They had all driven with Lily and Ian to the funeral—Heather, Chris, and Danielle. It made sense, since they were neighbors. Ian and Chris had left their dogs at Marlow House with Walt. Bella stayed at her house. Heather figured poor Hunny needed a break from her cat, and at Marlow House she would have to deal with Max; the dog didn’t need two felines terrorizing her.
From the church they went to the cemetery for the gravesite service. Only a fraction of those who had been at the church showed up. Yet when they drove over to Marie’s house, they could see by the cars parked up and down the street and around the corner that many of those who had gone to the church service and skipped the cemetery had come to the wake.
Adam greeted them when they walked in Marie’s front doorway. He shook both Ian’s and Chris’s hands—thanking Chris for making it back to the funeral—and then gave the women each a quick hug. He had no idea his grandmother stood by his side.
“I was a little surprised no one was asked if they wanted to get up and say something about Marie,” Lily said.
“Grandma specifically requested we not do that. She left instructions when she made her funeral arrangements,” Adam explained.
Danielle and Heather looked to Marie for a further explanation.
Marie shrugged. “I didn’t see the point. Most people who would’ve actually had something to say are already dead. And how awkward for Adam if only a couple of people got up there? No, he’d feel compelled to get up and say something, and he’s never been fond of public speaking.”
“I have to admit I was a little relieved,” Adam whispered. “If Grandma had wanted that, I would have felt obligated to get up there myself. Speeches aren’t my thing.”
“See, I told you,” Marie said with a nod. She smiled at her eldest grandson.
It had been a long day, and the last guest had just left. Adam gathered stray cups and paper plates from throughout the house, taking them to the trash can in the kitchen. His mother had gone upstairs to lie down, and his father was in the bathroom.
In the kitchen he found Jason and Sondra sitting at the kitchen table, quietly sharing a slice of chocolate cake.
Adam shoved the paper plates and cups into the trash can. “Has this messed you up with work?” he asked his brother.
“How do you mean?” Jason took another bite of cake.
“I remember when you first arrived, you said you’d have to fly out on Saturday after Thanksgiving at the latest because of work.”
Jason shrugged. “It’s no problem. Work’s fine.”
Sondra tossed her fork on the plate and glared at her fiancé. “Just stop it, Jason. I can’t take it anymore!”
Startled by Sondra’s outburst, Adam stared at the couple. He hadn’t seen his brother look like that since the time he had almost been caught swiping ten bucks out of their mother’s wallet.
“What are you talking about?” Jason asked guiltily.
“I know about work. I know you lost your job,” she told him.
“You lost your job?” Adam blurted.
Jason looked at Sondra. “How long have you known?”
“I’m not stupid,” Sondra snapped. “I’ve known all along.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?” Jason asked.
“I was waiting for you to tell me,” she said.
Adam took a seat at the table. He looked at his brother. “When did you lose your job? Why didn’t you say anything?”
“It’s not something I wanted to broadcast.” Jason dropped his fork on the plate with Sondra’s and slumped back in the chair. “The department had some major budget cuts, and I was low man on the totem pole. I was told the week before Grandma broke her hip. My last day at work was the day before we got here.”
“Why did you say you had to get back for work?” Adam asked.
“I needed to get back and start looking for another job.” Jason turned to Sondra. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. But I just hoped I’d have something lined up, and I didn’t want you to think this would interfere with our wedding plans.”
“So when are you going back?” Adam asked.
“Chief MacDonald wants us to stick around, but he really can’t make us stay, and I know Dad’s got to get back to work,” Jason said. “I’m just waiting to see what Grandma’s will says before I make any more plans.”
Sondra reached across the table and took Jason’s hand in hers. “I don’t believe your grandmother wrote you out of her will. It’s going to be okay.”
“Why exactly did you ask Melony to read the will here?” Walt asked Marie on Wednesday morning. The two were in the attic, looking out the window, waiting for Marie’s family to arrive.
