by Alexa Davis
“Okay, you going to tell me what’s going on?”
“I found the trust.” She smiled at me.
“Wait, you found Olivia’s college trust?” She held a finger to her lips and nodded.
“Somehow, the bank changed it to her grandmother’s name, when she took in his death certificate.”
“That’s not legal, my name was on that, too.” Her slender arm went around my shoulder and she squeezed.
“Exactly,” she whispered. I leaned forward in my chair. Andrew’s mother had always asked him for money, begged him to pay for her cosmetic surgeries, and had even stayed with us when she overspent her money and got evicted, because she couldn’t reach him in time. She knew better than to ask me, but her son could never tell her “no”. And, he hadn’t, not even when he was dying.
“She was the one who wanted him to change the will. The new one gives her even more than it gives Kristy.” Cynthia shuddered.
“Some people are evil. How could a grandmother cut her grandchild out?”
“She’d have to admit she was a grandmother, first. Veronica’s one of those people who thinks they still look thirty, and spends a lot of money on that little delusion.” The judge banged her gavel, and Tucker returned to his seat, a look of calm satisfaction on his face.
“Whatever just happened, I know you won. But your humble brag face is on point.” He stifled a laugh and tried to hide it under a cough, pointing at the judge and patting my hand.
Judge Gaines declared the new piece of evidence, proof that a trust fund in my name that had been changed without my permission—in effect, stolen—had put the rest of the will into question. Veronica had overreached herself, and since she had the most to gain from changing the will, added to the fact that Andrew was heavily medicated in his last days, was enough to give reason to suspect it.
Carl demanded a recess to study the veracity of the “new evidence” and the judge granted him twenty-four hours, warning him that at this point, all the paperwork lined up, and she wasn’t inclined to give him time to shift any other money around. She took the partial freeze of assets on Kristy to a full freeze, and suggested strongly to Tucker that he file criminal charges against Veronica, for fraud.
My head spun. Poor Kristy’s name hadn’t been mentioned once in the entire big reveal that Tucker had designed, but she was could lose almost everything. As the judge moved to adjourn, Kristy stood and asked to speak, her voice trembling and small.
“All right, Mrs. Peele. Please understand that even though you aren’t on the stand, everything you say now is a matter of public record. Do you understand?” Kristy nodded yes, and when the judge prompted her to speak, instead of nodding, she did. Clearing her throat, she pulled away from Carl, who had grabbed her arm to make her sit. Even from my chair, I could see the angry red marks from his fingers in her arm, and I hissed and lunged up, only to have Tucker hold me back and press me back into my seat. I made a low sound of warning, but he motioned me to be quiet and patted my hand.
“Your honor. I don’t want any of this,” Kristy sniffed. “I was in love and then I lost my husband before I could even really know him, and then my mother-in-law told me I had to protect her from that woman,” she said, pointing at me. “But I don’t want to be part of this. They had a little girl, and Veronica, her own grandmother, destroyed the pictures of her with her dad.” I made a choking sound as the room dipped in my view. Kristy stopped and looked right at me, her face swimming behind the tears of helplessness that filled my eyes.
“Shhh, Libby, it will be okay,” Tucker whispered.
“I saved you some. I knew they were the most important thing to you, but I wasn’t allowed to talk to you or give you anything before the hearing.” I nodded, numb with grief that it was family that had done so much to hurt Olivia, not this stranger. Veronica started sniping at Carl, I could hear her tell him to “shut the little slut up”. No wonder Kristy looked worse every time I saw her. I might have lost my husband, but it meant I escaped his mother.
“Are you telling the court, that you were told explicitly to destroy property that was being decided upon?” Judge Gaines sounded resigned, while I felt incredulous.
“Yes, Ma’am,” Kristy sighed, and she seemed to stand a little taller.
“Is there anything else you need to say before we adjourn, Mrs. Peele?” Kristy knotted her fingers together and chewed her cheek, then nodded. Judge Gaines sighed and rubbed her temples. “Proceed.”
