Behind the Pine Curtain

by Gerri Hill

  “Jacqueline, come in,” John said, motioning to the only empty chair. “You know your uncle, of course. This is Matthew Drake, his attorney.”

  Jacqueline politely shook his hand, sliding her glance to her uncle. “Uncle Walter, how are you?”

  “Fine, Jacqueline. You’re looking well.”

  “Thanks.”

  “And this is Tim and Jim Gentry.”

  Jacqueline raised an eyebrow. The Gentry twins. What had their mother been thinking? Tim and Jim?

  “Ms. Keys, nice to meet you,” Tim or Jim said.

  “They will represent your mother,” Lawrence said. “Have a seat, and we’ll get started.”

  Jacqueline sat and addressed Tim or Jim. “How is my mother, anyway?”

  “Well, she’s in the hospital, as you know.”

  “Yes. Are we doing a live video feed to her or something?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “I just can’t imagine my mother missing this,” she said, noticing that Walter covered his mouth to hide a smile. Yes, even as a kid, she could feel the tension between Uncle Walter and her mother. No love lost there, for sure.

  “We will be acting on her behalf and of course—”

  “Reporting back to her immediately.”

  “Yes.”

  Jacqueline looked at John and raised both eyebrows. He nodded.

  “Shall we begin?”

  Jacqueline let Mr. Lawrence’s voice fade into the background, instead, watching the reactions of the others. To her Uncle Walter’s credit, he gave no visible reaction to learn that Jacqueline had inherited her father’s share of Pine Springs Lumber. It occurred to her then that perhaps her father had already told him of his intentions. His only visible sign of surprise was when he raised his eyebrows at the mention of the bank. Her father’s share in that, too, was left to Jacqueline. Tim and Jim were frantically writing notes, no doubt on orders from her mother. The will was rather straightforward, leaving most of his liquid assets to his wife, except some stock that he’d put in Jacqueline’s name years ago, and a house on South Padre Island.

  Jacqueline hid her surprise well, she thought. South Padre? Good Lord. What would she do with a house on the island?

  “Lastly, he is leaving one million dollars to the city of Pine Springs, Texas to be used only for improvements to the existing City Park and the building of a new library for public use.” Lawrence closed the folder and looked up. “Any questions?”

  “Excuse me,” Tim or Jim said. He looked at his notes. “There was no mention of Keys Industries.”

  “No. Keys Industries is not a part of his estate. The company, upon Nicolas Keys’s death, reverted in full to the co-owner.”

  “Co-owner? Walter Keys?”

  “No. Jacqueline Keys.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  Lawrence passed a copy of the affidavit across the table.

  “Co-owner?” Uncle Walter asked.

  “Yes.”

  “But…”

  Mr. Lawrence passed a copy to him as well, and Jacqueline watched as they read, wondering if any would question it. Walter passed the paper to his attorney, obviously confused by the legal document.

  “So this is not part of his estate?” Tim or Jim asked.

  “No.”

  “I’m… I’m surprised, Jacqueline. I had no idea you and your father reconciled,” Walter said. “Does your mother know?”

  Jacqueline smiled. “What do you think?”

  “I think you’re in for a fight.”

  “There will be no fight, Walter. The affidavit is perfectly legal,” John Lawrence said.

  Walter looked to his attorney.

  “Yes. It’s quite explicit regarding ownership.”

  Walter nodded. “I see. Well, Jacqueline, I guess we have some business to discuss.”

  “I suppose we do.”

  “I assume you want to sell. I’m willing to listen.”

  “Sell? Why do you assume that?”

  Uncle Walter sat up straighter. “Well, you don’t live here, for one thing. For another, I’m certain you have no idea how to run a lumber business.”

  “You’re right about that. I’m hoping my father hired capable managers, Walter.” Jacqueline stood. “Actually, I was hoping to get a tour of the plants later today. If you have the time, that is.”

  He nodded. “Do you even remember where the mill is?”

  “About two?” Jacqueline asked, ignoring his question.

  “Very well.”

