“Sure.” Zack’s smile was like the ones he had shown her back when they were dating. “We’ll make it a summer project.” He looked at Paul and then Melissa. “And the kids can help.”
“Oh, goody, Daddy,” Paul said, his face lighting up.
“We can all work together fixing up the house. Maybe over Labor Day Weekend we could have some people over.” Zack looked at Dena as if for approval. “The kids could invite their friends, and we could too, and we could have a barbecue or fish fry.”
“Yea, yea, yea.” Paul hollered and clapped his hands. “We’ll have a party.” He clapped his hands again. “Want to have a party, ‘Lissa?”
“We could have ice cream and hamburgers? Would you like that, Melissa?”
“And hot dogs,” Melissa said. “I like hot dogs.”
“And a piñata?” Paul looked from one parent to another.
Zack and Dena both laughed, but Dena’s face flushed with guilt. They might not be a family by then.
“Yeah, we can have hamburgers, and hot dogs, and ice cream and whatever you want, okay?” Zack said.
“Yea.” Paul clapped his hands together again.
“But it’s going to be a lot of work, Paul,” Zack said.
“I work hard, Daddy. I like ice cream.”
Melissa shrieked and, sliding down from her booster seat, did a little dance.
“I’ve been remiss in a lot of things,” Zack said.
Dena looked at him but didn’t say anything. Surely there was no way he knew what her plans were. And if he did, wouldn’t he confront her? Or was this his way to get her to change her mind before it was too late?
“Did Mommy tell you kids that I won’t be going out of town much anymore? One more short trip, and then I won’t have to go for a long time.”
“Yea.” Paul clapped his hands again.
“That’s what I say, Paul,” Zack said. “Everything will be different when I get back. Yea.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
DENA
“I remember how happy your father was when he and your mother were married,” Anita Heslep said as her daughter, Vera, helped her walk to Dena’s desk to sign her codicil. A wisp of a smile graced the old woman’s face.
Dena reared back in surprise. Mrs. Heslep would be ninety years old the following week. She still had all her faculties though walking was difficult sometimes, depending on what her arthritis decided to do that day. Her words.
Mrs. Heslep hadn’t said anything of a personal nature until then. Was she really all right mentally? Dena leaned down and peered into old, milky eyes. The woman smelled like mothballs. “What made you think of that?” The two younger women seated Mrs. Heslep in Dena’s chair and rolled her close to the desk where she would be able to sign the codicil.
Mrs. Heslep picked up the pen with her bony, brown-spotted hand and leaned over the paper. “Oh, I looked across this desk at you and saw a glimpse of your mother in your face. Your parents would have been very proud of you. I knew your mother.” She raised her head and winked at Dena, a sparkle in her eyes. “Sign on each page?”
Dena stepped closer. “I didn’t know you’d ever met my mother, Mrs. Heslep. I knew you were a client of my father’s, of course. Here, let me show you again,” Dena said. “Go ahead and initial the short lines on each page until Meredith comes back with Lucas and the lady from down the hall to be witnesses.”
Dena pointed to the line on the bottom right corner of the first page. Mrs. Heslep’s hand trembled as she placed her initials on that page, then the following three pages when Dena turned them for her. Vera sat in a chair against the wall.
Mrs. Heslep adjusted her glasses and relaxed in the chair while they waited for the others. “Your mother sometimes helped out in the office until you were born.”
“Really? I didn’t know that, either. My father never wanted to discuss her much with me.” A note in Mrs. Heslep’s voice made Dena feel weepy.
Mrs. Heslep folded her hands in her lap and smiled an I’ve-got-a-secret smile. “Oh, yes. I happened to have an appointment with your father the day your mother came from the doctor’s office with the news she was expecting. You never saw a more delighted gentleman than your father when he came out of his office with your mother on his arm.” She stared off into space and shook her head as if picturing them in her mind. “Oh, your father ... he loved your mother so. You could see it in his eyes. And your mother…she had such a hard life.”
