Dangerous Inheritance

by Shirley E. Watson

  Cassie sighed. “Yes, Clifton, I think you’ve given us a shock. My head is spinning. What if we are not equal to achieving these goals?”

  The lawyer nodded. “Thank you for bringing that up. I am authorized to pay for any education you need, your expenses. That’s another bonus. Also, I know that you may need some time to prepare. I would help you get into any school you are interested in. So, after I review your goals, I’ll set a date at which you can begin. Klara will issue the paperwork to you. It’s mostly just a simple statement that we want. Let’s keep it all official and aboveboard. So, ladies and our gentleman, that is it for the moment. I wish you the best of luck and hope to see you soon.”

  Cassie said, “Thank you. But I have another question.”

  Derek sighed and shuffled his feet. Lee looked interested.

  Cassie said, “What about a funeral? No one mentioned anything about it.”

  Everett said, “That has been taken care of. It was a private affair and frankly, I wasn’t involved in that aspect. So you don’t have to worry about that. Everett had a family plot. At some point, I will give you more information on that. For now, I think it would be best if you concentrated on this challenge.”

  Cassie looked surprised, but nodded.

  Everett’s Woodson’s grandchildren left the lawyer’s office together and stood outside in the street for a moment. The crisp air and bustle of the city helped to bring them back to reality.

  Derek was frowning, watching a tourist trolley threading its way through bumper to bumper traffic. “I feel as though somebody gut punched me.”

  Lee suggested they go back to the hotel and meet for breakfast the following morning when their heads were clearer. Cassie nodded. “Good idea. We really have a lot to think about. And I’d like to rest from the trip and get cleaned up.”

  Derek just grunted and strode away on his own. Cassie looked at Lee.

  “Think he’ll show up tomorrow?”

  Lee shrugged. “No idea. I hope so. I’d like to get to know him a little better. It’s been so long since the last time we saw him. We were all kids then.”

  They walked back to the hotel as though their world had shifted and they were unsure of their footing. Cassie commented to Lee that she wished they had known their grandfather. Lee nodded, sadly. “It just seems so silly, waiting until he’s dead and gone, to contact us. Not that I can’t use the money, but really, I’d rather have known him. Family beats money any time.”

  CHAPTER 5

  The Swan Hotel in Boston was old. It had been an institution for many Bostonians and others who came into the city to shop at Filene’s, stroll the Common, enjoy the sights or conduct business.

  The high-ceilinged lobby was elegant and had retained everything of the past that was possible from the concierge desk to the furniture to the wall coverings which were a rich deep red wallpaper. The woodwork was dark with age. Rimming the lobby were display cases with memorabilia of famous visitors over the years. Lee walked out of the elevator into the lobby and immediately became aware of her jeans and pilled sweater. This was where women like the one across the lobby, who could afford a Chanel suit and real pearls was strolling, holding the arm of gentleman in a cashmere sport coat. She scuttled to a secluded armchair where she could see when Cassie got down. They all had separate rooms. The room was small but that was only because of the age of the hotel, she thought. Mr. Montville hadn’t skimped on their accommodations. Everything was paid for, even their meals. Well, she’d enjoy it while she could.

  One of the elevator doors slid open and Cassie emerged. Lee stifled a laugh. She looked like a deer in the headlights. Must have been how she’d looked herself. She whispered, “Cass, Cass, over here!” getting up out of the chair. It wasn’t the kind of hotel where you could just yell out. Cassie gratefully turned towards her.

  “I’m glad I didn’t have to hang around here too long. Although it’s just gorgeous, I’m not used to this kind of place. She noticed that Lee was nodding in agreement “Do we look like “hicks from the sticks” as Dad used to say? Never mind. Let’s find the restaurant, shall we?”

  They walked through the lobby to a sign that advertised the hotel’s restaurant. Peering in, they saw white tablecloths. A hostess materialized immediately. “Two, ladies?”

  Lee said, “Well, right now it’s just us, but we may have a third one coming.”

