by E B Corbin
“My, my, you are an interesting client.”
“If you consider rotten luck interesting,” Roxanne told him. “Trouble seems to find me lately.”
After Roxanne explained the circumstances involving Patti, Sam Griggs assured her Patti had little chance of pushing her charges through the system but told Roxanne to contact him if the problem didn’t go away. Roxanne thanked him again, grateful Richard had turned her on to a competent and reassuring representative.
“My pleasure,” Sam replied as she again offered to pay for his consultation. ” If something comes up requiring additional input, I’ll bill for it.”
“Thank you.” Roxanne hung up, not wanting to waste more of his time on small talk. As much as she hated to acknowledge it, she now owed Richard a favor. She joined Callahan and Chester in the kitchen. “I just heard from my attorney. He said the feds have taken over Luke’s case. I guess that means you.”
Callahan shook his head. “Not me, specifically, but the big guys are very interested in Taggart. Luke’s death is collateral damage as far as they’re concerned.”
“So I don’t have to worry about Chief Walters or Bud arresting me for murder… just for assaulting Patti.”
“Patti won’t file charges. She’ll calm down.” Callahan took a swig of coffee.
“You don’t know for certain.”
“When will you learn to accept I know what I’m talking about?” Callahan’s eyes crinkled when he smiled.
“Sometimes,” she admitted grudgingly.
“Most of the time.”
“That remains to be seen. Now, I’ve got to get back to Roxy’s house to pack. My attorney tells me I can leave town whenever I want.”
“I could have told you that.”
“But I seldom believe you, remember?”
Callahan sighed. “How could I forget?”
It took ten minutes for Roxanne to grab the few essentials she’d brought to Chester’s. She thanked Chester for his hospitality before hurrying out the door to avoid another ticklish encounter with Callahan.
The limited heat from the blinding sun melted an inch or two of snow even though the ground remained covered and the air frigid. She took a deep breath, letting the frosty air fill her lungs while she admired the sparkling blanket covering the fields. It felt so peaceful, she almost didn’t want to return to Pittsburgh.
But she couldn’t stand on Chester’s porch all day, admiring the vista. She threw her messenger bag on the passenger seat, started the engine, and erased the perplexing desire to stay.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
When she arrived at Roxy’s house, she stood on the porch, hesitant to go inside alone. Certain Patti couldn’t possibly be waiting for her again, she shook off any trepidation and opened the door with purpose. The place was the same as they’d left it yesterday. No unwelcome visitors, only the comforting warmth of the furnace-heated air. Roxanne sighed, as an unexpected feeling of contentment swept over her.
It took only fifteen minutes for Roxanne to pack the few items of clothing she’d brought with her. Finished with packing, she dug through her messenger bag for the will and spent the rest of the morning sitting at Roxy’s desk, going through her aunt’s wishes word by word. Still unable to believe she now controlled several pieces of real estate and a thriving business, she wanted to be certain there were no stipulations or other impediments to overcome. By the time she got to the last clause, she felt more certain of her inheritance. Now, she had to figure out what to do with it. What would Roxy want her to do?
The doorbell rang, bringing Roxanne out of her reverie and causing her heartbeat to kick up a notch. She wasn’t expecting anyone, and if it turned out to be Bud coming to arrest her, she wanted to be prepared. She took a deep breath before leaving the den and slowly approached the door. Before she opened it, she peeked through the sidelights.
Callahan smiled at her and held up a brown paper bag with a few grease stains.
Not wanting to show her relief, she twisted the deadbolt and stood staring at him through the open door.
“I thought we’d have lunch before we went to see Sylvia. You ate nothing this morning before you ran out.”
“I didn’t run out. I said good-bye to Chester and thanked him for his hospitality.”
“You didn’t say bye to me before you left.”
“I… I needed to get things in order here. I didn’t have time to find you.”
“I wasn’t hard to find.”
“What’s in the bag?” She inhaled the aroma wafting from the bag, changing the subject.
