“Spencer called me with the news of my father’s death. A few days later I got an email with a rendering of the will that Spencer told me was ‘in layman’s terms’. Later he phoned me and explained it all to me.”
“I smell something funky in all this. There can’t be two versions of the will. And why would your father structure it so that Dylan was told you were alive, but not vice-versa? The structure of ‘your’ will is designed to keep you incognito.”
“How much do you know about my family?”
“A lot. Dylan told me the story.”
“He told you? Everything?”
“Not every detail, but he told me about the medical abuse. Munchausen’s by proxy.”
“Wow. I’ve never told anyone. Not a soul.”
“Neither had he until he met me. It was something he wanted me to know so I could understand him better. Plus there were some events that kind of brought it to a head.”
“He must trust you completely. I can’t imagine revealing that part of me to anyone.”
“He does trust me.” At least until he finds out what I’ve been up to today.
Chapter 26—Dylan
“Frankly, Mr. Cruz, I’ve never seen such a bizarre clause in a will,” Blake Harrington remarked. “I’ve seen plenty of heirs get shut out completely. I’ve seen bequeaths to everything from a charity to a dog and I’ve known trusts to be set up far in advance. But this one makes little sense and I’m not entirely sure it’s enforceable.”
“That’s great news! That would mean I don’t have to wait to find my sister.” It was definitely what I wanted to hear.
“Not so fast. We’re going to need to ascertain a number of things. First, I’d like to see some proof that Austin Spencer was duly appointed as the executor of your father’s will.”
“I have no reason to believe he wasn’t.”
“Nor do you have any reason to believe that he was. I find this whole idea of doling out money to you and presumably your sister for the next three years very unorthodox, to put it mildly.”
“My father had a bizarre way of looking at the world.” He also had the uncanny ability to both ignore and contribute to his childrens’ suffering. What a guy.
“Nevertheless, there are procedures to follow in setting up a trust. Essentially that’s what your father allegedly did—he provided that you would have half of his estate after three years if you fulfilled his stipulation not to contact your sister. What this ‘document’ does not say is that your sister is bound by the same stipulation. That’s red flag number one.”
“Now that you mention it that does sound odd. It also sounds like a pretty good loophole.”
“You are going to have to be patient. You stand to lose a great deal if you act in haste,” Harrington cautioned again. “There is a second red flag that’s the prominent reason I need to know if Austin Spencer is the genuine article.”
“And that is?”
“Almost every will begins with a statement that ‘revokes all previous wills and codicils’, meaning that any will that came before it would be void. No estate attorney worthy of the name would leave that clause out.”
“So how do you suggest we proceed?” I didn’t think the most subtle thing to do would be to call Spencer on the phone and interrogate him.
“We’ll address that in a minute. First I need to ask you a personal question: what are your present assets?”
“I don’t own anything.” I sure didn’t like the sound of that but it was the truth. I literally owned the clothes and computers I’d bought since I’d come to New York. “I’ve got the El Loco credit card maybe twenty-five grand in cash.”
“The card draws on . . . ?”
“Some account of my father’s. But it has quite a generous limit. I recently bought a very expensive diamond necklace for my girlfriend. It was right after my father died. The charge went right through and Spencer never mentioned it.” I thought about the timing. “Could be the statement hasn’t arrived yet, though.”
“I’d continue to use the card for anything. Bleed the sucker dry. Go buy gold coins if you have to. Buy an expensive watch. Buy assets you can resell. I’m serious. I’m confident we can sort through this, but I also know that the law, especially across an ocean can crawl along at a frustrating pace.”
“If I charge too much it’s going to raise red flags. I already dropped six figures on that necklace.”
“If we get in a pissing match with Spencer, it could be declined in a New York minute. Your bank account . . . in your name?”
“Yes, it’s the one Spencer wired funds to when I needed to clean up after the wreck. There was a lot more in it but I paid all my crew a six-month’s severance and bought a bunch of plane tickets.”
“Good. Where are your father’s liquid assets held?”
“I haven’t got a clue.”
“What access does Spencer have to Jackson’s assets?”
“Also, clueless.”
“Okay. Here’s my first strategy: Before we proceed with Spencer, I suggest you casually mention that you’d feel more comfortable with some money in the bank. You’ll need a car, someplace to live, etc. See what he suggests and how he reacts. You’ve told me that his expectation was that you’d be running the Monarch chain. Lead him to believe that this is what you plan to do after you’ve taken some time to ‘regroup’.”
“Well that’s close to what I did tell him.”
“Perfect. My thinking is that you might have a period of time between now and when we sort this out where you won’t have access to your inheritance. If Spencer is up to no good, he’ll try to use your lack of resources to his advantage. So, think of this as a pre-emptive strike.” He leaned back and put his hands behind his head. “If I’m wrong and Austin Spencer is totally on the up and up, he’ll be perfectly happy to share whatever information we need. If I’m right and he’s got itchy fingers, he may get very retaliatory.”
“What about lawyer’s fees?” I knew they were going to be steep. It would be perfectly normal for the law firm to expect an up-front retainer.
