Cleanup by Norah McClintock

Author:Norah McClintock
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: FIC022000, FIC050000, FIC056000
Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
Published: 2012-09-30T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SEVEN

“Where are you, Maria?” I asked. “They moved me. It’s a place for women. Mr. Mason says they’ll make me stay here until the trial.”

“Are you okay?”

“They insult me so much, Connie. Mr. Mason was here. He told me Mr. Richard’s son and daughter-in-law got the police to search my apartment. And they demanded to know everything I had with me when they arrested me. They say they know I stole from Mr. Richard. But you know what? They didn’t find anything. I’m not a thief.”

I didn’t know what to say.

“And, Connie, he also told me about Mr. Richard’s will. He says Mr. Richard left almost everything to me.”

“I heard,” I said. “But I don’t think you should talk about it on the phone, Maria. I can’t see you tomorrow, but I’ll come the next day. I promise.”

“Mr. Richard was a nice man. He said someone like me who works so hard deserves to have something good happen. But he never said anything about his will, Connie. He just asked me to marry him. I think he was lonely all alone in that big house. I think he wanted someone to look after him. I told him I love to do that. Also I could help my family, send them more money, maybe bring them up here. But I never expected him to die and leave me so much.”

“We can talk when I see you,” I said again. “Not over the phone.”

“Sure,” she said. “But Connie, you’re a lawyer. When they let me out of here—”

Hadn’t she heard Mr. Mason? There was no way she would get bail.

“—they’ll deport me for sure. What do you think? Can I can still inherit from him even if I live in another country?”

If I was right about what would happen to her when she was deported, she wouldn’t have time to worry about inheriting.

“Maria, we really shouldn’t—”

“Just tell me, Connie.”

“Yes, you can inherit,” I said. “If it’s a valid will. And if his son doesn’t contest it.”

“Contest it?”

“Go to court to challenge it,” I explained.

“How can he do that? It’s up to Mr. Richard what he wants to do with his money.”

“Yes and no,” I said. “His son could argue that his father didn’t know what he was doing when he made the new will. Or that you manipulated him into changing it and then killed him to get the money.”

“I would never do such a thing!” She sounded shocked.

“It’s not a good idea to talk about it on the phone, Maria.”

“I would never kill Mr. Richard. I would never kill anyone. I would never manipulate anyone either.”

I wondered about that. I’d thought I knew Maria. I felt sorry for her situation. But obviously I didn’t know her as well as I thought. I’d had no idea that she had asked for rich male clients. She hadn’t told me that she had quit Mike’s agency and that Mr. Withers was paying her directly. Or that she was sleeping with Mr. Withers. I wondered if she really was surprised to find she’d been in his will.

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