Irrevocable Trust (Sasha McCandless Legal Thriller Book 6) (35 page)

“
Black sheep of the family,
”
Hank cracked.

Judge Kumpar threw back his head and laughed.

“
Nice to meet you, Uncle Hank. And you are?
”
The judge nodded at Naya.

“
Naya Andrews, Your Honor. I
’
m Mr. Volmer and Ms. McCandless
’
legal assistant and, uh, a friend.
”

“
Naya also just finished her first year of law school,
”
Will offered.

“
My condolences,
”
the judge deadpanned.

All the light-hearted jokiness should have put Sasha at ease, but she knew she wouldn
’
t relax until Judge Kumpar officially appointed her and Connelly as the kids
’
guardians. She wished he
’
d stop joking around and just get started.

“
Okay, let
’
s get to it,
”
the judge said as if he had read her mind.

Marsh straightened his bow tie in anticipation.

“
Let me make this easy for you,
”
the judge began.
“
I see no reason not to accept Ms. McCandless as the trustee of the irrevocable testamentary trust. I understand that Mr. Bricker had planned to object through his court-appointed counsel. However, one consequence of shooting one
’
s court-appointed counsel is that there
’
s not exactly a crowd lined up to take his place. So Mr. Bricker has not formally filed any objection. There
’
s no objection of record, so you
’
re it, Ms. McCandless.
”

“
Thank you, Your Honor. But for clarity, would you consider ruling that even if he were to secure counsel brave enough to represent him, Mr. Bricker lacks standing to contest my appointment in the future?
”

A slow smile spread across the judge
’
s face.

“
I would indeed, Ms. McCandless. Having read Mr. Volmer
’
s brief on the subject, this Court is convinced that Mr. Bricker has no more standing than any other stranger to the estate. He cannot take under the will because he killed the decedent. And he consented to the termination of his parental rights, so he cannot object on behalf of the minor children.
”

Sasha snuck a glance behind her to make sure the reference to their father killing their mother hadn
’
t upset the kids. Cole and Brianna were paying rapt attention, but the rest of the kids seemed to be lost in their own thoughts. Or, in the case of Mark, trying to play Minecraft on Naya
’
s smartphone.

“
Thank you, Your Honor,
”
Will said.

“
So with that out of the way, we can move Ms. Bennett
’
s will into probate just like any other,
”
the judge said, clearly addressing Marsh.

“
Very good, Your Honor.
”

A silence fell over the courtroom.

“
Is that it, Your Honor?
”
Marsh finally asked.

The judge cleared his throat.

“
There
’
s one other small matter. Judge Perry-Brown and I went back and forth on which of us should rule on the pending guardianship issue, and we agreed that in the interest of expediency and conservation of judicial resources, I would rule. That said, I
’
ve discussed my ruling with her, and she concurs.
”

This is it.
The butterflies in Sasha
’
s stomach picked up speed.

She locked eyes with Connelly, who looked as if he were about to jump out of his skin with anticipation.

Judge Kumpar paused. Then he said,
“
This Court faced a difficult decision because two highly qualified applications were submitted. In choosing between them, the Court was comforted by the knowledge that all of the applicants care deeply about the Bennett children and will no doubt remain involved in their lives.
”

Two applications?

Sasha
’
s head was buzzing.

Two?

“
Having reviewed the applications, the Court hereby appoints Henry Michael Richardson to serve as the permanent guardian of the six minor Bennett children.
”

Her brain was still struggling to catch up.
Henry Michael Richardson? Hank?

Behind her the kids were squealing with excitement and surprise.

She turned around. Connelly sat, unmoving, a stunned expression painted across his face. Her heart seized.

Hank was smiling broadly, but she could see the question in his eyes.

“
Thank you, Your Honor. But, I
’
m sorry, did you say there were two applications?
”

The judge looked from Sasha to Connelly to Hank.

Then he said,
“T
he identities of the applicants are confidential, Mr. Richardson.
”

“
Of course.
”

Connelly shook his head like a dog shaking off water and snapped back to the present. He leaned across the gallery and extended a hand.

“
Congratulations, Hank.
”

Hank shook it. Sasha could see him piecing together the information. Some of the joy dimmed in his eyes.

She hurried to the railing and leaned across it with her arms open, inviting a hug.

Hank hugged her back tightly.

“
I
’
m sorry. I didn
’
t know,
”
he whispered in her ear.

