The Demise (29 page)

Third, to Jim Underwood, the man who has served our family for so many decades now, always at the ready and always dependable, I give you my deepest thanks. I watched your impeccable service to my parents, then experienced firsthand your many admirable qualities, not the least of which includes your confidentiality. For this and so much more, I bequeath you the Lanham Estate and all its amenities.

Another round of gasps and murmurs rippled through the room like a ten-foot Hawaiian wave. Underwood sat still, his face frozen in disbelief, even when Donella reached over and patted his hand. Matt couldn’t help the smile on his own face, enjoying the chauffeur’s shock.
I may never have met Peter Lanham, but I have to admit I like the way the CEO showed his appreciation.

Patricia said nothing this time, straightening her spine and locking her arms across her chest.

Fourth, to Su-Jin Kym, my beloved nanny who raised Shannon and me, I leave a lifetime of gratitude for believing in me, caring for me, and loving me in a way my parents never did. If there was ever anything good in me, it came from you. No amount of money would ever come close to repaying you for all you mean to me, but please accept my gift of three million dollars. You’ve always wanted to go home; maybe now you can. Saranghae, Nanny Su.

Fifth, to the best friend I’ve ever had, Donovan Street. I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life and done a lot of things I’m not proud of, but your friendship has been an anchor to me when I needed it most. And as such, I am bequeathing to you my yacht along with two million dollars so you can take that trip around the continent we always talked about. Promise to think of me as you sail away, buddy.

Of course, there’s the matter of Lanham’s, and I can’t imagine anyone else at the helm but you. Therefore, I bequeath to you outright ownership of the entire Lanham’s Fine Foods Corporation and all its assets. My shares of Lanham’s stock will be addressed in the following section. You may keep the board members if you like, or throw them all out and start over. That’s up to you. My one and only caveat is that you fire Christopher Smithe immediately.

A loud coughing fit drew their attention to the soon-to-be terminated VP sitting by the door. Once Smithe recovered, he stood up and started to say something. But nothing came from his mouth, only a parting scoff as he shoved open the door and left the room. And with his departure, those left behind shared a quiet chuckle that quickly grew into a round of applause.

Hank failed at his attempt to hide a smile. “Settle down, folks. Settle down.” Then a moment later, he added, “If you’ll let me continue, there’s one more individual listed by Peter in his will. Here’s what he wrote:

Finally, it is my desire to come clean on all accounts before I die, and that includes a personal negligence on my part in regard to my son.

Patricia gasped in surprise, her eyes riveted on Ormsby. “Don’t—do not read another word, Hank. I will not sit here and be—”

“Mrs. Lanham, with all due respect, I represent Peter and as such, it is my responsibility to—”

“STOP! I don’t want to hear another word of your self-righteous legalese! This is MY life you’re ruining by sitting there spreading Peter’s dirty laundry for all the world to see. No one here needs to hear another word, do you hear me? Not one more word!”

Hank took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Patricia, what I’m trying to tell you is that you have no say in the matter at this point. This is
Peter’s
will, and I am required by law to—”

“Fine. By all means—go ahead!” Patricia grabbed her purse and stood, shoving her chair behind her. As she made her way to the door, she added, “You go right ahead and carry on with your stupid drivel. I don’t care. I DON’T CARE.” She yanked open the door then turned around one last time. “But this isn’t over. Not by a long shot!”

Pictures on the wall shook as she slammed the door. And once again, a strange uneasiness hovered over the room.

Julie squeezed Matt’s hand and shot him a look.
Do you BELIEVE this?!

He rolled his eyes and shook his head.

“We’ll hope that’s the last of the drama, won’t we?” Hank looked around. “All right, let’s finish the reading of the will so we can all be on our way.

I’ve only known about Pierre for a couple of months. It’s irrelevant at this point to explain how I found out about him; suffice it to say I discovered my wife had a few secrets of her own, including a hidden bank account. Jenny Gresham, Pierre’s mother, is a good and kind person, and I have no doubt she’s a far better parent than I could ever be. Regardless what others may think of me, I chose not to step into my son’s life at this late point in time out of consideration for his well-being. In other words, I didn’t want to screw up his life the way I screwed up mine. While I may be adept at running a large corporation, I leave much to be desired when it comes to personal relationships and the commitment they require. With the possibility of my death nearing closer every day, I chose to spare him from knowing a father so unfit and unworthy of his love.