  “Not a problem, ladies,” the hostess said, leading them to a table on a slightly lower level, overlooking the streets of Boston. “This is a table for four. I’ll ask the waiter to remove one setting and your friend will be all set up if he or she arrives.” She handed them tall menus and left.

  Lee said, “This is a pleasant change for me. Usually I’m the one serving.” She looked at the menu. “Oh! I think I’ll have Eggs Benedict and coffee, lots of it. Suddenly I’m really hungry.”

  Cassie made her choice of yogurt and toast with green tea as a chaser. ”I’m sure I can get green tea here. They’re a five star hotel. I could probably get anything I asked for.” Lee nodded, looking awed.

  A waitress arrived and took their orders with a smile.

  Lee leaned back in her chair. “This is really comfortable, too. Wait until I tell the girls at Maxie’s Restaurant about this place!”

  Cassie looked at her closely. “So you’re just going back to your old life? After what we heard yesterday?”

  Lee sat up, eyes wide. “Well, of course! I don’t think $10,000 is going to put me on Easy Street. I’m not going to do anything different at first. I just want to think about it. I could sure use that money, but doesn’t this whole thing seem really odd to you?”

  Cassie nodded. “Naturally, it does. I don’t know what to think, either. I was so tired yesterday my mind went blank. After a couple of TV programs I conked out.”

  Lee grinned. “Yeah, me, too. I was so tired I just fell asleep on top of the bed. I woke up at 2 AM and got undressed.”

  Their food arrived and they began to eat. Cassie said, “I think we’ve got to take this seriously. If this is a scam, it’s the craziest one I ever heard of. We have nothing anybody would want. Rob told me about the lawyer. He has a prestigious reputation. So, if we take it seriously, then we need to answer him within a week. Have you had any thoughts about that?”

  “You’re always the practical one, Cass. I guess you’re right. Well, let’s see. What is my most desired goal? That’s quite a tall order to come up with an answer just like that.”

  Cassie said, “Well, it shouldn’t be hard. That’s kind of the point. Everyone has something they’ve always thought about, wanted, but never thought would happen, right? I think the problem is, if I can say that there is a problem, it’s that the idea never becomes reality.”

  “You’re confusing me, now.”

  “It’s a dream, Lee. We’ve never had to deal with it because it’s not real. It could be just something that is always floating on a rosy cloud that we can see far off in the distance. Not something we’d ever be asked to do.”

  “I think I know what you mean. So, what have I always had in the back of my mind?”

  Lee spooned up the delectable sauce of her Eggs Benedict and closed her eyes. “Mmmm. This is really good. Remember what I always used to talk about when we were kids? How I was going to be a nurse when I grew up?”

  “Yes, I remember how you bandaged up the dog and told it to lie quietly and it would feel better.”

  “That didn’t work out too well, but I always knew that if I could go to school for nursing I’d learn the right techniques.”

  “I used to think you should have gone to veterinary school.”

  “Ha, I wanted to work on humans but you would never cooperate.”

  “Even then, I had some sense. You know, I think that offer of paying for education is the most important part of this whole challenge. That’s something that would benefit us so much for the rest of our lives. Help us to get to a place where we could be financially free one day. Now, one thi
ng I’d really love is to get my MLS degree. If you recall, I ran out of money before I could start.”

  “Then what would you do?”

  “I like working in the library. I think I could get a good job with the MLS, actually be a librarian rather than an assistant. It would give me benefits, maybe a 401K and I’m sure the salary would be more than adequate. I never wanted to be one of the idle rich anyway.”

  Lee laughed. “Oh, yes, and you’ve had the opportunity! What if this all blows up in our faces? I think you’re right, though. Getting a degree would make a lot of sense. I think both of us need security in our lives. Financial security. I would do anything if I could just bring Stevie home and get an apartment of our own. Maybe I could even get rid of Jay!” She laughed.

  Cassie looked at her sympathetically. “Bad boyfriend troubles again?”

  “Yes, I seem to specialize in pathetic losers. How do I do that?”

  “You have a tender heart, Lee. Maybe that’s what will make you a good nurse.”

