Stealing Time (25 page)

Kate shivered as more history was revealed.
“I’m sure your father loved you, too.”

“No, not really. He loved the idea of having
children, but his firstborn meant the world to him. That’s why
Lillian Woods took me under her wing. She could see what was going
on in that house and wanted to get me out from under its influence.
I think I was eleven when she first suggested we go for walks in
Central Park. We sometimes met at museums or had lunch. She treated
me like her own son, although she had two. The first one was a
jerk.” Freddie pointed around the room. “This was his office at one
time. Lillian encouraged me to become a lawyer and join the firm. I
now know her plan was for me to take over. She didn’t want this
place left in Albert’s hands. The only thing she asked of me was to
never change the name. I was supposed to leave it Woods and
Associates.”

If only you knew why!
It all made
sense. Her grandmother’s words came back to her. “Don’t forget. Go
to New York City...Woods and Associates...as soon as possible when
you get home.” That’s why Lilly insisted on keeping the same
company name so Kate could find the law office and receive her
grandmother’s message. Freddie, being the sweet boy he was,
obliged. Kate suppressed the urge to run over and hug her little
brother-in-law but kept mute, hoping he’d continue with the
story.

“Lillian knew Albert was working for my
father and eventually would ruin the company. I resisted any work
my father tried to send this way. In the end he gave up pressuring
me, and when Albert retired, I was named partner and head of the
firm by Lillian. Albert’s two sons weren’t too fond of an outsider
taking over, so they left the firm to start their own. They always
thought they’d be heirs to the kingdom. Little did they know their
grandmother held all the power, not Albert. Her husband, Robert,
wasn’t a stupid man. Everything was put in her name before he went
to prison. After her husband died, she was in charge. Quite a shock
to Albert, but he never told his sons. Led them to believe he was
the head of the company till the day he died. Dear Lilly let him
keep his dignity and never let on. When she passed, she left
everything to me.”

“You said there was another son. Why didn’t
he become the head of Woods and Associates?” Kate was dying to hear
what Freddie would say about her father.

“Not the lawyer type. Jack was a journalist.
He moved out west and visited infrequently. I complained to Lillian
about her being left alone in the city, but she always insisted she
wasn’t. She said his short visits were enough. I wished I could’ve
been loved like that.”

“Sounds like you were...” Kate wanted to
console him. “...by Lillian. She must’ve been a wonderful woman.
Thank you for telling me about her.”

“Now, Kathryn...”

“Please call me Kate.”

Freddie’s eyes grew wide when she said that.
“Sorry, just an old memory.” He smiled at her, and Kate’s heart
melted. She saw the eleven-year-old boy in that smile and those
eyes. How could she keep up the charade? Freddie had the right to
know who she was and that Andrew was still alive and right down the
hall.

“Now, let’s get down to business. Lillian
Woods left all the royalties from her son’s books to you. Since her
death in the 1970s I’ve managed the account for you, waiting for
you to claim it. I was in charge since it was established,
overseeing it for years. I’m just a figurehead at the firm these
days, but I never relinquished this account. I’ve been in total
control of it and prayed you would show up before I was called to
meet my Maker. I guess my prayers have been answered. Although...”
Freddie hesitated. “I expected you to be much older.” He shook his
head and blinked a few times, like he was trying to process the
whole situation.

Kate knew he must be wondering how a girl of
eighteen could be included in a will when she wasn’t even born yet.
She should be in her fifties for it to make sense.

“My son, Federico, was instructed to call me
if the message about Lillian Woods was ever received. I would be
brought in to handle the account. Never thought I’d live to see the
day. That’s why you had to wait, dear. My apologies. Had to get
presentable and brought to the office.”

Kate smiled at him. “You look very handsome.”
Her head was reeling from all the information. Her father’s books
collected royalties over the years, and Lilly left them to her. She
owned her father’s books. “So you’re saying I have a little money
coming? That I own the rights to her son’s books?”

“Exactly. Except it’s not a little money.
It’s rather a large sum. This much to be exact.” Freddie wrote a
figure on a notepad and slid it across the desk.

