Friday
Her desk phone buzzed.
“Hollis, it’s Derek Lynch on line five,” Tiffany said. “He sounds mad. Do you want me to take a message?”
“No, I was expecting his call.” Hollis waited a moment for the connection. “Hello, Mr. Lynch, how can I help you?”
“Don’t play innocent with me, Ms. Morgan,” Lynch growled. “How dare you come between me and my wife?”
“Mr. Lynch, I don’t represent you, and I don’t represent your wife. My client is your mother-in-law, and she has a right to speak with her daughter without your influence.”
“You talk smart, but you don’t act smart. Alicia and I are a team and Kate is my child too, so you can tell Kiki that there is nothing—do you hear me?—nothing she can do about it. If she tries, she’ll be sorry.”
He clicked off.
Hollis was grateful for the interval Penny had left her to approve Bell’s paperwork. It would give her time to check her temper after Derek Lynch’s not-so-subtle threat. Besides, she was developing an appreciation for criminal investigation. Even after reviewing Penny’s documents, she procrastinated before returning to her more straightforward probate client cases. But the next two hours passed quickly, and when the phone beeped again, she was immersed in navigating the narrow pathways of a client’s routine revocable trust.
It was Alicia Lynch.
“Er, Ms. Morgan, I’m ready to meet with Kiki.” Her voice sounded strained. “I got a babysitter for today, and I can come to your office at three o’clock. Will that be okay?”
Hollis didn’t even look at her calendar. “Yes, that can work. I’ll check with your … with Kiki, and I won’t get back in touch with you unless she can’t make it. I look forward to seeing you this afternoon.”
“Fine.” She hesitated. “Er, I know Derek called you. He … he can get emotional, but he only wants what’s best for us.”
“I’m not concerned, Mrs. Lynch. I’ll see you at three.”
This time, as Hollis gazed out the window, her thoughts drifted to Kiki Turner and her daughter. There was a slight chance that healing might take place if everyone could just let go of their guilt and self-righteousness.
Penny came into her office. “Hollis, do you want me to package up all the envelopes you found in Bell’s safe, along with his other papers? They’re in a box. I handled closing all his bank and investment accounts, and I phoned his sister to go over her options for proceeding with liquidation.” She lowered her voice. “I didn’t know if she still wanted us to handle her side of the transactions—you know, because we’re representing Mrs. Larson—but she said she didn’t care, and we could take care of everything.”
Hollis wasn’t surprised. She glanced at the itemized list Penny handed her.
“Ugh, I need to go through all his papers one last time before we file the trust.” The list covered two pages. “And there might be something in here that could help Odelia.”
“We still have time,” Penny assured her. “The hearing is still three weeks away.”
“I’ve been focusing on the envelopes,” Hollis said, “but now is a good time for me to go through all his personal papers and documents. Thank goodness he had another firm handling his business affairs.”
“Oh, well, there’s still quite a bit, but I’ll make it easy for you,” Penny offered. “I can put the papers in order by date, or subject matter, or type, or—”
“Penny, I want to do it myself,” Hollis insisted. “Just bring me the box.”
This time Penny seemed to notice Hollis’ effort at restraint. “All right, I’ll put it on your meeting table. That will make it easier for you to sift through.”
* * *
A quick look at the clock told her that she had only a few minutes to steel herself for the Turner meeting, though she had little to do but act as referee.
Tiffany stood in Hollis’s doorway. “Kiki Turner is here,” she announced. “I’m putting your meeting in the blue conference room. It’s at the end of the hallway, in case there’s more yelling and screaming.”
“Very funny,” Hollis said, trying not to laugh.
When she entered the conference room, Kiki sat facing the door, with her back to the expanse of windows. Hollis thought the choice was deliberate; the glare blocked her facial expressions. She came around the table to shake the woman’s hand. Kiki was heavily made up as usual and wearing a navy suit with a lime-green blouse. Her long, curly black hair was down and restrained on one side with a large rhinestone comb.