  “Well, I better toughen up a lot on the outside if I’m going to lose the losers and get a nursing degree.” She looked at Cassie curiously. “What about you? Still nobody serious in your life yet?”

  Cassie said, “No, not really.”

  “You seem to go around with Rob a lot, though, don’t you?”

  “Well, Rob is convenient as an escort and he helps out a lot especially if I need something where Dad is concerned. But I never think of Rob as a boyfriend. A good friend, yes. He really looked up to Dad and feels sympathy for him now. With Rob’s father dying before he really knew him, I think our Dad filled a real need in his life Yes, Rob’s a friend to all of us. You know that.”

  “Well, I know Rob’s a family friend. We both know him that way and he is kind of the brother we never had. But I’ve noticed the way women look at him and touch their hair, haven’t you? Maybe you should take a closer look!”

  She laughed, then got a serious look on her face and continued, “Yes, I feel real bad about not being able to do more for Dad myself. I’m going down soon to see him and I’ll take Stevie. He just loves to see him and they get along so well. Dad likes to resurrect the games we used to play. He has no trouble remembering that.” She smiled, remembering how they all used to sit around the kitchen table laughing. Then, sadly, she said, “ I wish he didn’t live alone, though.”

  They both jumped as the third chair was pulled out from the table noisily and Derek slammed into it.

  “Well, good morning to you,” Cassie said, recovering.

  “What’s good about morning? I usually don’t see it this early,” he responded, waving to the waitress. He asked her for a large glass of tomato juice and coffee, black.

  “I did a little pub crawl before hitting the sack last night,” he explained. His reddened eyes had already told them this but they didn’t comment.

  “So, why are you up this early, then?” Lee asked.

  “I figured you two would be here and we could jaw over this problem we have.”

  Lee stared at him. “Problem that WE have?”

  “Yeah, you don’t think this is all for real, do you?”

  Lee shrugged. “We’ve just been talking about it. We came to the conclusion that it wouldn’t hurt us to just see where it goes. We don’t have any assets that anybody could steal from us. A strange advantage, I guess, but maybe we do have something to gain.”

  Lee leaned over the table, “You see, Derek, when our Mom passed away Dad was never quite the same. It hit him hard and not only that, he had taken an early retirement and needed his savings to pay a lot of her medical bills. So the money we might have had for college just wasn’t there.”

  Cassie said, “Not that we minded that. We’re both willing to work. I did get some scholarships so I got my BA. I need a Masters to go on in library work, but now I have a full time job, share the rent of an apartment and have other expenses.”

  Lee said, “And I just never went to college. I had Stevie and I guess one day I’ll tell you the whole sad story of my loser boyfriend. But to make a long story short, I’d love to go to nursing school.”

  Cassie went on, “We just never wanted to ask Dad for anything. He needs the money he has left after Mom’s illness. It’s not a lot. You know, he’s really a brilliant man, a great engineer, but Mom’s death just hit him hard. And now, just when he should be getting on with his life, he has Alzheimers.” Her eyes filled with tears.

  Lee leaned over and put an arm around her. “We’ll get through it, Cass. Dad will be OK. He’s still Dad. Let’s take each day as it comes.” She paused thoughtfully. “Maybe there’s some money for him, too. If Mom had lived, she’d be entitled to something, wouldn’t she? So let’s just see where this takes us and don’t lose heart, Cass.”

  Cassie nodded and took a sip of her tea. “Sorry to be so emotional.”

  Derek downed his tomato juice in one gulp and wiped his mouth. “I’m really sorry about your Dad. I liked him a lot. But about this inheritance thing. All I can say is the classic con game is to make the victim think the con artist is rich and they’re going to get something from him. That’s all I’m saying.”

  Cassie said, “Yes, we did talk it over, Derek, but we can’t understand how it could be something like that.”

  “Well, how come we never heard of this guy if he’s our grandfather? Doesn’t that strike you as odd?”

  Cassie looked thoughtful. “Kids don’t think that way, Derek. They just accept what they’re told. Maybe Mom talked about him sometimes but I just don’t remember. The lawyer was right, our father didn’t seem to ever be in contact with our mother’s parents. I don’t recall them being mentioned. I guess we just assumed they were dead. We used to see Dodie and Gadge, our father’s parents. They were the grandparents we knew.”

