by Jack Parker
"I see," Ken said. "How did you ever figure out that the assignment is missing?" He allowed a trace of admiration to creep into his voice; it never hurt to butter up this type.
Allison offered a thin smile. "I suspected something was wrong when Ms. Canardi initially refused to let me see anything connected with the Trust. A quick perusal of those papers she eventually sent me indicated that an assignment would be necessary."
"And if Ms. Canardi does indeed have a properly executed assignment then the Trust is good?"
"Yes." Allison didn't use two words where one would do.
"Then the beneficiaries would have immediate access to the money," Ken stated. He wasn't sure that's the way it would work, but the answer might be illuminating.
"A Trust is not accessible until the Estate has been fully probated," Allison replied.
"So they'll have to wait until the probate case has been finalized," Ken said as if trying to understand.
"I believe that's what I just said," Allison said sharply.
"I'm just trying to understand the situation, Mr. Allison," Ken said equally sharply. "It is entirely possible that this issue has a direct bearing on Mrs. Redmond's death."
Allison lowered his head a barely perceptible distance in an apparent apology. "In all cases the probate must be finalized before anyone gets any money."
"And yet the amounts differ now, if the Trust funds end up going to the Estate." Ken stated.
"Yes. John Redmond's Estate and all future mortgage payments would be split equally between Mrs. Redmond's Estate and Ms. Rodgers."
"Who inherits from Mrs. Redmond?"
"I cannot speculate on that, Lt. Freeman."
"Then you don't have her Will?" Ken asked.
"No. Perhaps Ms. Canardi does." Allison's tone was growing icy.
"Well, let me speculate for just a minute, and you tell me what you think. She has five children and some grandkids – wouldn't they be the most likely heirs?"
"Quite possibly. Now if she had died intestate then state law would name the children her heirs since she is a widow."
"They'd all share equally I presume?" Ken asked.
"In the case of intestacy, yes. Now I really must get back to work, Lieutenant."
"I'm not done yet." Ken said with an air of authority. "Ms. Rodgers will get half instead of a fifth, and Mrs. Redmond's kids will likely each get a tenth instead of a fifth. Might that not constitute motive for murder?"
"Perhaps for Ms. Rodgers, but assuming Mrs. Redmond's children inherit equally from their mother's Estate they will each get less," Allison pointed out.
"But they'll get a tenth of Mr. Redmond's entire Estate, since Mrs. Redmond won't have the chance to spend any of it."
Miles Allison's face took on a look of tired resignation. "Lt. Freeman, that would be the case should Mrs. Redmond have died at any time between the death of her husband and the finalization of his Estate. This issue with the Trust has no legal bearing on her murder. Now, please..."
He's getting antsy, now's the time to ask about the teacher; maybe he'll want to get rid of me badly enough to let his true feelings show. "Have you had any trouble working with Ms. Rodgers?"
Allison looked annoyed. "I don't work with her. Her Counsel Mr. Dimsdale has been helpful in dealing with Ms. Canardi, but that is to his client's advantage. Considering the familial situation I was rather surprised that she didn't object to Ms. Kamp's appointment as Personal Representative."
"Why would Ms. Rogers not want Ms. Kamp to have the appointment? Ken asked.
"She probably felt that as Mrs. Redmond's daughter Ms. Kamp wouldn't play fair." Allison said. "She might fear that Ms. Kamp would claim more than a fair share belonged to her mother. But a Personal Representative must be bonded, thus giving Ms. Rodgers recourse to recover any monies that legally belonged to her."
"And has Ms. Kamp been bonded?"
"Well, actually, no. The court never set a bonding hearing," Allison admitted.
"As her attorney isn't it your responsibility to make sure that happens?"
"A bond hearing cannot be set until the Estate has been inventoried."
"But I thought you knew what the assets were already," Ken said.
"Generally, yes. The inventory is just a formality."
"So if the PR does cheat her then she'll get away with it?"
"Naturally I would advise her against cheating," Allison said primly, not actually addressing the question that had been asked.
