Legacy (33 page)

Yet, even as vague, disturbing fantasies of wedding nights and honeymoon suites with Justin or Steven drifted in and out of my mind and made my throat go dry, I heard Judge Hawthorne now in the outer office. And then I knew there was yet another feeling that burned stronger within me - a tight, solid knot of warmth between my breasts. This feeling I recognized; it was the heat of my own ambition, my will to meet a challenge and prevail. As its familiar warmth spread through me I felt harder, more alert. My mind was made up, had been made up, it seemed, for as long as I could remember. Steven and Justin would have to wait. I was going to fight with all my strength and determination to keep Father's empire intact. There could be no thought of friends or travel or society. How could I even have imagined otherwise? Nothing was strong enough to keep me from what I had to do.

The heavy wooden door swung open and Judge Hawthorne, his grey hair shining and neatly combed, came directly towards me. There was a second chair by the window, heavy and wooden, like the one on which I sat, and he drew it forward. His round red face showed his concern and sympathy as he sat down, his knees almost touching mine, and leaned forward.

'My dear Catherine,' he began, 'this is such a difficult time.'

I held up my hand. 'Please, Judge Hawthorne, I appreciate your sympathy, but that's the one thing I have no need for just now. I hope you'll understand. I've come in confidence, and I've come to ask for your help.'

He leaned back slightly and regarded me for a moment, his fleshy features showing curiosity. 'Well, of course, my dear. I'm happy to do whatever I can. Just what sort of help?'

I kept my hands folded primly in my lap. 'Well, first I must tell you that I know all about Father's financial situation. Do you? And if you do, how many others know?'

The judge coughed, surprise showing now. 'Indeed? He told you the bad news, did he? Well, he told me, too. Now, as for the others . . .' He held his lip between his thumb and forefinger as he thought, or pretended to think, for I suspected that he was just trying to decide what he was going to do if I asked him to cheat on the creditors and save Mother and me more money than we were entitled to by hiding some of our assets. He went on. 'As for the others, I think it's safe to say that nearly all of the banks are aware of the situation by now. Your father's account books were found with him at the hotel, you know.'

I nodded, chagrined that I had forgotten. Father had packed the books and taken them along with him. Well, there was no point in letting on that this was any surprise. 'I'd discussed those books with him on the trip,' I said. 'I'd thought, however, that perhaps someone with some discretion might have been able to keep Father's affairs private - at least for a while.'

His bulky shoulders lifted and then dropped again, but his expression stayed just the same: grave. He was not going to be an easy man to convince. As he sat stolidly silent, I could see he was refusing to accept any responsibility for the predicament Mother and I were in. Well, perhaps he was right. But I had to make him see that he did owe us something.

I shrugged, too, and then I leaned forward, speaking earnestly. 'What's done is in the past,' I said. 'No sense in worrying about it. But do you have any idea why I've come to see you, Judge Hawthorne?'

He nodded. 'You're a knowledgeable young girl. And let me assure you that I'll do all that I can for you and your mother when it comes to the settlement of the claims against your father's estate. Of course, as you know, there isn't going to be much left, and what there is now has come to be fairly common knowledge because those books were left lying around.'

I stopped him, touching his arm lightly with my hand. 'That's not why I'm here, Judge.'

I sat back then and waited for him to collect himself. Then, gathering up my own courage, I came directly to the point. 'I'm here, Judge, because I don't want there to be any settlement of any claims against the estate now. I want things to continue just as they were when Father was alive. I know we have obligations to pay, loans outstanding, and so on. I want to pay them - but only when they're due to be paid! And in the meantime I want to build up our assets so that we'll be worth twice what we owe, instead of the other way around.'

He was opening his mouth to speak, but I went on with the one last thing I had to get in just then: 'Will you help me, Judge?'

His mouth stayed open for a few seconds. 'Do you know what you're asking for, young lady?'

I kept my voice level. 'I certainly do. I'm asking for each of Father's creditors to continue their loans - to me. I intend to take full responsibility for the management of Father's ... of my properties. What I'm asking you is if you're willing to help me convince those bankers that my proposition makes good business sense.'

He gave a shake of his head, but he could not keep from smiling. 'Now, see here, Catherine, I admire your stand. I'm sure that this is just what Sam Rawlings would want you to be doing. But have you looked at this proposition of yours the way the bankers are going to look at it? Why, they'd have to be plumb crazy to take you up on it.'

I stiffened. 'Are you saying that you don't think I could pay them back, that I couldn't make our properties grow until they were making enough profit to pay it all back? Because if you are ...'

He shook his head and held up a puffy hand. 'Whoa, there, now. What you'd do with those properties has got nothing to do with it. Wouldn't make a bit of difference to a banker, even if you had a fortune stashed away somewhere else and an ironclad guarantee that you'd be able to pay him back right on time. He'd still want a settlement right now.'

Now it was my turn to be surprised. 'I don't understand. If we settle now, none of the bankers will get his full payment. Why should any of them want only a partial repayment now if he could have a full repayment later?'

'Oh, come on, now, use your head. How would we raise the money for the settlement? Just answer me that.'

'Why, we'd sell the properties, of course - the hotels, the mills, the lumber camps, the . . .'

