She loved the summers she’d spent with Aunt Edie, with all her heart. It saddened her that a relationship with a woman who was special and important to her in her youth, had come to this: a lawyer calling her about the will of a woman she hadn’t even known had died until a month later.
“Yes,” she replied. “I received your letter and reviewed the will item.”
“I’m calling to make arrangements for you to take ownership of the property.”
Nora sighed. “I’m going to have to sell the property. I live in Philadelphia so I have no way to properly care for it.”
“Ohhh,” said the attorney, disappointment seeping from his tone. “I hope you’ll reconsider, especially when you hear the personal note that your aunt included on this entry in the will.”
“What do you mean?”
“Your Aunt Edith -- ”
“Aunt Edie,” Nora corrected.
“Yes, your Aunt Edie attached a note to the will that she instructed was to be shared personally with you regarding your inheritance. Would you like me to read it to you now?”
“Okay.” She hoped her voice didn’t sound as hesitant as her attitude.
“Very good.” Nora heard the sound of paper crackling and then he read, “To my dear Nora. I leave you a treasure that I hope you’ll love as much as you used to when you were a girl. You and I spent some very special summers at my ranch in Murrells Inlet. During those summer weeks, you transformed from a city girl to a country girl, an ocean lover and a horse enthusiast. Those summers and your visits are some of the fondest memories of my life. When I was making the decisions about what to leave to who, I knew I needed to find just the right owner for my beachfront ranch, the barn, and the house. Someone who knew its history. Someone who had memories as strong as my own. And someone who would treat the old place like the treasure it is, and with tender loving care, help renovate it to its former glory.”
Nora let out a breath. Glory? She’d never seen the place in its glory; it was already old and run down forty years ago when she was a child.
Mr. Becker continued reading as if she hadn’t interrupted, “I realized that the perfect recipient was you, dear. You will reach a point where you’ll leave your city and your career and my hope is that you’ll want to get back to your roots. The place that speaks to your heart, the lifestyle that brings you peace. I’m making a bet here, but I think that place is Murrells Inlet. Please, receive this gift in the way I intend it. For yourself. Not to sell it, or rent it out, but to be hands-on, just like I was. Use this place to help others, to add value to others’ lives, and you’ll quickly see that it increases the value to yours as well. I love you, Nora.” Mr. Becker let a moment of silence pass between them and then he said, “And that’s the letter.”
“Wow.” Nora took a breath and let it out. “It’s like she was reaching out to me from the dead and speaking to me.”
“Yes, I can imagine. In fact, I usually tell my clients who want to leave this type of letter that it can be rather jarring to the recipient after the loved one has died, to hear their thoughts in their own words.”
“No kidding.” Nora brushed a hand over a lock of hair that had fallen into her eye and realized it was shaking.
“I remember when your aunt came in with this letter, because it was only a month before she died.”
“She only wrote this will two months ago?”
“No, no, she’d had the will for years, and she’d named you as the inheritor of her property. But she worked on this personal letter to you and brought it in to me about a month before she died, to include with her will documents. I asked her why, and she said she thought you might need a little prodding.”
Nora let out a sad laugh. “I guess she still knew me well.” She did need prodding. In fact, her decision to sell the place and rid herself of it had been instantaneous, with hardly any consideration at all. But now, the letter gave her pause. Why had she and Aunt Edie drifted apart so vastly? Why did Aunt Edie think she should leave Philadelphia and her law career to come take care of an old property that required a large amount of manual labor? “Could you mail me that letter, or attach it to an email to me? I’d like to look it over.”
“Of course.”
“I remember from estate law that the deceased can give the receiver his or her preferences what to do with the inheritance, but the receiver is not bound by law to abide by those preferences. Correct?”
“Well, yes, technically correct.”
“Technically correct?”
“Yes. True, you are not bound by law to accept the inheritance in the manner that it was intended, but certainly Edith hoped that you would abide by her wishes. She took time to consider who to gift the property to; now please take some time to consider what she’s asked of you. Don’t make any final decisions until you’ve had time to ponder her request.”
Nora paused. She appreciated what he was saying. Aunt Edie’s letter had introduced a different perspective on the inheritance. She needed to ponder it. However, nothing on this matter was going to happen until she came to some sort of resolution on Henry’s defense, and the future of the law firm. “Do you have a deadline in mind?”
“No, not particularly. But just realize that since your aunt lived alone, the property is not being maintained at this time. You may want to consider hiring someone to do general maintenance until you can do it yourself.”
Nora groaned. “I’ll put it on the list.” She rubbed her forehead, massaging her temples to stave off the pending headache. “Thanks for the call. I’ll be in touch.”
She had just ended the call when there was a rapping on her door. She considered not answering the knock, pretending the office was empty, but her professionalism got the better of her. “Yes.”
The door opened and Tony Monroe walked in, shutting the door behind him. His face was a contradiction of emotions – the suntan from his recent vacation in Jamaica implied relaxation and peace. But the creases in his forehead and between his eyebrows showed anything but.