“I considered requesting she read it at Adam’s office. My intention was to give Adam a home-field advantage, since his father is not going to be happy with the new will. I didn’t want him alone with Adam when he found out what was in it. Adam doesn’t deserve his nonsense. But then if they were at Adam’s office, he might still fly off the handle, and I didn’t think that would be good for Adam’s business. Here, he would have Danielle’s moral support.”
“Marie, what did you do?” Walt asked.
Melony declined Adam’s offer to drive with him to Marlow House. Of all days, she did not want to present herself as Adam’s girlfriend, and frankly, she didn’t know if that label accurately described their current relationship.
She arrived first, just parking in front of Marlow House when Adam’s parents pulled up behind her, Jason and Sondra in the car with them. Just as she got out of her vehicle, Adam drove down the street, parking behind his parents’ car.
Fifteen minutes later, they were all gathered in the dining room, Melony sitting at the head of the dining room table. While taking their seats, Danielle had offered them all a beverage, which they had all declined, save for Melony, who had asked for a glass of water. Unbeknownst to everyone but Danielle, Marie and Walt sat at the table with them.
Setting down the file she had brought, Melony folded her hands on it and looked down the table, a somber expression on her face. “Several days after the Beach Drive house closed escrow, Marie called me up and asked me if I could stop at her house.” She looked to Adam. “She expressly asked me not to say anything to Adam about the visit.”
Warren let out a little grunt as if he didn’t quite believe that.
Licking her lips, Melony took a breath and continued. “Marie wrote a letter that she wanted me to read before I go over the contents of her revised will.” Unfolding her hands, Melony opened the file and removed a piece of paper.
Melony cleared her throat and began to read. “As they say in the movies, if you are all gathered here that must mean I’m dead. I’m not really afraid of dying. I’ve had a good, long life, and frankly, I’m a little tired. But before I go, I need to make sure my estate is in order for those of you I leave behind.
Warren, as you know, after you moved away, I changed my will. When I sent you a copy, you were pretty upset. At the time I wondered why you assumed you were entitled to my entire estate just by virtue of being my son, and now that I think about it, perhaps I was wrong. Your father was rather old-fashioned and believed a person’s estate should go entirely to the eldest son. Which would mean any other siblings would be left with nothing. Fortunately for you, you have no older siblings.”
Warren expelled what sounded like a sigh of relief and settled back in his chair, a smile on his face. Both Adam and Jason remained stoic, while Sondra furrowed her brow and fidgeted with the table’s edge. Chloe hadn’t altered her expression since sitting down, aside from a slight twitching at the edges of her lips as if she resisted smiling.
Melony continued. “Jason, in the last fifteen years I don’t think I’ve seen you more than five times. I can’t remember the last time you sent me a birthday card or even called just to say hello. Yet I must say you have been prompt in sending me thank-you cards for the money I sent you for your birthdays and Christmas. For that, I thank you.”
/> Color drained from Jason’s face. He shifted nervously in his chair.
“Adam,” Melony continued reading, “you were a rascal as a young boy, always giving your parents fits. But even when you were at your worst, you were always the best to me, taking care of me after your grandfather died, seeing that I had what I needed. I want you to know how proud I am of you. The only thing I ask of you—” Melony paused and cleared her throat before reading the next part “—is that you settle down, get married, and give me some great-grandchildren.”
Adam chuckled and shook his head. “Grandma, you never stop, do you?”
“Not until you give me what I want!” Marie told deaf ears. Danielle flashed Marie a smile.
“Danielle…” Melony began reading again. All heads at the table turned to Danielle. “You have no idea how grateful I am you came into my life when you did. I was feeling a little alone. Not that I didn’t appreciate Adam, but you were like the daughter I never had. You and Lily made me feel useful again. I think you needed me. Please look after Adam for me. I think he will need it.”