Kate gasped. She was a millionaire, in
control of her own destiny and not dependent on anyone. Tears
filled her eyes. “This is too generous.”

“I did a good job investing the money, Kate.
That’s all.” Freddie sat back in his chair and studied her
carefully. “Don’t know why she wanted to give a complete stranger
her son’s royalties, but I never questioned her. I have a feeling
you’re not telling me something.”

There was a knock at the door. An older,
attractive dark-haired woman came through the door. “I’m sorry,
Uncle, but we’ve got a small crisis.”

“I can wait outside.” Kate stood up, relieved
to be saved by the crisis.

“Thank you, dear. It shouldn’t take long.
Teresa, this is Kathryn Roberts.” Freddie turned to Kate. “Teresa
is my great-niece and works here at the firm.”

Kate shook hands with the petite woman,
finding something all too familiar about her.

As she walked out the door, Kate decided to
find Drew and tell him everything. Retracing her steps, she found
him talking and laughing with Calvin and Curtis, his long lost
nephews. “Drew, could I speak to you alone?”

“Sure, Cal, Curt, see you in a few.” Drew
walked across the hall to an empty office which probably belonged
to either Calvin or Curtis.

“Cal? Curt?” Kate was shocked they bonded so
quickly.

“Hey, they’re my nephews. What can I say? Get
this, they’re twins!”

“What was your first clue?” Kate had to
tease. “Their copper colored hair or that they look almost
identical?”

“Very funny.” Drew took Kate by the shoulders
and pulled her closer, kissing her forehead. “Now what did you find
out?”

Kate didn’t know where to begin. First she
filled Drew in on the inheritance and then how the person handling
her account was actually Freddie. She told the story of how her
grandmother befriended him. “After our escape, she realized your
brother and sister needed help. She reached out to Freddie, but he
never mentioned your sister, although there’s someone working in
the office named Teresa. I have a feeling she’s Maria’s
granddaughter. Looks a lot like her. Drew, what do you want to
do?”

“First, calm down.” He placed his hands on
her arms. “You’re talking a mile a minute. And second,” he raised
both arms in the air and gave a silent scream. “My brother’s alive?
I’d love to see him. Can we trust him?”

“Yes, I’m certain of it, but first I have to
get him to believe me. Come back with me and stay in the hall. I’ll
think of something.”

Calvin crossed the hallway. “Father’s ready
for you, Ms. Roberts.”

“Ready?” She looked deeply into Drew’s eyes.
“We can do this.” The love she felt for him at that moment was more
than she could stand. She felt equal to him, empowered by him and
totally loved by him.

Drew followed her down the hall, heading for
a chair in an alcove that looked like a small waiting area. He
kissed her on the cheek. “This day’s turning out to be quite
special. It’s your call once you’re in there. I support any
decision you make.”

Kate knocked on the door and, hearing
Freddie’s voice, slipped back into the room. “I hope everything’s
alright.”

“One crisis after another with her daughter.
Teresa’s so level-headed and tries to keep the family running
smoothly. Very much like my mother. Her daughter’s more like my
sister, her great-grandmother—impulsive, short-sighted and wants
instant gratification.” Freddie chuckled as he said it. “I guess it
skips a few generations.”

“Do I need to sign some papers today?” Kate
decided to change the subject until she made her decision. Her
thoughts went to the inheritance she’d receive. Perhaps she could
think bigger, open her own publishing company.

“Yes.” He opened a folder and pulled out some
papers. “Let’s start here.”

Kate continued to question the contract and
sign the paperwork. When they finished, she set the pen down and
looked directly at Freddie. What could she say to make him believe
her? Then it dawned on her. She knew the perfect thing. “Death to
the violin, Freddie.”

He held his pen in mid-air, mouth opened as
if he wanted to speak, but nothing came out. He continued to stare
at her for a moment, studying her face as if to be sure. “Kathryn,
it really is you.” Freddie sighed like he already knew.

“Yes, it is.”

“Well, this,” he pointed to all the papers in
front of them, “makes sense. You, here,” he pointed at her. “Does
not.”

“Let me explain.”

“Please do.”