“
Don
’
t be stupid,
”
she whispered back.
“
And don
’
t be sorry.
”

“
Congratulations, guys!
”
she said to the kids.

“
Can you teach Uncle Hank how to make an Elsa braid?
”
Calla asked.

“
Oh, I think Sasha and Leo will be hanging around enough that she can keep that chore for herself,
”
Hank told the girl with a wink to Sasha.

She returned to the counsel table on automatic pilot and started pushing papers into her bag.

“
That
’
s all I have,
”
Judge Kumpar said.
“
Court
’
s dismissed. Ms. McCandless, could I have a word with you and Mr. Connelly in private?
”

“
Of course, Your Honor,
”
she said.

After the kids tumbled out of their seats, followed by Hank, Naya, Will, and Marsh, the judge gestured for them to approach the bench.

Connelly took her hand in his, and they walked together around the perimeter of the well.

The court reporter snapped her case closed and nodded a goodbye.

When the courtroom was empty, the judge sighed and removed his glasses. He leaned forward.

“
I want you to know I think you
’
ll be excellent parents someday. But there are several issues here, not the least of which is your personal history with Mr. Bricker. First and foremost, Ms. McCandless, if you were to serve as both trustee and guardian, that could raise questions of impartiality and self-dealing. It
’
s much cleaner this way.
”

“
Of course, Your Honor,
”
she mumbled.

“
We
’
re just surprised that Hank would want to take on a family by himself,
”
Connelly explained to the judge.

Judge Kumpar gave a brisk nod.
“
Mr. Richardson is both your boss and a friend, isn
’
t that correct?
”

“
Yes.
”

“
Well, I hope I
’
m not speaking out of turn here, but you know that he is unmarried and childless, correct?
”

Connelly looked offended.
“
Of course.
”

“
Of course. What you may not know is something Mr. Richardson shared with me when he applied as guardian. He was engaged to a woman, many years ago. About a month before their wedding, she witnessed an armed robbery. This was a wrong place, wrong time situation. She went to the police and gave a statement, offered to testify. At that time, the District of Columbia was basically lawless. It was like the Wild West. The authorities offered her protective custody, but she declined. She had a wedding to plan, after all. Mr. Richardson argued with her to reconsider, but she refused. I
’
m sure you can tell where this story is going.
”

“
She was killed?
”
Sasha ventured as her stomach sank to her knees.

The judge nodded sadly.
“
Gunned down in broad daylight.
”
He cleared his throat.
“
An autopsy revealed that she was newly pregnant. She probably didn
’
t even know yet, but your friend has lived with that knowledge for a quarter of a century.
”

Sasha closed her eyes to hold back her tears.

Oh, Hank.

The judge waited a beat and then continued,
“
So, as you can see, Mr. Richardson has some very personal reasons for wanting to help these particular children who lost their mother in much the same way he lost his fianc
é
e and unborn child. And, if I may offer some unsolicited personal advice, might I suggest you take some time to get your married life settled before you jump into parenthood? I
’
ve read enough about your various exploits to know that you have a somewhat
…
exciting
…
personal life. Wait until things calm down. Get to truly know each other in the fullness of marriage. You
’
re young. You have time.
”

She stared at the judge. Connelly rubbed his thumb against hers. She nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

The next day

“
Are you sure you
’
re up for this?
”
Connelly asked. Worry creased his forehead.

She stopped on the stairs and balanced the cherry pie on her hip.

“
Connelly, for the millionth time, I
’
m
fine
. I think Judge Kumpar had a point. We
’
ve only been married for six months. Taking on responsibility for six children would probably have been a bit more than we
’
re ready for.
”

As if on cue, a shriek rose up from within the house. A blood-curdling shriek, followed by shouting and screaming about whose turn it was to change the channel.

She arched a brow.
“
See? And Hank
’
s a little bit hard of hearing anyway. He
’
s way better suited for this.
”

Connelly twisted his mouth into a crooked smile. Then he leaned over and covered her lips with a kiss.

“
Maybe. But I think it
’
s time to start thinking about making a baby. If nothing else, I hear it
’
s fun.
”

He resumed climbing the stairs before she could react.

A baby?

She followed him up on to the porch.

A baby?!

She was still trying to wrap her mind around the thought, when Connelly lifted a finger to ring the bell. The door swung open before he pressed it.

“
They
’
re here! They
’
re here!
”
Leah shouted over her shoulder. Then she launched herself at Sasha, smothering her with a tight hug.