“Just because she’s unmarried doesn’t make her any less capable of administrating the will. If anything, it might make her more suitable.” He sits down behind his large Oakwood desk, looking off to the law books on one side of his office, and then back to the psychology books on the other side. This is where he finds his inspiration, and they remind him that he can make a difference in the world. “She seems to be the perfect person to administer this estate. Unless there are skeletons in her cupboard, there is no way that I can dispute her capability in a court of law.”
Anna crosses one leg over the other, sitting up straighter. He makes a mental note of her chameleon capabilities; this is a woman who can change her attitude to fit into almost any situation, with the exception of the army. There is no way that Bill could imagine this idealistic girl slugging it out in the mud of Army Basic Training.
“My aunt and I have always had a personality clash. It’s always been that way. Some of my earliest memories as a child are arguing with her. We’ve had so many arguments over the years. She was my guardian after my father died, and I had to live with her for a while. It was a hard time in my life, and she copped the brunt of my emotions. But I’ve never seen her be nice to people - she isn’t good with kids, or adults for that matter. She’s extremely prim and proper… and I’m… not.”
“She’s quite rude as well.”
“Very rude. You should see how she treats her cleaner. She treats him like a piece of dirt. She doesn’t even acknowledge that the man exists most of the time. She even put a hidden camera in the living room to make sure he wasn’t stealing any of her things. But if I had told you how bad she was earlier, I don’t think you would’ve believed me. I thought it was better if you formed your own opinion of her first.”
“I certainly have formed my own opinion about her.” Bill laughs. “Tell me, is there anyone with influence over your aunt? Anyone we could try and get in the ear of to convince her to change her mind?”
“Possibly. There is a man named Frank Matthews who she has a lot to do with. He’s the deputy CEO of the Recovering Veterans charity, but he also dated my aunt for a while. It was the only relationship I ever saw her have. And I hate to say anything bad about a veteran, but he… he’s a little off. I have nothing but respect for the people who fight for our country – my grandfather taught me that – but Frank is… a total creep. He’s tried to seduce me a few times, but I wouldn’t go near someone like him. Even if he were good-looking, which he isn’t, I wouldn’t go near him. There’s something off about his personality.”
“And do you think he will be able to provide us with any information about your aunt?”
“I’m not sure, but he’s the person closest to my aunt. He obviously appreciates all the money she gives to the charity and he thanks her directly for it. My family’s estate is the greatest contributor to the charity, and I must admit, I like that. I like that my family helps people that need it. I wish that charity no ill harm, but…” Anna shakes her head. “My grandfather left that money to me.”
“I understand.”
Removing his legal pad from the top drawer of his desk, Bill begins to jot down points about the case. Anna waits in silence as Bill scribbles on the page, even though she isn’t sure what he could be writing about.
“Do you have any other possessions from your grandfather?”
“No. He left all of his possessions to my aunt. I loved my grandfather, but I was still young when he died. I was only fourteen, and I didn’t know that much about him.”
“Do you know anything else about your grandfather that may assist us in disputing the will?”
“No.” Anna shakes her head. “War turned him into a loner, and the only people that helped him were his close family. Nobody else knew anything about him. He made his money through the stock market, but he sold all his shares before his death because he believed in cash. He thought cash was the future. He was wrong.”
“Hmmm…” Bill stops writing to ponder his thoughts for a moment. He taps his pen on the notepad, placing his hand on his chin.
“What is it?” Anna asks, her voice now anxious.
He takes a deep breath. “I reviewed the will more closely overnight, and I couldn’t find any holes. The best angle that we could push for was to say that your grandfather put that condition in the will for your benefit. If we could prove that this was his sole intention, then we could dispute the will. Your grandfather had notes that he scribbled down and he left those notes in the possession of your Aunt Jessica. I have reviewed those notes thoroughly, and I haven’t been able to find anything of significance. There was nothing there that could help us dispute this will. There isn’t a lot that we can build on so far, Anna.”
“Wait, what are you saying exactly?”
“This will is watertight, Anna. My job as your lawyer is to give you the best advice available. And as your lawyer, my advice to you would be that if you want that money, you should enroll in Army Basic Training.”
“What? Didn’t you hear me when I said I would only pay you when the will is paid? Did you miss that piece of information?”
“I heard you. That is why I suggest you enroll in the Army Basic Training, and complete it. Then if you wish to withdraw, you’ll be dishonorably discharged. That is your best chance of receiving the inheritance. That is my legal advice.”
“I thought you could solve anything, Mr. Harvey? People say that you’re a wizard at reading people! I thought you were the man that could sort out my will?”
“I am that man. As far as I’m concerned, as your lawyer, I advise you to complete the Army Basic Training. Ten weeks of your life is the sacrifice that you need to make to receive that inheritance.”
“No, Bill. The army is against everything that I stand for. I lost both my parents to the horrors of war. Do you know what that is like? I have lost almost my whole family to war. Our family has made enough sacrifices. I won’t do it. I won’t be another martyr for the decisions of crooked politicians.”
“That is your decision to make.”