“Mr. Cruz, I’d be lying if I said that I haven’t thought about the kind of business our firm could do with a man who stands to inherit half of Jackson Cruz’s empire. You’ll need your own estate planning and financial counseling going forward. So when I say that we don’t need to worry about our fees right now, it is predicated on the assumption that Harrington, Fields and Norman can earn your trust and your business tomorrow through our actions today.”
“Well, Harrington, that’s a fancy lawyer-ly way of saying what we fishermen call ‘bettin’ on the come’.”
Blake Harrington laughed. “I’d give this bet pretty good odds. But it could get a little ugly along the way.”
I looked at my phone. “If I make the call now, I might still catch Spencer in the office.”
“Good man. No time like the present. Do you have a speaker on that phone of yours?”
“Sure do.”
“If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to hear what he says. I can tell a lot from the way a person phrases their sentences.”
“No problem.” I had at least had the foresight to program Spencer’s office number into my new phone. Sometimes I do actually think ahead, but not often.
Luckily he was still in his office.
“So you see,” I told him at the end of my projected list of expenses, “I’m really in need of some cash. Your initial wire transfer covered the crew and transport, but I’m about tapped out now.”
“Are you considering purchasing a home right now? I doubt I have the kind of liquidity you’d need for a purchase of that magnitude.” He sounded nervous. A home for a Cruz heir would naturally be substantial.
“No, but without El Loco I will need a roof over my head.”
“But of course,” Spencer answered. “I’m sure I can get a few hundred thousand into your account when the banks open tomorrow. And, of course, you have the El Loco credit card.”
&n
bsp; Blake Harrington flashed me a big thumbs up. “Yes, I’ve been using it for most things. I assume those bills are taken care of . . . where? Who’s taken over Dad’s personal bills and all that?”
Across the desk I saw Blake shaking his head vigorously from side to side and making a cutting motion across his throat. I guess I took it too far but Spencer came back with telling style.
“Oh, Dylan, we’ve got matters well in hand. Your father tended to handle personal and business matters centrally. His accountant and I, along with his personal assistant will tend to all the details. You needn’t be concerned.”
When I hung up the phone Harrington smiled and told me it was nice that Spencer had told me not to “worry my pretty little head”. “Dylan, nothing about this situation smells right. I’m deeply suspicious that Spencer has some scam cooked up. As soon as that money hits your account, I want you to let me know. At that point you’ll have a safety net and I can ask for disclosure as your attorney of record.”
“Mr. Harrington, the thing I want most is to find my sister. I’ve been without her—thought she was dead, in fact—for fifteen years. No amount of money can buy those years back. The only thing that’s keeping me from hiring the best private eye in the world to look for her right now is the threat that I’ll lose her a fortune. But if I can have her and the money, I’ll be one happy man.”
At lunch I learned that Blake Harrington had earned his law degree from Columbia. He’d been born in Manhattan and never left. Except for a couple of vacations here and there, he was more or less an urban dweller in the extreme.
“I’m not the only one in New York who just can’t imagine living anywhere else,” he told me as we enjoyed a fine steak at The Palm. “Take this lunch, for example. You can get the same lunch all over the country but it won’t taste the same as having it here in this city. The energy seeps into everything.”
“It’s an exciting place, for sure. But I could never in a million years live here unless it was on a boat. I’d need a quick escape.” He and I were as different in our desires as we could be, but I genuinely liked the guy and found it easy to put my trust in him. “If I ever get myself straightened out, I’ll take you fishing and you can experience a very different, but very thrilling kind of energy.”
“You’re on. I’d never want to own a boat—what a money pit—but I’d love to go out with someone who really knows the sport.”
“I shook his hand. Deal.”
We were only a couple blocks from the Harrington, Fields and Norman office so we walked the crowded Manhattan sidewalk. I could never, ever live like this, I thought to myself. I knew I’d quickly lose my sanity with all that noise and bustle twenty-four seven.
While we were at lunch, one of the junior partners had plugged the right names and dates into a boilerplate form for me to sign. It granted Harrington power of attorney to act on my behalf with a broad range of applications. I wasn’t concerned. The man had a great reputation and I liked and trusted him.
We chatted a little more, got on a first name basis and parted with friendly optimism.
“I’ll call as soon as I get the wire transfer,” I promised him.
“I’ll have a list of questions for Austin Spencer by the time you get the money. Do you want to have a look at them before I make the first call?”
“No, man, I wouldn’t know what to ask. I won’t tell you how to be a lawyer if you promise not to tell me how to fish.”
“If you think of anything at all that you want me to specifically find out, just give me a call,” Blake added.
“You know what’s important. I can live a long time on several hundred grand. I can also work. I don’t need the money or the empire as much as I need Dawn Cruz.”
“Not to worry, Dylan. I understand your priorities.” He shook my hand warmly as I got ready to leave. “Your sister can be found. That’s a relatively easy task. I just want to make sure we do it in the best possible way for both of you.”
“Let’s make it happen, Blake.”
