“Doesn’t sound like a fair fight.” Wilkens smirked.
“What could they do to challenge this?” Haynes asked, pointing to the document lying on the desk between them.
“Question its validity. Authenticity of the signature or his mental capacity at the time he signed it. You said he was very ill when he wrote this. Undergoing chemotherapy?”
Haynes nodded. “Could they say that he wasn’t in his right mind?”
“They can try. If this gets heated, they most certainly will allege that this isn’t credible—that it shouldn’t be admitted into evidence because Spenser is dead and they can’t cross examine him.”
“How do we handle that?”
“It’s acknowledged, of course, so we might need the testimony of the notary. A notary has the duty to make sure that a person knows what they are signing and has the mental capacity to understand its ramifications.”
“Can we find this notary?”
“Shouldn’t be a problem. They’re licensed by each state.” Wilkens turned to the computer behind him. “Let me do a quick Google search.” He reached for the affidavit and typed in the name of the notary and pressed enter.
“Your good luck continues,” Wilkens said. “The notary works for the largest law firm in Richmond. We’ll be able to find her, and my guess is that she followed all the rules when she notarized his signature.”
For the first time since he’d entered his attorney’s office, Haynes allowed himself to relax.
“Congratulations. Something stronger, now?” Wilkens asked, pulling out a bottle of Glenfiddich and two cut crystal glasses from the credenza behind his desk.
“Why not?” Haynes replied. “So what’s next?”
“You give me the go-ahead, and we’ll start drafting the paperwork to reopen Hector Martin’s estate.” Wilkens handed a glass to Haynes. “The neat and tidy life of your Mayor Martin is about to come crashing down around her ears.”
“I’ll drink to that,” Haynes said, clinking his glass to Wilkens’ and draining it in one gulp.
Chapter 20
Maggie glanced out the mullioned window over her kitchen sink as she finished loading the dishwasher and pressed the start button. The back lawn of Rosemont was in deep shadow at twilight. For the first time in over a week, the evening promised to be clear and dry. She turned as John approached, two leashes in hand.
“Remember how much we enjoyed our evening walks after dinner in Cornwall?” he asked. “And how we swore we’d keep it up when we got home?”
Maggie nodded. “It’s been too wet,” she replied defensively.
“It’s not too wet tonight. I’ll saddle up Roman and Eve. Go get your shoes on.”
Maggie sighed, and John shook his head, sweeping her into his arms and planting a kiss on the top of her head. “No excuses.”
“You’re right. Once we get out the door, I’ll be glad we went. It’s just that I brought a mountain of work home with me,” she said, a note of pleading in her voice.
“All the more reason,” he replied with mock sternness as he released her and whistled for the dogs.
***
The four of them set off down the long, sloping driveway through the tunnel of trees that imposed an early dusk. By the time they emerged at the bottom and stepped onto the sidewalk, the spreadsheets and financial statements in Maggie’s briefcase didn’t seem so pressing anymore.
“Which way?” John asked, as Roman sat to an immediate heel while Eve pulled at her leash.
“Let’s make a lap around town square. It’d be fun to window shop. Like we did on our honeymoon.”
John stepped out with Roman at his side. Eve cut in front of them. “We’re going to have to train Eve to walk on the leash,” he said.
“I’ve never been good at dog training,” Maggie replied. She looked over at him. “I guess you knew that before you married me.”
John nodded. “Here,” he said, handing her Roman’s leash. “Let’s trade dogs. I’ll work with Eve, and Roman can show you how a dog should behave. Unless you want to do this yourself?”
“No. Good idea,” Maggie rushed to reply, grateful that she could rely on John to train Eve.
“Speaking of shopping in Cornwall, shouldn’t the painting we bought arrive soon?”
“I think so. I’ve been tracking it online, and it’s supposed to arrive in New York next week. I’m planning to have it hung before Gordon Mortimer returns to go through the furniture in the attic.”
“Hoping he’ll approve of our purchase? We like it, and that’s all that matters.”