Ironically, by doing so, I believe I may have accomplished the most gallant thing I’ve ever done in my entire life.

The least I can do is provide the resources for him to live comfortably and get a good education. As such, I leave all my shares of Lanham’s stock to Pierre Gresham, to be kept in a trust fund until such time as his mother deems appropriate. Until then, I bequeath an amount of ten million dollars to Jenny Gresham along with my deepest apologies for the many hardships she has no doubt encountered since the day she met me. I can die in peace knowing he will be a far better man than I ever dreamed of being.

Hank Ormsby remains the executor of my will. All other matters not covered in this document shall be implemented as originally outlined in my previous will at the discretion of Mr. Ormsby.

Therefore, I, Peter Gregory Lanham, sign my name to this document and declare it to be my last will; that I sign and execute it as my free and voluntary act; that I am under no constraint or undue influence as I resolve these matters.

“His signature follows, which has been verified, as I explained earlier.” Hank placed the document back in a file folder, then folded his hands. “In case you’re wondering why Miss Gresham is not here, she chose not to come because she believed her presence would create a volatile situation. It appears her decision was a wise one. I will be in touch with her as soon as we finish here, at which time I will read the new will to her. Now, I will be happy to speak to each of you individually if you have questions. Just stop by the reception desk and set up an appointment with my assistant. Thank you for your time today. The meeting is adjourned.”

Chapter 34

One week later

Denton’s Café was open later than usual, its tables and booths still overflowing since the day Peter Lanham’s will was read and publicized. To strangers, the lively conversations buzzing from table to table might seem like nothing more than small-town gossip. But to those who’d followed Braxton’s recent drama as it unfolded over the past few weeks, the excited chatter provided background music, not unlike a soundtrack composition by the likes of James Horner or Thomas Newman.

Julie and Matt squeezed into the last available booth, joined a moment later by Gevin. Sarah Denton shooed away the cluster of folks crowded around their booth to deliver glasses of iced water and take their order. She wiped her forehead with the hem of her apron.

“Been like this all week. We haven’t been this busy since the day Mr. Lanham died. You’d think no one in this town had anything better to do than sit around and jabber about what Mr. Lanham was or wasn’t. It’s about to get the best of me.”

“Not too bad for business, though,” Gevin teased. “I hear you sold out of desserts a couple of hours ago.”

“Well, there you go. Now what can I get for you?”

They placed their orders then sat back to relax.

“Be honest, Matt,” Gevin began. “Now that you’ve had time to step back from all of it, are you satisfied with the way things turned out?”

Matt released out a weary breath. “I guess. Hardly feels like a slam dunk, but short of interrogating Peter Lanham himself, I suppose we did the best we could.”

“Are you saying you don’t think Brad was responsible for Peter’s suicide?” Gevin asked.

“No, it isn’t that. I certainly think he’s got some emotional and mental problems and capable of driving someone to desperation. I guess I’m still second-guessing everything. Nothing new. I think it’s just the way I’m wired.”

Julie smiled and reached for his hand. “Well, I for one rather like the way you’re wired, Special Agent Bryson.”

“Is that so, Miss Parker? Even when I lose my patience with a certain aspiring actress?”

Her ringing cell phone interrupted them. “Uh oh.” Her stomach knotted at the sight of the familiar name on caller ID.

“What’s wrong?” Matt asked.

“It’s Marty, my acting coach.”

“And . . . ?”

“He posted the cast for
Romeo and Juliet
today
.
With everything else going on, I completely forgot about it. Which doesn’t speak very highly for my mindset of late.”

Gevin motioned toward the cell in her hand. “Answer it, silly.”

She pursed her lips as she pressed the phone to her ear. “Hey, Marty.”

“Hi, Julie. Got a minute?”

“Sure, but I already know what you’re going to say. Still, I love that you called to make sure I heard it from you first.”

