“Oh God,” Lorrie said. “This is so awful.”
“I understand,” Jesse said to Tom Nolan, “that you have no next of kin for Ms. Longley.”
“No,” Nolan said. “She didn’t list any when we hired her. No one has appeared?”
“No.”
“God,” Nolan said, “it’s all over the news. If there were parents or somebody, they must have heard.”
“Weeks gets more attention,” Jesse said.
Nolan nodded.
“Still,” he said.
Jesse shrugged.
“Who inherits?” Jesse said.
“The estate has not been settled yet,” Gates said. “And it’s reasonably complicated. But there are substantial bequests to all three wives.”
“Is there one person whose bequest is more substantial?”
Jesse said.
“Lorrie receives the largest share.”
“Anyone else in there but the wives?”
“There are small bequests to various staff members, and a modest bequest to Alan Hendricks.”
9 1
R O B E R T B . P A R K E R
Jesse looked at Hendricks. He was a handsome young man, with close-cropped hair and olive skin. He was taller than Jesse, and slender, with big black-rimmed glasses.
“You were Weeks’s researcher,” Jesse said.
“Yes. Walton was very active on the phone, but I did much of the fieldwork.”
Jesse nodded. From his place by the window, Suit was taking notes.
“What’s happened to Weeks Enterprises?” Jesse said.
“TV and radio, we’re doing a retrospective,” Nolan said.
“You know, the best of . . . same with the newspaper column.”
“Then what?”
Gates stepped in.
“Once the estate is settled,” Gates said, “we’ll proceed in consonance with the wishes of the estate.”
“Who is, in terms of the shows and the column?” Jesse said.
“Lorrie, unless there’s something untoward.”
“Such as?” Jesse said.
“A problem in settling the estate,” Gates said. “Extended litigation. Walton Weeks is a public franchise, and like all
