"I think this really is as easy as it looks."
Hector patted her hand. Kept his eyes locked on the two-story brick home on their left.
It was the fourth house they'd scouted on the day. The first three had been even more straight forward.
It was almost too damn easy.
"Kind of makes you wonder why they called us," Hector said. Kept his head straight forward. His gaze on the house as they passed by.
Raquel swatted playfully at his arm. "They called us because we're the best."
"Yeah, but they don't need the best," Hector countered. He motioned a hand towards the university, just a few blocks to the east of them. "For a job this simple, they could have gotten any idiot right out of school."
Raquel nodded softly. "Agreed. We do seem a little overkill for this one."
"Overkill?" Hector asked. "They went out and got Rembrandt and Picasso to paint a fence."
Raquel belched out another laugh. Completely genuine.
"Not everyone is as good as we are at making things look natural."
"I doubt it would matter, place like this."
Raquel released her grip on Hector's arm. Swung around to the passenger side of their rental car parked just outside a coffee shop.
"So we'll take the job?"
Hector snorted. Unlocked the car and swung in behind the steering wheel.
"This hardly seems like a job, but we'll damn sure take their money."
Raquel nodded. "Start tonight?"
"We've just got two things to do first."
"What's that?" Raquel asked. Rolled her head along the seatback to look at him.
"Send them our payment information."
"And?"
"Put a few lumps in that king size bed of ours."
Chapter Eighteen
Estates.
The adjudicatory practice of chronicling and distributing a person's worldly possessions upon their passing.
Those in the legal profession go one of three ways when it comes to the subject.
The first group loves it, reveling in one of the last straight-forward areas of law available today.
Greedy relatives or an individual dying without a will can make things a little testy, but for the most part though there was a clear order of proceedings.
A person dies. Their will is read. Items are distributed accordingly. Attorney takes a nice fee off the top.
The second group absolutely loathes the topic. Finds it almost macabre to be delving through the possessions of the deceased. Would rather bob for barbed wire in a vat of salt water than deal with money-grubbing family members.
Finally, the third group just finds it boring as hell.
Drake fit firmly into the third group. A bit of group two thrown in for good measure.
When Sandra stopped by the table the night before and asked for a favor, he wasn't sure what it would entail.
A workplace grievance. Maybe a child custody issue at home. Perhaps even a real estate transaction she needed someone to take a look at.
All three issues came immediately to mind without the slightest bit of judgment. Two months into his actual legal work, those were what he saw the most of.
He had agreed to the favor before she even asked it. Partly, it was because that's what being in clinic required him to do. Tell someone he could help, tell them to come by the downtown office.
The favor is given. Class credit is awarded. Win-win for everyone.
Second, he had agreed because he knew that Sage and Sandra were friends. If he answered a favor for Sandra, he was by extension doing it for Sage.
The answer was yes. Whatever it was, without reservation.
After only two months of responding to legal questions, Drake had already found that very little surprised him. Some things amused him. A few disgusted him.
Very little surprised him.
Sandra had surprised him.
The sun was little more than a thin white disk against a grey sky as he let himself into the clinic office. The air was still cold, though not quite as bad as the day before.
The wind had died away a bit, easing the wind chill back up close to freezing.
Drake walked in to find the other two members of the Legal Services clinic packing their things to leave. Both stopped what they were doing as he entered, smirks on their faces.
On the right was Greg Mooney. Wyatt Teague stood on the left.
Both were almost a half-foot shorter than Drake. Greg's bright red hair was the first thing anybody noticed on him. Second was a growing paunch that seemed out of place on his thin body.
Opposite him was Wyatt, with thinning brown hair and knock-knees so severe they took a few inches off his height.
Each was dressed in wrinkled khaki jeans and flannel shirts. Not exactly courtroom attire, even in Montana.
"What do you say gentlemen?" Drake asked. Shrugged off his fleece jacket. Straightened his black dress shirt.
"Well if it's not Mr. GQ himself," Greg said.
"Long time, no see buddy," Wyatt added. "Where you been hiding?"
Drake laughed. Perched himself on the edge of his desk. "You guys swore I was crazy for taking all those classes last summer. Now look who's the smart one that gets to avoid the law school almost entirely?"
"Valid point," Greg said. "Had I known I could stop by for two short classes a week and work from here the rest of the time, I would have done just that."
"I'm sure the place misses me terribly," Drake said. Feigned concern in his voice.
"Well, we do anyway," Greg said. "There are some serious douche bags in the first year class that could use your particular brand of wit aimed their direction."
"It's true," Wyatt added, almost solemnly.
"Very sorry to be shirking my duties," Drake said. "How about we have a late lunch after class on Monday? Post up and tee off on anybody that walks by."
"Done," Wyatt said.
"Looking forward to it," Greg said.
Both picked up their bags and began to shuffle towards the door. Drake looked around them. Saw the door to the meeting room along the back wall closed.
"Is Ava here?"
Wyatt smirked. Stopped on the edge of the front foyer.
"What? Are we not good enough for you?"