“Lunch. I stopped at the diner and grabbed burgers and fries.”
“The diner was open?”
“Yeah, Snukie said Patti called and asked her to open. Snukie and Janice seemed to have a handle on it when I was there. Snukie called her cousin, Stacy, to help out.”
Roxanne felt a twinge of conscious. The diner was her responsibility now, and she should have been the one making the call to keep it in operation. She already failed the first test of a good proprietor. She’d have to stop in before she left town and appoint an acting manager. How much more had she overlooked or simply not thought about?
She asked, “So everything was going smoothly?”
“Seemed to be.” Callahan shrugged as he answered.
“That’s good. I need to come up with a plan to keep the business running until I know what I’m going to do with it.”
“Let’s eat before the food gets cold. We can talk about your options.”
Roxanne grabbed two paper plates from a stack Roxy kept in the pantry and found paper napkins on the kitchen counter.
Callahan searched the refrigerator for beverages and pulled out two cans of Pepsi. “This okay with you?”
“Sure, why not, we’re already clogging our arteries with the burgers and fries, might as well go all the way.” She sucked in a breath when she realized the usual connotation of those last few words and hoped Callahan didn’t catch it.
He smiled. “I’d like that too.”
“You know what I meant.” She avoided eye contact.
“Do I?”
“Look, I have too much on my mind to play games. Are you going to help me or not?”
“I’m here to help. Are we having a serious discussion?”
“Yes, we are.”
“Then let’s discuss it over a greasy food like ordinary people. Is this about us?”
“Us? No, there is no ‘us.’”
“Funny, I thought there was.”
“Oh, for God’s sake, this isn’t the time or place.”
“When?”
“When? I don’t know—later,” Roxanne shrugged. “Right now I need to figure out some things. If you want to help just shut up and listen.”
Callahan held both hands up to stop her outburst. “Okay, where do we start?”
“First, since you brought it up, what am I going to do about the diner? Do you know what’s happening with Patti? What’s she planning to do now? How’s the gash on her head?”
“Whoa, slow down.” Callahan unwrapped his burger and took a bite. He swallowed before answering. “Patti’s back at the trailer. She had about six stitches put in yesterday, but she should be capable of running the diner, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
“Do I trust her to not sabotage it?”
“Don’t know.” Callahan’s shoulders rose and fell. “I talked to Bud before I left Gramps place. He said that Patti was sorry about attacking you. She said she was out of her mind about Luke.”
“So she admitted she attacked me?”
“I guess. I’m repeating what Bud told me.”
“But… she wanted me dead. She told Luke to take care of it. She might be sorry about attacking me, but she still wants me dead.”
“I think the pressure of Roxy and then Luke being shot was too much. She worked with Roxy a long time. And she loved Luke. She didn’t want to believe that Luke shot Roxy. Roxy was good to her.”
“You’re sticking up for her?”
“No, I thought we were talking things out here. We need to consider all the feasible possibilities.”
“You’re right. Does Snukie have enough experience to take charge of the diner?”
“Depends. Are you planning on keeping it or selling it?”
“No matter what, it’s better to keep it open and profitable while I make up my mind, don’t you think?”
“Yeah, a closed diner doesn’t have the same appeal to a potential buyer,” Callahan concurred.
“I agree. So now who’s the best person to keep it running?”
“I’d say it would be between Patti and Snukie. Both have worked with Roxy for several years. We know Patti’s capable of doing the job. We don’t know about Snukie. She could be great if given the chance.”
“She could be a disaster too.” Roxanne had a difficult time putting aside her doubts.
“There’s always that,” Callahan conceded.
“Then again, Patti may not even want to speak to me. And, even if she did, could I trust her?”
“There’s that too. I think you’re going to have to go with your gut on this.”
Roxanne picked up a fry, staring at it before dropping it back into the pile. “That’s the problem. My gut doesn’t know what to do, and my head can’t figure it out either.”
“Talk to Patti after we see what Sylvia wants. Patti’s trailer is next to the diner. I’ll go with you. Right now, I want you to finish your lunch. Maybe you’ll think straighter if you have a full belly.”