"Does Ms. Rodgers know she hasn't been bonded?"
"I wouldn't know."
"Has she asked for anything not rightfully hers?" Ken asked.
Allison's thin smile returned. "Just this morning Mr. Dimsdale called to request that she be given Mr. Redmond's ashes. I think she's perfectly justified in that request."
"So you wouldn't characterize her as a greedy bitch?" Ken deliberately used the vulgarism.
"Some might say so but no, she seems concerned only with getting her fair share."
"Thank you for your time, Mr. Allison. I'll let you know if I have any more questions."
Miles Allison had already turned to face his computer screen. "I'm sure you will," he muttered.
* * * *
Naturally, thought Ken. He'd been on his way to get fingerprints from the various suspects when both Tom Dimsdale and Connie Canardi had called to say they were available. Well, the prints would keep and it might do Canardi good to stew while waiting so he decided to talk to Dimsdale first. He turned the car around and headed the other way.
"Tom Dimsdale, Lieutenant. How can I help you?" Dimsdale shook hands warmly.
"I know you're busy, so I'll be as brief as possible," Ken replied. "To an old homicide cop the timing of Mrs. Redmond's murder looks suspicious. I'm trying to find out if there's any connection."
"Was it truly a murder?" asked Dimsdale.
"Looks that way," Ken replied.
Dimsdale shook his head sadly. "I assume you've been told about the situation with the Estate and the Trust?"
Ken nodded agreement.
"The only thing that Mrs. Redmond's death changes is that her heirs will now inherit her share of her late husband's Estate. That's if the PR ever gets off her butt and does her job," Dimsdale said.
"Isn't she just waiting on the decision about the Trust fund?" Ken asked.
"That's certainly a big part of it but if she's done anything with the rest of the Estate I haven't heard about it."
"Is that unusual?"
"Somewhat," Dimsdale replied. "Most folks would want to get the easy stuff taken care of so it can be finished quickly when the Trust is resolved one way or the other. I've asked her attorney about it, but he ignores the question."
"Is Ms. Rodgers upset about that?" Ken inquired.
"Not really. The Trust funds comprise the biggest piece of the Estate, so at the moment we're all concentrating on fighting that one out."
"I take it you mean fighting with the Trustee?"
"For the moment," Dimsdale said. "If the Trust is invalidly funded it's possible that Mrs. Redmond might make – might have made - the claim of owning the business outright. It's something Mr. Allison has hinted at."
"Oh? How's that?" That was something no one had bothered to mention before.
"Shortly before the sale of the business Mr. Redmond added his wife's name to the business bank account. Thus she might have claimed he intended to give her joint ownership in the business."
"So, if I understand this correctly," Ken began, "that would mean she could have claimed the proceeds from the sale and, by inference, the Trust funds as well. Leaving Ms. Rodgers with nothing."
"That's right," Dimsdale said.
"Have you told Ms. Rodgers about that?" Ken wanted to know.
Dimsdale shook his head. "I have not. I don't consider it a valid possibility. The account had been solely in Mr. Redmond's name for over forty years so it's unlikely that his real intent was to share the business jointly with his wife.
And her name was removed from the account at a later date. Mr. Redmond was the only one to sign the Note and Mortgage, which shows that he didn't consider her a co-owner. Also let me point out that the PR could still choose to make that assertion even though her mother's dead; more money for her and her siblings. So killing Mrs. Redmond wouldn't keep it from happening."
"They'd been married nearly ten years – and he waited until just before he sold to do that?" Ken asked.
"I would guess – and it is just a guess – that Mrs. Redmond somehow talked him into it. I, uh, understand that she was quite the clotheshorse; perhaps she wanted access to the funds from the sale to update her wardrobe. I would also guess that that was the reason her husband set up the Trust and removed her name from the bank account."
"That would mean the probate would drag on for months," Ken said.
"It could, indeed," Dimsdale agreed. "Lieutenant, it always looks suspicious when someone involved in a court case is killed, but I just can't see how the timing is of any importance here."
