April 8, 2020
It’s wine o’clock and I take my little glass of Merlot to the porch. Megan is still on my mind. I wonder when the lawyers will reveal the contents of Victor’s will. Are they going to call everyone together like they do in the mystery stories? Will Megan get anything? I hope so. I know young Matt will get a bundle, but that will probably be held in trust for him until he comes of age. Megan could use some money now.
I feel a coughing fit coming on. I stand and stretch to fill my lungs, then mosey out into the side yard. I can smell spring in the air.
I see Angus Mink on the sidewalk. He is looking all around. Has he lost something? He walks up and down, studying the sidewalk and the gutter. Angus bought his property from Victor after Victor’s marriage to the infamous Carla ended in divorce a few years ago. Carla had convinced Victor to buy up most of the property on our street (But not mine. I refused to sell.) and once Carla was out of the picture, he sold the properties, in some cases back to their original owners. The property that is now Angus’s, had belonged to a couple who immediately moved to Florida, so Angus got it for a good price.
Sukey’s old, battered, Nissan pulls into Victor’s driveway. Two visits in one week. I’ll bet she hasn’t been here more than twice in the past year, and now two visits in one week. I wonder if she has always had a key to this house. I decide to walk over and tell her about Megan’s worries. She lets me in and motions me toward the parlor, but stops at the door to Victor’s office nook between the kitchen and the hall. One drawer of a file cabinet is open and she heads for it, muttering to herself.
“I can’t find it. It was here. I’ll bet that bitch has been here and taken it!”
“Taken what?” I say, edging close to the open drawer, trying to peek around her hefty shoulder.
“I’ll have to call Ray Scarlet and tell him.”
I recall that Victor’s lawyers and the executors of the estate are Christie and Scarlet. I repeat. “Who took what?”
“Carla. I’ve wondered what sort of records she has kept. She shouldn’t have anything that belongs to Victor, but she did live here at one time. What’s missing now is the paperwork for this house, and it was here a few days ago.”
“The deed to the house?”
“No, of course not,” Sukey grumbles as if I’m an idiot. “The deed is in a box at the bank. What’s missing is all the other stuff. All the particulars.”
I’m trying to connect the dots. I know Carla is a real estate agent now. I know that no one in this family trusts or likes her after the mess she created buying up the block and then getting kicked out by Victor. I tell her about my visit with Megan and realize Sukey’s paying no attention to me. I may as well leave.
On my way out, I notice a box of syringes on the kitchen counter. Were they here before? Victor injected himself with insulin and was scrupulous about testing and keeping track of his numbers. Where did he keep his insulin, I wondered?
Maria Hudgins 