“You don’t understand, do you?” Anna leans forward, desperate to have her voice heard. “My family is almost all gone because of war. War has taken everything from my family. And it’s the politicians that are to blame. They are the ones that send our innocent men and women to fight for their ideals. The politicians sent my family to die in war. Do you know what it’s like to lose your family when you need them the most? You couldn’t possibly know the pain that I went through. I will not enroll in the army! I will not be another statistic! My family has given enough.”
There is passion running through Anna’s veins. This is something that she desperately believes.
Her brow is furrowed as she looks to Bill for his reaction. She anxiously wants him to understand. She wants him to know that she cannot commit to an institution that has stolen everything away from her.
Talking about the past brings up unresolved emotions for Anna.
When her mother committed suicide after a tour of Afghanistan, she felt discarded. She felt like she didn’t matter enough. The pain of her mother abandoning her at just six years old left her deeply scarred. Two years after her mother’s death, she lost her older brother to war when he was just eighteen. And when her father died in a training accident only three years later, Anna felt the tragic pain of desertion.
The pain of losing her family soaked into her soul. The people she loved the most were taken from her too early.
Nobody could comfort her.
The life she knew was taken by suicide, war, and the unfortunate crash of a training helicopter.
After the death of her father, Anna was left in the care of her closest relative, Jessica Lempare, her mother’s sister.
The army looked after her, but Anna wanted nothing to do with the organization that took her family. They provided financial support to her guardian, but it mattered little to Anna. She had money, but she didn’t have a family. And there was no love in her A
unt Jessica’s apartment.
Jessica’s cold wall of detached emotion only drove a distressed Anna further away.
She tunneled that pain into protecting others, protesting against anything that took advantage of those less fortunate. She protested against everything; from the poor treatment of animals to the excess spending of the big banks.
In protesting against the establishment, she found a family. She found people that embraced her passion for life and accepted her for who she was. She felt at home with the people who shared her pain.
But even with the consideration of her past, Bill Harvey is firm.
“Anna, that will isn’t going to change. If you want that inheritance, then you must make the sacrifice of ten weeks of your life. That is my advice to you.”
“No.” She has tears in her eyes as she stands, heading towards the door.
There is no chance that someone as determined as Anna will complete the training, but Bill Harvey is interested in her next move. He needs to know if Anna is disputing the will for the money, or if she’s doing it for her disgust of authority.
Fascinated in her next move, he watches her closely as she slowly walks out of his office.
What she does next will determine how he approaches changing the will.
CHAPTER 4
“So, what are the options?” Bill’s reliable investigator Jack Grayson asks as he takes a large mouthful of his coffee. The coffee is bland and watery, but Jack likes this diner. Its 1960s décor reminds him of the diner his mother used to take him to as a child. They were some of the only positive memories of his tough childhood.
Jack Grayson is tough, muscular, and slightly mentally unstable. He has a history of violent acts, and his dark eyes portray a hard life, but his heart is in the right place most of the time.
Jack first walked into Bill’s hypnotherapy office as a twenty-one-year-old who looked like he had seen more than his fair share of intensity in his life. He had his first swig of alcohol at twelve, started using hard drugs at fifteen, and was locked up at eighteen. His thick arms are covered with many tattoos that display a past life full of aggression.
But it wasn’t the life that he wanted.
He knew that he wanted to change his life, and by the time he met Bill, he had spent the past year looking for a way to change his old habits. He walked into the hypnotherapy office wanting instant change. Something inside of Jack drew Bill to his cause.
Bill showed Jack that it wasn’t about tricking his mind to change – it was about accepting his current circumstances, and acknowledging that it was a part of his life. Under Bill’s guidance, Jack learned the value of gratitude, mindfulness, and appreciation. The change to Jack’s life was powerful.
He started a job as a security guard, kicked all his addictions, and went back to school at night to study fine art. He started painting, and for the first time, he found peace in his life.
Their paths crossed again ten years later when Jack was looking for a higher paying job opportunity. When Bill Harvey saw Jack’s name on the application form, he stopped the employment process, hiring Jack on the spot. He knew that he could work with this man.
The job of an investigator for a criminal attorney suited Jack perfectly, and he has never looked back. From quietly breaking into offices to tailing people, to finding a small error in a hundred pages of a file, Jack thrives in his job.
He is the perfect mix of brains, brawn, and bravado.
“There are not a lot of options for us in this case. As it stands, the will is watertight. I have reviewed the document over and over, but there are no cracks. Not even the smallest fracture. All the responsibility rests with the aunt. It’s all very clear-cut. This will was drafted in such a simple fashion that cannot be misinterpreted.”
“So, what have you advised the girl?” Jack swirls the last of his coffee as he looks around the diner, and waves to the waitress. She quickly comes over, refills his mug, and then gives him a small wink. He pretends to wolf-whistle as he watches her walk away before turning his attention back to Bill.
“I have advised Anna to complete the ten weeks of Army Basic Training if she wants the money. That is the simplest way to achieve the conditions of the will.”
