A Lethal Legacy

by P. C. Zick

  "Will you help her?"

  "It depends on how much she offers to help me."

  "Sometimes I'd like to kill Oscar Timmons. He should be in jail."

  "Probably, but Pam isn’t much better. She's a whore herself."

  "Kristina, I know it's not your fault; it's just what you were taught. I wish you could stop always working an angle. What's the hustle with me? What do you want from me?"

  "No hustle. You're the only one who's decent."

  "How can you say that? Look at me right now and tell my wife that I'm a decent guy. I don't feel so decent right now. Get dressed, Kristina, or we won't get to the mall for those Christmas presents."

  "Ed, don't feel bad about this, really. You make me feel better, honest."

  We held each other for a little longer before getting dressed and heading out to face the Christmas crowds at the mall.

  But as I drove back to my apartment later that day, I couldn't help remember what she said about my decency. I always thought I was a decent, loyal person. But it seemed that Kristina always managed to find my weakness and bring me to a place where decency becomes the standard for derision.

  My daughter, Tessa Marie Townsend, was born in March of 1992. Cassie had a long labor but never wavered in her determination to give birth to Tessa naturally. Claire and Philip were our first visitors, along with Aunt Susan, at the birthing center, even beating Cassie's parents. They brought a frilly little dress and a savings bond and good cheer. I was grateful to have some family to share my absolute joy at the miracle of tiny Tessa.

  In fact, Claire and Philip became doting surrogate grandparents to our daughter. We even thought up nicknames for them for when Tessa began to talk. They would become Nomie and Boppa. Silly, but Claire loved them.

  When I looked at Tessa sleeping or nursing, her main activities when we first brought her home, the turmoil within me since Christmas would subside, and I thought that everything would turn out all right after all. How could the world be anything but perfect when this delicate creature could be created? For the first time in my writing career, I wrote beautiful poetry to and about my daughter who quieted my demons and left me breathless. Once or twice, I wondered how Gary could have so easily allowed Pam to leave with Kristina.

  When I finished my fourth novel, I decided to take some time off to cherish the joys of fatherhood. I was taken quite by surprise at my feelings for little Tessa. My love for Cassie deepened into something different, too. We now had a connection between us that made us related. I also wanted some time to digest the idea for my next novel. Everything I wrote seemed to have some basis in the reality of my life, and I didn't feel ready to write about my latest concept.

  Claire and Philip heard from Kristina sporadically now. I listened attentively when they told me of her calls, and I worried more and more about her motives. I knew Philip had begun worrying, too. One day after I took him golfing at the club, we sat in the lounge enjoying our beers when Philip broached the subject.

  "You know, Ed, I think I made a big mistake with Kristina," he said.

  "What do you mean?"

  "I never should have told her about the portfolio."

  "Why?"

  "You remember the night I showed it to her and told her it would all be hers one day?" I nodded. "Ever since then we've given quite a bit of that portfolio away to her. She seems to need an inordinate amount of money." He shook his head sadly.

  "Could you say no?" I asked.

  "I can't do that for my own private reasons. Neither can Claire for hers. It's that damn woman who Gary married that's caused this mess."

  "Pam? How's it Pam's fault?"

  "She always wanted something for nothing and was always asking for more. She calls me sometimes and reminds me about our affair. I'm certain she's coaching Kristina now to get this money out of us before we die. Claire and I may need this money if one of us ever has to go to a nursing home. Look at your mother, for instance."

  It was true. My parents hadn't had a nest egg the size of Claire’s and Philip's, but my father had plenty of life insurance through Ford Motor Company, and I invested it wisely after his death. However, the nursing home bills for my mother were eating through it too quickly. Her current nursing home required patients to be able to pay their own bills for at least two years before they became Medicaid patients. I hoped her money held out that long.

  "Then I think you and Claire have to put your foot down with Kristina. Maybe put her on some sort of allowance that you think you can afford at this time."

