“Harry was telling you about your mother?”
“Yes. We had a good talk. It’s a painful subject, Jase.”
“Yes, it would be. Sorry. Do you want to talk about it?”
“There’s a lot I want to discuss with you, but I’d like to give myself some time to make sense of it first. If I talk about this now, it will be too disjointed, too rambling. Please don’t push.”
“I’m here anytime you need to talk. You know that, don’t you?”
“Oh, Jase. The more I find out, the more confused I get. It’s like I’m looking at one of those five thousand piece reversible jig saw puzzles that are half completed, but with the front to back designs reversed at random. I’m having to challenge my old ideas against new insights. That is not a comfortable process.”
“I don’t imagine it is... The past few weeks haven’t been pleasant for you, have they?”
“There have been times that have been less than pleasant.”
“Do you want to call off the wedding?”
“No! We aren’t the problem. I want to marry you, Jase. I can’t think of anything I want more.”
A tenseness almost visibly evaporated from around him. “I just want you to be sure.”
“I’m sure. Trust me, Jase. I do know my own mind.”
He smiled at her. “We haven’t had much time together.”
“I’m sure it will get better. There aren’t many more plans to make.” She yawned. “I think I had better go back to bed. The tea is working all too well. I feel very sleepy all of a sudden.”
In spite of feeling sleepy, rest was impossible. She was plagued by disturbing dreams. When she awoke from her troubled sleep the next morning, Mary Kate knew she had to find out more about the death of Peter
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Filson. Surely, the proceedings of the inquest were a matter of public record. She knew she should be able to acquire them for simply the cost of reproduction.
Gil could probably advise her on the matter. But did she trust him? Perhaps she should find another attorney.
No, her father trusted Gil. Surely, that meant the man was a good attorney. In the weeks since she had arrived here, she hadn’t seen a single action from Gil that was questionable. Harry trusted Gil, so he had to be a good attorney. Her father wasn’t the type to suffer fools gladly.
She sat in Gil’s office late that afternoon. It was a nice office. Very professional, yet comforting. It was designed to be soothing to frayed nerves. This was a side of Gil that Mary Kate had never suspected.
“Mary Kate?” Gil said firmly from the doorway to his private office. “Won’t you come in?”
Seated across the desk from him, Mary Kate looked around. The office spoke of money and power.
“What’s on your mind, Mary Kate? How may I be of service?”
“I need to know about Peter Filson,” Mary Kate said baldly.
Gil looked at her probingly. “You would be better off if you left it alone, Mary Kate.”
“Why is it that no one wants to answer questions?”
“Some facts should be left alone. This whole situation caused Harry so much pain. Certainly, you wouldn’t want to hurt your father?”
“Daddy understands how I feel.”
“You’ve talked with Harry about this?”
“Yes, in detail.”
Gil sighed. His face took on a very pensive expression.
“Look, Gil, is it so horrible that I want to find out why my mother left here?”
Gil stated in a resigned voice, “No, it isn’t so horrible. You are curious. That’s understandable. I’d be curious too, if I were in your position.”
“Then you will help me?”
Gil spoke reluctantly, “Don’t blame me if you don’t like the results. It isn’t a pretty story.”
“All I want is the truth.”
“I’ll show you the information in my files about this. But that’s all I can do,” Gil said strongly. “But not the material which is confidential, only what is a matter of public record.”
“I wouldn’t have you violate client/attorney privilege.”
“You know the information you want is in storage. It may take days to find it. My dead files are in a rented storage area on the other side of town in cardboard boxes. But I won’t have time to go after it for a few
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days.”
“I can wait. Thanks for the help, Gil. Well, I’m supposed to meet Jase at the jewelers to pick out the rings. I had better be going.”
“I haven’t properly congratulated you on your engagement,” Gil said smoothly. “I hope you and Jase will be very happy together.”
“We plan on it.”
Gil laughed. “I hope you will be.”
“I have to go. Jase is probably waiting for me.”