  “Good.” She turned to the twins. “Give Madeline my regards.” She shook hands with Mr. Lawrence. “Thank you,” she said quietly. “I’ll be in touch.”

  “Of course.”

  Jacqueline walked out into the sunshine, finally releasing a sigh. It had gone better than she’d expected. Of course, once her mother heard the news, she was certain she’d get a call from one of the twins. Well, she’d let Mr. Lawrence handle that. Right now, she wanted to get into her jeans.

  It was only eleven. She had plenty of time to change and surprise Kay with lunch. She smiled—just the thought of the other woman brightened her day.

  “Friends, just friends,” she murmured as she drove to Kay’s house. Regardless, she was glad to have Kay in her life again. And if it was as friends, that was still better than not at all.

  She pulled on the same jeans she’d worn yesterday, throwing the rest into a pile. She needed to remember to do laundry tonight or she’d be walking around town in her sweat pants. She decided a greasy hamburger for lunch would hit the spot and drove to the Dairy Mart, waiting in line at the drive-thru, impatiently tapping her fingers on her leg. Te n minutes later, she was on her way to the new strip center, the smell of burgers and fries making her stomach growl.

  Thankfully, Kay’s car was parked out front, and she walked in, glancing around the store for a familiar face.

  “Hi. May I help you?”

  Jacqueline met who she assumed was Mrs. Cartwright. She smiled and held up the bag. “Looking for Kay.”

  “Oh? Is she expecting you?”

  Jacqueline shifted the bag to her left hand and extended her right. “I’m Jacqueline Keys, an old friend. I’m staying with her.”

  “You’re Jacqueline Keys? Oh my. Well, I was sorry to hear about your father. You probably don’t remember me. Gladys Cartwright. My husband worked at the mill for years.”

  “I’m sorry, no.”

  “Well, I didn’t imagine you would. I heard that you were in town, but I had no idea you were staying with Kay.”

  And no doubt the news will be all over town by nightfall, Jacqueline guessed.

  “Where is she? I brought lunch.”

  “Oh, Kay’s in the back working on an order.”

  Jacqueline nodded. “And the back would be… where?”

  “I’m sorry. Here, I’ll show you.”

  Jacqueline followed the older woman, trying not to be annoyed. Small towns and all, they couldn’t help it.

  “Kay? You have a visitor.”

  “Okay. I’ll be right there,” Kay said without looking up.

  “Actually, I thought I’d join you back here,” Jacqueline said.

  Kay’s head jerked up, a smile lighting up her features. “Jackie! What are you doing here?”

  She held up the bag. “Lunch.”

  “Oh, you didn’t have to do that.” She put her pen down and walked over, one arm circling Jacqueline’s shoulder. “Mrs. Cartwright, do you mind holding down the fort for awhile longer?”

  “Of course not, dear.” She walked away, then stopped. “I’ll be right outside if you need me.”

  Kay’s eyes collided with Jacqueline’s, both twinkling with amusement. “I’ll be fine, Mrs. Cartwright. But thank you.” When the older woman left, Kay apologized. “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay. She’s just looking out for you. Maybe later you could scream or something, give her something to worry about,” Jacqueline teased.

  “You’re just awfu
l. I will not. She loves to gossip, and it would be all over town that you tried something with me.”

  “Well, I’ll let you slap me. That should put me in my place.”

  Kay pointed to a chair. “Sit down and quit causing trouble.”

  Jacqueline did. “I guess I should have called first. You don’t have plans, do you?”

  Kay smiled. “Plans? No, Jackie. I have no lunch plans. In fact, I’m glad you came. I want to know what happened.” Then she reached for the bag. “What’d you get?”

  “Burgers.”

  “Great.” Kay pulled out one. “Oh, and fries. You get extra points for fries.”

  “Maybe we should keep a tally then.”

  “Well, you got extra points for last night’s dinner.” She bit down on a crunchy fry. “What’s for dinner tonight?”

  “How can you think of dinner when you’re eating lunch?”

  “I have a very high metabolism,” she stated.

  “Uh-huh. That’s how you’ve stayed so skinny?”

