“To be honest, Willis wasn’t a man who liked to share his financial information, even with me. Take the koi pond. I asked if we could place one along the driveway, and Willis said that it sounded like a terrific idea. When I asked if we could afford it, he just laughed and told me not to worry, that we could afford to buy the house and alter it and the property any way we wanted. Either he was rich as Croesus, or I am now a widow in hock up to her ears.”
I was surprised Dolores even considered that Willis might have been living above his means. It never occurred to me that Willis was pretending to be wealthy, not with everyone around him kowtowing to his every wish and whim.
Dolores continued. “I don’t want anyone—not Clancy, not Norman, not even some expensive accountant—to go through Willis’s papers before I have had a chance to look at them. I can’t handle any more shocks.”
“Surely that can wait. There will be plenty of time in the weeks ahead . . .”
“No. It can’t wait. Evil hubby number one and evil hubby number two each left me penniless. For my own sanity I need to make sure that whatever Willis left, he left in good order. And there’s Abby to consider. Her financial future.”
Abby! I mentally reviewed the conversation between Willis and Clancy I had overheard a couple of nights ago. I had no idea if Willis really intended to make Dolores the trustee of Abby’s trust fund. For all I knew, he was merely tormenting Clancy, as Marjory suggested he was inclined to do.
“Dolores, did you know that Willis had already set up a trust fund for Abby?”
“No, I didn’t. That’s such a relief. She’ll be taken care of. How do you know about the trust and I don’t?”
“I overheard a conversation, but never mind that. What’s important is that you confirm the terms of the trust and the name of the trustee.”
“Wait. Who is her trustee? Clancy, I suppose. Of course it would be. He’s her father.”
I sighed. “That may be so, but the other night Willis was telling Clancy that he was about to be removed as trustee.”
“Removed? Could Willis do that?”
“Well, he seemed absolutely sure he could, and he told Clancy that he wanted to put you in charge of the trust. Clancy vehemently objected and stormed off. I went to the library to pick out a bedtime read, and that was that.”
Even as her eyes welled up with tears, Dolores’s smile was radiant. “Oh, Jess, do you know what this means? Willis loved me and trusted me enough to know I would take care of Abby with all the love in my heart.”
I dug around in my purse and passed her a packet of tissues. “That is pretty much what he said. He was adamant when he told Clancy that you would always have Abby’s best interest at heart. He trusted you, and yes, I do believe he must have loved you very much.”
Elton turned into a long driveway past a bright blue and white sign announcing we were at the county Coroner’s Office. As he pulled into a parking spot, Dolores took out a compact and began fussing with her hair and makeup. “I don’t want to embarrass Willis by showing up tearstained and disheveled. He would want me to look good, to show off the lady he married—his doll. That’s why I wore this outfit. He always said his doll looked extra classy in navy blue.”
When Elton opened the car door he was wearing a dark gray jacket. He helped me out of the car, and then offered his arm to Dolores. “I don’t want to intrude, but I do think, ma’am, it might be useful if I came along inside.”
Dolores slipped her arm through his and walked resolutely toward the building. I had to admire how she held herself erect when she was about to face one of the worst moments of her life.
Chapter Ten
Deputy Lascomb was waiting in the vestibule. “Sheriff Halvorson sends regards. He hopes this won’t be too difficult for you, Mrs. Nickens. I took the liberty of signing us in. An escort will be here in a jiffy. Why don’t we have a seat in the lobby while we wait?”
Dolores’s “Thank you” was barely a whisper.
Lascomb ushered us to an austere but immaculate waiting area, and after Dolores and I were seated he turned his attention to Elton. “And you, sir? Are you a relative? I know Mr. Nickens had a son-in-law. Would that be you?”
I would guess Elton’s age to be somewhere in the twenty-to-twenty-five range, so I wasn’t at all surprised when he giggled nervously. Being a son-in-law would mean he’d have to have a wife somewhere, and he undoubtedly wasn’t ready for that. “No, sir, I’m not family to Miss Dolores. I’m brother to Marla Mae.”
“Marla Mae? The housemaid?” That seemed to confuse the deputy. “Then why—”
I cut in. “Since I don’t have a driver’s license, I hired Elton to ferry me around while I’m in town. With all that’s happened, it seemed like a wise choice”—I nodded slightly toward Dolores—“to ask him to drive us today.”
“Makes perfect sense. I wish more families would think the way you do when they have to deal with, er, something like this.” His own words made him uncomfortable. He brushed his hands together lightly, as if he was shaking off cookie crumbs, then walked to the edge of the room and peered down the hallway, but didn’t see anyone coming to his rescue.
He was moving back toward us when we all heard a door closing, and then quick footsteps coming nearer. A petite woman with wavy black hair in a
