You have our condolences, Mr. Edgars. Mrs. Williams and her husband Walter were killed as a result of an act of random violence, Reid or Carruthers continued. The world was becoming fuzzy for me. My hearing was not what it had once been. My sight was down by about half. They were driving to the opening of an art show in San Francisco. They stopped at a red light. A young man fleeing from a robbery car-jacked them. Mr. Williams was pulled from the drivers seat and shot twice in the head. He died at the scene. Mrs. Williams became a hostage. She died several hours later in a shootout of sorts. She was shot accidentally by a police sniper. He paused to look at his silent colleague as if he could vouchsafe the story and then at me. I was intent on my Bloody Mary and some very interesting things out the window. We have the documentary evidence if youd care to look it over, Mr. Edgars. No! Too loud. My voice control had gone south on me. My brain was nowhere to be found. I half expected them to offer me autopsy photos. Where our firm comes in, Mr. Edgars, is as the executors of the Williams estate. Normally in situations like this, and by that I mean the premature death of respected and wealthy citizens like the Williams, the last will and testament is a complicated document, often running to several volumes, with appendices in some cases. The Williams documents were another matter altogether. He paused to let me catch up. Another look to his back-up. Dish was at my elbow with another drink and a refill for the fun twins. Had I ordered that? Everything all right, Douglas? My head jerked up. I had not been aware that Dish had ever known my name. Certainly he had never let on, not from the disdain he showed every time I walked in and the disgust he showed as I left after having left some astronomical tip. This was a day for the ages. Yah, were fine, Dish. Just got some bad family news, legal news. As if that explained the whole odd tableau. Lawyers, huh? Theyre incubators for bad news. Like doctors. You dont have to tell me twice. Dish was being positively loquacious. He gave my new friends his steak knife glare and was gone. Still amazed that Dish had deigned to give me an extra word not related to my food or drink or bill of the moment, I turned back to Reid and Carruthers. So, what exactly are you guys telling me here? Sandys dead, I got that, and that hurts like hell. She was good, good people. She was world class. But why do I all of a sudden need lunch with two lawyers? We began the probate of her will on July 17. That was Reid. He looked to Carruthers to confirm this pertinent fact. Carruthers nodded. Carruthers had turned into the strong, silent type. We do not know the details of your relationship with Mrs. Williams, Mr. Edgars. Nor do we care. We have merely been following the dictates of her will. Therefore, as instructed by that document, we have been working for the past four weeks to fulfill the stipulations therein. Puking would seem a tremendous relief right now, I thought. I would like to puke until I was empty heart and soul. I placed my long-forgotten piece of toast on the edge of my plate, gently like it was glass or dangerous. I wouldnt be needing it any more. I wondered if Id ever need solid food again. I was having a meal with men who used words like ‘therein’ and ‘fleeing‘ in the course of ordinary conversation. A woman who had smelled like flowers and of whom I had never tired had been killed and Dish knew my name and had acted sympathetic. I was through the looking glass. You have passed the several tests she instructed us to conduct. Mr. Edgars. You therefore become Mrs. William’s sole heir and, as she was pre-deceased by her husband, his sole heir as well. He, you see, left everything to her. She left it all to you. He dabbed his lips and pushed back in his seat as if he had just explained the origin of the universe. I stared blankly and wished for any world other than what I had going on right now. Death by drowning sounded attractive.
Posted on: Thu, 30 Jan 2014 03:19:16 +0000
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