Voices came toward them. Meredith and the secretary from the psychologist’s office down the hall walked in. The woman frequently witnessed documents since most things required two witnesses and a notary. “Hi, Allison. Thanks for coming,” Dena said.
Meredith said, “Let me get Mr. Barlow.” She stepped out and was back a minute later with her notary stamp and Lucas behind her.
“This is Allison King, Mrs. Heslep. She’s going to be a witness to your codicil. And here comes Lucas and you know Meredith.” Dena nodded at everyone. She wanted to hurry and get it over with, hoping Mrs. Heslep might stay and tell her anything else she could remember. “Are we all ready?” She turned the codicil back to the first page and checked Mrs. Heslep’s initials on each page until she came to the signature page. “Okay, here we go.”
“Mrs. Heslep, by signing this document you acknowledge you have read over this codicil to your will, and that it contains the changes you wish to make.” Dena placed her finger on a line halfway down the next to the last page. “Go ahead and sign here.” She watched as Mrs. Heslep signed in a wavering hand. Flipping to the last page, except for the blueback, she again pointed to a line. “And here.”
Mrs. Heslep’s hand shook a little as she signed her full name again. When she was finished, she smiled up at Dena. Dena patted her shoulder. “That’s great, all done.” She took the codicil and handed it to Meredith who laid it out on the front of Dena’s desk, opened it to the witnesses’ lines, and handed Allison King a pen.
While the others were signing, Dena said, “We retrieved your old files for you last Saturday. Would you like me to give them to Vera to carry for you? They’re in a plastic bag.”
“Thank you, my dear. You’re just as sweet as your father always knew you would be.”
Dena shivered. Meredith gave the zipper bag to Vera. The room was quiet while everyone finished signing and Meredith notarized the codicil. She handed it back to Dena for a last look. Dena reviewed it and glanced at the faces of the people standing around her office. The moments in will and codicil executions were always awkward because people couldn’t help but think about the inevitable.
“Thanks, y’all,” Dena said. “Mrs. Heslep, you want Vera to take your codicil, too?” The others left, and it was just the three of them again.
“No, I do not, thank you. I’ll just place it here in my handbag if you’ll give it to me. But Vera has your check for what I owe you.”
“All right. Vera, you can take that out to Meredith, and I’ll help your mother out.”
“That’ll be fine,” Vera said and, gathering her things and her mother’s bag, went out to Meredith’s desk.
Dena sat down across from Mrs. Heslep who was still sitting in her chair behind the desk. “I wonder if you can tell me anything else about my parents. About when my mother was alive, I mean.”
“Oh, well, I really didn’t know them socially, dear. But I enjoyed visiting with your mother when she was here. And I saw them occasionally downtown at lunch. Your father used to take her to Mabry’s Cafeteria sometimes. They’d meet here or at the courthouse. I used to work at the courthouse, in the county clerk’s office, you know.”
“I remember you mentioning that. You were there what, forty years?”
“They gave me a party at Mabry’s when I retired.” She seemed really pleased.
“Sounds like it was a popular place. Where was that? I don’t know it.”
“You wouldn’t. It’s been gone, I should think, since the
late seventies. But it was around by the old Star Drug Store.”
“That’s still there. Sometimes I eat lunch there.”
“Downtown has changed several times since my day, though many storefronts are still the same.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
“Well, you don’t want to listen to a lot of prattle. Help me up if you would.”
Dena held Mrs. Heslep’s cane in one hand and gripped the old lady’s arm while she pushed herself up out of her chair. “That’s good. Hand me my cane.”
Dena handed her the cane and waited for her to hobble around the desk. Mrs. Heslep hung her handbag over her left arm and bore her weight on the cane. She was quite a bit shorter than Dena, which made her quite tiny, and hunched over, her shoulders sloped. Dena walked with her to the door. Whispering, Mrs. Heslep said, “I was very sorry when I heard about your mother, Dear. Your father didn’t come to the courthouse for weeks after her death. Her suicide was the talk of the courthouse, and I suppose he knew it.”
