She waved a hand at him but did not speak and Hudson let himself out of the apartment.
Chapter 22
After Hudson left and Spencer abandoned her for his favorite napping spot, Tess paced around the apartment trying to get a handle on the bombshell he had dropped. She racked her brain for any detail she might have missed before the wedding, but there was nothing. She had been so consumed with all her own worries and final details, she honestly couldn’t remember anything being out of the ordinary.
Tess tried to imagine Roger, Emily, or David planning a murder and then killing their own son or brother. She couldn’t do it. Emily and Roger had been devastated when Jack died. It was obvious at the funeral, with Emily crying constantly and clinging to Tess. Roger had cried too, in the silent way men tended to do. Even David, with all his bluff and bluster, had been sickeningly pale, walking around in a fog of disbelief.
Yes, they had treated her very unkindly that day in their kitchen. Yes, it seemed like they were accusing her of something. Yes, they were lying to try and keep Jack’s fortune for themselves. But such a tragic, unexpected death makes people do the craziest things and Tess’s heart just wouldn’t let a sliver of doubt inside. “Maybe I’m being naïve,” she said to the cats, who watched her walk around the apartment like a lost traveler.
After an hour of drinking coffee, pacing and obsessing, Tess could feel her nerves fraying like the ends of the pieces of yarn her cats played with. She needed a distraction, something to do with herself so she could focus on something else. She thought about typing and the small amount of transcription left, but she didn’t want to sit still. She wanted to move.
Striding with a purpose to the spare bedroom, Tess flung open the door. The only remaining furniture was the futon and a single two-drawer metal filing cabinet. She’d gotten rid of Jack’s rickety pressboard desk, but opted to keep the lateral file for paperwork. She stepped over to the closet and opened the accordion doors to look inside; making sure nothing was left inside. She then went to the file cabinet and began shoving it until it was centered inside the closet. While she was bent over and giving it one final push, Timothy bolted into the room, leapt on her back and up onto the shelf above the hanger rod. “You little shit!” she hollered. His front paws were declawed, but not the back, and they left scratches along the skin on either side of her spine.
He looked down from the shelf and meowed, but it didn’t sound like much of an apology to Tess. As she gave him her best pissed off look, she noticed something in the far corner of the ceiling. Cocking her head to the side, she stepped closer for a better look. It seemed like a six by six inch square of the drywall had been cut out and replaced. There was also a circle cut through the middle and some wires were threaded through, going into another circle in the wall. Tess figured it was just wiring for the cable or phones or whatever, but still, she wanted to see for herself. Just to make sure.
Grunting, she pulled the cabinet back out of the closet to create a make-shift ladder. Climbing up, she shooed the cat out of the way and leaned on the shelf. Reaching up, she poked at the square of drywall and shrieked when it came crashing down, followed by a metal lockbox. The box bounced off the shelf and landed on the floor with a heavy thud. She pressed a hand to her chest to try and calm her thumping heart. Her legs felt shaky and she thought she might fall. Tess stared at it for a moment, then jumped down and picked it up. It was the kind of lockbox that needed a key to open it.
“Shit,” she mumbled as her breathing returned to normal. “I’m going to have to look up there again.”
Tess was deathly afraid of spiders and mice, and she realized that both such creatures could be making homes up in that black hole. But if there was a key for the box, it might just be up there, sitting just inside. She set the box on the futon and raced to the kitchen to grab a flashlight from the junk drawer. Screwing up her courage, she hurried back to get up on the cabinet again. She poked the flashlight’s bright yellow beam into the darkness. Breathing a sigh of relief, she saw no legions of tarantulas or rats waiting to attack. Using two fingers, she felt along the edge of the opening, hoping she wouldn’t get any splinters, until the familiar coolness of metal met her hot fingertips. She pulled the key down and stared at it. Looking back at the opening, she reached for the piece of drywall still sitting on the shelf. She shoved it back in place and kept mashing at it until it stayed. Praying it wouldn’t fall out again, she promised to call her dad and ask him to come put a few nails in it. Just because she hadn’t seen any creatures didn’t mean they weren’t there, waiting for her guard to slip.
Unable to wait to see what was inside the box, Tess hopped down, clicked off the flashlight and tossed it onto the futon. Sitting, she pulled the box onto her lap and unlocked it. She flipped open the lid and almost dropped the box onto her toes. Inside lie piles and piles of rubber-banded cash. She sifted through one and noticed that all the bills were hundreds. She twisted to the side and dumped the entire contents onto the futon. Each pack she held up contained nothing but hundred dollar bills. Underneath all the money, there was a file folder. She pried it out and flipped it open to find a copy of Jack’s estate documents and a bunch of other financial documents she’d already been given from Hudson.
“What the hell?” she whispered.
She started to pile the money back into the box when she noticed an envelope taped to the inside of the lid. It was the same gray color as the box, so it hadn’t been noticeable right away. She ripped it off and tore it open. A piece of paper fluttered out which she caught and unfolded. An email address and a series of numbers and letters were handwritten on it. Tess recognized the handwriting immediately as Jack’s. [email protected].