“I know. But he’s very knowledgeable about fine art, and it would be fun to see what he thinks.”
John eyed her kindly. “Just don’t get disappointed if he doesn’t rave about it. That painting will always take us back to those windswept green highlands and some of the happiest moments of my life.”
Maggie leaned into him. “I’m glad we finally decided to throw caution to the wind and buy it.”
They crossed the street and began strolling along the sixteen-block rectangle that surrounded the square.
“I haven’t been to Celebrations since we’ve been back. Let’s see what Judy has in her window,” Maggie said as she turned in the direction of the card and gift store that was her favorite shop on the square. John and Eve followed slowly in her wake.
Maggie was studying a beach-themed tablescape in the window when she heard John call to someone.
“Jackie. We get to see David quite a bit at Rosemont, but I’m sorry that we haven’t seen you,” he said, nodding to the boy at her side. John dropped to one knee to greet Dodger. “How are you?” he asked, looking up at her.
“We’re all right,” she said stiffly.
John stood up as Maggie and Eve walked over to join them. “David’s been a great help to us, and Sam Torres raves about him, Mrs. Wheeler. You should be very proud of him,” Maggie said, smiling at the widow of the town’s discredited mayor. She wanted to reach out to this betrayed woman—to tell her that she understood what she was going through—but knew that she would remain silent.
Jackie Wheeler looked at her shoes.
“We came down to check out places for rent behind the candy store,” David said, pointing in the direction of Candy Alley. His mother reached up and pulled his hand down.
“I lost my job. We’re losing our home to foreclosure.” Jackie made an effort to keep her voice even. “We’re moving in with my brother for a while, but we can’t stay there forever.”
“Those places behind the square are pretty small and won’t have a yard for Dodger,” John said, all the while thinking of how hard it would be for mother and son to move from their lovely home to a shabby apartment behind the square. “We’re putting my house up for rent,” he continued. “The yard is fenced, and it already has a doggie door. Sam and David have painted it on the inside, so it’s ready to go. Why don’t you look at it?”
David beamed. “It would be perfect.” He turned to his mother. “You’ll love it, Mom. You should see the kitchen. Mr. Torres and I put in granite counter tops. It’s close to my school, and Dodger would have a yard.”
Jackie Wheeler turned to her son. “I’m sure we couldn’t afford it, David. Everyone in this town thinks I knew that William was embezzling. They think I have a ton of money hidden somewhere.” Jackie turned to John and Maggie. “I assure you I don’t, and we’re broke. I’ve found a job, but it pays half of what I used to make.”
“We’ll work something out so you can afford it,” John said. “I want a tenant I can count on that won’t tear the place up. You and David would be ideal. And if anything needs to be repaired, I know David can fix it,” he said, clapping David on the back. “Tim Knudsen has the key. Call him tomorrow, and he’ll show it to you.”
Jackie Wheeler nodded slowly. “We will.” She looked at John. “Thank you. You’ve always been kind.”
“I think this will work out for all of us,” Maggie interjected. “I’m so glad
we ran into you.”
Jackie Wheeler ignored her and turned on her heel.
“Thank you, Mayor Martin,” David said quickly over his shoulder as he followed his mother.
“What did I ever do to her?” Maggie huffed.
“You replaced her husband as mayor,” John replied. “She may blame you for his demise.”
“That’s ridiculous. I didn’t even live here at the time the fraud and embezzlement took place.”
“I know, but it looks like she’s holding you responsible. Would you like me to change my mind about renting my place to them?”
“C’mon, Roman,” Maggie said as they resumed their walk. “Of course not. I feel sorry for both of them. I believe her when she says she didn’t know what her husband was up to. I certainly didn’t know Paul was embezzling from Windsor College or that he supported Loretta Nash and her kids. I was lucky that I was able to quietly settle the college’s claim. Jackie Wheeler hasn’t been so fortunate. I don’t think she’s sitting on piles of money anywhere. And David is a really nice kid. I want you to be kind to them. I don’t care how much you charge them in rent.”