Dena gasped, feeling as if someone had dropped a bomb on her head, and put her hand to her queasy stomach. “No. She died in a car accident. A freak accident when her car went over the side of the seawall in a rainstorm.”
Mrs. Heslep reached for Dena’s forearm. “Oh, no, my dear. I’m so sorry. You didn’t know? I have such a mouth.”
“What ... what did you hear, Mrs. Heslep?” She stared down at her, almost afraid to find out, but she had to know. “Tell me what they said.”
The old lady studied Dena’s face for a moment. “I suppose you have a right. What does it matter now, it was so long ago?” She released Dena’s arm and braced herself on the doorjamb. “She ran her car into the end of the seawall on Cherry Hill.”
Tears gathered at the edge of Dena’s eyes. It couldn’t be true. Her mother, a suicide? She bit her lip so she wouldn’t break down. Her breath was hard to get.
“I’m so sorry. I was sure you knew that. Your father was devastated. He wasn’t the same for years and years. Well,” she muttered under her breath, “I really let the cat out of the bag.”
Dena pursed her lips. “It’s all right. Doesn’t matter.” She forced a bit of a smile. “Let’s get you out to Vera.” She patted her on the arm. “Thank you for telling me, and don’t worry. I’m a big girl.”
As soon as the two ladies left, Dena hurried into her office and closed the door, leaning against it, doubled over and gripping her stomach. She fought to keep her lunch down.
Once she felt normal, she stalked to Lucas’ office and slammed the door. Lucas pushed back from his desk.
“Lucas. I want to talk to you.” Standing over him with her hands on both hips, Dena glared at her cousin. She felt like crying but couldn’t let herself go. “Did my mother commit suicide?”
He threw his glasses down and folded his hands across his big belly. “Sit down, Dena.”
“No, just tell me. She did, didn’t she?”
Lucas started to get out of his chair, but when Dena didn’t back off, he sank back down. He sighed long and loud. “Yes.”
All the energy drained out of Dena. “Why didn’t anyone ever tell me?”
“Your father, and mine for that matter, felt it best to protect you. I was a kid, but you were a tot when it happened.”
“You have to tell me what you know.” She picked up the files from one of his desk chairs and plopped down.
“You haven’t read those files you found Saturday, have you?”
“I stuck them in my closet until I could get to them. Is something in there about it?”
“You go home and review the contents of that box and the files. When you get through, if you have any unanswered questions, I’ll try to answer them. I’m really sorry.”
Dena’s head pounded. A knot had formed at the base of her skull. “All right. But as soon as I get through, I’ll be back. I can’t believe you kept this from me.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
ALAN SELLERS
They had agreed to meet on the mainland at a topless bar on Tuesday night if Sellers decided to go along with the deal. Sellers had. He sat at a table in the middle of the room so he wouldn’t stand out too much. He’d already watched one table dance where the girl started out on the stage and the runway and took most everything off. She had worked her way from the runway to his table, her tits shaking in his face, her ass busting out of its G-string. He’d practically been forced to slide a few bills under the string on her hip. She’d been in his face so long he figured it was the only way to get rid of her.
The husband was late. Sellers didn’t like spending his cash on naked dancers unless it was his idea, and he wasn’t in the mood for it right then. Maybe later, after he got his money, all of his money, he’d be able to relax, suck down some drinks and not care how he spent a few bucks. But it wouldn’t be in that joint. It wouldn’t be anywhere in Galveston County. He’d already decided that. Right now, he wanted to get his money and get out of there. He had a lot of stuff to do, and it didn’t include wasting his time looking at some bitch he would have to pay to get.
“Hey, Buddy,” a voice said close to his ear.
Sellers flinched.
The husband pulled up a chair next to him.
“Hey, Man,” Sellers said. “You’re late. They made me have two drinks.” He tried not to look the guy in the eye. He didn’t want too much to do with him.