“First there’s something I need to show you.”
Kate got up and hurried to the door, opening it widely. Drew was
still seated where she left him, thumbing through a magazine. He
looked up when he heard the door open. Kate waved to him. “Come
in.”

Drew stepped into the room to the sound of a
gasp. He ran over to the desk to find Freddie, clutching his chest.
“Water, get him some water, Kate!”

Drew loosened his brother’s tie and then
patted him on the back. “Breathe, damn it! Breathe!”

Kate poured the water and handed it to Drew.
“Is he going to be alright?”

“His asthma flares up when he gets excited.
He forgets to breathe.” Drew carefully leaned Freddie back in the
chair. “You okay now?’

Freddie nodded as Drew squatted next to the
chair.

“Is it really you, Andrew?” Freddie reached
out and took Drew’s chin in his hand. “Brother.” Tears welled up in
both men’s eyes, and they silently studied each other. “How? You
haven’t aged a day.”

Drew stood up and motioned to Kate. “I have
my wife to thank for my life. And now we’re entrusting our lives to
you.”

Freddie rose from his seat and grabbed onto
his brother and began to sob. “Thank God for you, Andrew. Thank
God.”

Kate couldn’t hold back the tears and cried
right along with him. “Freddie, you know we always loved you. Drew
missed you so much.” It was hard to watch him cry, this old man who
was sobbing like a young boy.

“Freddie, try to calm down. I don’t want you
having another attack.” Drew was so patient and kind with his
brother. He turned to Kate and said, “I’ve got this.”

Now it was her turn to wait in the hall,
although she couldn’t sit down. Instead she paced back and forth up
and down the hallway. Freddie could tell anyone he wanted that Drew
was his brother. They might not believe him and think he was losing
his mind. It could be bad for everyone if the secret got out. First
there was Tyson to deal with and now this. But the situations were
quite different. Kate knew Freddie could be trusted. What scared
her was the group of people who knew the secrets of the book was
growing larger and more unmanageable. Telling a few people a plan
or strategy was much easier than a whole network.

“You can come in now,” Drew’s voice called to
her.

“Kate, I’m sorry for crying like a baby
before.” Freddie was back to his corporate self, sitting regally in
his chair. “Andrew filled me in on the main details of his new
life. Seems like you saved him twice...from the river and from
Father.”

“Not really. He had to make the choice.” Kate
wasn’t going to take the credit.

“Well, fine. I see you can still be
stubborn.” Freddie chuckled again. “I’m so happy to find out
Lillian was your grandmother. Wonderful woman! It all makes sense
now. She knew about Father and made it a point to stay friends with
the family.”

“She wanted to help you, Freddie. Was she
able to help Maria?”

“Sorry to say, no. Maria went off the deep
end after Drew’s death. If Father said black, she said white. The
two of them butted heads for the rest of their days. I think she
blamed him for driving Andrew away, forcing him to flee the city.
She felt she had a friend in you, Kate. She lost that, too. Every
time she came home from boarding school she was more provocative
and daring. She’d slip out to the speakeasies with older men, wear
the flapper clothes, which Father hated. She smoked cigarettes
against Mother’s wishes. The final straw was when she got pregnant
at eighteen. Such a scandal. Maria wanted to marry the baby’s
father, but Father wouldn’t hear of it.”

“Why not?”

“It was one of his men. You might remember
him...Rudy.”

Kate remembered Rudy well. He helped bring
her Uncle Albert into Nicolas’ office for a beat down. Maria was
attracted to him? Kate remembered he was young and dark-haired but
also kind to her. Such a complex man. “I think so. There were so
many to keep track of.”

Freddie looked at Drew, and the two of them
laughed as if it was a private joke between them. “You’re right
about that. Well, Maria had a baby girl and named her Kathryn. I
think she named her that to spite our father. He said we were never
to speak your name again after the two of you disappeared.”

This time it was Kate’s turn to laugh. “I
always knew I liked that girl!”

“She never married, went back to her partying
ways. Mother practically raised Kathryn. I tried to be a father
figure to my niece although Rudy never liked that. He did see her
on holidays and her birthday.”

“That’s sad. Did Rudy want to marry
Maria?”