"Me, either," Ken responded acerbically. "Thanks for your time."
As he walked to his car and started it up Ken though about what he'd learned. Ms. Rodgers benefited most if the Trust wasn't good, though that event could possibly turn around and bite her – but she didn't know that. There were both benefits and detriments for the widow's kids. The problem was, as both lawyers had pointed out, there didn't seem to be any reason to kill Mrs. Redmond on Thursday night; he just couldn't see any way she could've influenced that hearing.
CHAPTER 70
Monday
"Hey, thanks for letting me come over this afternoon," Gracie said.
Loretta smiled and winked. "I couldn't refuse a fellow-suspect. Did you really solve your father's murder? I bet if the two of us put our heads together we can figure out who did in Mother."
Gracie took her remarks in order. "Yes, I did solve the murder – and it wasn't even a little bit of fun and games. Mrs. Redmond is dead. I count eight suspects. I don't know about you, but I do not like being on Lt. Freeman's short-list. So the sooner someone figures out who killed her the better, and I appreciate any help you can give me."
Loretta waved her hand airily, as if to dismiss Gracie's concerns. "Have a seat on the couch and I promise I won't serve you any coffee." She grinned at her own joke.
Gracie looked around the large front room, almost Victorian in its curlicued furnishings and clutter of cutesy figurines, spied the conversation area and walked toward it. "I guess that means Ken gave you the third degree over what might have been in that coffee." she said, taking a seat on the couch.
Loretta sat in a club chair set at a right angle to the couch. "I thought it was kind of fun! This whole thing is exciting, don't you think?"
Gracie looked at her curiously. "Okay, I get that you probably have reason to not like her. But, exciting? Forgive me for saying so, but you almost seem glad she's dead." That last sentence sounded to her like something her own mother would say, and that bothered her a little.
Loretta made firm eye contact. "Gracie, the woman cared for no one but herself. She didn't want me and Charlie, and let us know it. The only thing she wanted from any of her three husbands was their money. I don't even think she really wanted Jason. She beat me when I was just a little girl!"
Gracie held up a hand, palm out in a mute gesture to stop the flow of the other woman's words. "Meredith told me about that," she said. "Unfortunately it doesn't have anything to do with Robbie's murder."
"Well, it might give me a good motive." Loretta's eyes twinkled at the thought. "Bob always said she gets off on the attention when her kids are hurt. One of his shrink friends told him it's a known psychosis. Can you imagine a mother hurting her own kids just to get attention?
Now Gracie waved the hand for attention. "Loretta, it doesn't matter. If you really killed Robbie you'd hardly admit it to me!"
Loretta's face took on a sly look. "Maybe I'm making a big deal about my motive just so the police will discount it. Maybe I did really kill her."
Gracie locked eyes with the woman. "Did you?" she asked simply.
Loretta laughed gaily. "No, I did not. But I'd like to pin a medal on whoever did."
Gracie winced. "I don't think it'd be a really good idea for you to say that in front of Lt. Freeman, or even your sister and brothers. They might take it the wrong way."
"Then you believe me?" Loretta asked.
"Let's assume I do, it'll make things easier between us," Gracie allowed. "You're supposed to have inherited a lot of money from your previous husband, so that wouldn't be your motive."
"Which previous husband?" Loretta asked cheerfully.
"Uh, the one before Bob," Gracie replied lamely.
Loretta laughed conspiratorially. She wagged a finger at Gracie saying, "You've been talking to Meredith."
"Of course I have!" Gracie replied. "It's not just that I'm her friend; I'm involved in this now. I need all the information I can get."
Loretta waved away the confession. "I did tell her about inheriting money from him, but I sort of hinted that I hadn't inherited anything from Bob." She grinned, as if it was a funny joke.
"Why would you do that?" Gracie asked before she could stop herself. Because, like her mother, she likes to stir up shit, she thought.
"Well, really, it wasn't any of her business how much money I have or where I got it," Loretta answered a bit huffily. "And I'm not going to tell you, either."