The husband shrugged. “I’ll pay them, don’t worry. So what do you think?”
“Yeah, I can do it.”
The husband nodded. “So no problems, huh, Buddy?”
Sellers cut his eyes at him. He didn’t like being called Buddy. He didn’t like to have to meet the guy there. He couldn’t hear well behind all that loud music, not that he felt like having any long drawn out conversations with the husband anyhow. “I said I can do it. When do you want it done?”
“Wednesday after next. I’ll be out of the country.”
“Yeah? Why Wednesday? Why not Tuesday or Thursday?” Sellers wondered if there was some catch. He hated being pinned down to one day.
“That’s my business. You want the job or not?”
“Okay. I don’t give a flip. Just give me my money.”
“Meet me in the parking lot in a minute. I’m going to the head and take care of your tab.” The husband walked toward the men’s room.
Sellers watched the man’s back. His shirt and pants probably cost more than a longshoreman could make in a couple of days working on the wharves. Well, no more of that for Alan Sellers. After a few minutes, he got up to leave as another girl showed up on the runway, a redhead who looked way younger than even Ginny. He threw a couple of bucks on the table and headed to the parking lot.
He’d brought the Caddy. So far as he knew, the husband didn’t know about the Firebird. He might need a second ride sometime, so he didn’t want the man to know. After unlocking the car, he got in and started it, turning the air conditioner on full blast. Even in the evenings, it was hotter outside than those women were inside.
The husband slid in on the passenger side and tossed a wrinkled lunch bag at Sellers. Sellers glanced inside and saw a pile of hundred dollar bills. He didn’t count it. He figured the guy wouldn’t cheat him, at least he wouldn’t try to stiff him yet. He didn’t trust him around the corner.
“It’s all there if you want to check it out.”
“Hey, Man, I know you wouldn’t rip me off. I know what you’re up to. I saw that little piece who works at your house.”
“What are you talking about?”
Sellers forced a laugh. “I said I know why you want me to do your wife. I followed that sweet little girl who takes care of your kids.”
“When? When did you follow Juliet?”
“Juliet? I knew you were bangin’ that bitch. Hey, man, I don’t blame you. She’s real pretty. And if you don’t screw me on my money, your girlfriend will get to stay that way.”
“Boy, have you got things wrong. She’s not my girlfriend. She’s just our au pair.”
“Yeah, right. Whatever that is.”
“You think I’d mess around with a girl who is practically a teenager? Yeah, she’s cute but too young. I’ve got me a ...”
The man stiffened in the middle of the sentence. What a dumb ass. “So what do you have, Mister?”
“None of your damn business. You’re hired to do a job. Just do it, and keep your nose out of my life.” He jerked the door handle and put one foot outside the door.
“That’s good for me. I don’t like you. You don’t like me either. Just tell me what you’re going to do about the rest of my money.”
“You got any bright ideas?”
“Yeah, send me a package care of general delivery in Mason, Texas.”
“You going to be living there?”
“Mind your own business. Just send it. And if you don’t I’ll be back. Now get out of my car, and don’t ever come near me again.”
The husband halfway saluted Sellers as he got out and slammed the door.
Sellers pulled onto South Forty-five and drove back toward Galveston. Now he was committed. Now he had the money. He would have to do her. Week after next. He almost wished he didn’t have to wait that long. Too bad he didn’t have the ... what did he call her, well, that girl, for security. But he didn’t really need her. He knew the guy’s name. There were kids. No way that fool would double-cross him. At least, he’d better not, or he’d be really sorry.
All the way home Sellers thought about needing an extra insurance policy in case the husband tried to double-cross him. By the time he got to his apartment, he had an idea. He got out his notebook to check. He had what he needed right there.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
DENA
Dena found a will in the papers she’d brought home from the warehouse. She’d had to wait until Juliet left and she’d put the kids to bed. Zack called to say he’d be late. Some work had to get done in anticipation of the Japan trip. The timing couldn’t have been better.
UNAWARE: A Suspense Novel Page 12