Tess hated sounding like a beggar, but she didn’t have any choice. Emily was so up and down and back and forth, it was hard to predict what she would say or do.
“Yes, I will. Just have this Hudson person call and I will make sure that there isn’t any issue.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
Tess insisted on paying the bill and they walked out together. She breathed a sigh of relief when Emily didn’t pay any more attention to Ford, who still hung out in his booth. As it happened, they were parked right next to each other in the lot. Unsure of how to end things, she went with her gut and gave Emily a quick hug. “I appreciate this. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, dear. I’ll see you soon.”
Tess watched her get into her car and drive away before yanking her cell phone out of her pocket and dialing Hudson.
“Hi, it’s Tess.”
“Hey! How did it go?”
“I can’t say for sure. She’s really weird, one minute all snarky and the next as sweet as pie. She did say she would get David to set up the meeting.”
“Well, that’s something then.”
“She said you should call David, but I didn’t exactly get a timeline. Maybe wait until later or even tomorrow to give her time to speak with him first.”
“No worries.”
“Where’s Ford?” Tess asked, hoping it didn’t sound weird for her to be asking.
“I don’t know. He left and said he had some errands to run. Why?”
“I was just curious,” Tess fumbled. “I thought I saw his motorcycle go by while I was waiting for Emily. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Okay, bye.”
Tess ended the call and stuffed her phone into the side pocket of her daisy backpack purse. She looked around the parking lot until she found Ford’s bike and walked over to it. She leaned against the machine waiting patiently for him to come out of the restaurant. When he finally ambled out the door, she gave in to her earlier urge and flipped him off as he approached.
The sound of his honest laughter was refreshing to her since she’d never heard it before. “What’s that for?” he asked as he stepped up beside her.
“For distracting me all through lunch. Why did you come here?”
“Told ya. I needed to eat and we’re just right around the corner from the office.”
Tess sniffed, totally not believing him. “Were you spying or looking out for me?”
Ford offered a genuine smile, instead of his usual smug look. “Both.”
Shaking her head, Tess smiled back. She reached out and gave him a punch on the arm. “Well, thanks. But next time, tell me. I thought I would going to die when you walked in. I don’t need any more surprises, okay?”
* * * * *
Ford nodded, thoroughly amused with Tess’s irritation. She was even cuter when she was annoyed. He had known showing up might throw her for a loop, but it was a chance he decided to take. He didn’t trust Emily Kingston and didn’t think throwing Tess into the unknown was a good idea. And he couldn’t just tell Hudson he was going to watch over things without giving away some heavily guarded feelings, so Ford had said he was going to run some errands.
He had to admit, Tess handled herself perfectly throughout the lunch. He only wished he’d been able to find out what they’d said. He had hoped to get seated nearer to them, but he couldn’t win ’em all.
“Tell me what happened.” Ford pulled his cigarettes from his breast pocket and lit one. “How did she seem?”
He listened and smoked as Tess rehashed the conversation for him. By the time she finished talking, Ford was even more impressed. Something had changed in Tess. He wasn’t sure he could put his finger on it, but there was definitely more resolve in the way she stood and spoke. It gave him hope that, whatever lay ahead she would come through it okay. Maybe with a few more scars, but whole and okay.
Chapter 28
Tess twitched uncomfortably behind the wheel of her parked car. She sat in the lot of David Kingston’s office, waiting for Hudson to arrive for the meeting that had been arranged between her and the Kingston family. True to her word, Emily had convinced David to accept a call from Hudson. Tess still wasn’t so sure it was that great of an idea.
Hudson had been ecstatic when he called her about it, but Tess knew better. David had to have something up his sleeve. If she thought they only wanted to talk about money, she would have gladly sat down with the Kingstons in a much less formal atmosphere. She would have told them they could have it all, except for the life insurance policy. The million dollars from that would do nicely to see her through the majority of her life. What did she need with all the other stuff – stocks and property and what not?
