Steve waited until the last minute to arrive at the Live Oak conference room. Angry voices spilled into the hallway and grew louder as he approached. Marvin Goodnight's voice rose above the others. "Sit down. He's coming down the hall now."
Assuming his position at the head of the table, Steve pulled out his cell phone and placed it on the table. "I'll be recording this session and any subsequent sessions. You're welcome to do the same. I only ask that you speak loud enough for the phone to pick up what you say." He folded his cane and pulled his chair under him. "Is everyone here?"
Deputy Goodnight, sitting next to Steve, responded for the group. "Everyone that was here yesterday is here again today, plus one."
"Oh? And who might that be?"
The sound of chair wheels rolling preceded a baritone voice that came from Steve's right. "I'm Patrick Shaw of the law firm of Walsh and Walsh. I'm here to represent Ms. Richards in these proceedings."
Steve nodded. "Is it your intention to challenge the validity of the will?"
"At this point, we believe the will to be valid. Mae wants it clarified that she's only interested in a fair division of the property. It's our intention to present the siblings with a thorough accounting of the estate and recommend a prudent course of action."
"Ha! That's a laugh," said Roy. "How much of a cut are you planning on taking from each of us for coming up with a plan that will leave Mae sitting pretty?"
"Shut up, Roy," said Mae. "It will be worth every penny, and it's only fair that we share the expense of professional representation."
Roy looked to his other siblings. "Did you hear that? She wants us to pay for Pat cheating us." He shifted his gaze to Mae. "This latest paramour won’t get a penny out of me."
"Let's move on," said Steve. He folded his hands together and placed them on the table. "Roy, how are you coming with the land valuations?"
Mae shouted, "What land valuations?"
The attorney interrupted. "Mr. Smiley, I must protest. Mr. Voss is neither trained nor qualified to give accurate valuations to such a large estate. To allow him to do so would be a severe dereliction of your duties as executor."
Steve ignored the protest. "Roy, you didn't answer my question. Did you make progress?"
"I hired a local attorney to go over all the documents you gave me. He spent the day double checking mineral rights, but he's nowhere near finished.”
Mae's voice remained at a high decibel level. "What documents? Why didn't I receive them?" She stood. "I see what's going on. You three have formed some sort of pact, just like when we were kids. I won't stand for it this time around. Tell them, Pat."
Roy's voice cut across the table. "Ah-ha. So, it's Pat, not Patrick. Be careful, Pat, you might be the fifth notch on Mae's marital bedpost. She's always been partial to attorneys and real estate brokers. They improve her commissions on condo sales."
Steve stood to keep the scene from deteriorating. "Mae, you didn't receive the documents because you walked out of yesterday's meeting. I brought you a list of all the properties." He turned to Marvin Goodnight. "Would you look in my briefcase and give the folder on top to Mae?"
The sound of Marvin delivering the file and returning to his seat on Steve's left gave him his cue to proceed. "Sue Ann, how is your inventory of the ranch house progressing?"
For once, Mae didn't object.
"I made it through the bedrooms," said Sue Ann. “I started going through old pictures that Mama took before she died and lost track of time. I'll go back tomorrow, and Sunday if I need to."
Mae made a noise that sounded like a mule snorting. "There's nothing of value there. That house needs to be torn down and the land by the lake developed by professionals."
"Let me guess," said Roy. "You expect to get the lakefront property."
"It's only right since I'm the oldest and the only one with a real estate background."
Patrick Shaw followed with, "To get the most potential out of lakefront, we should leave it as one tract. Mae will get the property by the lake. The bulk of the land will be divided between the other siblings. She'll make no claim on that land, other than for ingress and egress easements on the roads we'll build leading to the lake."
Roy slapped the table. "Mae, this guy may be the slimiest one yet. Rance, you and Sue Ann count your fingers if you shake hands with him. You might not get them all back."
"Now, wait a minute," said the attorney.
That's all he got out before Roy let out a cackle of a laugh. "What's wrong, Pat? Can't take a joke?” His voice lowered and he gave a piercing stare. “Neither can I."
Roy's voice once again shifted in tone and direction. "Sue Ann and Rance, listen to me. This shyster and Mae will try to bluff us. They’ll say anything to get us to agree to their plans. So far, I haven't heard one word out of Pat or Mae that I'm willing to consider. Remember, we all have to agree."
Steve nodded. "Roy’s correct. All four must agree, and at this pace, you're not getting any closer. Rance, did you make progress on counting the livestock?"
Rance's voice came from well down the table. He must have decided to avoid the fray by putting distance between himself and his siblings. "As my brother and sisters know, Dad wasn't much to keep records. I spoke with Hector this morning. He has the most accurate count we're likely to get, but to be truthful, it will only be an estimate. There're places on the properties that are so rough and thick I won't take a horse through them."
Mae spoke up. "That ignorant old Mexican can't count past ten in English."
Rance stood and thrust his hands in his pockets. "I don't have time for this. I've been in the saddle since dawn after staying up most of the night pulling a dead calf out a heifer that didn’t make it either. Hector just sent me a text saying some of our cattle are grazing in the bar ditch on Highway 71. While you're eating supper, I’ll be fixing fences."
Attorney Patrick Shaw spoke next. "Mr. Voss, I hope you realize how important it is that we have an accurate count of the cattle and not an estimate."
