“Get a grip. I saw him as a spirit in my bedroom, and his was the last funeral I attended. Apparently, he invited everyone who showed up at the funeral to the reading of his will. It was his dying wish.”
“That’s the strangest thing I’ve ever heard. How many mourners were there?”
“Just me. I figured the guy didn’t have any family, but I don’t know.”
“And…did you happen to see him floating around at the funeral?” Tucker asked.
He believed in her ability. He was the first one who ever had, and she’d loved him for it. The one person who didn’t think she was losing her mind.
“Nope. He’s not emotionally stuck here, Apparently, he can visit anyone he wants, and he chose me this morning. But I’m only calling to make sure I don’t have any legal obligations.”
Tucker’s agitated sigh was something Ryley understood. “You do not have to accept anything in his will. You don’t even have to go to the reading. It’s not your responsibility.”
“What if he gifted the mourners something fabulous?” Ryley asked.
“Ryley.” She could hear the disapproval in her brother’s voice. “Maybe I should go with you.”
“I’m already in the car. I’ll call you when it’s over or if they try to railroad me into something or if I need help fencing a diamond necklace that he’s left.”
“That’s not even funny.”
She grinned. “It could be if you had a sense of humor.”
“Call me back before you make any rash decisions.”
“Why break my bad decision-making streak with your opinion?” She chuckled.
“My next client isn’t due for two hours. Tell me where the reading is, and I’ll meet you there.”
“No need, love you, bye.” She ended the call before he could complain.
She’d never been to a reading of a will before. She’d hadn’t known anyone who’d had a will, much less left her something. Not even her mother on her death bed.
Chapter 17
Ryley pulled into the Pinkerton Law parking lot and took the last space facing the building. She grabbed her bag, slinging it over her head.
Pulling at the hem of her t-shirt, she tried to straighten it. Most people inside were probably still wearing dull black mourning clothes. She hadn’t thought to do the same. She still wasn’t even sure why she was there.
The door beeped when she pulled it open. A woman in a business suit popped out of an office. “I’ll be right with you.”
Ryley nodded and swallowed around her apprehension.
A lavender scent filled the air, mixing with the scent of leather from the furniture. The tinted windows blocked a majority of the harsh rays from the afternoon sun.
The office building was rather small with respect to her brother’s office space. There were no pretentious awards hanging on the walls. No fortune-five-hundred magazines were sitting on the tables—only a vase of stargazer lilies- pretty enough, but she didn’t like the smell.
Her brother told her that attending funerals would get her in trouble one day. Was that day already here?
The woman reappeared wearing a gray business suit with coffee in hand. She smiled. “Can I help you?”
Ryley pulled out the invite and handed it to her. “I’m not sure why I’m here, but your private investigator followed me to deliver an invitation.”
Her gaze shot up to Ryley’s, and her eyes sparkled. “Ah yes! Ms. St. James, isn’t it?”
Ryley nodded.
“I’m Jane Pinkerton, Mr. Wilson’s Attorney. You were at Mr. Wilson’s funeral, correct?”
She nodded.
“Can I ask why you were there?”
“When my mother died, it was only my brother and me at the funeral. Had she not had children, there wouldn’t have been anyone there to witness her final moments in the mortal world. And that always bothered me. Attending funerals is a small gesture to make sure other people didn’t experience the same thing.”
Ryley lied about the reason, although it had been just her and her brother at Mom’s funeral if she didn’t count being surrounded by the ghosts that had refused to move on. The tears Ryley cried that day hadn’t been in mourning, they’d been in fear.
“So, you attended as a good Samaritan.” Jane grinned.
“I guess you could say that.” Ryley glanced around. “Listen, um, I’m don’t know why you invited me, but I’m not looking for anything.”
Jane gestured toward the hall. “You might not have been looking for it, but it found you. Please, this won’t take long, if you’ll just follow me.”
Reluctantly, Ryley followed her down the hall and into a conference room where a man Ryley’s age was seated. He was dressed in a suit that swallowed him.
He glanced over his shoulder and frowned. “Who is she?”
The man directed his question to Ms. Pinkerton.
“All in good time. Ryley St. James, this is Felix Wilson, Mr. Wilson’s only remaining living relative. His cousin, to be precise.”
“How did you know Harlon?” Felix asked with a raised brow.
“I didn’t. I don’t even know why I’m here,” Ryley answered.
“Don’t be modest, Ms. St. James.” Ms. Pinkerton fixed Felix with her glare. “She was the only person who attended your cousin’s funeral. The only person who bothered to show.”
“Jane, I told you I was in meetings,” Felix said, sitting straighter. “It’s not like Harlon missed me.”
“Oh, but he did, and you weren’t in a meeting. You were in a bar getting drunk until you left with a hooker,” Jane said.
Ouch. This woman had claws. Ryley instantly liked her. She had a private investigator, and she wasn’t afraid to use him. If Jane had all that on Felix, what had she discover about Ryley?
“You two are here because you are the only two people in his will.”
“How is that possible?” Ryley crossed her arms and rested them on the table.
“We’ll get to that,” Jane said. “First. I have documentation to show all of this is legal.” She glanced at Felix as if knowing he’d protest. “If you try
