Where There's A Will

by Mary Malone

  As she kissed him, he caught her hand for the briefest of moments then released his feeble grip.

  “What do the doctors say?” Beth murmured to her mother.

  “They’ve taken some bloods but no results yet,” a pale and harassed Marian explained.

  “That nurse suspects his medication mightn’t be suiting him. And when your father told them how many headache tablets he’d been taking . . .” She shook her head at her husband, guilt washing over her that she’d been so preoccupied with getting one over on Polly that she hadn’t noticed him deteriorating in front of her eyes.

  “All that stress is probably from his golf handicap,” Beth made an attempt to lighten the atmosphere in the room.

  “Nothing a good night’s sleep won’t fix,” Frank said, closing his eyes again, the image of his daughter and wife sitting by his bed a better cure than any headache tablet.

  Answering her phone on the first ring, Charlotte let out the breath she’d been holding when Beth told her she had just been into the ICU and talked to Frank and that he was now sleeping peacefully.

  “Not out of the woods by a long shot but definitely out of immediate danger,” Beth said.

  “You don’t have to come,” she added, offering her a way out.

  “Actually I do. This is a wake-up call. I’m already at the airport. Avoiding confrontation with that bastard, Philip, is cutting me off from my family and everything else I left behind.”

  “Carl will be waiting outside the airport for you then.”

  “Carl?”

  “He’s collecting Ed’s ex anyway, so it’s no trouble.” She was still amazed he’d actually written him a letter and tracked him down, the kindest thing she’d ever witnessed from him.

  “Are ye getting on better?”

  “We’re over, Charlotte, and we both know it. Probably never begun if the truth is known. It should never have gone beyond a holiday fling. But there are more important things going on around us and it’s about time I, for one, faced up to that.”

  After she’d finished her call to her sister, Charlotte chewed on her thumbnail as she strolled aimlessly around the airport duty-free shops, unable to sit still for even a moment and grateful for the large selection of fashion outlets to distract her. It was certainly better than sitting with her head in her hands, yet time couldn’t move fast enough for her. She would be on tenterhooks until she was actually on that plane.

  She spotted a dress from the label she’d bought for the party. The assistant appeared to be moving the entire rail – to the sales area with a bit of luck, Charlotte thought. She hurried to ask the girl. If there were a few more with a similar neckline to the last one in her size, she’d buy them.

  “Excuse me,” she said to the assistant, “are you putting those on sale?”

  “I’m sorry, ma’am, this label’s being removed. Designer’s been arrested on suspicion of copyright theft. Huge fraud case apparently.” She pointed to the TV screen overhead. “Keep an eye out for breaking news.”

  Charlotte opened her eyes wide. “What’s the name of the designer?”

  The assistant looked around her, as though she were about to divulge one of the world’s greatest secrets. “Some guy from Lyon selling to Canadian fashion houses apparently. This is the second case against him according to the news but now he’s made the mistake of ripping off a billionaire who’s already got his lawyers kicking up a storm.” Spotting her supervisor approaching, the assistant gave Charlotte a brief nod and hurried away with her rail of beautiful dresses.

  Charlotte dialled her sister’s number. “Beth! Wait until I tell you what I’ve just heard!”

  But then she paused and listened, alert. “Oh God, I’ve got to go. My flight’s just been called. Just tell Ed that his label should be safe. Greed has caught up with his opponent and this time he’s copied somebody who can well afford to prove the truth to the world. Got to run to the gate now. I can’t wait to see you. Give Dad a kiss for me.”

  Beth took out her phone and called Carl, disappointed when it went straight to voicemail. Despite their failed marriage, she could understand what it would mean to him to be able to tell Ed the news and under the circumstances the sooner he could do that the better.

  “Great news for Ed,” she whispered to Marian and Kieran when she re-entered the Intensive Care Unit. “That Lyon guy has gone and done the same thing to a Canadian designer and, boy, will he live to regret it! It’s huge over there already apparently. And unlike Ed, this guy has the financial means to destroy him.”

  Marian and Kieran shrugged, neither very interested in the story.

  “Dad? That’s good, isn’t it?” Refraining from detail so as not to upset him or divulge to her mother that Frank had been in the throes of investing large sums of cash in Ed’s business, she couldn’t understand the worried look on his face.

  “I’m happy for Ed,” Frank told the group. He sighed. “Such a pity he’s not going to be here to see his good name restored.”

  “I’ll have to ask some of you to leave,” the nurse instructed sternly. “You’re tiring the patient out.”

  “You two stay for a while,” said Marian. “I’ll step out for a while.” And with a quick kiss dropped on Frank’s forehead, she left.

  Chapter 42

  “Seth, I need a word,” Marian said a while later, relieved she’d intercepted her brother in the hospital before he’d attempted to visit Frank. The last thing her husband needed was Seth raising his blood pressure and bringing on a second heart attack.

  Just before she left him, Frank had asked her to telephone his private-eye contact, Mags, to bring her up to speed on the latest in the design-copyright theft story. Under the circumstances, she hadn’t questioned him about his contact with this woman she remembered from years before, but it was something she’d ask about when he’d recovered. Turning over a new leaf was one thing, but turning a blind eye was plain ridiculous!

