4 The Ghosts in the Attic

by SUE FINEMAN

  Bernie cleared his throat and continued reading. “My wife, Vanessa, is to receive only the amount specified in the divorce settlement we agreed upon. My sister, Gina, is to get a life tenancy in the family home.”

  Aunt Gina burst into tears.

  Alex listened with interest. Papa had not only let Aunt Gina stay in the house, he’d given her an allowance so she could afford to live there. Alex exchanged a smile with Charlie. What a nice thing for Papa to do.

  “When Gina no longer needs the house, it goes to my daughter, Alexandra, to do with as she pleases. My sons, Mario and Antonio, can take my jewelry and other personal items, but the house and furnishings are to go to Alexandra.”

  Antonio came out of his chair. “No! The house is mine.”

  “Apparently not,” Charlie quipped, and Alex couldn’t hold back a smile.

  Bernie looked up from the papers. “Vinnie told me he’d given his sons homes when they married. Because of this, he thought it only fair to leave his home to his daughter.”

  “Read the rest,” said Mario, the first time he’d spoken.

  Bernie read the rest of the bequests, then read, “All money remaining after my final expenses are paid is to be split equally, share and share alike, between my three children, Antonio, Mario, and Alexandra.”

  “How much does that come to?” Mario asked.

  “About two million each.”

  Antonio blurted, “But what about the trucking business?”

  “Before he died, Vinnie signed over the trucking division to Charlie Kane.” He looked straight at Charlie. “Vinnie said to tell you, ‘No strings.’ He said you’d understand.”

  Charlie nodded. “What if I don’t want it?”

  “Then you can sell it or give it away. Vinnie wanted you to have it. He said you were the only person he knew who was strong enough to turn it into a successful business.”

  Antonio looked stunned.

  “Is that all?” Mario asked.

  “That’s essentially it,” said the attorney, “except for the video. You can watch it now or take it home and watch it there.”

  “We’ll watch it now,” said Mario.

  Bernie pushed a button and a screen lowered at the end of the room. Chairs scooted around so people could watch the screen. Bernie turned down the lights and the video began.

  Papa’s face came on the screen. “I know you won’t all be happy with what I left you in the will, but I had reasons for doing things this way.

  “Antonio, I bought you a luxury home when you married Lisa. I even gave you money to furnish it. Then I gave you a job at the business, so you could earn enough to support your wife and family. But you weren’t satisfied with that. You and Mario took money from the account I set up to replace computers and trucks and equipment. You paid yourselves several times what I paid myself, but you didn’t take care of business. I had to replace the money you blew, and that money came out of your inheritance.”

  Papa picked up a glass, drank a little, and put it down. Then he looked up at the camera and continued. “Mario, I asked you to help Antonio in the business, but you pushed your way in and took over. I gave you a house and furnished it when you married Christie, but like with Antonio, it wasn’t enough. You and your brother nearly sent my business into bankruptcy. The business that supported this family for forty years should have supported it for forty more, but you didn’t take care of problems or listen to nobody. Hell, you didn’t even give the employees a raise in pay. You gave yourself a raise, though, didn’t you? You doubled your pay, then doubled it again. And then you nearly got your sister killed and had the gall to lie about it. You’re lucky I left you anything.

  “Alexandra, I hope you’ll get plastic surgery on your face. I’ve always thought you were beautiful, but I know you’ll feel better if the doctors can erase some of the scars that pervert left on you. I’m so sorry that happened. If I could undo the whole thing, I would.”

  “I know Papa,” she whispered.

  “I love all my children, no matter what they’ve done, and I want you to get along after I’m gone. That’s why I’m leaving you all the same amount of money. I know it’s not as much as you expected, but I offer no apologies. You grew up in luxury, and if you expect to live that way for the rest of your lives, you’ll have to work hard, like I did.”

  Bernie stood in back of his chair. Alex glanced at him and back at the screen.

  “Charlie Kane, I’m leaving you the trucking division because I don’t want it to go under, and because you’re the only person I know who can bring it back to life. You’re the one who discovered the two trucks were missing, the one who took control when no one else seemed to know how. The business isn’t worth much as it is, but I know you can change that. I’m sorry I won’t be around to watch you do it.

  “To my children and grandchildren and the rest of my family, I love you. Be kind to each other after I’m gone.”

  The screen turned black and Bernie turned the lights on. Alex wiped her eyes. She’d shed so many tears the last few days, her eyes were red and swollen. Papa was gone, her brothers hated her, and Papa had left her two million dollars and the mansion she grew up in. She’d probably have to spend the two million on taxes, but it didn’t matter. Papa loved her.

  She didn’t want to live in that house again, but she wouldn’t give it to Antonio or Mario. After Aunt Gina died, she’d sell it. If Charlie didn’t want her, she’d buy herself a small house of her own, something close to Charlie, so they could share Taylor.

  As her brothers escaped from the room, Charlie lifted her hand and kissed it. He’d been there for her since the night Papa died, giving her the love and support she so desperately needed to get through this trying time. She knew he had work to do on his house, but he’d stayed with her, putting her needs above his own.

  Did he know how much she loved him?