  “Well, that and, you know, I can’t cook.”

  Jacqueline pulled her own burger out, spreading out the paper and pouring her fries out, dousing them with ketchup.

  Kay took a bite and grinned. “You remembered how I like them. No tomatoes.”

  “Who could forget? You threw enough of them at me over the years.”

  Kay reached over and grabbed Jacqueline’s hand. “It was nice of you to do this. Thank you.”

  “My pleasure. And I also knew that you’d be curious about the reading and all.”

  “Yes. So spill it.”

  Jacqueline laughed. “Nothing to spill. No fireworks.”

  “None? How boring. Your Uncle Walter didn’t grab you by the throat, demanding answers?”

  “Nope. Although he assumed I wanted to sell.”

  “And do you?”

  “No.”

  Kay smiled. “Good. So, what are you going to do with it?”

  “Well, I don’t rightly know,” Jacqueline drawled in her best southern accent.

  Kay laughed. “Who was there for your mother?”

  “Tim and Jim Gentry.”

  “Both of them?”

  “Yeah. Although only one spoke.”

  Kay nodded. “That would be Tim. Jim’s a little shy. Always has been.”

  “How do you tell them apart?”

  Kay smiled. “Well, obviously, the one who talks is Tim.”

  “Very funny.”

  “So, you don’t know your mother’s reaction, huh?”

  “No. But I can’t wait.” Jacqueline took a bite of her burger. “I’m actually going out to the mill this afternoon. Uncle Walter is going to give me a tour.”

  “No kidding? Well, I guess you should see what you own, right?”

  “Right. But Kay, what the hell am I going to do with a lumber company? Not to mention the bank. Keys Industries controls eighty percent of the goddamned bank!”

  Kay stared. “I wonder if Rene knows. She walks around like she owns the town, ever since Jonathan became vice president.”

  Jacqueline laughed. “Well, if she doesn’t know, I want to be the first to tell her.”

  “But really, Jackie, you only have two choices. Keep it or sell it. Simple.”

  “Simple, huh?”

  “Although I doubt your Uncle Walter could afford to buy Keys Industries.”

  “No. He couldn’t. It’s worth ten times what the sawmill is worth. If I sold, it would be to a large corporation.”

  “But you don’t want to do that?”

  “I don’t know enough about it, really. Hell, I don’t know anything about it. I need to meet with the managers, the accountants, see how organized everything is. If my father did indeed make all the decisions, the managers may be just as lost as I am.”

  “You know, maybe Greg could help you. He’d at least know who the managers are and maybe give you some insight. That is, if you trust him.”

  “At this point, he might be the only one I do trust. At least I know him.”

  Kay grinned. “And you also know that Rose would kill him if he did anything to go against you.”

  “You think so?”

  “Of course. Rose cares about you. She also wears the pants in the family.”

  “Why am I not surprised?”

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  The old road to the mill was paved now, but other than that, not much had changed. The road cut right into the forest and she thought it ironic. All these huge trees growing so close to the mill, standing sentinels, watching as the logging trucks brought in their fallen brethren to meet their fate. Not much had changed, no. That is, not until she saw the mammoth gates blocking her path. Beyond the ten-foot wire fence stood a multitude of buildings. Most, she assumed, were the plants Greg had been describing, as smoke billowed out through massive chimneys. She frowned, imagining the pollutants being sent into the once clean air of Pine Springs.

  She stopped at the gate and waited until the guard walked over.

  “May I help you, ma’am?”

  “I’m Jacqueline Keys. I have an appointment with Walter Keys.”

  The man studied her for a moment then glanced at his clipboard. “You don’t remember me, do you?” he asked as he flipped through the pages.

  “Excuse me?”

  “I’m Paul Buchanan. I was a few years behind you in school.”

  Jacqueline searched her memory, but she couldn’t recall this name or face. “I’m sorry, no. But, it’s been a lot of years.”

  “Yeah, it has.”

  He stood looking at her, and Jacqueline finally raised an eyebrow. “You going to let me in or what?”

  “Oh, sorry. Actually, no, you’re not on the list.”