  "Maybe that would work. I don't know. I know I’m sorry I ever told her that it would one day be hers. That showed me, huh? I've always tried to impress everyone with what I owned, now I'm getting paid back." He drank the rest of his beer in one gulp.

  This surprised me. Philip had never been one for soul searching or even honesty, especially when it came to himself, but it seemed he had come to some clear realizations about his life. Maybe there was hope for Kristina if even Philip could come to an understanding of himself.

  Kristina called her grandparents in February and told them that she couldn't make it in college. She explained that she had decided too late to get a refund on the semester's tuition. And she was broke again looking for a job. Pam and Oscar refused to help. Her grandparents sent her $500 to pay for a month's expenses.

  In March, she called to tell them about this great opportunity. She had just met a pilot who was starting his own pilot's school and would give her a break on the cost of lessons if she also did some PR work for him. She called Claire and Philip to tell him that she needed $3,000 to enroll, but at the end of the year, she would be a certified pilot able to fly small charter planes. They believed her and sent the money before telling me.

  "That sounds almost too good to be true," I said after I had heard the whole story.

  "Yes, isn't it wonderful? I knew Kristina just needed to find her niche and then everything would turn out all right," Claire said.

  "I hope it works out for her, but I’m not certain you can become a pilot like that though. Must be quite a guy," I said trying desperately to keep the sarcasm at a non-detectable level.

  Cassie heard it my sarcasm and looked at me sharply. "Is the money refundable if she decides this isn't for her?" she asked.

  "I didn't ask, but I'm sure it will work out," Claire said.

  Soon after this conversation, Philip told me at the country club about his fears concerning Kristina and Pam. They didn't hear from her again until the summer when once again she was out of a job. In addition to working for the pilot, she had been working at an upscale restaurant as hostess.

  In July, Pam called Philip and told him that Kristina had broken her arm and needed money for her emergency room treatment, which cost $500. Oscar refused to pay for any more of Kristina's bills, and Pam didn't know where else to turn, she told Philip.

  "How did she break her arm?" I asked when they told me they had just wired the money.

  "She was walking to work and fell on the sidewalk," Claire said. Philip remained quiet at her side.

  "She was walking down a street in Las Vegas in the summer and just fell and broke her arm," I repeated in an attempt to get Claire to realize that perfectly healthy young women in a sunny climate did not usually have these types of accidents.

  "Yes, Ed, that's what I said. Don't you believe it?" Claire asked. "Why would Pam lie about it?"

  "I don't know, Claire. Honestly I find it a little hard to believe," I said.

  "But of course that doesn't mean it didn't happen," Cassie interjected when Claire seemed hurt at my response.

  "I'm sorry, Claire, I don't mean to upset you. But don't you think Kris asks you for an awful lot of money?" I asked, watching her face as she turned to Philip who remained passive at her side.

  "I guess, but when she says she's in trouble I can't not help her," she said.

  "No, you can't, I know. But just be careful. Maybe putting her on an allowance might help so you don't hav
e to hear the constant pleas for money," I suggested. Philip evidently had never mentioned this possibility to her.

  "Maybe, but then maybe we won't hear from her at all. We'll just wait and see," Claire said, and Philip shrugged his shoulders.

  "By the way, how are the flying lessons coming along?" I asked. Cassie jabbed me with her elbow as we walked behind Claire and Philip into the living room.

  "The man left town after a few weeks, and she's never heard from him again," Claire said.

  "Claire, I hate to beat a dead horse, but don't you think the allowance thing might keep you from using up all of your money?" I asked as I sat on the ottoman at her feet. "I worry about you and Philip having enough if anything should ever happen."

  "I know, Ed, and we'll think about it, OK? Now bring me the mostest beauteous baby in the world." She held out her arms for Tessa.

  Later Philip thanked me for trying when I went outside to take a look at his riding lawn mower in the garage.

