness for someplace to hide. The only place was underneath Terrel’s desk. She was too far away to hide in his adjoining bathroom.
    Without another thought, she fell to her knees and scooted under his desk. A stream of light from the lobby came through as the door slowly opened. Someone wearing a pair of black shoes stood just outside the office. She held her breath, praying whoever it was couldn’t know she was there.
    The feet came closer to the desk.
    “ Kendra , are you here? It’s me, Eli.”
    She sighed with relief and crawled out. “Oh, Eli. You scared me to death.”
    He chuckled as he grasped her hand and pulled her to her feet. “I hadn’t planned on you being here , but I smelled your perfume .”
    She propped her hands on her hips. “I have more right to be here than you. And what if Terrel saw you? You know how much you resemble your father.”
    “Yes, I know, but—”
    “There are no buts. You should have stayed home.”
    He circled his arms around her and pulled her against his chest. A grin stole across his face. “Thank you for caring. And thank you for being on the same brain-waves.” He shrugged. “I had no idea you’d search through his office, too.”
    She rested her face on his chest. “I want to help your father. I’m beginning to realize exactly what kind of person Terrel is, and he’s not the kind of person that should be running a multi-million dollar company.”
    “No, he’s not.” He kissed the top of her head. “Did you find anything?”
    She looked up at him. “Yes. It’s under my jacket. Let’s hurry and get home and I’ll show you what I found.”
    She pulled away and turned toward the door, but he grabbed her arm to stop her. “Wait, Kendra . Do you have something that Terrel might miss if it’s gone?”
    “I don’t know.”
    “What do you have?”
    “A file.”
    He pulled her to the copy machine against the far wall. “Let’s make copies. I don’t want to alert Terrel just in case he finds the folder missing.”
    She exhaled a rush of air. “I never thought about that.” She handed over the manila folder.
    “Why don’t you stand by the door and be our lookout, and I’ll make the copies.”
    Although it seemed forever, her heart beating a million miles a minute, Eli finally finished and they were able to walk out of the office.
    Once inside the car, he grabbed her hand and squeezed. “You’ll never guess who I talked to today.”
    “Who?”
    “I found Adam and Joshua’s driver. Lamont Waters.”
    She gasped and took a quick glance his way. “And he’s still alive?”
    “He’s been at a retirement home for five years. Apparently, Lamont was the one who drove Joshua to the mental hospital. Afterwards, Terrel and Lisa gave Lamont a choice. He could either die a slow, painful death, or be holed away for the rest of his life in an old folks home, as long as he forgot everything that happened.”
    She cringed. “Poor man.”
    He held up a min- voice recorder. “And it’s all right here on tape.”
    “Thank goodness . This will really help when we try to prove your father’s mental stability.”
    He squeezed her hand again. “Thanks for believing in me. I don’t know how to repay you for your kindness.”
    Emotion tugged at her