Rance settled his hat on his head and glared at the attorney. "Mr. Shaw, if you want to come with me and count cattle, I'll saddle a horse for you and I'll even loan you a flashlight. It shouldn't take us more than two weeks to round them up if we don't eat or sleep."
The attorney didn't accept the invitation.
Roy's roar of a laugh ushered his little brother toward the door. "Little Rance don’t say much, but when he does, it’s priceless. What do you say, Pat? Are you ready to plow through thousands of acres of mesquite, cactus, rattle snakes, tarantulas, coyotes and the occasional bobcat?"
"Your humor escapes me, Mr. Voss."
It was easy for Steve to pick up on Rance's footsteps heading to the door. The cowboy had failed to remove his spurs. Steve pushed his chair away from the table. "Hold up, Rance. When you come tomorrow, could you bring us a rough estimate of the livestock?"
"Hector's been on the ranch longer than any of us, including Mae. I'd wager his numbers against mine any day."
Roy affirmed Rance's opinion. "That's a bet I wouldn't take. Hector might not know how to read or speak much English, but he knows cattle. His numbers will be good enough for me."
Hope for agreement, at least on a minor issue, rose when Steve asked Sue Ann if she had any objection to Rance's suggestion that they use Hector's estimate of livestock. After a muffled conversation with her husband, Sue Ann said, "Grant says we're okay with Rance's idea."
Another conversation of muted voices occurred between Mae and her attorney. Mae followed Sue Ann's agreement with a terse, "We'll consider the proposal and let you know tomorrow. It sounds slip-shod, but what can one expect from this family?"
"If you don't like his plan," said Roy, “I'm sure Rance would be glad to put both you and Mr. Fancy-Pants on horseback." He followed the goad with another laugh that no one responded to.
"If there's nothing else," said Steve.
Patrick Shaw interrupted. "Tomorrow afternoon I'll come with a map showing the proposed division of the land, and I'll answer questions. I'm sure after you hear how this plan will benefit everyone we'll come to an agreement."
Roy chuckled. "Will it be equitable?"
"Of course. The numbers will tell the story for me."
This brought a laugh from Roy. "I'm reminded of an old saying: 'Figures don't lie, but liars figure.' There's as much chance of an ice storm tomorrow as you bringing us a fair proposal."
Roy's next question came to Steve. "Mr. Smiley. Why is Pat the pick-pocket allowed in the meetings? I thought the will called for the heirs to decide how to split the sheets. It said nothing about lawyers."
Steve leaned back in his chair and tapped his lips with an index finger. "You're half right, Roy. The will mentions the children, but leaves it to me to decide who else may attend."
"I object," said the attorney.
"Object all you want," said Steve. "This isn't a court of law."
"That's where it's headed if you bar me from these discussions."
Steve remained quiet as he considered what course of action he would take. It would be easier to eliminate Mae's attorney. On the other hand, he'd allowed Pat to sit in on this session and the objection to his presence wasn't raised beforehand. Besides, the heirs weren't any closer to agreement than when they started. Roy could hold his own, and even Rance stood up to Pat when it counted. Sue Ann, however, didn't seem to possess a backbone. Her husband was a wild card. He didn’t have a read on Grant yet.
"Mr. Shaw," said Steve. "I'll give you thirty minutes to present your proposal tomorrow afternoon at five. You'll be the first to speak. After that, I'll invite you to leave."
The sound of Mae's chair flying backward and hitting a wall preceded her shout of, "You can't tell me who I can and can't have in this room."
"I can." The voice belonged to Marvin Goodnight. "Mr. Smiley rented this room. It's his to use as he sees fit. If he tells me no one but family can be here, then that's the way it's going to be."
The sound of papers being gathered drifted Steve's way.
Roy spoke next. "There she goes again, with another future ex-husband trailing behind." He raised his voice. "This is two days in a row you've walked out, Mae. I'm betting you'll make it three tomorrow."
More sounds of chairs and people rising. The soft voice of Sue Ann came near. "I'm sorry, Mr. Smiley. Things weren't ever good between us kids, but after Momma died, it was extra hard."
"Quit yakking, Sue Ann," said Grant. "This is two days in a row I've had to take off work early and pay someone to watch the kids."
Quiet filled the room after Roy chuckled his way into the hall. Steve sat back down and took in a deep breath. He allowed the quiet to wash over him and then said, "Marvin. Describe Grant Blankenship to me."
"He's a tough man who grew up poor. Works at the granite quarry. He and Sue Ann have four stair-step kids. Grant's been arrested a half dozen times for domestic violence after he got drunk. Loves to fish."
"Any recent domestic violence?"
"Not in a while. Why?"
Steve rose from his seat. "I could hear his teeth grinding several times today. He's going to be tested in the next few days. Be sure to keep an eye on him."
"What’s going to happen tomorrow?"
"Mae's attorney will look for an advantage. He'll try to drive a wedge between Sue Ann and her husband by seeking to have him excluded from the meeting. Spouses weren't named in the will and Roy doesn't think much of Grant, either."
Marvin released a slow whistle. "What will you do?"
After grabbing his brief case, Steve took a step. "I'm calling Heather for legal advice."
The two walked side by side into the hall. Steve caught the scent of a familiar perfume. He stopped and whispered. "I need help. There's a woman after me and I'd rather run through stinging nettle barefoot than have to spend the evening with her. Can we go to town? There has to be a good chicken-fried steak in Marble Falls."