“Really? How did—”

“We both know it was my worst audition
ever
. I should have apologized sooner, but it’s been a really rough week and—”

“Julie, stop! You got the part!”

“What? No! That’s impossible. I was
horrible
that day.”

“You were
incredible
that day. I’ve never seen so much raw emotion in an audition before. If you can bring even a trace of that to the stage, I’ll be the happiest director on the planet.”

“But—”

“I always knew you were made for this part,
Juliet.
”

“But—”

“No buts! Rehearsals start Thursday night at 6:30 sharp. Don’t be late.”

She stared at the
call ended
note on her screen then slowly set it back on the table.

“What was that all about?” Gevin took a sip of water.

Julie blinked at him, wondering if she’d lapsed into some oddly-timed strange dream. “He said . . . Marty said I got the part.”

“You got the part?” Matt asked. “You’re going to play Juliet?”

She finally took a breath and slowly nodded. “I’m going to play Juliet.” The message shot through the fog of her brain, and she sat up. “I’m going to play Juliet! Oh my gosh—I got the part! I got it!”

Matt hugged her to his side. “Congratulations!”

“Way to go, Jules!” Gev jumped up. “Of course, I always knew my extremely talented and beautiful sister would get the part. Never doubted it for a minute. Stand up and give me a hug.”

Matt stood to let her out of the booth. As she stepped into her brother’s outstretched arms, someone asked what was going on.

“I’ll have you know that Braxton’s own Julie Parker will soon be playing the part of Juliet in the most famous of all love stories,
Romeo and Juliet.
Let’s hear it for the hometown girl!”

As the other patrons clapped and cheered, Julie laughed her way through an exaggerated theater bow, thanking them all.

“I thought the next play was going to be
Little Women,”
Lillian Gowden said from the next booth.

Julie patted her arm. “It is, Lillian. Braxton’s Community Theater is doing
Little Women.
I’ll be performing in
Romeo and Juliet
with the Nashville Theater Company
.
”

Lillian’s husband Frank scratched his bearded neck. “Why’d ya wanna drive all the way into Nashville when we’ve got our very own the-ater here in Braxton?”

Julie chuckled. “Just branching out a little, Mr. Gowden. That’s all.”

“Julie, we’re so proud of you!” Georgia squealed, suddenly appearing from the crowd. She gathered Julie in her arms like a mother hen. “Someday you’ll be on Broadway, and we’ll all fly to New York to see you!”

“Not me,” Frank growled. “I ain’t flyin’ to that gosh-awful city.”

Georgia swatted at the old curmudgeon. “Oh Frank, stop being such a party pooper. Julie, don’t you pay any attention to him. We’re all so happy for you, we could just pop!”

“Julie, let us know when we can buy tickets, all right? I’ll round up my book club ladies, and we’ll make a night of it.”

“Sure thing, Lillian.”

“Make way, make way.” Sarah elbowed her way to their table. “Hot food coming through.”

Moments later the guys settled in to enjoy fried chicken, mashed potatoes, fried okra and homemade biscuits while Julie ate her chef salad.

“Agent Bryson, I was hoping to find you here.”

All three looked up as Jeff Carter emerged from the throng of patrons.

“Nice to see you, Chief.” Matt started to get up.

He placed a hand on Matt’s shoulder. “No, keep your seat. I just wanted to stop by and commend you for your work on the Lanham case. Well done.”

“I appreciate that, Chief, but I’m not sure how much I helped.”

“Why’s that?”

“In the end, the story seemed to play itself out. If Mr. Lanham’s letter and second will had surfaced right after he jumped off that water tower, sure seems like all the pieces of the puzzle would have fallen into place. With or without my help.”

Julie hooked her arm around his elbow. “Stop being so humble. You worked hard on this case. You did a great job. The reading of Peter’s letter and second will just confirmed what we’d—what
you’d—
suspected.”

“She’s right,” Jeff added. “And in the end, Peter had the last word. Brad is behind bars awaiting trial, and Lanham’s Corporation is in the able hands of Donovan Street.”

Gevin buttered his biscuit. “Take it from me, Matt. Jeff doesn’t hand out compliments that often, so grab it while you can.”