“I cannot continue this. I’m removing my name from the will. I don’t want it, and I don’t want anything to do with Carl Jameson.” She looked up at the judge. “I don’t know who I’m supposed to talk to about this.”
“Obviously,” Judge Gaines drawled. “Okay. Mr. Jameson, you have two days to get yourself and whatever clients you will be retaining, squared away. Mr. Hargrave, it’s up to you to decide how you want to move forward from this juncture. Please be ready to present the court with your filing by two days from today.” She slammed the gavel down. “Court is adjourned until this Thursday, nine a.m.”
Kristy sat in her chair and put her face in her hands. Carl stuffed papers into his case and stormed off, with Veronica nattering at his elbow as they rushed from the courtroom. Cynthia grabbed my arm and gave a little squeal as she shook it.
“They just have to give me a job now, right?” she asked breathlessly. “I found that trust fund in your name, with no problem. I totally blew this wide open!” I laughed and patted her hand.
“Yes, you did. Good job, Cynthia.” I stood and made my way to Kristy, who was still hunched forward in her seat.
“Are you going to be okay?” She sniffled and shrugged. “Do you think she’ll let me go home and get my things?” I was taken back to the day I had left, when my husband had sat me down at the table with his mother, and he’d told me I had to take Olivia and leave. Veronica had packed bags for us, and I was warned that if I ever returned, I’d be arrested.
“You know what, Kristy, you go home and get as much of your stuff as you can. Stay with a friend, and as soon as this is over, I’ll make sure Tucker gets you help with someone from his firm. I gave her one of his business cards that I kept in my purse. “Please get help. I’m worried about you.” Her face crumpled and she sniffed back tears and nodded. I looked up to see Tucker and Cynthia waiting for me. I handed Kristy a tissue and stepped back toward him, and she gave me a wan smile.
Tucker took my arm and led me away, with Cynthia chirping away excitedly, oblivious to the dampened moods of Tucker and myself. She suggested a celebration, but I didn’t understand how we could be celebrating, when it sounded like Veronica and Carl had been willing to do things that were unethical, if not illegal. My heart ached over the lost photos, and at the same time, I felt so much grief for poor Kristy, and gratitude and excitement to see what she’d been able to save for Olivia in memories of her father.
Chapter Seventeen
Tucker
Libby was shell-shocked, numb, and honestly, looked like she was ill, when we left the courtroom after Kristy Peele had begged the court to remove her from the complaint. I knew my girl. She saw herself in that younger woman. She had so much compassion, and even I was grateful to hear Kristy had spirited away as many pictures for Olivia as she could. Cynthia bubbled and cheered for us, but Libby just didn’t feel like she’d won, and it was obvious in every step she took as we walked out of the building.
“C’mon, guys. Why the long faces?” she finally asked.
“I can’t stop thinking about Kristy. I lived with that woman. I know she’s not doing well, and I’m worried.”
“Oh. Okay. Well, how about I check in on her tomorrow, and make sure she’s doing okay? If she needs help moving, I can even arrange that, if I have permission.” I nodded and hid my smile. It was obvious that Cynthia wanted to move into a position with the company, and I appreciated how far she was willing to go to get the approval she needed.
“Libby, Cynthia just produced crucia
l evidence of wrongdoing on the part of the opposing council, and she would really like us to go out, eat too much, and maybe get a little drunk.” Her shoulders dropped and she gave Cynthia a wry smile.
“Of course, we can go out. I’m sorry for being a stick in the mud. What’s your pleasure, Cynthia? You pick, since you won the day.”
“R&R barbeque, all the way! Please tell me you aren’t a vegan,” she pleaded.
“I don’t think those are allowed in Texas,” Libby laughed and put her arm through mine. We planned to meet up at the popular barbeque joint just after the happy hour rush, and Cynthia split from us to get ahead of some work from other partners at the office. I walked Libby to her car and she sagged against it and breathed deeply.
“Is it almost over?” she sounded incredulous, and exhaled hard again. “I feel so bad for Kristy. She looked so lost. Is that how I looked?”
“It was a little familiar once you drew my attention to it.”