“Give Jase my regards.”
“You’ll let me know when you dig out those records?”
“Of course. Just give me a few days. I’ve several things on my calendar just now which are more urgent.”
“I do understand. Thanks.”
Gil got on the telephone. “Our young friend was just here.”
“Was she?” The woman replied.
“You may be right.”
“It’s time for Edward Hastings to pop up and eliminate the problem.”
“Almost. Let’s wait until we can eliminate two birds with one stone.”
The woman laughed softly. “That sounds like a good idea.”
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Chapter Twenty One
Jase and Mary Kate went through the attic of her father’s house looking for heirlooms to use in their new house. Harry and Audra were only too happy to offer the engaged couple any of the furnishings stored away in the relatively large, but extremely cluttered, dusty, and rather hot attic. Both Jase and Mary Kate were dressed in shorts and tank tops in deference to the heat.
Mary Kate was especially interested in her mother’s paintings which Harry, although he hadn’t been able to bear to look at, had never been able to bring himself to part with. Harry had said she could have any or all of them, if she so desired.
There were at least two dozen of Nan’s paintings stored in the attic. Mostly they were landscapes of the local area. Mary Kate wanted to weep when she saw the beauty of the paintings. She wanted to weep when she uncovered a portrait her mother had painted of Harry. The love Nan had felt for Harry came through so strongly. It was a tender and passionate painting of a young man. Harry’s determination showed strongly, as did his tenderness. There was humor in his eyes. She knew then, with an absolute certainty, that Nan had loved Harry as deeply as a man could be loved by a woman.
Nan had loved Harry as deeply as Mary Kate now loved Jase.
Mary Kate wondered what it would take to make her leave Jase. A threat to his life? A threat to the life of a child of theirs? Would anything be able to compel her to leave? In many ways, her mother had been too gentle for her own good, Mary Kate decided sadly.
Jase held her gently, allowing her to weep. There was nothing else he could do. Words seemed so useless. He wondered, for the hundredth time, if he had pushed her into this engagement.
She felt almost frail in his arms. During the weeks since the attempted kidnapping and her injuries, she had lost about fifteen pounds she hadn’t needed to lose. He was afraid for her.
Mary Kate had been living on nerves during the past weeks. Her appetite was almost non existent. She had picked at her food, leaving most of it on her plate at each meal. He had made a habit of trying to get her to eat something midmorning, mid-afternoon, and in the middle of the night, since she was awake anyway. There were faint shadows under her eyes, testifying to her inability to get enough rest. Yet, in spite of everything, she had resumed her morning runs. Only now, instead of Mary Kate running alone, Jase rode his horse beside her, armed and quite willing to use the gun at his side, if the need arose. She had taken to her physical therapy with a vengeance, trying to rebuild the muscles in her should
er and arm.
“Are you sure you want the paintings?”
“Yes, I want them. Do you have any problem with that?”
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“No problem. I like the paintings. They’re beautiful. I remember sitting for Nancy. She made it fun for me.”
“I’m glad you have good memories of Mother,” Mary Kate admitted. Then she smiled at him. “Let’s get back to work. I feel like a kid at Christmas. There are so many treasures.”
Jase and she marked off which of the larger pieces they wanted for their new home. There were several antique bedsteads for spare bedrooms, assorted occasional tables, a few oak bookcases, and a walnut roll top desk for Mary Kate’s office.
Then she began to search through boxes. Small and medium sized treasures were found. A very tarnished silver tea and coffee service badly in need of a polishing, several silver service trays, a complete set of silver flatware for twelve, crystal candy dishes, a set of ironstone suitable for everyday use, several small alabaster items which were of no real value except that they looked pretty, a few lead crystal bud vases; a set of hand carved oak napkin rings, and an assortment of table linens which although old were in perfect shape.
“Are you about done scrounging?” Jase teased.
“I’m having fun seeing what we can discover. But I’ve always loved garage and rummage sales. Mother and I used to go to sales just to see what people no longer wanted. I got my first typewriter for two dollars because it had a sticky key that took me ten minutes to repair.”