  In the car on the way home, Charlie asked, “Alex, how much did your father leave your mother?”

  “Three million plus.”

  “Don’t you find it strange that he gave her more than he gave his children?”

  “Yes, but he didn’t want to leave my brothers any more.”

  Her cell phone rang. Bernie said, “I need to speak with you about your father’s estate. Vinnie left you something else, something he didn’t want anyone else to know about.”

  “There’s nothing left, is there?”

  “Nothing but his off-shore account. You’ll find the numbers behind the picture of you and Taylor, the one you gave him for his eightieth birthday.”

  “How much?”

  “Upwards of twelve million, I believe.”

  She dropped the phone in her lap.

  “What’s wrong?” Charlie asked.

  “Remember when Taylor said Papa put the numbers behind the picture?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Papa left me the numbers to his off-shore account.”

  Charlie laughed. “I assume nobody else knows.”

  “Apparently not.”

  Now it didn’t matter if she had to pay the two million in taxes. She’d have enough money to pay for the plastic surgery, enough to send Taylor to private schools, enough to live anywhere she wanted.

  But she wanted to live in the little brick bungalow on Wilson Street, with Charlie Kane.

  If he wanted her.

  <>

  After Charlie left to check on things at Porcini Trucking, Alex walked through the house with Aunt Gina.

  “I don’t know if I want to live here by myself, Alexandra. Why don’t you and Charlie and Taylor stay?”

  “You can have Sophia and her family move in with you if you want. That way they could rent their house for extra income.”

  “What about Antonio and Mario?”

  “I don’t want them here. If they moved in I’d never get them out, and the house is mine, not theirs. Papa bought them houses – really nice homes – and he left this one to me. And you. You can live the rest of your life her
e if you want. If you don’t want to be here, that’s okay, but it’s a nice house, and I know you like living here.”

  Aunt Gina wiped her eyes. “I miss your Papa so much.”

  Alex hugged her. “I know. I’m glad Papa said you could live here.”

  “But what about you?”

  “Charlie has been renovating a house over on Wilson Street. He said I could live there with him and Taylor.”

  “Charlie doesn’t like it here?”

  “No, the house is too fancy for him.”

  “Are you gonna marry him?”

  “He hasn’t asked.”

  “What if he does?”

  Alex answered with a smile. If he asked, she’d marry him, but she wouldn’t push herself on him. She wanted him to love her enough to ask.

  Aunt Gina glanced around. “You want to take some of the furniture?”

  “Maybe. I’ll let you know. Please don’t let Mario or Antonio in the house unless I’m here. We’ll have the locks changed tomorrow. They’re so angry, I don’t know what they’ll do.”

  “Vinnie was so disappointed in them.”

  “I know,” Alex said on a sigh. “I want to ask you one favor.”

  “Anything.”

  “Save my apartment for me, for when I need to come here. You can redecorate the rest of the house however you want, since you’ll be living here, but don’t redo my apartment.”

  Aunt Gina hugged her again. “Okay.”

  Alex retrieved the picture from Papa’s sitting room and took it to her apartment. She pulled the picture out and found the numbers right where Papa said they’d be. But she couldn’t get to the money now. If Mario and Antonio found out, they’d expect a share, and she had no intention of giving them something Papa didn’t want them to have.

  She put the picture back together and hugged it. Her future financial security was tucked behind the picture she’d had taken the week before Scott Higgins attacked her.

  Before he put the scars on her face and the fear in her heart.

  Before she grew to hate her brothers.

  <>

  Charlie shook hands with Stevenson. “Nice to see you again. I’m sure Vinnie would have been pleased you came to his funeral.”

  “What did he do with the business? Do I need to look for another job?”

  “He gave this division to me, and I’d like you and everyone else to stay.”

  Stevenson’s face cracked in a wide smile. “Glad to hear it.”

  Charlie spoke with the other mechanics, wondering if Vinnie meant the business as a challenge, a way to see if Charlie could make enough money to support Alex and Taylor. It would take work – a lot of work – and even then Charlie wasn’t sure he could make the business successful. They needed more trucks and more clients. Maybe he could get back some of the customers who’d bailed out when Mario was running things.

  He spoke with the other employees before looking at the offices to see if there was a place for him. He’d need a place to work and a decent computer to work on, a phone, and a quiet place to make phone calls. They’d also need an accountant to track the accounts receivable and payables, and handle the payroll. The main offices of Vinnie’s entire business was beside the cannery, where all the administrative chores were handled for all three divisions of Vinnie’s business.

  Did he know enough about business to do this? Yes and no. He’d been farming, which the IRS considered a small business, and he’d handled that by himself. But he couldn’t handle all this by himself.

  He had a lot to learn, and he’d need experienced people to help him.

  Charlie made an appointment to talk with Vinnie’s accountant and another to meet with the personnel manager, then drove to the mansion Alex called home. His parents were coming for dinner tonight, with Taylor. Gina had invited them. She and Mom seemed to have hit it off, and nobody wanted Alex to be alone right now. She’d handled her father’s death with more dignity than anyone expected, but she was still a little shaky.

  He was still a little shaky, too.

  What made him think he could run a trucking business?