“Whew. Okay, I feel so much worse about where I was, and so much better about where I am now,” she laughed shakily. I leaned in and kissed her on the forehead.
“I am so proud of you,” I said into her hair. “I can’t wait for you to find your place doing exactly what you want with your life.”
She slid her hands up my chest, and my heart sped up under her palm. My mouth was opening against hers before I could think, my tongue pushing into the wet cavern of her mouth to taste her. She moaned and I pressed her up against the car, pinning her with my hips as my pants got tight over my growing erection.
“God, what you do to me,” She sighed, scratching her fingernails down my chest over my shirt. “I know how I want to celebrate.” I laughed and held her while every cell in my body was screaming at me to tear her clothes off and pull her over me in the backseat of the car.’
“I will go take care of the cluster of paperwork that I’ve just been given, and I will meet you for dinner tonight,” I promised her.
“I might go and check on Kristy, make sure Veronica doesn’t stop her from taking her things. But yes, I’ll be there.”
“Tell Shaunte and Dale they should come, too. I’ll pay for a sitter for all the kids.” She gaped at me and I laughed.
“You deserve to have your friends with you. Besides. I like Dale,” I admitted. Libby grinned and kissed me one last time on the lips, a soft, sweet brush against my mouth that made my gut heat up. I helped her into her car and shut the door, smiling as she waved before taking off. I rolled my head on my neck and exhaled hard. Kristy had made Libby feel better, but she had opened a whole can of worms for us legally, and I wouldn’t be able to enjoy a celebration until we had waded through it all.
I walked back to the office, grateful for a few minutes of solitude before attacking the paperwork that I needed to complete in the next day or so. I stopped at the coffee cart and picked up extra lattes for my secretary and Cynthia, planning to use them to bribe the ladies for as much help as they were willing to give, so we could knock it out of the park for Libby and end her worries—permanently.
I read and dictated until my eyes burned, and glanced down at my watch. I had just enough time to pack my files to my condominium, and take Kennedy out for a walk before heading over to R&R. I called Libby, but had to leave a message when she didn’t answer, and headed down to my car.
Libby still hadn’t replied when I got back to the condominium, and I worried for a moment, that the stress had her hiding in a corner of her house. I fought the urge to call again, and let Kennedy do her thing so I could go. I filled her food and water bowls and secured the files I brought home; if my detective dog got curious about the smells of my work, she couldn’t mix anything up on me. I texted Libby that I was en route, and copied it to Cynthia as well. My stomach was empty and resentful of my skipped lunch and empty fridge at home, making the ten-minute drive feel like an hour, but when I arrived, Cynthia was out front, waiting with a smile.
I checked my phone again to no avail, and was putting it back in my pocket when a strange number appeared on it, as it began to ring. Fearing the worst, I picked up and Dale was on the other end. At the sound of his voice, my head started ringing, and I barely heard him say that Shaunte was on her way to the hospital to meet Libby.
“Why is Libby at the hospital?” I asked, and Cynthia looked at me alarm and immediately started pulling me towards her car, unlocking it as we approached. I slid in the passenger seat and Dale filled me in as best he could, that Libby had gone to check on Kristy like she’d said, and found Veronica standing over the unconscious girl.
She’d called 911 and the police had come for Veronica, who swore she’d found her daughter-in-law that way. Libby had ridden in the ambulance to the hospital with Kristy, and asked Dale to get the info to Tucker. Shaunte was picking up Libby to take her back to her car so she could get it home before Veronica was released and decided to do something to it. I called Libby again, and when she finally answered, I almost cried in relief at the sound of her voice.
“Cynthia and I are on our way. Stay at the hospital, and we’ll help Shaunte take care of your car, and gather some things for Kristy, if we can get in the house.” Libby started to argue, then changed her mind.
“You know what, that is the best plan I’ve heard. I have her purse, so I can give you her keys when you pick up mine.” My stomach growled loudly, and she heard it over the speaker phone. “Oh, God, Tucker, was that you? Stop and get yourself something to eat.”