Jase laughed. “Then by all means, don’t let me interfere in your pleasure. Open the next box, and I’ll go get us some iced tea. I could use a cold drink. Couldn’t you?”
“Yeah.”
The next box contained old photo albums. Mary Kate opened them and began to thumb through them. There were pictures of her mother and of her father. There was a wedding picture, a copy of the one her mother had always kept on the nightstand. As she turned the last page, there was an envelope. Mary Kate looked inside, out of curiosity. There were photos clearly taken out at the lake of a man beating another man. It was a whole sequence, ending with the second man being thrown into the lake. Mary Kate was shaking. She had no doubt this was a photo account of Peter Filson’s death. The negatives were there. Mary Kate was shaking.
“What’s wrong?” Jase asked as he came back into the attic carrying two tall tumblers of iced tea.
“Look at these,” she said hoarsely, as the tears streamed down her face. “God, Jase...”
Jase sat beside her and took the photos from her shaking fingers. He looked at them in silence. Then he looked at her and swallowed hard.
“Finally, everything makes sense. Suddenly, it makes sense. The funny thing is I really wish that it didn’t.”
“This is going to be hard on Harry.”
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“I can’t let them continue to get by with murder.” Jase shook his head negatively. “No, we can’t. I’m in this with you.” “I knew Mother could never have done the things she was accused of.” “Whatever we do, we have to approach this carefully. They’ve committed one murder.” . “That we know of. Maybe more. But I agree. Not a word of this to anyone.” “Let’s safeguard it. Copies need to be made, and the original entrusted to the authorities. This is
enough evidence to force an arrest.” “Agreed.” Mary Kate telephoned Gil after she and Jase had devised a plan with Steve and Jack. “Mary Katherine,” Gil said into the phone, “if this is about the Chase file, I still haven’t had time to
retrieve it.” “I’m not worried about that. Maybe, you were right. Maybe I should leave it alone.” “That’s probably very wise,” he agreed in obvious relief. “Gil...” she continued. “I want you to draw up a simple document for me.” “What kind of document?” “I want a pre-nuptial agreement drawn.” “A pre-nupt? Surely that’s unnecessary,” Gil dismissed. “I don’t think so. Jase and I are coming into the marriage on grossly unequal terms. I don’t want
anyone to have any reason to think I’m marrying Jase for his money.” “I can understand that. I once was in love with a woman who was much wealthier than I was. Her brother disapproved,” he said thoughtfully. “What are the terms of the document which you want me to draw?”
“Everything which is mine prior to the marriage, remains mine. Everything which is Jase’s, remains Jase’s. Anything earned during the marriage is community property. Anything inherited is deemed personal property. Custody of any children is mine, with Jase having generous visitation rights. That should be simple enough. I want it couched in sufficiently legal terms to be binding.”
“When do you want it?” “After dinner tonight, if you can?” “That is short notice. But, I think I can manage it.” “Could you bring it by Dad’s house, say nine tonight. I want this out of the way as soon as possible.”
Gil sighed. “Of course.” “Thanks, Gil. I appreciate it,” she said just before she hung up the receiver. “He went for it?” Jase asked.
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“Yeah. I want to strangle him, slowly. And then move on to that woman.”
“Don’t do anything stupid, Mary Kate,” Steve advised. “We’ll be there, waiting, hidden. Everything said will be recorded. You’ve both been shown how to work the microphones that will be going to the recording equipment. Just hang loose.”