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Antonio called Alex the day after the reading of the will. “I want to come by the house and get some of Papa’s things.”

  “When?”

  “Today.” He sounded subdued after his outburst in Bernie’s office yesterday.

  “I’m helping Charlie get the new office set up at the trucking company, but I should be home by four-thirty.”

  “Okay, I’ll be there at four-thirty.”

  “Antonio, I didn’t know what Papa was doing.”

  “Does that mean I can have the house?”

  “No. Aunt Gina is living there. What’s wrong with the house you live in now?”

  “It’s too small.”

  Alex shook her head. Antonio and Lisa had a beautiful home right around the corner from Papa’s house. If he’d boot his two deadbeat kids out and make them support themselves, they wouldn’t need another big house.

  She would not allow herself to feel sorry for her brother. He brought on his own troubles. “I’ll see you at four-thirty.”

  The furniture store delivered the new furniture for the break room, and Alex showed them where to put it. She and Charlie had also bought a new refrigerator for that room.

  She was on her way back to Charlie’s office when she overheard two employees talking about the scars on her face. “Poor girl,” one man said. “My wife works in Antonio’s house. He told her his old man had to buy a husband for Alexandra.”

  The second man pointed toward the office. “You mean Charlie Kane?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Are you saying the old man bribed him with the trucking business?”

  The first man shrugged. “That’s what Antonio told my wife.”

  “Mario told me she and the guy who beat her up were having an affair.”

  “I don’t believe that.”

  “And I don’t believe Vinnie would buy her a husband. She must have inherited a few million from the old man. That’s the attraction, not the business.”

  Alex walked on by, pretending she hadn’t heard a thing. Were they right? Had Papa bribed Charlie to marry her?

  Was she so ugly no man would want her?

  Seconds later, she walked into the new offices. They’d been using that space as a storage area, but Charlie rearranged things and divided the big room into offices for himself and his administrative staff.

  He rolled more paint on the wall and looked over. “Alex? What’s wrong, honey?”

  “Headache. I’ll be fine.” How could he stand to look at her? “Antonio called. I need to meet him at the house at four-thirty.”

  “Why don’t you go home now? See if you can get rid of the headache. I’ll be along when I finish here.”

  “Okay.” She kissed him goodbye and walked out to her car.

  Alex had always hated the trucking part of Papa’s business, but Charlie seemed happy to have it. Papa was right about one thing. Charlie was a strong man, strong enough to bring a failing business back to life. The people who worked here respected him, and he treated every one of them like a valued employee, something Mario and Antonio had never done.

  The administrative offices for all three divisions had been located at the cannery, but as the divisions were separated, the administrative employees had to go with one company or another. Some had already gone to Uncle Dominic’s food distribution business. Others had asked to stay at the cannery. Charlie and Alex had an appointment with the personnel director tomorrow to figure out which employees would be coming to Porcini Trucking. Charlie wouldn’t need a full-time attorney or accountant, but he would need someone to track the accounts, pay the bills, and handle payroll. He also needed an assistant. As the business grew – if it grew – he could add more people.

  Papa said he didn’t want her “shacking up” with Charlie, although they’d been sleeping together every night since Papa died. Would Cha
rlie still want her to live with him when he moved into his house? He’d never told her he loved her, never suggested marriage. If Charlie didn’t love her, she didn’t want to live with him, and she certainly wouldn’t marry him.

  Alex drove home and stood in her bathroom, staring at her face in the mirror until her eyes filled with tears. The scars were tightening, pulling into her face. She used makeup to cover the red lines, but no matter how much makeup she used, she couldn’t cover the scars. Her hair was too short to cover that side of her face. “I look like a freak.”

  She dried her tears and pulled out the card of the plastic surgeon her doctor had recommended. Reconstructive surgery, it said on the card. She didn’t need a face lift or a boob job, she needed reconstructive surgery. It didn’t matter how much it cost. She wanted the scars removed.

  She heard Charlie calling, “Alex, where are you?”

  Wiping her eyes, she called, “In my apartment.”

  “Damn house is so big I could lose Wilma in here.”

  “Wilma is out in the backyard with Taylor, playing in the sprinkler. Aunt Gina is sitting by the pool, watching them.”

  “How ’bout a swim? It might help your headache.”

  She glanced at her watch. “Antonio is due here in an hour, and I need to make a phone call.” She turned her face so he couldn’t see her scars.

  He put his warm hand on her face. “Don’t turn away from me, honey.”

  “Go swim with Taylor while I make a phone call.” She couldn’t wait any longer to make an appointment to see the plastic surgeon. She was ashamed to go out in public looking like this.

  Charlie knew what she was doing. For the past few weeks, she’d put all her attention on Vinnie. Now she was constantly touching her scars. They weren’t as red as before, but the side of her face puckered from the scarring. He hated to see her so upset. Vinnie was right. She needed to get the scars fixed to feel better about herself.

  “Make your phone call, honey. I’ll take a quick swim with Taylor.”

  He hugged her, holding her, soothing her. “I need to go to the house after dinner. Do you want to come with me?”

  “I’d love to.”

  “The inside is finished, so we can move in as soon as we get it furnished.”