POV: Miguel
“How could I be joking with such a sensitive matter when my sister’s life is in danger, Mom?
This is Eloise Kendall; she is not Austin’s wife anymore; she is his ex-wife. Austin Kendall is currently married to her sister, Vera Kendall. She is the owner of Kendall’s group of companies, and she is a kidnapper, murderer, and a freaking lunatic. How could you know someone like her, Mom? How did you get to meet someone so crazy?
“Did you know that she was diagnosed with Endometriosis, did you know that she can never have a child of her own?
If you know her too well, Mom, why didn’t you call the cops on her when you found out she had kids? Were you covering up for her, too? Are you part of the people hiding her secret and covering up for her?
Oh no!
Hold on a minute, Mom!
Did you do this on purpose? Did you give my sister to that mad woman because you didn’t want her to get married to the Hawkins? Were you really hiding her from the Hawkins?” I asked in anger and confusion, not knowing what to believe. With every quest I raise, my mom sobbed harder. She cannot believe that I am accusing her of kidnapping her own child.
Actually, I can’t believe that I’m saying all this to her either. But what am I supposed to think? What am I supposed to think when Mom is telling me that she has been friends with Eloise Kendall for the past twenty-four years? How come she never set her eyes on the girl all these years they were chatting online? Did she not recognize her own daughter?
“I didn’t give away my daughter; I had no idea she was so evil, Miguel; you have to believe me. I never saw her that way, she only approached me and offered a hand of friendship when I needed it the most. She said she was a therapist and she wanted to help me get over my grief. She was there for me; she said nice words to me to help me get over the loss of my daughter. How should I have known that she was just making a mockery of my condition? How should I have known that she was the same person who stole my precious daughter? How should I have known?” she sobbed sadly as my dad pulled her into his arms and rubbed her back gently.
“Did you ever discuss our affairs with? Did you ever invite her over to our house? DDoesshe have our address?” I asked her in a panicked tone as I thought of what Eloise did to Claire’s family.
“Get out of there, Mom!
Leave the house immediately!
We have no idea what she is planning; we don’t know if she will try to kill you the way she killed the other family. Leave at once, and take some guards with you for your protection!” I told them urgently. I have no idea why she would get so close to a stranger and share our secrets with her. Now, what do they want me to think in this matter, how do I handle this without getting my parents involved?
“We are getting a few things together, son. We’ll leave in a few minutes.” Dad told me value as he instructed the maids on what to pack in their bags for him and Mom. I decided to pry a little and find out how much Mom knows her friend, Eloise. I mean, if they have been so close for so long, she is supposed to have some information about her friend, right?
“Mom, do you have any idea where Eloise could be hiding when she doesn’t want to be found by anyone, has she ever spoken of a secret hideout or a favorite place she loves to stay?” I asked her. She shook her head in response, not able to say the words.
“Yeah, I figured she would be careful about the things she is saying to you. She knows a day like this will come when we will find out the truth. She would never tell you anything that can be used against her. But I was hoping that he would have told you about the properties in her name and what she did with them. Do you know if she kept any of her houses, have she ever invited you to a house on an island or anywhere else?” I asked her.
She told me that the only time Eloise had asked her to come out for a drink or even visit her had been when she first lost Marisol. She had pestered her to come over for a drink and she desperately wanted to hang out with my mom. She had invited her to the mansion to a private restaurant, but Mom was grieving, she was working with the cops to find Marisol and she was unable to go out for any of their appointment.
But after Dad made her leave the city, she never asked her to come over anymore; she was only concerned with the case and the progress the cops were making to find Marisol. She only wanted to know if the cops were making progress on the case, and she asked her about our current address, claiming she wanted to visit Mom. But she always canceled her appointments; she always came up with an excuse to cancel.
This goes a long way to prove that my suspicions about Eloise are true. She has been keeping tabs on us, monitoring our affairs to make sure we don’t come close to her. If Mom had not left town when she did, we’d all be dead by now. She would have killed us the same way she killed Claire’s family. I wonder how many lives she has taken just to keep her secret.
“A few days ago, she told me she was putting all her properties for sale and I tried calling you, but you weren’t taking my calls. So I… I…” she stuttered, sobbing sadly.
“What did you do, Mom?
What did you do, speak now, please, I beg you. There can’t be any secrets between us, not now, Mom. What did you do?” I asked her urgently.
“Tell us everything, sweetheart. We will get past all this soon, we will find Marisol. But you have to tell us everything you did with that woman, do not spare any details. Tell us everything you remember,” Dad urged her.