“I have a voice activated cassette recorder. I thought I might set it up secretly, just as a backup.” “Not a bad idea,” Steve agreed. “Now I know this is going to be difficult, but you can’t let anyone have
even the faintest glimpse that something is wrong.” Mary Kate sighed. “You just make certain you’re there,” she said as she gathered up the photocopies. “This will all be over soon,” Jase said as they returned to her father’s house. “I hope so. Maybe it would have been better to let this alone.” “You don’t believe that. We’ll handle it, love. We’ll handle it, whatever comes.” “Did you find a treasure trove in the attic?” Harry asked at dinner. Mary Kate smiled at her father. “We found much more than I expected to,” she allowed. “I’m going to
borrow one of Billie’s big pots, line it with foil and fill it with hot saline and soda solution so I can remove the
tarnish from a coffee and tea service, some silver flatware, and service trays which we found up there.” “Does that really work?” “The tarnish from the silver is lifted by the mild electrolytic then deposited onto the aluminum.” “I didn’t know that,” Missy said in amusement. “I should have thought of it, I suppose. The chemistry
isn’t that complex. It probably stinks to high heaven, though.” Mary Kate smiled broadly at her half sister. “It does. But it’s easier than scrubbing with silver polish.” “I’ll take your word for it,” Jase said, winking at his future bride. Mary Kate sighed. “I’ve invited Gil around after dinner.” Harry looked at his daughter. “Why?” “Since I’ve discovered the gross inequity between Jase’s financial status and mine, I’ve had Gil draw up
a pre-nuptial agreement. I want you all to witness the signing of it, so that no one can later say I married Jase
for his money. Or that he married me for my inheritance.” Harry sighed and looked at his wife. “What did we ever do to deserve two such stubborn children?” “Don’t ask me, Harry dear, I’m certain I don’t know,” Audra stated. After the agreement was signed and witnessed, Mary Kate looked over at Jase and smiled sadly. Gil looked strange. He was rubbing his arm. Sweat was beaded up on his brow. Thea looked at him, in concern. “Are you well, Gil?” “I just pulled a muscle in my arm today, nothing major,” the lawyer said. “Is it hot in here to anyone but
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me?”
Mary Kate walked over to the liquor cabinet and poured herself a tonic water, then she dropped in a lime slice. She knew from other occasions that Gil took Gin and Tonic. So she made him one. She turned on the small tape recorder she had secreted there earlier.
“Since we’re all gathered, I have a small gift for each of you,
” she said as she rejoined the group and gave the drink to Gil.
“You shouldn’t have,” Thea replied.
A small, tight, smile graced Mary Kate’s lips. She removed the stack of manila envelopes from her briefcase. Then she passed the envelopes about. “No one open these until everyone has theirs, okay? I want to see the expressions on all faces.”
“You’re being very mysterious tonight, Mary Kate,” Harry replied in puzzlement.
“I hope you think it’s a good mystery, Father, once you’ve seen what I’ve given you. In the long run, I think it may be.”
“What is it?” Missy asked as she took her envelope.
“Keep an eye on Dad, will you?” Mary Kate asked as she whispered in her sister’s ear. “Promise me. Just monitor Dad. This is going to be hard on him.”
Missy looked in distress at Mary Kate as the other young woman continued to pass out envelopes.
“Doesn’t Jase get a present?” Audra asked.
“No. He’s already had his,” Mary Kate said as she positioned herself at the door from the entryway into the formal living room. Jase took a spot at the only other exit out of the room.
He had taken the precaution of arming himself.
“Go ahead, open it,” she invited as she trained her eyes on Gil.
“What the...” Gil asked tightly as he pulled the photocopies of photos.
“Answers. At long last,” Mary Kate replied. “They say the truth will set you free. In this case, the truth will send you to jail for a very long time, Gil.”
“I don’t have to sit here and take this,” Gil stated coldly as he rose from his chair.
“Sit down, Gilbert,” Harry commanded.
“Yes. Sit down, Gilbert,” Mary Kate echoed. “You’ll have to get past me or Jase to leave this room. Neither of us are disposed to allow you past us.”
Harry finished looking at the copies of the photos. He sighed raggedly. “Well I have the answers, now. Funny, but I didn’t think I had harbored a murderess all these years.”
“Are you okay, Dad?” Mary Kate asked.
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“I’m fine, Mary Katherine,” Harry assured her.
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