  “How’s he doing?” Seth enquired.

  “How did you know he’d been brought in?”

  “Charlotte. I called her. She hasn’t sent her official signed objection letter yet. She told me about Frank’s heart attack. You know she’s changed her mind about supporting her sister? Wants Kieran to have it all now.”

  Marian nodded, hating the fact she still had murderous thoughts about Polly even though her husband was seriously ill a short distance away. “Just withdraw from it, Seth,” she sighed. “It’s useless anyway according to Charlotte. And seeing Frank as he is right now has scared me into facing my priorities and focusing on what’s most important in life.” Revenge, from what she’d tasted so far, was sour rather than sweet – certainly not what she’d expected.

  Seth threw his eyes heavenward. “You’re sure, Mar?”

  “Positive.”

  Seth shrugged. “That’s that then.” He jerked his head in the direction of Frank’s door. “Will I go in and say hello to himself?”

  “Best not,” she said, putting her husband before Seth for the first time in history. “He’s resting and not able for any undue stress.”

  Seth laughed and walked away, leaving the Dulhoolys alone to patch things up. He, on the other hand, needed to keep an appointment in the city. Frank’s heart attack didn’t stop the world revolving – it simply reminded him of how quickly life can be cut short. And he had plenty to do before he had any notion of checking out of life.

  Kieran came out of Intensive Care and spotted Seth as he walked down the corridor away from Marian, recognising his uncle from his familiar gait, watching as he walked along the corridor, one hand in his jacket pocket, throwing his right leg out a little. My God, he thought with a shock, that’s who John Kilmichael reminded me of! But how? Polly and Seth? It didn’t seem credible!

  Kieran went and tapped his mother gently on the shoulder.

  She swivelled around to face her son. “Has something happened?” she asked fearfully, seeing his shocked expression.

  Kieran was surprised
at the emotion in her voice, the dark circles under her eyes further emphasising her upset. Now was neither the time nor the place to concern himself about any relation between Seth and John, he decided. No doubt the truth would be revealed in its own good time.

  “No, no – Dad’s comfortable – he’s fine, Mum.”

  Marian felt embarrassed in her son’s company, surprised that he wasn’t cool with her. If the situation were reversed, she knew she’d find it difficult to be quite so charitable. “I think I’ll go back in to your father,” she said, swinging around just as she heard a female voice calling Kieran’s name.

  Coming face to face with a petite and very attractive young woman, she glanced at the child at her side, gasping audibly as she stared aghast at him, shock registering on her face.

  Kieran introduced them. “Mum, this is Jess. She lives next door to Polly’s house. And this is Greg.”

  “I’m so sorry to hear about your husband,” Jess said to Marian as they shook hands. “Kieran sent me a text explaining. I ended up having to bring Greg here, all the way from Bantry Hospital, to have his eye checked – he’d had an accident but the eye is fine, thank God – so I thought we’d come and say hello.”

  “Nice to meet you, Jess. And you too, Greg. Kieran, I’d better get back to your father.” But she didn’t go, instead continuing to gaze at the child, the likeness to Kieran at the same age staring her in the face. She glanced quickly at Kieran and then at Jess, both of whom were staring at her, and whereas she couldn’t decipher Kieran’s expression she saw the truth written in the girl’s face.

  Abruptly she turned and left.

  She couldn’t be mistaken, the likeness too pronounced. Kieran must know, she thought – he’d have to be blind not to see it. So this was another secret being kept from her! Yet another Dulhooly descendant to be introduced at some later time! This wasn’t the appropriate moment to tackle Kieran, she thought, vowing to broach the subject with him in the not too distant future. But now she had bridges to build with her son and, while she knew in her heart she didn’t deserve his forgiveness, she hoped he’d inherited more than a house from his aunt. She hoped on this occasion that some of her sister-in-law’s kind and forgiving ways had been passed on to Kieran.

  Chapter 43

  Seth sat in Olivia’s office, glancing at her in an admiring fashion as she peered at him over her glasses. “Thanks again for rescheduling my appointment. As I said, I was nearby and it saves me making the trip again in a few days’ time.”

  “So, John,” she said. “Just to confirm, as per your recent correspondence, you’re claiming to be Pauline Digby’s son? And you’ve brought me evidence to prove this?”

  “Birth certificate is the best evidence I can offer,” Seth replied smoothly, feeling her eyes on him. Polly had been a number of years older than him, but a fine-looking woman in her day, he remembered. Slipping a hand into his inside pocket, he produced a folded document and slid it across the table, hoping Olivia wouldn’t scrutinise him too much and question whether his year of birth agreed with his appearance.

  Unfolding it and verifying the detail, she placed it in her file. “And you were raised in a series of foster homes but never adopted, John?”

  “That’s correct. So that legally puts me as her next of kin.”

  Olivia was non-committal, declining to answer. “As you’ll understand, this will all have to be supported with legal documentation.”

  “Of course. I can tell you all I know now if you like.”

  Olivia nodded, pressing the buzzer on her phone and inviting Amy to join them.

