Steamed Open by Barbara Ross

Author:Barbara Ross
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-10-11T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 17

I called my friend and attorney Cuthie Cuthbertson from the road. Cuthie was a roly-poly man, always dressed in a too-big suit, his thick mahogany hair gelled within an inch of its life. But, despite these handicaps, he was one of the most successful criminal defense attorneys in Maine, the best in our county. People underestimated him, until he opened his mouth and used his beautiful baritone to tell the jury a convincing story. Cuthie was born to tell stories.

What he wasn’t, was an estate lawyer. He didn’t have the patience for wills and trusts. But he knew his way around a courthouse and around Maine’s legal system. Besides, I couldn’t think of anyone else to ask.

“What if someone died, and before their property was even probated, the heir died?” I asked.

“Is this a real case or a hypothetical?” Cuthie always wanted to know where he stood.

“Real case.”

“Heloise Herrickson, I’m assuming.” He whistled. “So someone with significant property.”

“Yes. The house and especially the property are valuable. And you should see the inside. It’s like a museum—art, papers, jewelry, stamps, coins. It’s amazing.”

“I’m intrigued. Remind me, Lou died when?”

“Three weeks ago. She was a hundred and one.”

“And she left the property to Bartholomew Frick, her grandnephew. Where was he from?”

“Brookline, Massachusetts.”

“And he was murdered, what, three days ago?” Cuthie paused. “The news on Frick is probably not great. Unless his will was filed at the Registry of Probate down in whatever Massachusetts county he lived in before he died, you probably can’t get access, unless you can figure out who his attorney is, and whoever that is would have no reason to tell you anything. Unless you’re an heir. Why do you want to know this?”

I laughed. “No nothing like that.” Though if I owned Herrickson House I would keep access to the beach open forever. “I can’t help but wonder who owns the property now.”

“Because maybe whoever it is would have a motive for murder.”

I admitted it. “Well, wouldn’t they? The state cops seem much more interested in the people who were on the scene and who wanted access to the beach.”

“Then we must work to prevent a tragic miscarriage of justice.” Ever the defense attorney, Cuthie was on board. “Here’s my suggestion. Getting access to Frick’s will is going to be a pain. You have a much better shot at finding Lou’s. Frick may have already filed it at the Registry in Wiscasset. The way he put up that gate so fast, he seemed like a man in a hurry. He may have been the sole heir to the property on Herrickson Point, but there could have been personal bequests to others and so on. It might give you a sense of what other family is out there.”

“That’s a good idea.”

“They’re open ’til four. Any business in this for me?”

I laughed. “Yesterday I told Will Orsolini to call you before his second interview with the police, but he wouldn’t go for it.”

“I meant someone who could actually pay me, but thank you.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.