“Tony. Thank God you’re back.” She motioned to the chair facing her desk. “Have a seat. I don’t know what you’ve heard and what you haven’t heard about Henry, but we need to get on the same page. I’ll share everything I know.”
He remained standing. “I’ve been briefed. My only question is: who will serve as defense attorney for Henry?”
His comment surprised her. The three of them were a team … a trio of partners all working together to lead the firm. If she hadn’t briefed him, who had? “Speaking of being briefed, did you receive my voicemails on your cell phone while you were on vacation? Or the emails I sent to your work email address?”
“I did.”
Nora frowned at him. “You did. Why didn’t you return my calls? And who briefed you?”
She watched him take a deep breath and let it out. “Nora, we need to talk.”
His words caused a tightness in her chest. “Yes, I agree. We have a partner in jail. We have to present a united front. We have to decide on a defense strategy for Henry. We need to decide on a communication strategy, both to our employees and to our clients. We have to protect the integrity and future of this firm.”
His eyes rested on her desktop and he stilled. After a few moments she wondered if he’d even heard her. “Tony?”
His head jerked up. “I’ll handle all this myself. You need to back off, Nora. Please.”
“Back off? Oh, you mean his defense. Yes, I visited Henry and he specified that he did not want me to defend him. He wanted an expert in criminal defense. He gave me some names, and I’ve called them all. I’m just waiting for a few more calls back before I select one.”
He shook his head. “I don’t want you to be involved. At all.”
The headache that had been threatening all day returned full force. She felt off balance, dizzy. “Why?”
Tony stood still for a long moment, studying her face. Then he motioned for her to sit at her desk, and he slid into the chair facing it. “Look No
ra, I was gone for all this, and walked back in to a big mess. I don’t know who did what, who’s lying, who’s cheating, who’s telling the truth.”
Nora jumped to her feet, jumping as well to her mentor’s defense. “Tony, come on now. You may not know the facts – I don’t either – but we know Henry. He’s been our senior partner for decades. He’s not capable of what they think they found on him. I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t be in this position if Henry had not stuck up for me and supported me.”
“Do you feel loyal to Henry?”
“Of course I do!”
“Loyal enough to hide his criminal acts because you didn’t want him to get caught?”
She gasped. “What?”
“Nora, the alleged unethical behavior was committed on your project.”
Nora blinked, blinked again, and suddenly couldn’t stop blinking. “Are you referring to …?” But she couldn’t force the words out.
“The Samson Merger,” Tony provided. And then, she had to sit because if she hadn’t, she would’ve fainted.
“Here, drink this.” Tony breezed back into her office and handed her a glass of iced water. The dizziness had passed but her stomach was threatening to roil.
“Thank you.” She took a short sip, and it felt so good going down her throat that she finished the small glass in about five gulps. “That’s better.”
Tony dropped into the chair and rubbed his forehead. “I have to be very careful how I handle this situation. It’s a crisis of major proportions. One misstep and this law firm could be history.”
“I understand. Heck, as co-partner, I agree with you. But I have to hear it from you, Tony. Do you believe in me? Do you think I’m guilty of misconduct?”
He studied her face and smacked his lips. “I don’t want to, God knows I don’t. I don’t want to believe Henry had any misconduct either. But the FBI investigated him and arrested him.” He huffed out a tight breath. “I don’t know what to believe Nora, I really don’t.”
“But they didn’t arrest me,” she said softly.
“You’re right, they didn’t.” He took one of his hands in the other and massaged it. “I have to be honest, Nora. I’m gaining some advice from law firm partners in the city on how I should handle this. I’ve never been through this before.”
“Yeah, me neither. Okay, that’s probably a good approach.”
“Why don’t you lay low for a couple days while I decide how I want to lead the firm through this?”
Nora looked at her partner, her eyes hooded. “What do you mean by lay low?”
Tony shrugged. “Take a few days off. Steer clear of the office. Let me figure out what to do.”
Her spine went stiff and she blurted out, “Absolutely not, Tony. This is my firm too, as much as it is yours. I want to help lead the firm through this crisis too. If I disappear, what message will that send to the staff?”
Tony met eyes with her. “I can’t take the risk, Nora. I don’t know which end’s up right now, and I need you to stay away until I devise a plan. I realize that could place you in a bad light, but there’s nothing I can do about that right now.”
The room started to spin and she concentrated on not falling out of the chair. “Because you think I’m guilty?”
He shook his head. “I haven’t come to any conclusion yet. I need to do my due diligence and protect the firm. And because Henry’s misconduct was discovered in the Samson Merger, which you were leading, I have to at least consider the possibility that you were involved in it. And if you were, I can’t have you leading the staff. I know it’s difficult, but can you at least see my point?”
She would not cry. She would not cry. She was a highly educated, highly experienced law professional who had accomplished great things in her career. The last thing she would allow was tears falling down her cheeks in front of a colleague.
He must’ve observed her struggle because he reached for her hand and squeezed it in kindness. “I know it seems unfair to you. But if you are cleared of all suspicion, you come back and the whole firm will be aware.”
Then the dawn of enlightenment started shining so bright she almost squinted. “Wait a minute. You’re saying I have to leave until I’m cleared of all wrongdoing?”