  “Amy, this is John Kilmichael.”

  Amy’s eyes narrowed, staring at the man seated opposite Olivia. She’d met him before. She was sure of it but it just wouldn’t come to her. She continued to stare, realising suddenly that she was being rude. “Pleased to meet you.”

  “Amy, will you sit in on this meeting and take some notes for me please?”

  “Sure,” Amy said, taking the only other seat available. Though she tried to ignore the older man’s eyes travelling the length of her legs, she felt very uncomfortable. And that’s what jogged her memory, his leering stare as he looked her up and down, just as he’d done that first time she’d met him with Kieran Dulhooly. “Aren’t you Kieran Dulhooly’s uncle?”

  Seth’s jaw dropped but he recovered quickly. “His cousin to be precise.”

  “But he introduced you as his uncle. Seth. He introduced you as Seth,” Amy insisted, looking from the man to Olivia, conscious that she’d spoken out of turn.

  Olivia leaned back in her chair, intrigued by their exchange. “There’s no mention of the name Seth on this documentation,” she commented. Then she turned to Amy. “Can you get Kieran on the phone for me, please? I need to clarify one or two details with him before proceeding with this meeting. I need to know if he’s interested in meeting this person outside of court.”

  Amy’s eyes opened wide, Olivia’s tactics interesting to say the least.

  Seth got to his feet. “I can come back another time to pursue this,” he told the two women. He’d been wheeling and dealing long enough to know when he was beaten.

  “Can I get your signature before you leave, Mr Kilmichael?”

  “Ah no need,” he replied. “Don’t know if I’ll bother going ahead with it after all.”

  “Amy, perhaps you’d show Mr Kilmichael to the lift, please?” Olivia repeated his name on purpose, smiling broadly and shaking her head as he walked away at a leisurely pace. A con man, she thought, if I’ve ever met one.

  “Well spotted, Amy,” Olivia praised her secretary when she returned to her office. “So you’ve met Kieran outside of office hours?”

  Amy blushed. “I’d best answer the phone,” she said, making her escape to her desk.

  “Put me through to Kieran when you’ve a moment,” said Olivia.

  Assured by the medical team that his father had stabilised, Kieran felt confident enough to leave the hospital to go and retrieve his car from where he’d abandoned it at the side of the road so he could accompany Frank in the ambulance. And now the emergency had passed, he realised he hadn’t even insured the car before driving it!

  “Beth, will you come with me? Then you can bring Mum’s car back.”

  “Of course.”

  Kieran had called an insurance company and arranged cover on the VW Golf before leaving Cork city with his sister to make the journey to West Cork. In the absence of a hands-free kit in the car, he pulled over when his mobile rang.

  “Olivia! Not more objections, I hope!” he sighed. Then he listened attentively to what she was telling him, his expression turning grave as he digested her information. “My uncle Seth attempted to impersonate John Kilmichael?” He glanced at Beth’s incredulous face. “And you’re sure about that?”

  When she explained about Amy recognising his uncle, his face reddened. He hoped he hadn’t put Amy in an awkward situation at work. He quickly veered off the subject of Amy and focused on his conniving uncle instead.

  “I have to admit, it’s true to form for my uncle,” he said, seeing no reason to display any loyalty to Seth. It wasn’t as if he’d get any thanks in return. “My family will be angry but not surprised.” After that stunt, there wasn’t much lower Seth could go. Dad has been spot on about him all these years, he thought, but Mum wouldn’t listen.

  “I’m hoping that’s it then,” Olivia advised, “unless you’ve any more relations lurking somewhere?”

  “None I know of anyway,” Kieran replied.

  “It should only be a matter of biding your time until you’ve met all the terms and conditions of the will at that rate. Then you’ll be able to sign on the dotted line and finally relax in the knowledge that nobody can take it from you.”

  “Thanks, Olivia. And tell Amy thanks too.”

  “Paid off going for a stroll with her then?”

  “Goodbye, Olivia,” he said, easing into the traffic once more, a wry grin on his fac
e as he imagined his mother’s reaction to her brother’s little stunt.

  He then filled Beth in on their uncle’s latest bit of skulduggery.

  “I’m sorry, Kieran,” a very embarrassed and remorseful Beth said. “I should never have allowed things go this far.”

  “Ah forget it,” Kieran shrugged. “Life’s too short for arguments or regrets. We’ve surely learned that much today.”

  Chapter 44

  Four Weeks Later

  Beth and Carl sat in the airport lounge, the urn with Ed’s ashes in Carl’s hand luggage.

  “It’s not too late if you want me to get a ticket and travel with you?” she offered, her eyes red from crying. “Ed didn’t want you grieving alone.”

  “Best we do it this way, a clean break,” he said, catching her hand in his and squeezing it tightly. “Your father’s been great about things, even found some way of getting me a pardon so I can fly into Paris and on to Madrid from there.”

  Beth remembered the look of relief flashing over her father’s face when she’d eventually found a suitable time to announce her decision to separate from Carl. “We’ll have to find a way around our bank debt but I know there’s no future for us,” she’d said. “After Ed has passed, we’ll be going our separate ways. It’s for the best.”