But Jack had thought his family might hurt him for those things. It filled her with rage and obstinacy. There was no way in hell she was going to give it back to them if there was any possibility that any one of them had harmed a hair on Jack’s head.
Tess had wanted her parents to come to the meeting for moral support, but Hudson had talked her out of it. Things might get acrimonious. Did she really want her mother and father to have to witness that? Of course she didn’t. They were already in kill mode because their “baby” was hurting. If Roger Kingston said one wrong thing, Harry Langford was likely to knock him out. And while Ruth Langford was not prone to violence, Tess had no doubt she would scratch Emily Kingston’s eyes out if push came to shove.
Glancing around, there was still no sight of Hudson’s truck. Tess’s leg began to bounce up and down, and she could feel the tension in her shoulders and neck. She began to chip away at the clear coat of polish on her fingernails. A pile of whitish flakes covered her lap when she heard the familiar rumble of a motorcycle as Ford pulled into the parking lot. He slid the bike into the spot next to her and eased it onto the kickstand.
He hadn’t even cut the engine before Tess was out of her car and standing beside him, smiling from ear to ear. “Hi,” she said, groaning inwardly at the high-pitched, nervous sound of her voice.
“Hey,” was his casual reply. He turned off the bike and slipped the keys into his pocket. As he removed his helmet and swiveled to hang it from the hook at the end of the bike, Tess took a deep breath to calm herself. His hair was tousled and the ends were windblown. She watched as he ran his fingers through it, trying to smooth it down.
“What are you doing here?” she asked. He shaved today. He was in a pair of khakis and a plain navy blue polo shirt, too. It was a big change from his usual grungy jeans and leathers. You’re doing it again, T. Stop it!
“Moral support.”
“Heh,” Tess breathed. “So Hudson gets a backup but I don’t?”
Ford smiled. “I’m here for both of you. And to keep an eye on the idiot.”
Tess grinned, knowing he meant David. “I’m more worried about Roger than David. He’s the one who might keel over from a heart attack over all this.”
“Good, one less person to deal with,” Ford muttered.
Tess reached out and punched him in the arm. “Hey, that’s not nice. We don’t know for sure if they’re really evil or just mean.”
Ford shrugged. Nodding his head in the direction of the driveway, Tess looked up to see Hudson pull in. He hopped out of his truck and strode over to them.
“Hey,” he said. Shaking his shoulders and head around, he took in a deep breath and exhaled quickly. “Are we ready for this?”
“No,” Ford and Tess said in unison.
“Well, it’s too late now. Let’s just get it done.”
“Lay on, Macduff.” Ford extended his hand. Hudson smirked and turned to walk toward the door. Ford waited for Tess to follow so he could take up the rear.
Chapter 29
Hudson spoke politely to the receptionist behind the sliding glass window. She wasn’t as friendly, giving him a purse-lipped nod as she picked up her telephone to announce their arrival to the boss. When she hung up the receiver, she did not look at Hudson. “Mr. Kingston will be ou
t in a moment. Have a seat.”
“All righty then,” Hudson murmured. He turned back to Ford and Tess, giving them a half-hearted smile. “Let’s just have a seat, shall we?”
As they cooled their heels, Hudson tried to stifle the anger churning in his gut. The waiting was just a power play on David Kingston’s part. A passive-aggressive power play. Hudson rolled his eyes mentally while maintaining an outwardly patient demeanor. There was no way in hell he was going to let David get the best of him with such a childish, piss ant move. He stole a glance at Tess and was relieved that she appeared relaxed and calm. She looked crisp and cool in the pale blue top and blue and white flowery skirt she wore. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. She was definitely handling things better than he could have hoped for. As the days had gone by, her resolution to find out the truth had solidified and made her stronger. It was as if her grief had taken a back seat to her quest to discover what exactly had happened to Jack.