He nodded. “At least that’s where my head is at right now. If I get contrary advice from my advisors I’ll let you know.”
“I’ve still got about a week’s worth of paperwork on the Samson Merger to close the case down.”
“We’ll re-assign it. Another lawyer can take that for you.”
She opened her mouth to argue and then realized there was no point. Who knows, if she looked at it objectively, maybe if the roles were reversed and she were in Tony’s shoes, she’d handle it the same way. Unlike in criminal court, evidently at Gibson, Monroe and Ramsey, you were guilty until proven innocent. But she would go along with it, if it meant clearing her name and saving the integrity of her beloved firm. She had too much at stake, too many years of service here to do anything else.
Nora straightened her shoulders. “I’ll send a communication out to the staff. I’d like to tell them in my own words what’s going on.”
“Don’t worry about it, Nora. I’ll take care of it.”
She got to her feet and put her hands on her desk, leaning toward him with her upper body. “No. I insist. I’m stepping back, as you say, so that you can do your investigation on me. I’m allowing my reputation to be dragged through the mud, through no fault of my own. I’m turning the remaining work of the biggest achievement in my career over to someone else to drag over the finish line. I’m doing all this because of my love for this firm. But I refuse to limp away into the darkness. I am a leader, and I will go out like a leader. I will send a communication to this firm’s associates and try to alleviate concerns, fears and gossip as I take my leave.”
She almost wished he’d argue with her. She welcomed the chance to fight him on this, but a few moments later, he acquiesced. “Okay, Nora. I’ll give you that one. When’s it going out?”
“I’ll work on it tonight and send it out in the morning.”
“And then you’ll stay home until you hear from me?”
She sniffed. “You’ll keep me posted with periodic updates?”
“Yes.”
She took a breath. “Very well.” She opened the drawers of her desk to see if there was anything she needed to take home. She took the laptop off her desk and started to tuck it into her bag.
“Um, Nora,” Tony said.
She looked up. Of course, her laptop would be ravaged and scrubbed for evidence. She couldn’t take it home. She pulled it back out and returned it to the desk. What else? If she couldn’t work, she didn’t need her paper files. And really, other than a few plants and framed pictures of nature, what else was in this office other than work?
She grabbed her purse and started for the door. “I’ll be back early tomorrow to send the email, and I’ll leave before anyone else arrives.”
“Nora.”
She closed her eyes, fighting hard to regain control. “Yes,” she whispered.
“This is hard. This most likely will turn out to be unfair to you. But I have to put the firm first.”
She gave a swift nod and left. She didn’t want to hear any more. She didn’t want to hear about his moral challenges. All she knew was he didn’t believe in her. He hadn’t stuck up for her. He suspected her.
She strode down the hallway with a single purpose. She did not turn to meet eyes with anyone, and she didn’t bid farewell with anyone either. Her written message would do that tomorrow. For now, she just made her quiet exit.
Her Lean Cuisine seemed lonelier and sadder that night. Usually her quiet evenings at home were her reprieve, her peaceful haven of rest between hectic hours at the office. The office was where she lived her life … evenings at home just provided rejuvenation before going back.
But for now … there was no going back.
The concept was still
new, and she had no idea how to wrap her head around it. She would not be going to work tomorrow. Or the next day. Or the next.
Symptoms in her body became apparent, brought on by this new reality. Her heart pounded, her eyes pulsed and she had to sit down.
She was off work indefinitely … what did that mean? She’d never been off work since she started, oh so many years ago. She’d spent her whole adult life either studying to be a lawyer, or … being a lawyer. If she couldn’t go to work, what would she do?
Because being a lawyer dedicated 100% to her work precluded her developing a life outside of work. She had no time or energy for extracurricular activities. She’d never married, had very few friends other than law colleagues. This was the life she wanted, what she’d always wanted. If all of a sudden, your life completely changed, and your whole point to living was no longer available … what did you do?
One thing was crystal clear to her in that moment. She would not go down without a fight. She would clutch, kicking and screaming, to her rightful place in that firm, the place she’d earned through years of dedicated service. She could not leave … because where else would she go?
The microwave pinged and she reached in with a potholder to pull the plastic tray out. Meat loaf and mashed potatoes. Comfort food. Well, a comfort food processed facsimile.
Maybe she’d start cooking. With all the free time on her hands, she could buy a few cookbooks, shop for groceries and try her hand at recipes. Something she’d never gotten into before.
What else? Exercise? It was something she always intended to do, even going so far as buying a treadmill and fitting it into an empty corner of her bedroom. Other than the obligatory first week of walking while it was still new, it sat, gathering dust.
She took her dinner to her table and pulled out a legal pad. She wrote, edited, revised, rewrote, and finally about 10 PM had something she was happy with:
To the Gibson, Monroe and Ramsey family:
As you’re all aware, last week was a devastating week for our family. Yes, I said family. We are a family, all of us at Gibson, Monroe and Ramsey. And like a family, we have our high points and our low points. Last week signified the lowest point I can remember.
Sanctuary (Murrells Inlet Miracles Book 1) Page 3