“This may well be difficult for you,” Hollis said, “but I think it’s best for your estate. If you and Alicia can reach an agreement, then any contested action will be eliminated.”
Kiki gave a small shrug. “I’ve thought about it, and this meeting is long overdue. I thank you for making it happen no matter how … distasteful it might end up being.”
As if on cue, the door opened, and Tiffany ushered in Alicia Lynch. She took a seat directly facing her mother. The air in the room immediately filled with tension.
“Mrs. Lynch, thank you for coming.” Hollis got up and pulled shut the vertical blinds behind Kiki, who looked startled by her action. “That’s better. Now we can all see each other.”
“Hello, Alicia,” Kiki said coolly.
Her daughter gave a slight nod but said nothing.
Hollis opened the file in front of her. “Let’s get started. Mrs. Lynch, the terms—”
Kiki chuckled. “I’m sorry, but it is so hard for me to hear my daughter being called Mrs. Lynch.” She covered her mouth with her hand.
“What do you mean by that?” Alicia shot back.
Hollis put down her pen.
Uh-oh, here we go.
“Nothing, darling,” Kiki soothed. “Just that I’ve always pictured you as my little girl, not a grown woman with her own little girl.”
“Well, that’s silly, since you’re trying to use my little girl for your own purposes,” Alicia snarled. “And by the way, I was never your little girl. I was just a piece of luggage you had to lug around.”
“That’s not true. I—”
Alicia batted her hand in the air. “I don’t want to hear it. Let’s get on with this.”
“Good,” Hollis said, “because I agree that this … conversation is going nowhere.” She faced Alicia. “Today, we want to explain the terms of your mother’s estate and her wishes as they relate to her granddaughter. She has—”
“I know I’ve lost you, Alicia.” Kiki bit her bottom lip, twisting the ring on her wedding finger. “But I want Kate to know that I loved her. My money is the only way I have to show her. I’ll be gone soon, and after a few months, she won’t remember me. But maybe when she’s able to go to college, or buy a house, or travel, she’ll think of me kindly.”
“Are you really dying, or is this another of your lies?” Alicia’s eyes darted toward Hollis. “Did you verify that she’s dying? Did you talk with her doctor?”
Kiki turned pale and swayed in her chair.
“Mrs. Lynch,” Hollis said, “I’m not a family counselor, but if you could put aside your animosity for just a short while, you can be out of here and on your way. Now, to answer your questions, yes, I think your mother is dying and has only a short time to live. I also know that she wishes to leave the bulk of her estate in trust for her granddaughter. She has not ignored your needs, but has left you a sizable bequest as well.” Hollis took a deep breath. “In turn, she would like your assurance—”
“That I can see Kate on a regular basis,” Kiki implored. “Maybe even … maybe she could even stay with me for a week or so.”
Alicia blanched.
Hollis wondered if she would ever be able to finish a statement between these two. But judging from Alicia’s reaction, it might be a good thing.
“Yes, Mrs. Lynch,” she said, “your mother would like to have Kate stay with her until … she’s physically unable to engage with her.”
Alicia’s mouth turned down. “You use such fancy words, Ms. Morgan.” She stared at her mother. “Basically, you want to buy my daughter to be your pet until you drop dead. I wonder, did you ever—even once—think of me as you do Kate?”
Kiki, chin trembling, said, “Oh, Alicia, I know I did you wrong. I know I left you to parent yourself, but it wasn’t for lack of love, it was because I didn’t know how to love.” She looked down at her hands, and when she looked up, there were tears in her eyes. “The men, the alcohol, it was all I thought I deserved. I knew from the very first time I held you in my arms I didn’t deserve you. You were an angel, and I was … what I was.”
Tears were streaming down Kiki’s face, and she carelessly swiped at them with a tissue. Hollis looked at Alicia out of the corner of her eye. She sat stiff and unmoving.
Hollis picked up the file. “Maybe we—”
“Why did you send me away when you married what’s-his-name? When you got rich, you were ashamed of me, of having a daughter who could reveal your real age,” Alicia shouted with a tremble. “You have always rejected me. You never wanted me, in bad times or in good.”