Roxanne took a tasteless bite of the burger and slopped a few fries in ketchup before she wiped her hands. “Okay?”
“You should finish it.”
“I can’t eat any more. It’s almost noon. We need to go.”
Roxanne dreaded the short walk out the door and across the street. What could she do to help a woman who had just lost her husband? Especially when she felt responsible. Perhaps the hit and run had nothing to do with Roxy or Patti or Luke, but it was too coincidental to dismiss. And Roxanne was right in the middle. She took small, lethargic steps causing Callahan to take her arm and urge her along.
Sylvia opened the door before they had a chance to ring the bell. “Oh, I’m so glad you came. I thought I might have been out of line to insist on a meeting with so little notice.”
“Not at all.” Roxanne gave the woman a reassuring smile. “I’m happy to help any way I can.”
“And, John, it’s nice to see you too. I was hoping your grandfather passed the word along. You might be interested in what I have to say as well. You could be part of it too.” Sylvia led them into the living area, full of overstuffed furniture in hunter green. “We could talk in Ralph’s study, but I just can’t face that yet.”
“Anywhere you want is fine.” Roxanne thought Sylvia was holding up very well, under the circumstances. She’d happily sit in the garage if that made the widow more comfortable.
Sylvia asked, “Can I get you something to drink?”
“No, thank you, we just ate,” Callahan replied.
Meanwhile Roxanne was trying to decide whether to sit in one of the two chairs facing the sofa. Certain one of them was Ralph’s favorite, she gave up and sat at one end of the sofa.
Callahan joined her.
“All right then, I’ll get right to the point.” Sylvia sat across from them, twisting her hands. “I’m afraid I haven’t had time to search through Ralph’s office for Roxy’s will—”
“I found a copy in Roxy’s desk,” Roxanne assured her. “No reason to concern yourself with that any longer.”
“That’s a relief.” Sylvia let her hands fall to her lap. “I sell real estate on the side, but my main job has always been assisting Ralph. His clients have been calling ever since…” Her voice faltered. “Ever since the news got out. And I’m about at my wit’s end trying to reassure them.”
“That’s something you don’t need right now.” Roxanne hoped her sympathetic tone soothed the woman somewhat.
“I don’t mind. It makes me feel good to be able to carry on Ralph’s work. You see, Henry Oldinger, the other attorney in town, he’s been calling Ralph’s clients getting them all hot and bothered about what’s going to happen to them now that Ralph is… has passed on.”
“That’s pretty damn callous,” Roxanne forgot to watch her potty mouth in her outrage.
“You need to know Henry. He’s eighty and cantankerous as an old black bear. His mind isn’t what it used to be, but he won’t admit it. Ever since he lost his wife last year, he’s been ranting about Ralph stealing his clients. In truth, any of his clients with half a mind came to Ralph because they were afraid Henry had lost his grasp on reality.”
“Did anyone report him to the bar?” Callahan asked. “They can take away his license to practice.”
“No one wants to do that.” Sylvia wore a sad frown. “They all feel sorry for him; I do myself. His so-called ‘law practice’ is all he has, and as long as Ralph was around to fix any mistakes, it was fine.”
“But Ralph can’t do that anymore.” Roxanne wondered where this was going.
“No, he can’t.” A tear fell from Sylvia’s eye, which she tried to hide by covering her cheek with her hair. “I never thought Henry would outlive Ralph.” Sylvia broke off with a sniffle.
“What can we do?” Callahan asked softly.
Sylvia swiped at the tears, caught her breath, and then rested a heavy gaze on them both. “I’d like to ask for your help. I can handle most everyday matters in the office, but I’m not a lawyer. There are certain things I can’t do. I know you’re an attorney, John, so maybe you and Roxanne can help out until… until I figure out what to do with Ralph’s clients. Most of them are nice people who just need a will or a real estate contract or something like that. I can draw those up without a problem. I need somebody to sign off on them. I was hoping that one of you, or both of you, would be willing to do that.”