“What the hell?” she repeated. Taking the paper and box with her, she made a beeline for her computer out in the living room. Tess opened a web browser and navigated to the email website. She punched in the address and then the series of numbers and letters, hoping it was the password. It was and she was greeted by an inbox filled with emails dating back to the month before the wedding. She clicked to open the first one that appeared to be from Jack to his father.
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Date: November 18, 2013 8:49 pm
Subject: Revelations
Dad,
I’m sorry for the way I acted at the campsite, but you have to understand how shocking it was to discover that I was adopted and a millionaire all at the same time. I don’t give a shit about the money. I’m more pissed because you didn’t give me the opportunity to know my birth father. He contacted you when I was 12 for God’s sakes. How could you not have told me then? I am still trying to process all of this so I don’t want you saying anything to Tess. Tell Mom and David to keep their mouths shut too. I will tell Tess when I’m ready.
Jack
Poor Jack, Tess thought as she scrolled down to see if there was a reply. He probably felt then like she did right now. She was shocked and overwhelmed and completely unable to really understand how or why things had happened the way they had. If only you’d told me.
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Date: November 19, 2013 7:12 am
Subject: Re: Revelations
I understand your anger, son. Your mother and I thought we were doing the right thing. We won’t say anything to Tess.
Dad
The next couple of emails were more of the same, Jack expressing anger and asking questions about his birth father and mother. Roger’s responses seemed kind of curt to Tess. Maybe she was just projecting, but it was as if her father-in-law hadn’t wanted to answer the questions at all.
The next email that caught her attention had a subject line reading, “The Money.” It took her two tries to click fast enough to get it open.
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Date: November 22, 2013 5:42 pm
&n
bsp; Subject: The Money
I’ve had a couple of days to think about the inheritance my birth father left for me. I’m grateful that you took care of it for all those years, but I’m 25 and I think I should be able to take over. Technically, I was supposed to get control at age 21. I would appreciate it if you could gather together all of the paperwork so I can come by and get it. If there’s anything you want to explain to me, we can sit down and talk about it then. Thanks.
Jack
Looking at the date, Tess realized it was just before Jack called Hudson.
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Date: November 23, 2013 6:48 am
Subject: Re: The Money
It will take me a few days to get everything together. I’ll let you know when it’s ready.
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Date: November 23, 2013 9:12 am
Subject: Re: Re: The Money
I’ll be by tonight after work. I really don’t want to wait that long.
Tess could feel the tension coming off the computer screen in waves. Her stomach began to feel queasy as she counted the number of emails that went back and forth. There were sixteen more and she wasn’t sure she could read through them by herself. She didn’t know what they held, but she wanted someone with her when whatever truth they held came to light. Pulling her phone out of her pocket, she tapped Lilly’s direct contact icon.
“Hey!” Her sister’s voice was a balm to her aching soul.
“Hey sis,” Tess answered. “I could really use some company again.”
“What?” Lilly immediately switched from happiness to concern. “Is everything all right? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. There’s just a lot of shit happening. Can you spare your little sis a few hours to scarf some pizza and drink some beer?”
Lilly never hesitated. “Absolutely. What time do you want me there?”
“What time do you get off work?”
“Five.”
“Perfect. It’s almost four now. You bring the beer and I’ll have the pizza waiting.”
“You got it! I’ll see you then.”
Chapter 23
Ford was still buried beneath the blankets on his bed when his phone chirped with an incoming text. Groaning, he snaked his arm out from under them and reached for the bedside table. His fingers found the slim, cool rectangleand he pulled it to his face.Need to get to Tess’s. Pick u up in 10 minutes.
“Aw, hell,” he muttered and sat straight up, flinging the bedding in all directions. His head exploded with the fiery stars of a hangover and he dropped the phone so he could put both hands on either temple. Rubbing gently, he slowly opened his eyes and was grateful to be able to see the room around him in a fairly clear fashion.
As he scooted to the end of the bed to stand, the room was filled with the harsh sounds of ringing. Flopping onto his back, he reached for the phone and clicked the answer button. “Yeah.”
“Didn’t you get my message?” Hudson’s voice boomed into Ford’s ear and he winced, barely keeping the whine of pain in his throat from coming out.
“Yeah.”
“Where are you and where the hell have you been all day?”
“Home.”
“Oh for fuck’s sake, you’re not still in bed are you?” Hudson shouted. “I’ll pick you up. Be ready in ten minutes!”
The click of his brother hanging up made Ford flinch and he scowled at the black screen. Jackass. Shoving himself off the bed, he stood up slowly and scratched his naked chest, wondering what time he’d finally gotten home. How had he’d gotten home? Must have been a cab, I was way too drunk to ride. He shuffled across the room to the bathroom where he turned on the shower.
Ford stepped out of his shorts and into the cold needles of water raining down. He didn’t bother with the hot tap, he needed to wake up and clear his head. If there was some emergency going on, he needed all his wits to be able to focus on the situation and tune out Hudson’s lecture. God, what had he done last night? He should have just met his brother at the Goose or at the very least gone home. Instead, he’d turned to booze to drown out all of the crap in his head. And the bitch of it was, it hadn’t really worked. Once again, even in a passed-out state, his mind had produced dreams of Tess, images he didn’t dare repeat out loud or even think about.