Tears glistening in her eyes, Danielle looked to Marie and smiled.
“Oh, don’t get all maudlin on me!” Marie snapped. “If I knew I would have been sticking around, I wouldn’t have gotten all mushy.”
A smile twitched the corners of Danielle’s mouth.
“When Melony finishes reading my letter, I have instructed her to hand out the copies of my revised will to each of you. However, before she does that, I will cut to the chase and give you a summary of what is in the will.
“To Warren, when your father died, our estate was worth approximately fifty thousand dollars. Had I died when your father had, the entire estate would have gone to you. Therefore, I am leaving you fifty thousand dollars.” Melony paused and took a drink of water.
“Fifty thousand? Are you serious? Is that it?” Warren shouted.
“That can’t be all!” Chloe protested.
“Yes, that’s all,” Marie said with a nod.
“Please go on,” Jason said nervously.
Melony gave Jason a nod and then continued. “To my youngest grandson, Jason, who I loved in spite of his inattentiveness. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised a young man is not interested in spending time with an old woman. I am leaving you twenty thousand dollars. It should be enough to help you buy a house someday.”
“Twenty thousand? She didn’t leave Jason just twenty thousand, did she? That’s all?” Sondra said with disbelief, shaking her head.
Marie glared at Sondra. “If I were about to get married, I would be thrilled to know my fiancé had a twenty-thousand-dollar nest egg. What’s wrong with young people these days? They want everything handed to them!”
“To Danielle—”
Warren stood up and shouted, “I knew it!” Melony stopped reading and all eyes turned to Adam’s father. “I had this little gold digger’s number all along! If you think you’re going to get a dime of my mother’s estate without a fight, you are wrong, sister!” He glared at Danielle.
“Sit down, Warren, you’re making a fool of yourself,” Marie snapped.
“Please, Warren, let me continue,” Melony said calmly.
Glaring now at Melony, Warren reluctantly sat down.
Clearing her throat again, Melony continued. “To Danielle, I would like you to have my tea set, the one I used during our visits. I hope you think of me when you use it. To Adam—”
“Wait,” Warren interrupted. “Is that all she left Danielle?”
“Yes,” Melony said.
“Gee, Dad, are you going to take Danielle to court over a tea set?” Adam snickered.
“To Adam,” Melony continued, “you were more than my grandson; you were my business partner. I have never for a moment underestimated your role in not just overseeing my estate, but keeping me from making foolish mistakes. Five years ago, I was approached by a buyer who wanted to purchase my parents’ house for a fraction of what it was worth, and like a foolish woman, I was prepared to sell. If it hadn’t been for you, I probably would have. But that is only one example of how you kept me out of trouble. You didn’t just make sure I had food in my pantry and that the lightbulbs were replaced without me climbing on a ladder, you made sure I wasn’t taken advantage of. To you, I leave the remainder of my estate.
“A final message to Warren, while you might believe you are entitled to more of the estate, you should thank your eldest son for so wisely handling my finances. Had he not been so diligent, I suspect there would have been nothing of real significance to leave anyone.”
Melony folded the letter and slipped it back into the folder and then removed copies of the will from the file to disperse.
“That’s it?” Chloe asked.
“So Adam gets almost everything?” Sondra whined.
“It’s none of your business,” Marie snapped. “Useless women, the two of you!”
Thirty-One
Carla, the waitress at Pier Café, was just about to serve Joe and Brian their lunch when Beverly Klein walked into the diner alone. Seeing the widow of the man she had been having an affair with, Carla almost dropped the plates she was carrying, yet managed to salvage the meals before losing more than three French fries. Without expressing her apology, she slammed the plates on the table in front of the officers and scurried away.
Startled by Carla’s abrupt behavior, both Joe and Brian frowned down at their plates before looking up to see what the waitress seemed to be running away from. They spied Beverly coming in their direction, a smile on her face.
