Southern Justice, Part 16
I’m Fixin’ To present part 16 of Southern Justice:
While in his dazed and grieving condition in B. Wendell Hormel’s law office, after being shocked, cajoled and lectured, Rick Hasselton, Sr., with a numb hand, signed his last will and testament leaving his entire estate to his beloved wife, Jackie Payne.
At which point Lawyer Hormel stood up and immediately snatched the document away and secured it into his file.
“Jackie, and you too Rick,” B Wendell said as he clasped the file to his chest, “this is a very sensible, sensitive and caring thing you have done today. Both of you are to be commended.”
Then with a tone of finality he said, “Come along and I’ll walk you to the front door.”
When they reached that point Jackie tugged at Rick sleeve and moaned, “I feel a little faint, darling. Would you please pull the car around and pick me up?”
Rick couldn’t wait to do the slightest favor for her. “Sure, you just wait right here,” he told her as he scampered off.
As soon as he was out of earshot Jackie turned to B. Wendell with a devilish smile and said, “That was brilliant, B. W.!”
“Slick, would be a more appropriate term,” B. Wendell replied and added, “I must say your performance was quite impressive also. The important thing is that we accomplished what we proposed, and now, I have to go to work and see that the documents are legally filed so that when the time comes we can immediately get his will probated.”
“Yes, and I suppose I can proceed with the tasks I have in mind,” Jackie whispered just before she dashed toward Rick and the waiting car.
That very evening, Jackie did indeed take a giant step toward her grim task. She declined Rick’s suggestion of a quiet evening at home by insisting that they celebrate their newfound intimacy with dinner and dancing. What resulted was an extended cocktail hour, a late and heavy dinner, followed by more cocktails and dancing before going home. Then just before dawn Rick’s stamina was stretched to a deadly thin line.
Jackie awakened him the next morning around eleven with a steaming cup of coffee heavily laced with Irish cream whiskey, along with a lit cigarette. While fluffing up his pillows, she urged him into a sitting position in bed and passed him the coffee. With a feeling of satisfaction she noticed his hands were unsteady, and that his breathing was rapid and heavy. When she was reminding him of the wonderful events of the previous evening, she could tell that he couldn’t seem to remember much of it.
Good, that’s a good sign of hardening of the arteries, she thought to herself.
On late Thursday afternoon, the day after the signing of the wills, B. Wendell and Jackie were plotting again as they sat over coffee at Starbucks when B. Wendell said, “We need a detailed listing of all your husband’s assets so that when the time comes I can move fast without having to spend a lot of time searching around.”
“Any ideas on how I can get that information without making him suspicious?” Jackie asked.
“Yes, we’ll us the same technique we used to get him to sign the sill.”
“I don’t understand,” Jackie said.
“Simple, you’ll show him your possessions first and he’ll feel obligated to share his with you.”
“How the hell am I going to show him something I don’t have?” Jackie asked.
“Easy,” B. Wendell told her, “here’s a key to a safety deposit box I rented under your name. Give him the key and tell him all your savings bonds are in it.”
“What if he wants to look in it?”
“He can’t do that with you being with him.”
“Okay,” Jackie concluded on the point, “but how am I going to show him property that I don’t own?”
“Exactly that—you’ll show him property you don’t own. Two years ago, as part of a settlement, one of my clients acquired a piece of prime property up in the mountains. Even though it’s quite isolated, you can be there in 45 minutes.”
B. Wendell extracted a paper from his briefcase and spread it out on the table.
“This is a map with the directions to your property,” he said. “This weekend tell him you have a surprise for him and take a ride up to the property. While you’re there take a walk in the woods, stop and sit down beside a beautiful little creek, which you can see from the road, and tell him that after you’re gone you want him to build a little cabin there and spend long weekends thinking about the times you and he—-”
“Stop, B. W. I think I’ve got the picture. After I show him everything I have, which I don’t have, he’ll want to show me everything he has, which he actually does have.” Jacked said and finished with one of her dazzling smiles.
(tmdunagan@aol.com) (www.teddunagan.com)