And then I saw it. Oh, but I had been foolishly naive! What would a bank want with interest when they had a chance to get a piece of my property! My frustration must have shown, but I was too concerned with this new challenge to try to hide it. Why should a banker wait for repayment and make the small amount of interest he had coming on loan if he could buy one of the properties outright, and cheap, at a settlement auction? He could manage it for a year or two and make ten times what he would with interest.

'I see what you mean. If I could make a property grow and make a big profit, why, so could a banker.' I paused, an idea growing in my mind. 'Or at least that's what he'll think he can do. I'm going to have to convince him that he can't.'

The judge chewed his lower lip reflectively. Behind his heavy eyelids appeared a glimmer of interest. 'You're talking like it could be done, you know that?'

I nodded. I had a plan now, and I was feeling more confident. 'I think I can do it. Can I count on your help?'

'That depends.' The eyelids and the gaze were steady, motionless.

'It'll all be perfectly legal,' I said quickly.

'Well, of course.'

'And I'm not going to ask you for any money. I'm not even going to ask you to release Father's bank accounts. I know the law requires you to prevent me or Mother from taking the cash out of the accounts. And, as I said, I don't want to be involved in anything illegal.'

He pursed his lips and looked at me curiously. 'You sure are Sam Rawlings's daughter, all right. What is it you want me to do?'

I cleared my throat, aware that a lot depended on my reply. 'There are six banks, I believe, that hold the loans. I'd like you to invite their representatives to meet with me. Tell them it's in connection with the settlement of Father's estate, and phrase the invitation so that they understand it would be to their advantage to hear what I have to say.'

He drew in a deep breath and then let it out. 'And then you're going to tell them they ought to let this chance go by? That they shouldn't exercise their right to ...'

'I'm going to tell them why they'll make more money doing it my way than by trying to pick apart the estate. And when I finish explaining, they're going to believe me.'

He shook his head. 'I can't for the life of me see how they would. I sure as hell wouldn't. You're asking me to stick my neck out, to get six important men together . . .'

'Not together - I'll want to see them separately, one at a time.'

He gestured impatiently with the back of his hand. 'Together or separately, it's the same thing. After they've listened to you, they're going to come to me and ask what the hell I'm trying to do.'

'No, they aren't. They're going to thank you for protecting their interests and for helping them to avoid making a serious mistake. You mark my words. Just see if that doesn't happen.'

'Catherine, I like your spirit, but I'm afraid I . . .'

'Before you make up your mind, Judge, just answer me one question.' I leaned forward again conscious of the effect I had on him when I drew close, though he tried hard to hide it. 'A few moments ago you said that you were sure Sam Rawlings would be proud of what I was doing. Now, as I recall, Sam Rawlings gave you a good deal of help on a number of occasions. And, no doubt, you helped him, too, so I won't ask you to do anything for me out of respect for his memory.' I saw the corners of his mouth tighten and I smiled inwardly, knowing I had hit a nerve. The judge owed Father a number of favors - though I very much doubted that he would think he was obligated to pay them back to me. All I wanted to do now was to prick his conscience a little before I appealed to his self-interest.

'But here's the question I want you to think about, Judge. Sam Rawlings knew how to return a favor. Don't you think his daughter will know how to do the same thing?'

There was a long moment of silence. I imagined the judge was weighing in his mind the possible benefits of having me as a rich ally or a poor enemy. Probably he was also dreaming up a way to get the bankers to me without committing himself. But I didn't care how he did it, or why, really. I only needed him to do it.

Finally he nodded. 'All right, Catherine, I'll help you. I'll have them call on you in a day or two, after the funeral. Is that what you want?'

'Just as long as they're men with the power to make decisions on the loans. I don't want them to come and then just tell me they're sorry about Father.'

His round cheeks dimpled into a wry smile. 'Well, maybe that's all they will tell you,' he said, 'but they'll have the power to say more than that. You have my word. Now, tell me what you're going to say to those bankers that's so totally convincing.'

Smiling, I stood up. 'Well, Judge, I think it's best if you don't know that - just in case they don't see things my way. But you can tell them I don't intend to just talk. I intend to show them something. And you can assure those bankers that they'll be most interested in what they're going to see.'

He looked at me and shook his head in a fond, grandfatherly way. 'Well, more power to you. Good luck.' He stood up.

'Incidentally, we're mighty glad to have you back. You had us worried there for a while.'

I picked up my purse. 'No more than I was, I can assure you.' My voice tightened momentarily. 'Tell me, have they found that man's body yet?'

'No, but they're still looking. Sheriff said he'd keep me posted twice a day until they turn something up. We sent word downriver and they're looking there, too. And we've raised the reward money, just in case somebody pulled him out alive. Won't be long before we hear something.'

I nodded. 'Incidentally, who was going to put up the money for my ransom? And who's putting up the reward money now? Did you take that out of our bank accounts before you froze them?'

Chuckling, he nodded, but I brought him up short. 'Then I'll thank you to put the money back in again, Judge. Red Campbell's dead. And I'm not interested in paying anyone to recover his body. He's not worth a nickel. Besides, I'm going to have need of that money.'