Greg matched the smirk beside him. Said nothing.
"I have a case coming in shortly," Drake said. "An estates case."
The smirks fell from both of their faces instantly. Greg motioned with his chin towards the far back wall.
"She's in the meeting room."
"Is she meeting with anyone?"
Wyatt's eyes grew a touch larger. "No, but be careful. I don't think it went well earlier. Locked herself in there, been on the warpath ever since."
Drake touched a finger to his brow. Gave a mock salute. "Thank you for the warning. Always a pleasure gentlemen."
Greg and Wyatt returned the gesture. Made their way out into the cold.
Drake paused a moment until they were gone. Pondered momentarily how they had all become friends in the first place.
They weren't exactly as big of outliers as the Zoo Crew. Damn sure were a close second though.
Drake shook the thought off and ventured to the back wall. Paused outside the meeting room door and listened.
Hearing nothing, he wrapped softly with the back of his right hand.
"What?" Ava's voice replied. Clearly annoyed.
Drake cracked the door open a few inches.
"Hey there."
Ava's face softened just slightly. Her hair was pulled into a loose bun at the nape of her neck. Loose strands hung down, framing her face.
She blew one of them away and leaned back in her chair.
"Hey."
Without invitation, Drake cracked the door and slid inside. Lowered himself into an armchair across from her.
"That good huh?"
"I hate this damn place."
Drake waited until the urge to smirk passed. While it prob
ably wasn't the wrong reaction, letting her see it would be.
"That place being the clinic or Montana?"
"Depends on the day."
Drake nodded. "Again I ask, that good huh?"
"Pretty much."
No further explanation. No attempt to share details.
Drake knew better than to ask.
"What are you working on?" Ava asked.
"Well, that's kind of why I'm bothering you," Drake said. "I could use a hand on something here in just a couple of minutes."
Ava's eyes narrowed. "What kind of something?"
"I'm not entirely sure," Drake said. "An estates case for starters, but the lady who asked me to meet with her hinted there might be more."
"The lady who asked you to meet with her?" Ava repeated.
"Long story," Drake said. "But I know you've done a couple of estates so far. If it's fairly straight forward, you can forget it the second the meeting ends. If not, I'll trade you whatever just walked out for it."
"Done."
No moment to consider. No barter of any kind.
Drake wondered if maybe he should have gotten a few details before making such an offer.
The thought lingered only a moment before the sound of the front door opening cut it off. On cue, Drake rose and peeked out around the office door.
Standing on the small linoleum foyer was Alice Galt.
A sheaf of papers was clutched tight in her left hand. A box of Kleenex was gripped in her right.
Chapter Nineteen
There was no opposing side of the table dynamic.
Feeling that they already had her outnumbered, and she seemed a little nervous about the whole thing, Drake remained opposite the desk from Ava. Showed Alice to the chair beside him.
Ava shoved aside the previous case she'd been working on. Grabbed a yellow legal pad to match Drake's.
Together they gave her their undivided attention.
"Mrs. Galt, my name is Drake Bell. This is my partner Ava Zargoza. Thank you for coming in today."
Alice nodded once. Sniffed. "Thank you for seeing me. And it's Alice, please."
"Alright, Alice. Ava and I work for Missoula Legal Services. Our role here is to answer any questions folks like yourself may have."
"We also perform a variety of tasks, ranging pretty much across the board," Ava added. "Minors-in-possession. Traffic offenses. Misdemeanor crimes."
Alice listened. Said nothing.
"I know you just recently lost your husband," Drake said. Noticed as Alice drew in a sharp breath. "And I am very, truly sorry. I lost my parents not that long ago. I know how hard it can be."
Alice again just nodded.
"Sandra mentioned that you had some questions about things," Drake said. Shot a look to Ava that relayed he would explain later. "Why don't you start there?"
Alice leveled her red-rimmed eyes on Drake. Seemed to be measuring him. After a moment she slid her gaze to Ava.
Nearly a full minute passed in silence. Alice visibly debating something internally. Drake and Ava giving her all the time she needed to do so.
Finally, she blinked. A small movement, but a signal to everyone present.
"Fair warning," Alice began. Despite her appearance, her voice was strong and even. "I've never really liked lawyers. Craig, my husband, and I had a bad experience with one when we first bought our house. Tried to avoid them ever since."
Drake and Ava both let her continue.
"But Sandra told me you would be nice to me. And she said Sage speaks of you in glowing terms. Taken together, that's almost gospel."
Drake kept his eyes locked on Alice. Pressed his lips together slightly. Said nothing.
Alice looked away first. From Drake's eyes down to the stack of papers clutched in her arms. She sat the pile down on the corner of the desk.
Began to shuffle them out like a deck of cards.
"I don't know how much Sandra and Sage told you about my husband, so let me start there. He and I met in undergrad here at the University.
"He was from Hamilton, here studying forestry. I was local, studying business. We met at the 1989 Forester's Ball."
Drake smiled.