Kiki reached out for Alicia’s hand across the table, but her daughter pulled back. Kiki returned her hand to her lap.
“That’s not true, Alicia. Don’t you understand anything?” Kiki sobbed loudly. “One of the reasons I love Kate is because she reminds me of you.”
Alicia put her hand to her mouth and stared at her mother. Tears slipped down her face. “Why did you send me away?”
Kiki took a deep breath and held her head high. “Harold was a nice man, but a self-centered one. We had a good relationship, but I was a trophy, not a wife. I loved him because he saved me from a very bad life. But he had a mean streak and I wasn’t sure how he would treat you. You and I didn’t have a good relationship. You were a teenager, almost an adult, and I could pay for you to go to a good school. I didn’t think you’d miss being around me.”
Alicia’s chin jutted out, and she said through her tears, “I actually liked not having to see you.”
Hollis sat quietly, letting the emotional dynamics play out. While the tension in the room had lessened, she doubted that much had changed. Alicia had started to fidget, and Kiki would not meet her eyes.
Hollis gave a small cough. “Perhaps now would be a good time to get back to the reading of the—”
“No,” Alicia said, making a slashing motion with her hand. “No, I want Derek here. He’s Kate’s father and my husband. He should be here.”
Kiki’s smile was sad. “Sweetheart, I really think this is between you and me. Derek has his own agenda, and … he would only complicate matters.”
Hollis knew immediately that those were the wrong words at the wrong time.
Alicia stood abruptly, causing her chair to fall over. “How dare you …. How dare you talk about my husband that way?” Her face reddened as she grabbed her purse and jacket. “He has shown me more love than you ever did, or ever could.”
Kiki came around the table with an outstretched hand. Alicia backed up.
“Alicia, I—”
“Do me a favor and don’t contact me or Kate ever again,” Alicia yelled. “We don’t want your money. If you try to give money to Kate, I will burn the check on your grave, on your grave.” She backed away to the door and screamed, “Do you hear me, Kiki? I hate you!”
Kiki Turner stumbled back into the table, doubling over as she found a chair and collapsed into it. Hollis saw the crying woman’s shaking shoulders and went after Alicia, who was already darting through the lobby past curious onlookers. She approached her at the elevator.
“Let me ride down with you.”
“You see, I tried. I honestly tried,” Alicia said through clenched teeth. “But she doesn’t respect me, or my family. It’s always about her.”
Hollis saw the tears filling the young woman’s eyes. The doors opened, and they both got in. Gratefully, no one joined them on the quick ride. When they reached the ground floor lobby, Alicia looked around as if disoriented. Hollis put her arm around her shoulder and led her to a quiet alcove where a walnut veneer coffee table sat between a pair of loveseats.
Hollis sat next to her, and a minute later Alicia’s head was on Hollis’ shoulder. She sobbed as if her heart would break. For a while Alicia continued to sob. Hollis shook her head slightly when a security guard came around the corner to check out the commotion.
Finally, Alicia raised her head to dig in her purse for a tissue.
Hollis got up and bought a bottle of water from a lobby kiosk. She handed it to Alicia, who gave her a weak smile as she opened the bottle and took a swallow.
“She can always get to me,” Alicia said, wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand. “I practice what I’m going to say, and I swear to myself I won’t let her words touch me.” She tightened her lips to a thin line. “But they always do.”
Hollis said nothing, but she thought about her relationship with her own mother and their inability to communicate.
Alicia took another swallow and then looked at her watch. “I’ve got to go. Derek is watching Kate, and I have to start dinner.” She hesitated long enough to re-gain her footing. “I don’t know if you believe me, but I feel sorry for her. It’s too bad she’s dying. She’s had a hard life.”
Hollis nodded. “I can’t advise you, Mrs. Lynch. Your mother is my client.” She moistened her lips. “I need to head back upstairs. She’s waiting. What shall I tell her?”
“Tell her, goodbye.”