“That’s the woman I love,” John replied.
***
“Why were you so rude to Mayor Martin?” David whispered as he caught up to his mother.
“Do you forget that she’s the main person on that committee that framed your father? She’s the forensic accountant that came up with all the evidence.”
David looked over his shoulder at the retreating figures of Maggie and John. “You don’t know that, Mom. We don’t know what they had for evidence. And now that Dad’s gone, we’ll never know,” he said with a catch in his throat.
“I know all right,” she spat back.
“Dr. Allen has always been really nice to me and Dodger.”
“Dr. Allen is a good man. I don’t know what he sees in that woman.”
“So are you going to look at his place tomorrow? I know you’ll like it. It’s way better than anything we’ve seen so far.”
She nodded. “If we can help out Dr. Allen by renting his house and taking care of it for him, I think we should.”
David lowered his face to hide his smile. If his mother wanted to think they were doing Dr. Allen a favor that was fine with him. He just wanted to leave the memories at their current home behind and start over, with Dodger at his side.
Chapter 21
Maggie Martin rocked back on her heels on the Wheeler’s front porch and tried to discreetly peer through a crack in the blinds covering the window adjacent to the door. She’d rung the doorbell but hadn’t heard any sound and wondered if it was still in working order. She stepped to the door and knocked firmly. This time, she heard footsteps approach. The door opened a crack. Maggie could see one eye of a disheveled-looking Jackie Wheeler, staring back at her.
“Mrs. Wheeler?” Maggie began.
“Why the hell are you here?”
“May I come in? I have something important to discuss with you. We need help in the fraud investigation.”
“Why do you think I’d have the slightest interest in that? I’ve lost my husband to it and now my house. Get off my property,” she said as she slammed the door shut in Maggie’s face.
Maggie took a deep breath and raised her hand to knock again, but thought better of it. She slowly retraced her steps to her car. If she had turned around, she would have seen David Wheeler peering at her through a small opening in the blinds of the window next to the door.
Maggie retrieved her cell phone and placed a call to Alex as she pulled into the street.
“No go,” she said the moment he answered.
“I take it Mrs. Wheeler respectfully declined our request for cooperation?”
“Something like that, yes,” Maggie replied, stopping quickly to avoid a child chasing a ball into the street. She was abreast of a sedan with darkly tinted windows, parked in deep shade on the other side of the street, two houses down from the Wheeler residence. She took no notice of the man sitting, motionless, watching her behind the steering wheel.
“I’ll start the process of getting a search warrant,” Alex said. “We’ll serve it on the new owners right after the sale. I think the Wheeler family has been through enough.”
“I agree with you on that score,” Maggie said, turning her car in the direction of Town Hall.
***
“You finally got somethin’ for me?” Delgado snarled into the phone in his office above the liquor store. Since his release on bail, he’d been following his high-priced lawyer’s advice and laying low. Mostly. He’d assigned a few of his guys to watch Martin, Scanlon, and Smith. That hardly counted as doing anything wrong.
“I do, sir. On Martin.”
“Well?” Delgado barked.
“She just paid a visit to the grieving widow Wheeler. Or tried to.”
“How’s that?”
“The missus wouldn’t let her in. Looks like she never took the chain off the door. Didn’t give our esteemed mayor a chance to say much before she slammed the door in her face.”
Delgado smiled. How he would have loved to have seen that.
“Martin looked like she wanted to try again, but had second thoughts. Finally put her tail between her legs and got back in her car and drove away.”
“Did she see you?”
“No way. She got on the phone and was deep in conversation when she drove past me.”
“You don’t say,” Delgado said. “Martin’s an odd broad, but it’s even odder that she went to see Jackie. Keep an even closer eye on her from here on out, okay? I’m talkin’ 24/7. Somethin’s goin’ on.”
“You got it, boss. If they’re up to anything, we’ll find out what it is.”