  Lee agreed. “Yes, we just never thought about it. We could ask Dad if he knows anything more. Although I hate to bother him now that his Alzheimers seems to be getting worse.” She paused. “We really need to think about getting him into somewhere that can take care of him”

  Cassie added. “I’m going to ask Rob what he thinks. He was going to go to see him while I’m here.”

  Derek was drinking coffee while listening. He seemed to be feeling better. His long hair was neatly held back by a tie and he had on a clean shirt. Cassie thought he was really a nice looking boy, or man, she guessed. He was a few years younger than they were, probably in his early twenties.

  Now he looked over at them. “Your Mom died how long ago?”

  Cassie swallowed a lump in her throat. “She died five years ago. Cancer. As I said, it’s taken such a toll on Dad. We’ve tried to be there for him as much as possible. You know they were very close to each other.”

  Derek nodded. “I remember her a little, but not much from that couple of weeks we spent long ago. I remember her making those big chocolate chip cookies and laughing, and your Dad ladling out the ice cream and helping us put up a tent.” His blue eyes softened. “Losing her must have been really tough for you guys, too.”

  Lee and Cassie nodded, unable to say more. They looked out the window and Cassie drank her tea. Lee looked back at Derek and gave a small smile.

  He saw her looking at the shirt. “I asked the valet to get this shirt washed and ironed when I arrived yesterday. Whoo hoo! Might as well take advantage of everything in case this is all a dream.”

  The women laughed. “Yes, we had the same idea. But what if it’s not, Derek? “Cassie asked.

  “If it’s not? Well, let me pretend for a minute. There’s no hesitation in my saying that my dream has always been to write a song and perform it before the public, many of the public.” He grinned, and added, “and make a lot of money doing it. Become famous, in other words. That’s what my Mom thought was going to happen for her. Well, maybe it’s really her dream. But if I could just write a song and perform it before a large audience….I guess that would be the version of it that I’d tell that lawyer.”


  Cassie said, “Well, that’s a definite goal. Here’s ours: I want to make a start on getting my degree and going on to become a librarian. Lee wants to get into nursing school.”

  “That’s it? That’s your lifelong dream?” Derek laughed, then saw the stricken look on their faces. “Sorry, I guess I have grander, crazier dreams. Maybe because my Mom kept talking about being a famous entertainer all the time. I never really thought about anything else, especially after she died.”

  Lee said, “I’m really sorry, Derek. Sorry we weren’t able to go to her funeral, too.”

  “But you did send flowers and cards. I appreciated that.”

  Cassie asked, “What about your Dad?”

  Derek’s face darkened. “I don’t really remember him and I don’t want to. They were divorced when I was small and I only saw him a few times. I don’t care if he’s alive or dead. He walked out of our lives and good riddance.”

  “You don’t want to know what happened to him?”

  “Not really.”

  “Well,” Cassie lifted her cup of green tea. “Let’s all look ahead, be positive and drink to a successful week. Why don’t we take it a day at a time and see where it goes. What can we lose?”

  Derek lifted his coffee cup which had been refilled a couple of times, “We have nothing anyway! Nothing to lose.” He gave a grin but his eyes held a bleak expression.

  Lee lifted her cup, smiling at her sister and cousin. “To all of us. We’ll never be losers again.”

  CHAPTER 6

  By the end of the week, Derek had got to know Rick, the barman of a cozy little pub on Beacon Street. "Pubs" seemed to be a popular name for the bars and taverns in Boston. He noticed the watering holes seemed to be overrun with students at various times of the day. Someone had said there might be as many as fifty colleges in and around the greater Boston area. Could that be right? He also noticed there were quite a few Irish born, at least from the accents he overheard and he assumed this influenced the local culture quite a bit. This afternoon, in a lull between lunch and the happy hour, he sat at the bar talking about baseball and watched the playoffs with the Red Sox looking good. The Rangers were long out of it.