* * *
Tiffany motioned down the hall with her head, signaling that Kiki Turner was still waiting. When Hollis entered, the woman was sitting huddled over the table with her head in her hands. She lifted her face to catch Hollis’ eyes and turned away after Hollis shook her head, no.
Kiki sighed and said, “I knew she wouldn’t change her mind. Didn’t you hear her? She hates me. She really hates me.” Her eyes filled with tears. “What shall I do, Hollis?”
Hollis took a breath. “You might not like this, but if you want to provide for Kate—and Alicia—you’ll have to talk with Derek. I think he’s the only one she’ll listen to.”
Hollis ignored Kiki’s groan.
“Kiki, soon you’ll be … gone, and what will all your disapproval mean then? She will still be married to him.”
Kiki picked up her purse to leave. “All right. Arrange for me to meet with Derek. Not here, maybe at the lake. You be there, too. Make it for next Friday. I have to go into the hospital tomorrow for what the doctors are calling a last-resort treatment. I … I’ll be ready next week to meet with him.” She paled, putting her hand to her chest. She leaned heavily against the door.
Hollis reached for her. “Are you okay, Kiki?”
Kiki waved her away and nodded. “You know the funny thing? My doctors told me this morning I could go early.” She gave a small laugh and walked into the lobby.
Hollis watched her leave and then turned to look out the window. With a deep sigh, she placed a call to Derek Lynch, who sounded like he had already gotten an earful from Alicia. She must have flown home. He agreed to meet his mother-in-law at the Lake Merritt boat house.
“She’d better be ready to talk terms,” he said with bluster.
It was all Hollis could do to not click off. What a way to end the week.
* * *
Hollis didn’t realize she had fallen asleep with the television on until the phone jarred her awake. Automatically, she picked it up, noticing it was close to midnight.
“Is this Hollis Morgan?”
She didn’t recognize the male voice, and it put her on alert. “Yes, who is this?”
“My name is Edwin Parker,” he said, “and I’m a team officer with Homeland Security. I work with John Faber. I’m sorry to call you at this hour, ma’am, but John made me promise that I would get in touch with you if … if anything happened to him and—”
“John? What’s wrong with John? Where is he?” She sat up on the sofa, her heart pounding.
“I’m sorry to tell you … but John has been killed. He was on an undercover assignment and was shot. He was with three other HSD men. They were covered by the team, but the assignment went wrong. There was an explosion, and as they ran out of the building, they were shot, and their bodies taken away by the killers. We traced the criminals and ….”
He wouldn’t stop talking, and his words kept coming.
She’d stopped listening.
Hollis stared into the darkness of her living room. The only light came from the white glare of the television, where the movie she’d been watching had ended. She could hear the voice on the other end of the phone droning on, but she couldn’t understand the words.
He finally stopped speaking.
“When? When did he die?” She spoke in barely a whisper, trying to hold down the scream that was welling up in her throat.
“On Wednesday,” Parker said. “But we just got final confirmation an hour ago.”
He’d been out of her life for three days already.
“I know this is a shock. Each officer, before they embark on a mission, leaves instructions in the event … in the event they don’t return. John didn’t want a memorial. His only instruction was to inform you as soon as … well, to inform you. Is there someone I can call to come over and be with you? I can tell them the circumstances and make it easier for you.”
Easier?
She mumbled, “No, no one. Thank you for calling.”
She heard her voice responding, but it wasn’t hers. She saw herself sitting on the sofa, but it wasn’t her. This must be what it was like to have an out-of-body experience.
He was speaking again. He wanted her to take down his phone number. She scribbled it on a paper napkin.
“Goodbye,” Hollis whispered.
She clicked off before he started to talk again.
Hollis sat there for some time, not thinking, not seeing, not feeling. Her senses had shut down. Finally, she picked up her phone and punched in a number. The voice on the other end greeted her over soft jazz in the background.
“Hey, girlfriend, can’t sleep? What’s up?”
“Stephanie, John’s dead.”
There was a sharp intake of breath. “I’m on my way over.”