17
The over-sized sofas in the lawyer’s reception area seemed chosen to dwarf the clients. Even the upscale magazines on the polished tables were intimidating. Muriel felt seriously underdressed in her Capri pants. If only Natalie had given her a little more warning. It wasn’t like Natalie to ask anyone for help. Especially her mother. This morning she’d sounded so desperate when she’d called. Accompanying her seemed the right thing to do.
“Natalie, this is scary. Nothing like the lawyer’s office where your father and I had our wills done. That was two rooms above an Italian restaurant. You could smell the tomato sauce.”
“Don’t worry, Mom. Stan and this lawyer were friends. It’ll be OK. I’m just not used to being here alone.”
Muriel’s feet sank into plush carpeting as a secretary in a business suit and three-inch heels led the two of them back to the lawyer’s office. It was bigger than Muriel’s bedroom. Law books with gold lettering on the spines filled wall-to-wall shelves. The lawyer wore what looked like an expensive watch and a diamond tie tack. Muriel wondered how much he got paid per hour. Probably more than Social Security deposited every month into her checking account.
Muriel could feel the palms of her hands sweating. She looked over at Natalie, who seemed totally relaxed.
Until the lawyer started talking.
How could he have gotten everything so wrong? Muriel rubbed her right ear as if the problem might be her hearing.
Natalie sat up straighter in her chair. “What do you mean there’s no life insurance? I know Stan had life insurance. You can’t tell me he didn’t. He wanted me to be taken care of. He complained about the premiums all the time. You’d better check your records again.”
The lawyer leaned back in his chair. “Your husband took out a loan on his policy a few months ago. He said he needed the money. Temporarily. He was quite adamant about it being only temporary. I’m sure he meant to pay the loan back.” He interlaced his fingers over the vest of his three-piece suit. A diamond ring flickered from his right hand. “Natalie, I know this is all very hard to hear. Especially under these circumstances. But I have to tell you the truth. To sugar coat it would not work in your best interests in the long run.”
Natalie sighed. “What about the life insurance policy from Stan’s work? I know it wasn’t much, but at least it was something.”
The lawyer looked down at his gold-plated pen then back up. “I’m sorry. That policy had a provision that there would be no payout in the event of a suicide.”
“And the equity in the house?” Natalie’s voice was rising like a hot air balloon straining against its ropes.
Muriel reached her hand over to pat Natalie’s. Natalie gripped it the way survivors from the Titanic must have held on to floating pieces of board.
Natalie’s desperation had to be evident to the lawyer. It was certainly evident to Muriel.
“There must be equity in the house,” Natalie continued. “Stan was a financial planner. He took care of all those things.”
The lawyer shook his head. “You had an interest-only mortgage. You signed the papers right here in my office. Don’t you remember? Housing prices have gone down in this area. If you sell your house, you won’t get what you paid for it. There’s no equity. I’m sorry.”
Lawyers weren’t supposed to say they were sorry. Lawyers were supposed to make things right. Why would a lawyer let Stan make such a stupid move? Howard insisted they pay off their own mortgage early to save on interest. Every month they squeezed a few dollars out of their budget so they could pay extra on the principal. Howard wanted to own their home outright. He wanted a mortgage burning party like Muriel’s parents hosted. Wouldn’t a good financial planner have suggested that technique? Wouldn’t Stan?
Natalie’s hand tightened on Muriel’s. Muriel could count Natalie’s fingers now, feel her freshly manicured nails cutting into her flesh.
“I know I signed some papers. But I had no idea what I was signing. I never did. Stan just said ‘Sign here, Natalie.’ He never went over the details with me. He said I wouldn’t understand them anyway. My signature shouldn’t count if I had no idea what I was signing, should it?”
Muriel looked at Natalie. She seemed to think her question was genuine enough. Was she really so naïve? Even Muriel knew one had to read the small print before one signed something.
Natalie apparently had no idea. Stan had taken Natalie’s future and wadded it up in a ball and tossed it in the garbage. Then he’d left her all alone to deal with the mess he’d created. He had taken the coward’s way out.
At least the lawyer had the decency to have a pained look in his eyes.
Natalie’s voice lowered to a husky whisper. “Stan was my husband. I trusted him.”
“I wish I had better news for you.” The lawyer shook his head and raised his hands up and out to the sides, the age-old gesture of helplessness.
“So there’s…nothing?” Natalie seemed hardly able to get the word out.
The lawyer turned his pen over and over in his hand. “Natalie, surely you know by now that your husband was running a Ponzi scheme. He has lots of angry creditors who’d like to get their money back, too. Even if you had any assets, they’d be tied up in the courts.”
“I didn’t have any idea Stan was doing anything wrong,” Natalie said.
The lawyer leaned closer to her. “And if you did, I don’t want to know about it.”
Muriel cleared her throat. “I was one of those creditors, sir. I had money invested with Stan. Will I ever get any of it back?”
The lawyer shook his head. “Maybe not for years. And if you do get anything back, it will be pennies on the dollar.”
Muriel’s hand went to her chest. Pennies on the dollar? She’d never have money to have her lawn mowed. What could she do? Sue. Sue Kevin’s parents. Muriel was in a lawyer’s office. She could bring the subject up now. Maybe even start the paperwork.
Natalie held her left wrist at eye level and scrutinized her Rolex watch. She rose abruptly. “Come on, Mom. We have to go.” She turned to the lawyer. “I’m sorry. I’m late for another appointment. I’ll call your secretary and set up another time to finish our talk.” She did not turn to shake the lawyer’s hand or murmur the customary parting pleasantries. She walked to the heavy oak door and yanked it open. She shook her watch as if it had stopped.
Muriel followed Natalie out the door and pulled it shut.
“What other appointment? Do you want me to come to that one, too? You said we were just coming to the lawyer’s office.”
Natalie glared at Muriel as if everything were her fault. Famines, floods, earthquakes, Natalie’s sudden change in circumstances. Especially Natalie’s change in circumstances. A change nobody had seen coming. Except Stan. He saw it. That’s why he’d killed himself.
Lord, have mercy on his soul.
“I don’t have another appointment, Mother. Don’t be silly.” Natalie hurried down the hall, the red soles of her expensive high heels rising and falling with her steps. Muriel followed as fast as she could, the distance between them increasing more and more.
Natalie was going to lose that huge mansion of a home.
I could help. My lawsuit could be Stan’s last present to Natalie. He’s the one who wanted me to pursue it. Now I know why he was so adamant.
Stan could no longer take care of Natalie. But Muriel could. Any money she got from the lawsuit would have nothing to do with the Ponzi scheme. It would be all hers. She could do whatever she wanted with it. Maybe even buy Natalie’s house. They could all live there together. Or she could increase the size of her own little house. Add an extra bedroom. Maybe half a bath. Then Natalie could move in. Chloe, too, if things didn’t turn around with Phillip. Things hadn’t been right between the two of them since the funeral.
If Muriel got enough money, she’d even be able to get her grass mowed.
A lawsuit would solve everybody’s problems.
Everybody’s but Kevin’s.
A lawsuit might be the right thing to do.
Why, then, did it seem so wrong?