  "She doesn't want to think that Kristina might be lying to us. It's difficult for her to accept," he said.

  "I know, but you and I both know that little girl is not telling the truth most of the time when she's asking for money," I said. I decided to pull no punches with Philip.

  "I know, and I think deep down Claire knows it, too. But Kristina is all she has left now that Gary’s gone."

  He had never mentioned Gary's name to me once since his death. I looked over at him and saw a very old man with regrets standing before me.

  "We all miss Gary," I said.

  "Yes, but no one else regrets their life with him like I do." He pulled the cover off the mower to show me his new machine.

  The next time Kristina called her grandparents Claire answered the phone. This time she wanted to start school again and needed tuition money by the next week in order to enroll for the fall classes. Claire must have told her what I suggested because I received a call from Kristina right after their conversation.

  "How dare you interfere with Claire and Philip," came the indictment as soon as I came on the line.

  "Who is this?" But I knew the voice instantly because it filled me with dread.

  "You know damn well who this is! What the hell do you mean telling them to put me on an allowance!" she said.

  "I think it's a good idea, Kris. Your demands are eating up their money. And your stories are getting harder and harder to believe."

  "It's my fucking money, you bastard!"

  "No, not yet. That money is their nest egg. Do you know what that means? It means that if they need it for some reason in the future, they'll have enough money to take care of themselves. Nursing homes aren't cheap."

  "What do you get out of this, choir boy?"

  "Nothing. But I do know that they need the comfort of having that money. And I don't think an allowance is a bad idea."

  "They want to give me $100 per month! I can't live on that!"

  "Kris, they don't expect you to live on it. Have you ever held a job or are all your stories fabricated? They will provide you with a cushion so you'll have the cash ready for all of your little emergencies. You're supposed to save the allowance."

  "All I have to say to you is this: If you think I can be bought off with a piddly $100 a month you're sadly mistaken." She breathed heavily into the phone for a moment. "Oh, Eddie, baby, how's that wife of yours? And that darling baby, Tecca, is it?"

  "I won't be threatened by you, Kris. And my beautiful baby's name is Tessa, not that you care much."

  " I care, believe me I care. But I am warning you, leave Claire and Philip alone. They told me that money would be all mine one day; don't you forget it. Or were you too busy chewing on my tits to remember? Gosh, maybe Claire and Philip would like to hear that story about how we got in the mood to buy their lovely Christmas presents."

  "You're vulgar, Kris. And I've told you, I won't be threatened. You've invaded my life enough as it is. Having a child made me realize how wonderful and sacred certain things are in this life, and I intend to concentrate on those things and not be taken down by you."

  "Back to sainthood, I see. Well, let me tell you one thing, Mr. Perfect. You can say that now with me 2,000 miles away. But if I was standing in front of you, rubbing up against you, you'd let me bring you down to your knees, guaranteed."

  I slammed down the phone with her jeering laughter echoing in my ears. I hoped I wouldn't have the opportunity to find out what I would do if I was faced with Kris once again. I had a sneaking suspicion that my resolve would be violently ripped from my soul as the demons hovered above my shoulders.

  I also heard from Pam a day or two later.

  "I wouldn't expect this from you, Ed. How could you talk Claire and Philip into this stupid idea? An allowance?" Pam asked.

  "Kristina is eating away at their money. Philip got scared."

  "Philip should be scared, that bastard. You need to watch yourself, Ed, because when you least expect it, your little escapades with my daughter may come back to haunt you."

  She hung up the phone without giving me a chance to reply.

  He pulled away from her grasp and flung her to the ground. As he turned to walk away, she grabbed his ankles tripping him and forcing him down on the ground next to her supine form. She curled her leg around his waist and held him there.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Uncle Philip died on the Fourth of July 1993 after playing a game of bridge at the country club. He won the bridge game that night and died just the way he wanted, peacefully in his sleep. When Aunt Claire woke the next morning, she tried to rouse him. When she couldn't, she called 911 and then me.