Ford lathered his face, head and body all in one motion and then forced himself under the frigid spray to rinse, repeating the same thought over and over: knock it off, knock it off, FOCUS! The temperature was doing nothing to relieve his hangover or his racing mind, and he hoped he still had some Tylenol in the cabinet. When he stepped over the lip of the tub, he didn’t bother with a towel. He made a beeline for the medicine chest in search of pain relief. “Praise be,” he mumbled sarcastically as he grabbed the large bottle of extra strength capsules and shook out five. He downed them and stuck his head into the sink to grab a sip of water. As he shook his head back to help the pills down his throat, droplets of water flew all over the walls and mirror. Naked, he went in search of clean clothes.
“You ready?”
Hudson entered the apartment, using the key Ford had been forced to surrender. Baby brother worried too much and insisted he be able to check on Ford whenever he wanted. Rather than argue, he’d given the key to Hudson and this was the first time he’d ever used it. This must be bad.
“Almost.” Ford sifted through a pile of clothes on the floor, not finding any clean underwear. “Fuck it,” he growled as he found a not too stained pair of jeans and pulled them on. Switching to a different mound of laundry, he sniffed at a plain black t-shirt finding it not too offensive. He pulled it over his head and across his chest.
“Come on, man!”
“I’m going!” Ford snapped. He stood in the middle of the room, scanning for his boots.
“They’re right there.” Hudson glowered at him, pointing to the boots. “What time did you get home?”
“Don’t ask.” He couldn’t have answered anyway.
Ford brushed past him to where he pointed and, sure enough, his boots were lying on their sides, one by the foot and the other next to the side of the bed. He snatched them up and pulled them on without bothering to consider socks. He grabbed a leather vest from a hook on the back of the door and pulled it on. Then he ran his fingers through his hair roughly, to get it out of his eyes.
“What are you waiting for?” he asked Hudson, grabbing his smokes from the resin table that served as his eating space. He walked out the door, knowing Hudson would be close on his heels.
Ford pretended his body didn’t ache and his head didn’t pound as he clomped down the stairs toward the parking lot where Hudson’s truck waited. All at once he threw a prayer of thanks out to the universe when he recognized his motorcycle parked slightly askew in its assigned space. Shit, I rode home. I was lucky.
As he climbed into the truck, he lit a cigarette and closed the door. The window was already down and he hung his hand outside in a vain attempt to keep the smoke out of the vehicle.
“You need to quit,” Hudson scolded as he hopped in and started the engine.
“Yeah, yeah. Why don’t you fill me in, instead of lecturing?”
Hudson scowled and began to drive. “Tess called and said she found something interesting. That’s all she would say, but she insisted we both come over as soon as possible.”
Ford grimaced but said nothing. He kept silent as Hudson drove and he smoked on the ride from his place at Harper and Crocker in Mt. Clemens to Harrison Township. Tess was born and raised in the Shores, but she and Jack had opted to live in an apartment in the small city just north of their hometown. His brain was beginning to “unfuzz” and he almost smiled, remembering the word his brother had made up for their mother when she was coming off a hangover. He was a little more than ashamed for having tied one on so spectacularly that he didn’t remember coming home. Ford tried to rec
all everything that had happened the night before, but it was all just a blur of beer, shots and multiple bars. At least he hadn’t brought someone home this time.
“Wake up,” Hudson snapped. He was standing outside the truck, staring back at him through the open door.
“Sorry.”
Ford got out of the truck and they both half jogged to the door of Tess’s apartment. Before they could knock, it opened wide and Lilly motioned them in.
“Come on in, fellas,” she said quietly. “She was fine when I talked to her on the phone earlier, but by the time I got here, she was pissed off. Now she’s just… I don’t know, weird. Up and down. All over the place.”
Ford followed Hudson inside to find Tess sitting on the couch with a bottle of beer in her hand. She raised a single hand in a nervous greeting. This can’t be good.
“Hi guys,” she mumbled, taking a sip of beer.
“What’s going on?” Hudson’s voice was harried.
“More twists and turns,” she said with a cold smile that definitely didn’t reach her eyes. She took another long pull from the bottle. “Check it out.” She pointed to a lockbox sitting on the coffee table. Hudson walked around the table to sit beside Tess on the couch.
Ford stayed where he was just inside the door, wondering how many beers Tess might have downed before their arrival. Her eyes were on their way to a nice glassy finish, and it wouldn’t be long before her words were too slurred to understand. He walked around to her corner of the couch and stood there. He reached down stealthily and snatched the bottle out of her hand before she knew what was happening.
“Hey!” she cried.
“I think you’ve had enough for a minute,” he said softly. “At least until you’ve told us what’s going on. Yeah?” He tipped the beer to his own lips and finished what was left, setting the empty down on the coffee table.
The Widow and the Will Page 13