“I’m fine, Libby. I can get something at the hospital. Let’s just get Kristy taken care of.” I wanted to be shocked, but it came as no surprise to me that we were now responsible for the woman who had sat across the aisle from us and let her lawyer try to ruin Libby’s reputation. Libby talked about being weak, but repeatedly, she proved that she had more resilience and strength than anyone else I knew.
Libby met us at the front entrance to the hospital and updated us on Kristy’s condition. It seemed that she had taken a severe overdose of her husband’s medication, after leaving a note that explained that she couldn’t live with the loneliness and shame of being kicked out of her own home by her husband’s mother, after losing everything her crooked lawyer had tried to steal from a little girl, just so he could claim his cut.
She was red-nosed and sniffling when she repeated what the doctors and police had told her. I was amazed that she was in the information loop at all.
“I gave them her name, I gave them my name, and they assumed we’re sisters,” she explained. “I have no reason to tell them they’re wrong. Kristy needs someone right now.”
“Well, you do look like you could be related. I won’t say anything, and I’ll give Cynthia the heads up. Do you want to come with me, or stay with Libby and have Cynthia come with?”
“I’d love to be anywhere you are, right now. But I need to stay here. I’m the only ‘family’ she has in this joint.” I kissed her on the forehead and pulled her into a hug, wishing I could take away every bad thing she’d ever been forced to witness, but especially Kristy lying on a floor. I knew—and Libby knew it, too—it could very easily have been her that gave up on life after being beaten down for so long.
“If you didn’t have Olivia, what do you think would’ve happened to you?” I asked, following her gaze back into the hospital.
“If I didn’t have Olivia, and Andrew had made me feel as helpless as she did when she took those pills? I don’t know, Tucker. Honestly, I have been thinking that very same thing, all afternoon.” She kissed me on the cheek and brushed my hair out of my face. “I am so glad I had Olivia, and you,” she added, before stepping back onto the curb. “Thanks for helping me. I’ll have food for you if want, when you get back.”
“No,” I countered. “The food here is awful, honestly. I’ll bring back some R&R. Make the doctors jealous.” She grinned and waved as Cynthia and I traded places so I could drive to the house I knew so well. On the outside, as we walked up to the door, nothing had changed, and memories of al
l the time I’d spent here washed over me. Air whooshed out of my lungs, and Cynthia touched my arm.
“Are you okay to go in there?” She asked, and I scoffed.
“Yes, I’m okay. My best friend used to live here, with his wife and his little girl. I guess I’m just not sure which I want to see less, everything the same as when this was Libby’s house, or everything different, like she was never there at all.” Cynthia nodded, and with a deep breath, I pushed the door open and stepped into the dim interior.
There wasn’t any overt sign of the tragedy that had occurred earlier in the day, and it made me feel worse about being there, like the house itself kept erasing the bad things that happened within its walls. I took the stairs two at a time, and headed straight for the upstairs master, where Cynthia handed me appropriate clothing and hygiene items, and I packed them to take back to the hospital. Lights shone in the window as we finished, and we hurried to collect the last of it and get it downstairs before whoever had pulled up, got inside.
We made it to the walkway before running into Veronica, who, it appeared, was back from the police station, having been cleared of any wrongdoing in the suicide attempt. She looked at the luggage in my hand and threatened to call the police, but Cynthia stepped between us.
“Your daughter-in-law is in the hospital, Mrs. Peele. We’re taking her clothes and a toothbrush, but you go ahead and tell the police that she doesn’t have a right to her things, since she gave us her key in the first place.” Cynthia held up the keys, and even unlocked the car with the fob so the lights flashed.
“We’ll see you at the hospital, I’m sure.” I said as we sidestepped the vicious-tempered woman and strode to the Prius parked at the curb.
It was a quiet ride back to the hospital, even after stopping for enough barbeque to feed a Little League team. Cynthia had few questions about how a simple will dispute had ended in the ICU, and I had even fewer good answers. I felt overwhelmed with gratitude, that Libby had been stronger, and if nothing else, such a good mother, that she simply had never given up.