He walked out and I heard the sound of a truck starting and driving away.
Stephanie didn’t leave her room for the remainder of the night. When I woke up the next morning, I found her sitting outside on the back deck drinking coffee with Lucky beside her chair.
I opened the door and let out Aggie and Rex. “Do you want company?”
She shook her head.
I went back inside. Despite the fact that Linda Kay said I could take time off or work from home, there were still a few things I wanted to clear up in the office. So, I showered, dressed and prepared to go to the office.
I stepped back outside. Stephanie hadn’t moved. “I need to go into the office for a couple of hours. If you want the car, I can—”
“I don’t need it. I’m not going anywhere.”
As a mother, there was a part of me that wanted to sit down and talk to my daughter and make everything better. There was another part of me that has learned from experience that when it comes to matters of the heart, the best plan is to sit back and wait until she was ready to talk.
“Okay, dear. I’ll be back in a couple of hours.” I paused but got no response. “Call if you need anything.”
She nodded.
I hesitated a few seconds, but finally turned and walked out.
Preparing for an audit can be a nerve-wracking experience, no matter how fastidious your accounting methods. However, this audit was my first since I’d been hired by the museum to clean up the mess the previous accountant, and I use the term accountant lightly, created. I cleaned up the mess and worked with the IRS to resolve the problems caused when someone who doesn’t know the slightest thing about accounting is hired because he’s a descendent of the founders rather than for his accounting knowledge. I knew the museum’s books were in good shape, but I was still nervous and wanted to make sure every i was dotted and every t was crossed.
After a couple of hours, I headed home. I wasn’t surprised to find Dixie’s RV in my driveway. When I went inside and didn’t find anyone, I knew she and Stephanie must be out on the back deck. I hurried to my bedroom and changed into a comfortable pair of blue jeans and a shirt that looked presentable enough for a dog show without being too dressy. Finding appropriate clothes to wear to dog shows was becoming a challenge. I didn’t want anything too nice because working at a dog show can be messy, as I learned when I spent an entire day picking up dog poop to raise money for the dog club. However, if you’re competing, you wanted to look presentable because if you earned a qualification, there would undoubtedly be pictures. The last thing I wanted was to look like a street person in the unlikely event I ever managed to earn a qualification while competing with Aggie.
When I was dressed, I headed outside to the deck where Dixie and Stephanie were surrounded by four poodles and one golden.
I sat down and noticed three Styrofoam cups and a container with a dozen small bundt cakes. I leaned across the container and tried not to salivate. “Nothin’ Bundt Cake?”
Dixie nodded. “Help yourself. We saved you a white chocolate raspberry.”
I reached for the delicious cake which was so moist and delicious and bit down with pleasure. After a few minutes, I opened my eyes and looked at Stephanie who was smiling at me. “What?”
She shook her head. “Nothing. It’s just amazing to see someone get that much enjoyment from a piece of cake.”
I ignored her and took another bite. “Have you tried one?”
She nodded. “I think I’ve eaten three. I’m not going to fit into my clothes when I get back to Chicago.”
I took a sip of the coffee from the cup Dixie slid in front of me. “Let’s not talk about you going back. I want to enjoy every minute I have with you here.” I glanced down at Lucky who was laying by her chair. “You and my grand-dog, Lucky.” I smiled.
We sat in silence for a few moments. Eventually, Dixie broached the subject I had been reluctant to start. “Please tell me you didn’t murder Joe. I like him and Turbo and could really use his help with the demo this afternoon.”
“He’s still alive.” Stephanie hesitated. “We had words, but he was fine last night.” She turned to Dixie. “You should ask him to come. I know he and Turbo love doing demos for kids. Besides, it’ll keep him away from Eli.”
Dixie glanced from Stephanie to me.
I shrugged.
She picked up her cell phone. “If you’re sure…”
Stephanie nodded and forced a smile that didn’t make it to her eyes. “Of course I’m sure, Aunt Dixie.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone. After a few swipes she rattled off Joe’s number.
Dixie quickly dialed the number. After a brief conversation with Joe, she hung up and smiled. “Great. He said he’d meet us at the school.”
I glanced at Stephanie. “Does that mean you won’t be joining us?”
“Actually, I want to do some additional research at the law library.” She glanced at me. “If that’s okay with you? Of course, I can get a rental car if you’re going to need—”
I shook my head. “No need for a rental.”
“I’ll be with Dixie at the demo and then we have obedience training tonight.” I glanced at Dixie.
She nodded enthusiastically. “Your mom and I will be going to all the same places anyway, it makes sense.”
The transportation issue settled, I glanced at Stephanie. “Is something bothering you?”
She frowned. “I don’t know. It’s just something about Archibald Lowry’s will.”
Dixie and I waited for her to explain.
She took a deep breath. “Archibald Lowry was a very wealthy man.” She hesitated. “But it’s very unusual for someone who was as wealthy as I’m told he was, to create a will that was so…well, not what I expected.”
“What do you mean?”
She frowned. “Usually, someone with billions of dollars in assets would have managed their affairs better, but the will Eli showed me was…well, for lack of a better word, it was sloppy.”
She looked up and our faces must have reflected that we didn’t have the slightest idea what she was talking about. She took a moment to think and then started to explain.
“According to Eli, Archibald Lowry created a living trust and what’s called a pour-over will. Sometimes people want to avoid probate which can be expensive and time consuming. So, they create a revocable living trust. Basically, the person transfers their assets into the trust to keep their loved ones from having to go through probate.” She paused and glanced at us. “Are you following me?”
We both nodded.
“Good.” She continued. “If the major assets have been transferred to the living trust, then when the person dies, the pour-over will directs whatever is left to pour-over into the trust and then be distributed to the beneficiaries.”
I frowned. “Well, that sounds logical. What’s wrong with that?”
Stephanie shook her head. “There’s nothing wrong with it. It serves a lot of purposes. It’s usually pretty simple because the estate plan is governed by the one document, the trust. It takes care of “leftovers”—any items the person didn’t get around to transferring to the living trust before their death.”
Dixie nodded. “So far, so good.”
Stephanie looked from Dixie to me. “It also keeps the details of who gets what private. Trust documents, unlike a will—aren’t a matter of public record after a death.”
I thought for several minutes about what Stephanie said. “But you said Archibald Lowry left a will with the probate office.” I frowned. “So, I’m confused.”
Stephanie nodded. “Exactly. If he went to all the trouble of setting up a living trust and transferring assets to avoid naming the beneficiaries, then why deposit another will which revoked all previous wills?”
Dixie and I exchanged glances and eventually shrugged. I turned to Stephanie. “Did Eli have an explanation?”
She shook head. “He wasn’t aware that Lowry had filed another will.”
Dixie raised an eyebrow. “I would have thought Goldstein would have been the executor of the will. But it sounds like he didn’t even know what his client was doing.”
Stephanie nodded. “Exactly my point. The will Lowry filed with the probate court looked like something he found on the Internet. It had typos and the wording was awkward.”
“Is it legal?” I asked.
She nodded. “It’s legal, alright. But, why do it? He had a lawyer. Why not have him create a new will? Or, if he wanted to make someone else administer of the trust, then that’s just a simple wording change.” She stared at us. “Why did he create a completely different will and file it with the probate court, basically undoing all of the benefits of the living trust?”
We stared at each other.
“No idea.” I frowned. “But inquiring minds want to know.”