“Good afternoon, gentlemen,” Beverly greeted them when she reached their table. She flashed Brian a warm smile.
“Afternoon, Beverly.” Brian beamed. “You look lovely today. Meeting someone for lunch?”
Joe chuckled under his breath and picked up one of his French fries before giving Beverly a polite hello.
“I never eat here anymore.” Beverly glanced briefly in the direction in which Carla had disappeared, and then smiled back down at Brian. “I come down to the pier sometimes. It’s where I go when I want to talk to Steve.” As they all knew, her husband, Steve, had died at the pier when he had fallen into the ocean after going into anaphylactic shock from accidently eating shellfish and finding his epinephrine injection mysteriously missing from his tackle box. What they didn’t know, Beverly was the one who had slipped shellfish into her husband’s tamale and had removed his epinephrine injection. Of course, she had not been trying to kill him, just to punish him for having an affair with Carla. His death came as an added bonus.
“You’re welcome to join us,” Brian offered, scooting over in his seat.
Smiling at Brian, Beverly sat down. “Just for a moment. I was wondering, is there anything new on Marie Nichols’s murder?”
Brian and Joe exchanged glances. Brian said, “Nothing I can discuss.”
“I still can’t believe Marie was murdered.” Beverly shook her head. “Do you think it was someone in her family? I understand she was worth a considerable amount of money. I heard she got a good price for the Beach Drive house.”
“Like I said, I can’t really discuss it,” Brian said apologetically.
“Did you know Marie very well?” Joe asked.
Beverly shrugged. “I suppose I knew her as well as anyone in town. We went to the same church, although she didn’t go that often. I went to her funeral. I didn’t go to the cemetery or wake. After all, the only one in her family I really know is Adam. I’ve never met her son and the other grandson. They’d left before I moved to town. Funny thing, I ran into the girlfriend of the youngest grandson the same night Marie was killed.” Beverly picked up Brian’s water and helped herself to a sip.
“Sondra?” Joe asked.
Beverly set the glass back down. “I guess that’s her name. I asked someone at church who she was, because I recognized her. We were never formally introduced.”
“Where did you run into her?” Brian asked.
�
�That all-night mini-mart on my side of town,” Beverly explained. “I woke up with the devil of a headache, and there wasn’t an aspirin to be found in my house, so I ran down there. When Steve was still here, he would have gone for me.” Beverly let out a sigh and smiled at Brian. “I ran into her going out of the store—I mean I literally ran into her. We collided in the doorway.”
“What time was this Monday night?” Joe asked.
Beverly considered the question a moment before answering. “I suppose it wasn’t exactly the middle of the night like I said. More like early in the morning, before sunrise.”
“Do you have any idea what time in the morning?” Brian asked.
Beverly glanced from Brian to Joe. “Why? Is it important?”
“It might be,” Joe told her.
“Well, it had to have been before three thirty, because that’s what time I got back home. I remember, because I looked at the clock, took three aspirin, and then went back to bed. Why?”
Chief MacDonald found Danielle sitting alone in the porch swing when he arrived at Marlow House Wednesday afternoon.
“Kind of cold to be sitting outside, don’t you think?” he asked when he reached her.
Danielle glanced up to the blue sky, not a cloud in sight, and then smiled at the chief. “What do you mean? It’s a beautiful afternoon.”
Shivering in his jacket, MacDonald muttered, “If you say so,” before sitting down on the swing with her.
“Did you stop by to see how the reading of the will went?” Danielle asked.
“Partly. How did it go?”
“Warren was willing to fight me for the tea set, but I think he’s going to let me keep it.” She chuckled.
“What?”
Danielle shrugged. “Never mind. I guess you woulda had to have been there. Basically, no one was happy. Well, maybe Adam was, but I think he was more in shock than happy at this point. I don’t think he really expected Marie to leave him the bulk of her estate. But it really doesn’t surprise me, considering everything.”
The Ghost and Little Marie Page 20