The longer Hudson looked at Tess, the more beautiful she became. He couldn’t help noticing the little birthmark behind her right ear, as she sat on his left. His eyes drifted down and he appreciated the way her bare leg bounced on her knee. When he brought his head back up to study something different, he caught Ford glaring at him.
Oh shit, Hudson thought, whipping his head back to the right. That was the last thing he needed was his brother catching him ogling Tess so openly. She’s just a client, asshole.
“Mr. Kingston will see you now.”
The grumpy receptionist was standing in the waiting area with the door opened wide. Hudson tried not to jump up too quickly, embarrassed that he’d been caught off guard. He straightened his tie and turned to Tess. “After you.”
She nodded and walked through the doorway, following the receptionist. Hudson did the same to Ford, inviting him to go next. Ford continued to glare at him. “Keep your eye on the ball, brother,” he said softly as he walked past him.
Hudson shook his head and smirked.
They were led to a conference room where David, Emily and Roger Kingston were already seated on one side of an enormous mahogany table. It hadn’t escaped Hudson’s notice how sumptuous the office was, with its high-end furnishings and fixtures. He felt no shame that his office wasn’t as nice; instead, he thought of himself as “Every man’s lawyer” where his clients could feel comfortable and not patronized. Yeah, keep tellin’ yourself that.
Hudson pulled out a chair for Tess to sit, while Ford took the chair to her right. Hudson sat on her left and set his briefcase on the table. “Good afternoon,” he said in a pleasant tone. He tried to make eye contact with each of the Kingstons, but only David met his gaze.
“Good afternoon.” David’s voice was as pinched as the look on his face.
“Thank you for calling the meeting.” Hudson reached into his briefcase and took out the thick Kingston file. “This doesn’t have to be all that formal.”
“Why is he here?” David pointed to Ford.
Ford had been reclining in his chair and staring at his clasped hands.
“Moral support,” Tess interjected.
“Hmm.” David frowned and leaned back in his chair. “Seeing as he is not an interested party, I don’t see how his presence is appropriate. I would ask him to leave.”
“Well–” Hudson started. This is going to be bad.
“No. He stays,” Tess insisted. “Roger? Emily? Do you have a problem with this?”
Emily had been staring off into space and her head pivoted in her daughter-in-law’s direction. Her eyes narrowed for just a second or two as she looked at Ford. Roger began to object, looking back and forth between his wife and son, but Emily placed a delicate, white hand on his arm. “Let it be, Roger.”
The room remained silent for several moments before Hudson cleared his throat. “Okay, that’s settled. Why don’t we start with taking a look at Jack’s will?”
“Oh, we’ve been reviewing the will for some time,” David sneered.
Hudson raised his eyebrows. “I see.”
“It’ll never hold up in court.”
Hudson shrugged as if it didn’t surprise or bother him that David would feel this way. Secretly, he was angry though. The whole point of Tess reaching out to Emily was to schedule an amicable, non-threatening meeting. Already, David was getting down and dirty.
“I would disagree. Jack was of sound mind when he pass– er died. On what grounds would you have to contest it?”
David sat up a bit straighter in his chair. “Well, any number of things. He made a will without telling anyone. He didn’t confide in his fiancé or his family. I would say that smacks of severe paranoia. Obviously there had to be something wrong with him physically and mentally to have taken such actions. What I’d like to know is how you can say he was of sound mind when he signed his will. What do you know that we don’t? Anything you’d care to disclose?”
Hudson frowned and felt his stomach flip flop. He looked over at Tess who shrugged, the look on her face one of terror. He caught Ford’s eyes and Ford shook his head so slightly Hudson wasn’t even sure it moved.
“If there’s a point you’re trying to make, I think you should make it.” Hudson spoke through semi-clenched teeth, trying with great determination to remain cordial and placid.
David’s throaty and cynical laugh filled the room. “Is this really necessary? I can’t believe you’re going to put us through this, Tess.”