Chapter 27—Rene
“Nothing in my will says anything about not seeing Dylan!” Dawn exclaimed as though she’d just solved everyone’s problems. “So, even if he gets cut out, it’ll all come to me and I’ll just give Dylan’s half back to him. Done!”
“You don’t even have a will. You’ve had a couple of conversations with Austin Spencer, a man who appears to be talking out of both sides of his mouth.” I studied her face. Her brow was tight with concentration but she still spoke with the breathless excitement of someone who had just gotten wonderful news. “Dawn, I understand your feelings. I was with Dylan when he found out you weren’t dead.”
“What did he do?”
“Well, he got really angry at your father for keeping your ‘aliveness’ from him. But it was after Jackson had died and there was nothing he could do about it. He told me he wished your dad was still alive so he could sucker punch him.”
“That sounds like Dylan. He had a much bigger capacity for hate than I did. But maybe he also had a greater capacity to love. At least he’s been able to find someone to care for. That’s more than I can say for myself.”
That was so sad to hear coming from her lovely mouth. She deserved better. I decided I would circle back around to her personal life after we’d gotten to know one another better.
“He was actually looking forward to having some relationship with your father right before the heart attack. So, I guess the deception and then the trickery in the will hurt that much more.” I still felt sorry for Dylan about his father. There had been such promise there. “I know he loves you in the extreme. Once he got it through his stubborn head that the fact that you were not dead was way more important than anything else he reacted pretty much like you did. He cried with joy.”
Dawn had taken my hand at that point. “Thank you so much for this gift. You’re an angel for finding me and telling me.”
“When the truth comes out, I hope the ends justify the means. I’ve had to be a bit deceptive. I hope I haven’t destroyed that trust you talked about. It was pretty new and fragile.”
She patted the top of my hand with her other hand. Her grasp was strong and certain. “Don’t you even think about that. If Dylan decides to be an idiot, I will personally set the record straight. No matter what happens, I will always be grateful to you for bringing me the news.”
“I’m going to have to tell him the truth. But Dawn please do something for me.”
She nodded. “Anything.”
“Let me tell him in my own way and on my own terms. Don’t jump the gun on me.”
“Okay, but I hope you’ll hurry. Fifteen years is a long time.”
“Can I give you some advice? Ask Spencer to send you a full, unabridged copy of the will he so kindly paraphrased for you. Dylan went to an attorney today. Hopefully we can unravel what your options are and why your father wanted to go to such lengths to keep the two of you apart for three years.”
We’d chatted like old friends for the next hour or so. She wanted every detail about Dylan that I could share.
I told her all about meeting him for the first time, about the crossing, about the fish and his subsequent infection. When I got to the part about Nurse Kelly being part of Dylan’s delirium Dawn told me she vividly remembered the kind caregiver.
“She was the only light in a very dark world for us. Dylan was already eleven and I was eight. It was getting harder for Mother to control us. It’s not as easy to manipulate an older child. Our refusal to cooperate blindly was driving her further into the madness.”
“Didn’t anyone ever suspect? The doctors? The nurses? I mean ever since Dylan told me about this ‘medical abuse’ I’ve read what little there is to read on the subject. They all say the same thing—that it’s very hard to detect. But surely someone . . .”
“I’ve always felt that that’s the reason Kelly was fired. Dylan thinks it’s because Kelly loved us and we loved her. But I don’t think Mother gave two cent
s about that. I think Kelly had strong suspicions and was ready to tell someone.”
“She still could have done that after she was fired.”
“Kelly was kind but she was still just a nurse’s assistant. We called her ‘Nurse’ Kelly but hindsight tells me that she was probably a minimally trained, underpaid worker bee. She probably took the job with our family because it beat changing Depends in a nursing home.”
“I don’t understand what that has to do with bringing child abuse to the authorities.”
“Money, Rene. She may have threatened my parents. Maybe she went to my father and told him what she suspected and he paid her off.”
“That’s terrible. If she loved you . . .”
“You obviously haven’t had a lot of experience around people who buy whatever they want. It isn’t just hotels, boats and jewelry that money can buy. It also buys people. Even good, loving people.” Dawn looked away from me and stared into the distance. “Money bought me the Jacksons, after all.”
“The Jacksons?”
“When my father removed me from our home, I was sent to live with the Jacksons. Father would visit as often as he could, but for all practical purposes the Jacksons were my parents. My father ‘bought’ me a new set of parents. Possibly he either sought someone who shared his name but more likely he paid them to change their own real name. I'm sure it was ego related. But when all was said and done he chose well. They’re wonderful people.”
I’m sure she could read the shock on my face so she continued her explanation.
“I became a remarkably healthy child. If my father ever wondered if he was justified in doing what he did, my robust recovery should have put aside any doubt.”
“Dylan vaguely told me that your mother was institutionalized?”
“Then he knows more than I do. My father took me on a trip. I felt very special to be alone with him. He brought me to a big beautiful house that looked like it came out of my favorite storybook. He explained that he thought Mother was sick and making us sick. He didn’t go into great detail. He didn’t need to. I knew what Mother was doing.”
Tempest Tossed: A Love Unexpected Novel Page 33