Chapter 22
Frank Haynes pulled into his customary observation spot along the road below Rosemont. He’d just returned from New York City, and he needed to see Rosemont, now that he was secure in the knowledge that he could establish his claim to the house he’d coveted for a lifetime.
He looked up at the rear facade, the setting sun reflecting pinks and purples in its rows of windows. Perhaps he and his border collie, Sally, would be living there by Christmas. And their newlywed mayor wouldn’t be hosting any grand celebrations at Rosemont this holiday season.
Haynes tried to force a smile onto his lips. Somehow, the thoughts that had always cheered him before, failed him this time. He imagined Sally roaming around in the large house all day, on her own. And himself eating his take-out dinner—alone—in the dining room. He’d get another dog, he decided. He was always finding another at Forever Friends that he wanted to bring home. He’d get a companion for Sally. That should do it, he told himself.
Haynes stretched his arms out in front of him. It was time to stop in at Haynes Enterprises, then call it a night.
***
Frank Haynes turned into Haynes Enterprises as the dim light of early evening cast long shadows across the deserted parking lot. As he approached the entrance, he could see that the door to Haynes Enterprises was unlocked. He sprinted up the steps and cautiously opened the door, expecting to find that the office had been broken into.
Loretta’s computer was on, and the day’s bank deposit lay strewn about her desk. Haynes slammed the door shut behind him and crossed to her desk in three strides. “What the hell?” he growled. He knew he shouldn’t have trusted her while he was away. She was just like all of the other low-life bookkeepers he’d employed over the years. Glad to cash a paycheck but not willing to go the extra mile. When would he ever learn? The only person he could count on was himself.
Haynes yanked her chair back and sat down, gathering the stacks of bills that made up the daily deposit from his fast-food restaurants. He was searching for a large rubber band in a drawer of the credenza behind him when the door opened, and Loretta Nash rushed in.
“Mr. Haynes,” she began as he wheeled on her.
The words “get out; you’re fired” froze on his lips. He’d
never seen her look worse. It wasn’t so much a matter of her hair or makeup—though both were disheveled—but more of the pain and fear in her eyes. He swallowed the angry words he was about to utter.
“I’m so sorry,” she said. “I was just coming back to do that.”
Haynes nodded and got up from her chair. She pushed past him and sat.
He moved to stand in front of her desk and regarded her silently.
“I was going to make this deposit first thing in the morning,” she said, not looking at him.
“You know they’re to be made at the end of every day. Why were you waiting until tomorrow?”
Loretta ignored his question and continued, head down, gathering up the deposit.
“The door was unlocked, Loretta, at eight o’clock at night. You left all of this cash lying on top of your desk, out in the open for anyone to take. I’m amazed that it was still here when I walked in,” he snapped. “I should fire you right now.”
Loretta began to cry, softly at first and then crescendoing into great, heaving sobs.
Haynes stood rooted to the spot. He wanted to stride into his office and slam the door, waiting for her to clear out her things and leave before he emerged. Somehow, his feet wouldn’t move. He reached out a hand and placed it lightly on her shoulder.
Loretta looked up at him. “I’m soooory,” she choked. “I came back because I was afraid I forgot to lock up.” She drew a deep breath and tried to calm herself before continuing. Haynes nodded encouragingly.
“I know the deposits get made every day—I’ve been doing them for months. I also know we’ve got enough in the bank to cover all our checks without this deposit,” she assured him.
“Why did you leave in such a hurry?” he asked, knowing the answer as he asked the question.
“Nicole,” she whispered.
“What’s happened now? I thought she was better.”
“She was, and then she got sick again. It’s been on and off all week. I had to take her to the doctor. She was dehydrated, so they gave her fluids. They think that should do it,” Loretta said, dissolving again into fresh waves of tears. “It’s all my fault, Frank. I wasn’t giving her enough medication. She was doing so well, and the plan all along was to wean her from it, so I was waiting to refill her prescription. The medicine is so expensive,” she said, turning her face to his.
Drawing Close: The Fourth Novel in the Rosemont Series Page 9