  “I see. But Walter is here?”

  “Oh, yeah, he’s here. Came in a couple of hours ago.”

  “Good. So, Paul, you want to give him a call or what?”

  “Sure. I’ll see if I can find him.”

  Jacqueline tried not to be annoyed, either at Uncle Walter or this Paul person. He was just doing his job. But make no mistake, by the time she left today, they would all know who she was.

  Jacqueline waited, somewhat patiently, until Paul came back.

  “He said for you to go straight to the offices and wait for him there.”

  “He said that, huh?”

  “Yes, he did.”

  “I see. And where might I find Greg Kubiac?”

  “Greg? Oh, he’s in the office. Just ask someone, they’ll find him.”

  “Thank you, Paul.”

  She waited while the electronic gates swung open, then followed the signs to the office. It was a two-story brick structure that looked completely out of place among the other buildings. She saw her father’s parking spot and very nearly used it, but instead, pulled into a visitor’s slot. No need in pissing everybody off the first day. As soon as she opened the car door, noise from the machinery filled the air. Every building seemed to be creaking at the seams and she stood, looking around, seeing men moving from building to building, forklifts carrying unfinished lumber, trucks hauling debris from one plant to the other. Massive. Again, what the hell was she going to do with this?

  “Jackie?”

  Jacqueline turned, smiling at the friendly face who greeted her. “Greg! How did you know I was here?”

  He walked down the steps to meet her. “Paul called ahead. Said you’d asked about me. You’re supposed to meet Walter?”

  “Yes. But I wanted to talk to you about a few things. Maybe here is not a good place.”

  “Of course. Come into my office,” he offered.

  “No. Maybe here at the mill is not a good place,” she clarified.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Greg, with my father’s death, I now own Keys Industries, not Walter and not my mother.”

  Greg’s eyes widened. “Oh, wow.”

  Jacqueline smiled. “Yeah, understatement. So, I’d like to discuss some things with yo
u. In private.”

  “Okay, sure.”

  They both looked up and saw Walter approaching. “And I’d like to keep it between us, if you know what I mean.”

  “I worked for your father, Jackie. Not Walter.”

  “Good. Maybe tonight, Kay and I could come over?”

  “Oh, Rose would love that. I’ll call her later,” he promised, turning to leave just as Walter walked up.

  “Jacqueline, I see you found it.”

  “Yes. It’s gotten a lot bigger,” she said as she looked around her.

  “Your father’s doing, not mine.” He looked up the steps as the door closed on Greg’s retreating back. “I wasn’t aware you knew Greg.”

  “He married Rose Garland.”

  “Oh, yes. I’d forgotten how close you and Kay were. Rumor has it you’re actually staying with her.”

  “No rumor. I am.”

  He nodded. “Well, you want to see the office first or just head on out to the plants?”

  “Let’s do the plants. I hate offices.”

  “Very well. Be right back. I just need to fetch something for you.”

  She shrugged, shielding her eyes against the sun as she looked around. Jesus, what the hell was she going to do? Maybe she should just sell it and be done with it. Whoever bought it surely wouldn’t lay off workers. If they could afford to buy it, they would be financially sound. Then it hit her. For the first time, it really hit her. She was now a very wealthy woman. And money always brought problems. She’d learned that from her childhood. People treated you differently. Hell, she’d learned that after her first novel was made into a movie. People she hardly knew were suddenly best friends and the friends she did have acted like she was now a different person.

  “Here we go.” Walter handed her a hardhat. At her raised eyebrow, he said, “Regulations.”

  “Uh-huh,” she murmured but dutifully put it on. She followed him along the sidewalk and got into the opposite side of a golf cart.

  “Your father bought four of these a few years ago. Said he was getting too old to visit the plants on foot.”

  Jackie nodded. “Good idea.”

  As they neared the first building, Walter pointed. “This is the plywood plant,” he said loudly.

  He stopped the golf cart and they both got out, Jackie following him inside. Most of the men ignored them as they moved about, trying to stay out of the way. “I can go over how it all works,” he yelled. “Or just show you around.”