Roxanne leaned back in the sofa, almost swallowed by the soft padding.
For once, Callahan fell silent, as if he didn’t know what to say.
“Well…” Roxanne began.
“I know it’s a lot to ask,” Sylvia interjected. “Roxanne, I don’t know what your plans are. And John, I know you’re only in town for a short time. I just thought I’d see what either or both of you had to say.”
Roxanne pushed herself up into a sitting position using the arm of the sofa. “I’m, uh… I’ll need some time to think about it.”
Callahan replied, “Sylvia, I’ll be happy to help any way I can as long as I’m available, but I don’t have a license to practice in Pennsylvania. I was admitted to the bar in DC.”
“Pennsylvania has reciprocity with DC,” Sylvia told him. “I looked it up when I thought of asking you.”
“But one of the requirements is that you’ve devoted a major portion of time practicing law for the last five of seven years. That would be hard to get around.”
“But not impossible,” Roxanne broke in. “You’ve got enough contacts.”
“I’ve thought about it,” Callahan admitted. “Gramps isn’t getting any younger, and at least one person in the family should be around for him. But I’m not sure I want to practice law.”
Roxanne nodded. “It would take some time to get all the paperwork together to start practicing in Pennsylvania.” She’d gone through all the requirements when she moved to Pennsylvania. “But it’s possible. I was licensed in Louisiana before.”
“But you are licensed in Pennsylvania now?” Sylvia asked. “It won’t take up much of your time; I swear I’d do all the work. I just need an attorney to sign off. I assure you I’m capable. Ralph trusted me fully. He barely glanced at the filings.”
“I’m not doubting that you’re capable.” Roxanne hoped to let her down gently. “I just don’t see how I’ll have enough time to spend up here.”
“All right, I’ll figure something out.” Sylvia deflated, her shou
lders drooping. “I knew it was a lot to ask.”
“Look, why don’t you give us some time to think about how we can help,” Callahan offered while shooting Roxanne a warning glare. “Maybe we can split the work between us.”
“You’d be willing to try?” Sylvia asked with hope. “That would be wonderful.”
Roxanne wanted to demur, but she didn’t want to cause this woman more trouble. Sylvia seemed to be holding up well so far, and Roxanne couldn’t bear to be the cause of a severe depression. She nodded at Sylvia, showing her agreement with Callahan’s remark, even though there was no way she wanted to work side by side with Callahan in the foreseeable future. She stood, willing Callahan to follow her lead. “We’ll talk it over and get back to you.”
“Wait,” Sylvia said. “You should know that Ralph’s practice was quite lucrative. If either of you decide to help me out and add your name to the firm, you could take all of the profit. With Ralph’s insurance policy and his IRA, I’m set. I don’t need more.”
Roxanne flushed. “Well, thank you, that’s very generous, but I couldn’t—”
“We’ll talk it over,” Callahan interrupted. “Thanks, Sylvia. In the meantime, if there’s anything you need, be sure to let me or Gramps know.”
“I’ll do that.” Sylvia sounded defeated. “Thank you both for at least hearing me out. I feel like I’m letting the people in this town down.”
“You shouldn’t feel that way,” Roxanne assured her. “None of this is your fault. You’re doing all you can.”
“Doesn’t feel that way.” Sylvia sighed.
“We’ll let you know what we figure out by next week. Is that soon enough?” He spoke softly, taking Sylvia’s hand and bending to kiss her cheek. “We’ll show ourselves out.”
Roxanne fumed as she followed Callahan across the street. When they reached the walkway to Roxy’s house, she grabbed his arm and swung him around. “Don’t you ever—”
“Calm down,” he said. “Sylvia’s watching from the window. Let’s go inside before you blow up at me.”
Inside, Callahan swung around and grabbed both her arms before she could pummel him with them. “Listen, I’m not telling you what to do or even trying to convince you which is the right choice. I’m telling you why I’m going to seriously think about it. Okay?”