“So, like an easy thing to do.”
“Maybe for you and I it is. But for this girl, it’s a lot harder. She lost a lot of her family to war, and she hates the idea of going to work for the people that she now considers the enemy.”
“She thinks the US Army is her enemy?”
“Not quite. She has great respect for the individuals of the US Army, but she hates the people that control the military. She hates the politicians that send innocent people to war. They are her enemy. She sees them as taking away her loved ones. That’s where the hatred lies.”
“So why do you need me? Sounds pretty cut and dry at this point,” Jack questions.
Bill considers Jack’s request to help before answering. “The advice that I gave Anna is going to push her into a corner. It will be interesting to see what she does next. This isn’t over yet. In her mind, her options are now to complete the training, or go and see her aunt to discuss the will. We know that she isn’t going to complete the training, so it means that she’ll try and negotiate with her aunt. Anna isn’t stupid, so she’ll try a different approach to negotiation than she has in the past. Although the aunt is quite reserved, I don’t think she’s unreasonable. The situation I have put Anna in means that she’ll go and see her aunt with her tail between her legs and try and negotiate. That’s our best option.”
“I’m sure that isn’t the only thing that’s been between her legs,” Kate suddenly quips, appearing at their table.
Disappointed, Bill shakes his head. “Hello, Kate. I think it’s quite clear that you don’t like Anna.”
“I just think that she’s trouble, Bill. I have seen many girls like her before. They have a sense of entitlement and aren’t willing to work for it. I mean, really, ten weeks isn’t that much of a sacrifice. I don’t see why she can’t just go and do the training.”
“It’s more complicated than that, Kate.” He places his hand down firmly on the table.
Kate waves to the waitress to order her morning coffee. “Jack, here’s the file that Bill asked me to give to you.”
“I need you to look into the Recovering Veterans charity, Jack,” Bill preempts Jack’s next question. “They are receiving a large donation from the estate each month, and they have a strong interest in how this will is structured. For any change to the conditions of the will, there needs to be an agreement between the trustee and the charity. While Anna is working on negotiating with her aunt, we should be focused on strengthening our position with the charity.”
“You really don’t think this is over yet, do you?” Jack questions as he opens the manila folder. He looks through the first few pages of the file, reviewing the details of the charity. “You think that Anna is going to be able to negotiate with her aunt?”
“I do. I think her next discussion with her aunt will lay the groundwork for our next move. There is going to be a lot of negotiation to come and the stronger our position is, the higher chance we have of retaining most of the inheritance for Anna.”
“So, you’re asking me to find some dirt on the charity?”
“Yes, or the people in the charity. I need you to look for anything that will help strengthen our negotiating position. There will be something that we can use to strengthen our discussions with them.”
As Jack continues to look through the file, Kate’s phone starts ringing. “Excuse me, I need to take this.”
While Kate walks off to the side of the diner to answer the phone, the men continue their conversation.
“So, any change to the will requires the support of the charity?”
“It requires the conditional support of the charity. As the trustee, the aunt has the final say, but if she had the support of the charity, then we could push any change through really quickly. O
therwise, we may need to go to court and plead our case in front of a judge. I don’t want to do that as that’s a long process. Our easiest option will be if all the parties agreed on a change.”
“What would happen if the aunt died before Anna turns twenty-five?” Jack asks before he’s interrupted by Kate returning to the table.
Both men turn to look at Kate, standing by the booth, with a pale, shocked look on her face.
“That appears to be the case. Jessica Lempare has been murdered,” she states. “And Anna has been arrested as the primary suspect.”
CHAPTER 5
Despite the warmth of the meeting room, Anna Lempare is shaking as she sits on the metal chair.
Her world has been thrown upside down.
One moment, she was binge watching her favorite television series in her apartment, and the next, she was being taken away by LAPD Detectives for the murder of her aunt, Jessica Lempare.
Her body has been in shock ever since.
“Hello, Anna,” Bill states as he enters the room, placing his briefcase on the small desk. “Are you okay?”
Anna stares at him with cold, dark eyes. Her arms are folded across her chest, her shoulders are slumped forward, her hair a tangled mess.
Anna goes to answer Bill’s introduction, but no noise comes out. She runs her fingers along the edge of the small table in the middle of the room, trying to get comfortable on the solid metallic chair.
The meeting room is tight and windowless, and the concrete walls trap the heat inside. With very little space in the room, Bill is thankful that he’s not claustrophobic.
“Are they treating you well, Anna?”
Anna shakes her head repeatedly. “She’s dead. My Aunt Jessica is dead. She’s dead.”
“That is why I’m here.” Bill slows his speech pattern down, using a lower tone of voice to create a sense of calm in the room. It’s a technique that he learned while studying hypnotherapy, and he has used it often to calm people in different situations. His deep voice resonates around the small room, and he can see that it’s affecting Anna as her shoulders start to loosen. “Anna,” he continues slowly. “We’re going to have to talk about what your options are and what happens from this point forward. I need you to listen to what I say to you.”
Will of Justice_A Legal Thriller Page 3