  "I think he's gone, Ed," Claire said when I answered the phone.

  "Who's gone?"

  "Philip. I can't wake him."

  "Have you called 911?"

  "They're at the door now. Could you come over?"

  I quickly dressed after telling Cassie what happened. I drove the short distance from my apartment to their house. The ambulance was slowly pulling away with no sirens or lights flashing.

  Claire stood in the kitchen with her neighbor, Judy, and Aunt Susan.

  "He's gone," she said.

  "Claire, I'm sorry." I reached to embrace her, but she held out her arms to stop me. Rather than take her refusal as a rebuff, I knew she was just fighting to remain in control of her emotions.

  "Don't, Ed. I'm fine. I know you're sorry."

  "Will there be a service?" Judy asked.

  "A small one at the church. He didn't want anything else. And quickly. We need to have it quickly."

  "OK, Claire. I'll take care of everything. Which funeral home?" I asked.

  "Carlton's. There's a card in the drawer. We just prepaid," she said.

  "How about Kris? Have you called Krisina?" I asked.

  "No. That poor kid. This will be a blow so close after Gary." She closed her eyes. I could tell she was fighting the tears pushing their way to the surface.

  "Would you like me to call her?"

  "Could you? I'm not sure what to say."

  I hadn't seen or heard from Kristina since our last phone conversation, which ended so badly. We both had been angry that day, and I wondered if she would hang up on me now.

  "I'd be happy to call her, Aunt Claire," I said as I gave her a small pat on the back, the only form of comfort she would allow.

  I didn't bother checking the time or I might have waited before calling her at 4 a.m., Las Vegas time.

  "Hullo," a groggy voice slurred.

  "Is this Kris?"

  "Yeah, who's this?”

  "Kristina, this Ed, your cousin."

  "What do you want?" She did not sound thrilled to hear from me.

  "Philip died last night in his sleep. I told Claire I would call and give you the news."

  "What's the will say?"

  "The will? His body's not even at the funeral home yet. Why would we be worrying about the will?"

  "OK, then, what about a service?"

&nb
sp; "We haven't figured it all out yet. Claire mentioned just a small one at the church to be held as soon as possible."

  "Is Grandma there? I'd like to talk to her."

  I put the receiver down and went into the kitchen and motioned Claire to the phone in the study. I closed the door behind her and went back to the kitchen. In just a few minutes, Claire returned.

  "I need to make plane reservations for Kris. Would you be able to pick her up in Orlando late this afternoon?"

  "Kristina is coming?"

  "Yes, she felt so bad, the poor kid. She wanted to be with me, but she couldn't afford the plane ticket, she told me. So I said, 'Is that the only reason you can't get here?' When she said 'yes,' I told her I'd take care of everything. Can you pick her up?"

  "Sure, Aunt Claire. I'm sure she'll be a great comfort to you."

  I had my doubts about her reasons for coming, but I did know that Claire would appreciate her presence. Kristina knew how to pull not only wool but also the whole sheep over her grandmother's eyes. Luckily, I lived close enough to prevent Claire from going totally blind. I wondered who would protect me.

  I tried to convince Cassie to come with me, but she didn't think it would be a good idea with Tessa who would be very restless on the two-hour drive. Plus, Cassie and I had just found out that she was pregnant again, and she felt a little queasy most days.

  Reluctantly, I drove to Orlando that afternoon by myself to pick up a surly Kris. We didn't touch as we greeted one another when she walked off the plane. In fact, we never really even said hello. I did mention that the funeral would be the next day while we waited for her luggage to arrive on the carousel.

  "What's she going to do with the house?" Kristina asked as we continued our vigil beside the slowly moving conveyor belt.

  "She hasn't gotten that far, and don't bring it up yet. She needs a little time. Remember she's just lost someone she lived with for more than fifty years. Don't push her about decisions."