“I’ll let you all get back to your dinner. But if you ever decide to leave the TBI, I’d be proud to have you on my staff here in Braxton.”

Matt extended his hand for a shake. “Thank you, Chief. I’ll keep that in mind.”

As Jeff disappeared in the crowd, Julie held up her glass for a toast. “Well, look at you! Only a few weeks on the job and you’re already getting job offers.”

Matt and Gevin raised their glasses. “To job offers.”

“To job offers!” Julie laughed. “And it seems to me, it’s about time we find you a place to live here in Braxton.”

“To Braxton!” Gevin said, raising his glass again.

“To Braxton!” they both shouted.

“Out of my way, children. Out of my way.” Harley Creech waddled through the crowd, parting it like the Red Sea. The florist straightened himself, then motioned for Gevin to scoot over and took a seat beside him. “What is
wrong
with all these people?”

“How’s it going, Harley?” Julie asked.

He patted his rug to make sure it was in place, then grabbed Gevin’s glass and gulped down half of it. “We’ll get you another one. I’m parched. Listen up, you three. I heard something I think you need to know.”

They waited as he took another drink then wiped his forehead with Gevin’s napkin.

Gevin folded his arms and leaned back with a chuckle. “Something new on the grapevine, O Great One?”

He leaned in, beckoning them closer. “My sources tell me Patricia threw a major hissy fit—and I mean the
mother
of all hissy fits—after hearing that second will.”

“Well, that’s hardly a newsflash,” Julie scoffed. “I wouldn’t expect her to act any other way. I’m sure she thought she’d get it all, and she didn’t.”

With a chubby forefinger, he drew an imaginary figure-eight in the air. “Patience, my little diva. Patience. What you
didn’t
expect was for her to Trash. The. Estate. The
entire
estate. The
entire
house. All the garages. All the outbuildings. And oh, my heavens, you should see the pool. Looks like Godzilla himself just hawked up a good one and threw up yesterday’s buffet. Just puked his guts right—”

“Harley! Do you mind?” Gevin dropped his fork on his plate. We’re eating here. Or we
were
.”

“Oh. Sorry. But I am here to tell you, that house is a mess. You have to see it to believe it.”

“So you’ve seen it?” Matt asked.

“Well, actually, if you must know, I have. After Milly called to tell me, I rushed right over.”

“Milly? She’s Mrs. Lanham’s assistant, right?”

“Not anymore. She showed up for work, let herself in, and slid half way across the kitchen floor. Said it looked like Her Royal Witchness had mopped the whole kitchen with maple syrup then tore open everything in the pantry to sprinkle around for good measure.”

Julie pictured the scene in her mind, both spellbound and saddened by the image. “Was Patricia still there?”

“No. My guess is she hopped on her broom and did the Scorned Woman Skedaddle.”

“Unbelievable.” Matt tossed his napkin on his plate. “Legally, I suppose it’s still hers to destroy until the will goes through probate, but what a shame. Was Underwood there? The entire estate is to go to him, isn’t it?”

“No, he wasn’t around. Milly said he’d given Patricia his notice of resignation a few days ago and cleared out all his stuff.”

“I wondered why we hadn’t seen him in a while.” Julie shook her head. “Think he knows yet? About the damage?”

“No idea.” Harley slapped the table with both hands. “Well, I’m off. I’ve got rounds to make.” He drained the rest of Gevin’s water with a flourish. “No rest for the weary! Bye, boys and girls.”

Gevin dropped his head in his hands. “You can’t help but love the guy, but oh, what a circus act.”

Julie laughed. “I know, but where would we get all our news without him?”

Gevin raked his hands through his hair and sat up again. “You’ve got a point.”

“What a shame about the house,” Julie said.

“I’m not that surprised, to be honest.” Matt traced a bead of water on his glass. “People do crazy things when that kind of money is at stake.”

Julie’s phone rang again.

Gevin tossed a renegade piece of okra at her. “You need to turn that thing off, sis. It’s like an addiction to you.”

She waved him off, curious at the unfamiliar number on the screen. “Hello?”

“Julie? It’s Donella.”