“Mr. Kingston–” Hudson tried to speak.
“David–” Roger raised a hand to try and gain control, but it was too late.
“No, I’m serious!” David shouted. He would have said more, but the last thing anyone expected was what happened next.
Emily Kingston’s head raised up slowly and she glowered at Tess. “You thought you could get away with this?” she screeched, banging her hands on the table. “You thought we wouldn’t find out what you did?” Before anyone could stop her, Emily leapt out of her chair and ran around the table towards Tess. Ford was on his feet and hooked her around the waist with one arm lifting her off the floor. She struggled and twisted to get away from him, but Ford held tight. He carried her back to the chair and forced her back into it. When she tried to lunge again, he put his hands on her shoulders to restrain her.
“Get your hands off my wife!” Roger bellowed, jabbing his fists at Ford, who tried to keep one hand on Emily and use the other to fend off Roger.
“Let’s get out of here.” Hudson grabbed Tess’s arm and yanked her up. They bolted for the door but were stopped short.
A plainclothes cop stood in the doorway to the conference room flanked by two uniformed police officers. “Hold it right there.”
The room quieted immediately.
“What’s going on?” Hudson demanded.
David Kingston found his voice and legs and strode up to Tess. “You must think you’re very smart, but you aren’t. I have contacts at the medical examiner’s office too. You aren’t the only one who can get information for a price.” He stepped to the table and grabbed some papers of his own, throwing them at her. They bounced off her chest and fell to the floor.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Tess’s voice cracked and her face drained of all color. She began to shake and Hudson put an arm around her shoulders to steady her.
“Tess Kingston,” the plain clothes cop stated, “I’m requesting that you come to the station to answer some questions about the death of Jack Kingston.”
Chapter 30
Tess shivered as she sat in the cold metal room with the large double-sided mirror. She’d seen enough episodes of Law & Order to know that the people behind it were watching her every move. She prayed her quaking didn’t look like some kind of guilt to those observers.
Hudson sat beside her, but she didn’t feel comforted by his presence. He was as confused as she was and two clueless people didn’t bode well for the interrogation coming. The police said she wasn’t charged with anything, but the unspoken “y
et” hung heavy in the air. What had happened to Jack? What had David been rambling about? She just couldn’t fathom what the hell was going on.
The doorknob wiggled and in walked an older man who looked friendly enough. He seemed like the police officer she had been taught to trust as a child, but in her state of agitation she almost cringed at the sight of him. He was probably in his middle fifties with a bushy mustache and little hair left on the rest of his head. His eyes were kind, but piercingly sharp. He sat down across from them and opened a file folder he had in his hand. He plucked two stapled pieces of paper from the stack and looked at it over the top of the half-lensed pair of glasses he wore.
“Good afternoon, Mrs. Kingston. My name is Butch Isham. Detective Carter, the man who brought you in, is my partner.” He smiled at her, but it did nothing to put Tess at ease. “The toxicology report on the victim indicates a foreign substance in his blood. What can you tell me about that?”
Hudson spoke before she could. “My client hasn’t had an opportunity to review the report, Detective.” He leaned forward. “We weren’t made aware that it was available. May we have a copy?”
“Sure,” Detective Isham said. “Take mine.” He pushed the report across the table toward Hudson, who began reading it right away. “The poison used made it look like the victim suffered a heart attack. Do you know of anyone who would want to cause harm to him?”
“Don’t answer that!” Hudson growled. “I’ve advised my client not to say anything at this time. We are only here because you basically ambushed us at David Kingston’s office.”
“Well, Mr. Kingston gave us the heads up that a meeting was taking place. And I didn’t think you wanted to make any statements there.”
“Like this is more comfortable,” Tess muttered, suffering a withering look from both the detective and her lawyer.
Detective Isham leaned back in his chair. “Did Jack have any enemies?”
The Widow and the Will Page 17