Gracie nodded. "Fair enough, it's none of my business. Meredith said you'd gotten a million bucks from the other man so, no matter how much you got from Bob you've got enough that money wouldn't likely be your motive for murder."
Loretta winked. "I sort of let her think that Bob had left everything to his kids because he didn't want my son to end up getting any of his money. But really, he split things with them and me."
"What about your son?" Gracie's suspicious mind couldn't help but wonder if he might want even more money. Like the current situation, maybe Loretta's son might be concerned that his mother would spend all the money before he could inherit.
"Steve?" Loretta asked, clearly surprised. "I have a Will that leaves everything to him, but he was a thousand miles away. He plays pro football for a not very well-known team. He's good, too; he'll get picked up by one of the bigger ones. He..."
Again Gracie held her hand up to stop Loretta. "Sorry, had to ask."
Loretta smiled an evil smile. "So, let's talk about Charlie, Jason, and Ashley's reasons to kill her."
Gracie suppressed a shudder, and made up her mind to be pragmatic. "From what I've heard that would be money, pure and simple." She paused and then added, "Except maybe not for Ashley."
Loretta shook her head. "That's not the only reason. Mother played them all the time, I'm sure they're all sick of it."
"Played them?"
"Oh, you know! She'd tell Charlie that Jason said something bad about him, then turn around and tell Jason the same thing about Charlie. Then she'd sit back and watch the fight. Ashley didn't come around very often, and I've seen her shake her head and walk away when Mother tried to start that with her. But still and all, she was probably tired of Mother's attempts."
Gracie thought for a moment. "I got the feeling that Charlie really cared about her. Of course, I just met him that night."
Loretta rolled her eyes. "Charlie's a Mama's Boy; he'd believe her if she said the sun shone at midnight. And he's not very bright, either. He always takes up for her, never has seen her for what she really is."
"Then why would he kill her?"
Loretta got that sly look on her face again. "Maybe he found out that Mother left all her money to Jason." She almost whispered the words to heighten the conspiratorial idea.
"Did she?" Gracie asked.
Loretta shrugged. "How would I know? She was always threatening to cut one of us out of her Will, especially if we weren't too keen on lending her the money she wanted at the moment. I quit worry
ing about it years ago."
"That's why you married a doctor," Gracie said. Then, "I'm sorry, that was a horrible thing to say." She could feel her face burning in embarrassment.
Loretta shrugged again. "It's true. I knew better than to think I'd ever get a dime from Mother, and truthfully I never thought she'd have a dime. I did what I had to do, to take care of myself."
"So if either of your brothers found out that the other one got everything, that could certainly give them a motive. Maybe for Ashley, too."
"Sure would," Loretta agreed. "If she died intestate then we'd all split the money."
"What about their wives?" Gracie asked.
Loretta made a disgusted face. "That Karen is a doormat if I ever saw one! She wouldn't have the guts to do something like that even if she thought of it."
That was pretty much Gracie's thought, too. "Not even if Charlie told her to?"
"I doubt it. She didn't have that 'scared rabbit' look that night, and she would have if she was going to commit murder. Now Cindy on the other hand, she's smart and a schemer besides. God only knows why, but she really loves that drunken oaf Jason. If she'd done it she wouldn't even have told him. He might have one too many one night and tell someone."
"For the money?" Gracie asked to be sure.
"Of course for the money!" Loretta confirmed. "Just for the record, I doubt Jason would have the guts to do it stone cold sober. She was his mother; for all that she treated him like crap most of the time. Now, drunk...maybe…"
Gracie shook her head. "That's just so hard for me to believe! Why would he kill his own mother?"
Loretta looked serious this time. "You have to understand, Gracie. Mother wasn't a very good mother; she'd leave him with friends for days while she chased after rich men. I had hoped that John would be a good father figure to Jason, help offset Mother and give him some stability. Now John was a nice enough man, but he had high expectations of everyone and Jason never seemed to measure up. I'm not sure anyone would measure up."