The Forester's Ball was a University of Montana institution. Every year the forestry department turned the old ROTC gymnasium on the corner of campus into their own personal playground.
Built a faux town. Threw sawdust on the floor. Provided a massive bar. Even had a chapel in the corner so folks could get hitched for the evening.
Mostly though, it provided a venue for anybody in town to come out and get rip-roaring drunk.
Needless to say, Kade was a regular.
"That was in February," Alice continued. "We were married in July. Craig went to work for Timberman Logging that fall. Worked there until his health forced him to quit earlier this year."
Neither Drake nor Ava took notes. They both kept their gaze locked on Alice.
"In addition, he was a pack-a-day smoker. Unfiltered. A real mountain man."
Alice paused. Offered a wistful smile. The kind of look that said one of the things she loved about him ultimately took him from her.
"When he was diagnosed with emphysema, I had a lot of time to get ready. I hated to even think about such an eventuality, but Craig insisted on it.
"He knew that one day the disease would get him. Wanted to know I would be okay once he was gone."
Alice pulled a sheet of notebook paper from the stack before her. Held it up for him to see. "This is the working list we started on back in the spring. Everything that would need to be done once he was gone."
Drake slid his gaze to it for a moment. Several of the items were already crossed off.
Many more remained to be done.
"We're happy to help in any way we can," Drake offered.
The list went back down to the stack on the table. Alice shook her head softly from one side to the other. "That's very kind of you, but I think I'm okay on most of it. Like I said, I had a lot of time to get ready."
"Okay," Drake said. Tried his best to hide the confusion on his face.
"The reason Sandra asked if you would meet with me was based on a phone call I received a few days ago," Alice said. "And then another I got yesterday."
For the first time, Drake jotted down a note.
"A call from whom?"
Alice moved the list to the side. Slid her finger down a sheet of paper. "Have either of you ever heard of the US Atlantic Insurance Company?"
Drake's gaze moved past her to the far wall. Searched for a moment as he tried to place the name.
Nothing came back to him.
He shook his head. Looked across to Ava.
"No," Ava said. Scribbled the name down on her pad.
"Neither had I," Alice said. "Until they called two days ago."
"Hmm," Drake said. "Did your husband have a life insurance policy with them?"
"That's just it," Alice said. "No. I had never heard of them before. Went back through every single envelope I had."
She motioned the tower spread before them.
"Nothing, ever, from US Atlantic."
"So they called two days ago?" Ava asked. "And claimed to have a policy in your husband's name?"
"Not just a policy, a policy for a quarter of a million dollars."
Without thinking, Drake let out a low shrill whistle. That amount of money, from a company she had never heard of, would certainly be grounds for concern.
His own experience with life insurance was limited to the period after his parents died. Still, what she was describing sounded extreme.
"Did your husband have another policy in his name?" Drake asked.
"Yes," Alice said. "That's what all this is. Basic Mountain Life package. We paid a nominal fee each month, they sent us a statement once a quarter."
"Do you mind if I ask how much that coverage was for?"
A pained look crossed Alice's face. "You have to realize, my husband was a logger. He made good
money by Missoula standards, but in the grand scheme of things..."
"We're merely asking for comparison's sake," Ava said. "Trying to determine where or how this policy could have originated."
"Oh," Alice said. Frowned slightly. Looked to Drake. "Sorry, I just assumed."
Drake waved a hand at her. "No need for an apology. I should have been clearer."
"Twenty-five thousand," Alice said.
Both Ava and Drake wrote the number down.
Drake shot a look to Ava and asked, "So one policy kept you fully apprised every quarter of exactly what was going on. The other one, worth ten times as much, you never heard a word about?"
"Yes," Alice said.
"You mentioned a second call? Yesterday?" Ava asked.
Alice nodded. "Then yesterday, just as suddenly, they called back. Said they had made a mistake. There was no policy payable to me after all."
Drake began to write down what she was saying. Paused and turned his head towards her. "There was no policy? Or there was no policy payable to you?"
"Payable to me," Alice said.
Drake and Ava exchanged a glance.
Drake leaned back slowly in his chair. Let the information roll around in his head. Said nothing.
"That was my reaction," Alice said. "I mentioned it to Sandra, who felt I should talk to someone about it. That's how I ended up here."
Silence fell in the office for a moment.
Drake flicked his gaze up to the clock on the wall. Saw that it was already nudging five in the afternoon.
Looked over to Ava, who's focus was locked on the spread of paperwork on the desk.
"Alice, first let me say you were right to come here. Insurance companies are slippery under the best of circumstances. I don't even want to speculate on what you're facing right now.
"That being said, it's already late in the afternoon, so anybody we try to contact is going to be out for the day. Can you leave these things here?"
Alice raised a hand to her mouth. "So you'll look into this for me?"
Drake shifted his gaze to Ava. She nodded slightly.
"For sure," Drake said.
"I, I can't pay you very much," Alice said. More of an apology than a statement.
"You can't pay us anything," Drake corrected. "That’s why we're here."
Dead Peasants (Zoo Crew series Book 2) Page 7