by Cege Smith
She called the local technical college and asked if there was a student who would be interested in making some extra money. They sent over their best and brightest, a quiet boy named Joel, who helped Ellie set up her entire network in the shop. Luckily, Joel was as patient as he was brilliant, and he was able to guide her through how to use each piece of hardware and software that he assured her was going to “transform her business.” He also said he’d help her set up a website for the shop. It was all over Ellie’s head, but she nodded in agreement to whatever he said.
Three days after the funeral, the phone rang. Ellie thought it was probably David checking in. She left Joel in her office and grabbed the phone in the back.
“Ellie’s Coffee Isle,” she said, a bit out of breath.
“May I speak with Elizabeth Coulter please,” the deep voice said on the other end.
“Speaking,” she said, slightly annoyed. It sounded like a telemarketer, because no one called her Elizabeth unless they didn’t know her.
“Ms. Coulter, this is Vincent Thomassen,” the man said. The name sounded vaguely familiar, and Ellie realized why just as he confirmed it. “I was Jake’s lawyer for your divorce proceedings. I am very sorry to hear about your loss.”
“Oh yes, Mr. Thomassen,” Ellie said. She still felt a heavy knot of guilt in the pit of her stomach every time she thought about Jake, but she had stopped randomly crying, which she took as a good sign. “What can I do for you?”
“I actually need you to come down to my office,” he said.
“Why?” she asked.
“There are a few things regarding Mr. Coulter’s will that I need to discuss with you,” he said after a brief pause.
“Jake’s will?” Ellie said. She was shocked that Jake had ever had the foresight to create a will. “I don’t understand what that has to do with me. We’ve been divorced for months now.”
“Yes, of course.” Mr. Thomassen cleared his throat and Ellie felt stupid. Of course Jake’s lawyer would know how long they had been divorced. “But I think it’s best to discuss this in person. Are you available this afternoon?”
“I guess so,” Ellie said, feeling a sense of dread. “Are you sure we can’t discuss this over the phone?”
“Yes, I’m quite certain,” he replied. He gave her the address of his office. “Will two o’clock work for you?”
Ellie glanced at her watch. It was already noon. She tallied all the things that she had left to do in her head, but she knew there was no way that she could wait to find out what he wanted to talk to her about. “Okay, that should be fine.”
“Excellent. I will see you then,” and he hung up.
Two hours later Ellie sat in Vincent Thomassen’s waiting room, her knees shaking underneath her somber navy blue skirt. She had gone home and changed, not wanting to meet Jake’s attorney wearing blue jeans.
A bored receptionist had taken her name and waved her into a chair. The woman had to be at least seventy years old by Ellie’s estimation, and she was chewing bubble gum like a teenager. Her aura was a pale honey. She didn’t seem to have a care in the world. A typewriter that could be possibly as old as the receptionist sat on the desk in front of her, and she alternated between typing a few words and then answering the phone.
“Mr. Thomassen is currently in a meeting,” was the answer to each call, and she scribbled notes on a notepad. Occasionally she would look in Ellie’s direction and smile patiently. “It’ll just be a few more minutes,” she assured.
Ellie just nodded, and tried to take deep breaths to calm herself. Vincent Thomassen’s waiting room smelled like sour smoke, and she wondered if clients still lit up there, although smoking was banned in public buildings in Hennepin County.
The office was located downtown in a tall building on Seventh Street. Ellie had forgotten how unnerving it was to drive around downtown, and had gotten lost trying to find a parking garage that was within walking distance of her destination.
The room was painted a light gray, and the shades looked like they hadn’t been cleaned in years. The sky outside was gray, as it so often was in November in Minnesota. The chairs might have been comfortable twenty years ago, but now the cushions were hard and Ellie shifted about trying to get comfortable.
The new things in the room were the magazines on the table, and she had already tried thumbing through the latest edition of People. It had not held her interest for longer than thirty seconds, though, and she finally put it down after trying to read the same story for the third time.
Finally, the door to the inner office opened, and a large balding man in an expensive suit stood there. Both Ellie and the receptionist looked up expectantly.
“Ms. Coulter?” he said in the same gruff voice that Ellie remembered from their earlier phone conversation. His aura was gray. He was indifferent, and Ellie didn’t know if she should take that as a good sign or not. She nodded and he motioned for her to come into the office. As she brushed past him, he said to the receptionist, “Hold my calls, Darlene.”
Ellie stood just inside the door until he pointed to the chair on the other side of a heavy mahogany desk. The desk was covered in piles of paper, and Ellie couldn’t see a free spot on the entire surface.
She reluctantly sat down with her purse in her lap. Even that barrier gave her little comfort as she watched Vincent Thomassen watch her. After a few moments of silence, she couldn’t stand it any longer.
“What’s this about, Mr. Thomassen?” she asked.
Mr. Thomassen finally sat in the chair across the desk from her and sighed. “What was the date of your divorce, Ms. Coulter?”
“Jake brought me papers to sign sometime in early spring and said it would take about two to three weeks for the divorce to be final. I don’t remember the exact date,” she said.
He pulled a file from underneath a stack of papers on his left side. Ellie could read “Jacob Coulter” on the printed tag identifying the file.
“You never had legal representation in these proceedings, correct?” he asked.
Ellie immediately grew defensive at the man’s tone. “No, I didn’t feel it was necessary. I sent Jake a check for the court costs, and the paperwork was all very straightforward. We discussed it and agreed that it didn’t make any sense for both of us to get attorneys since we agreed on everything. Jake said it wasn’t an issue for him to take care of it.”
“Well, that is part of our problem, I think.” Mr. Thomassen paused again. “We’re in a bit of a snag now, you see.”
“Why is that?” Ellie asked.
“You may or may not have been aware of this, but Mr. Coulter was reluctant about getting divorced,” he answered.
Ellie’s feeling of dread grew. “At first, yes, I know he was. But I signed the paperwork he gave me, so I knew that he had finally accepted that it was over,” she said.
“How familiar are you with the divorce process?” he asked.
“Jake told me I just needed to sign the papers that he gave me, and then it would be filed with the court. A judge would sign off on it, and then it was done,” she said.
“Did Mr. Coulter advise you that the divorce had been finalized?” he asked.
“Yes, I just told you. He called and said he got the letter in the mail and that everything was done. I actually didn’t hear from him again until just a week ago,” Ellie replied.
“And therein lies the issue, Ms. Coulter,” Mr. Thomassen said. “As I mentioned, Mr. Coulter was entering into this whole process with great reluctance.”
“I wish you’d get to the point, Mr. Thomassen,” Ellie said.
“Mr. Coulter never filed the paperwork with the court,” Mr. Thomassen bluntly stated.
His words hit Ellie like a punch in the stomach. “What?” she said a bit too loudly. “What do you mean?”
“He was holding off, perhaps to get his feelings in order on the matter. I didn’t know that he still intended to get divorced until I spoke with him about that matter a few weeks ago. H
e indicated to me that he had put it off intentionally, and since you already believed that you were divorced, he didn’t see any reason to hurry things along until some recent changes in his life.”
Ellie was barely listening, and Mr. Thomassen paused. “We were actually supposed to meet next week. He was eager to get the process finalized.”
“Well, no wonder. His girlfriend is going to be giving birth any day now,” Ellie snapped.
“He had mentioned an intention to get married in the near future,” he confirmed. He waited for Ellie to process the information. “I know this may be difficult for you, especially considering the circumstances. But we will need to discuss the terms of Mr. Coulter’s will.”
“What?” Ellie said. He had her attention again, but her mind was spinning. Is it possible she had been so stupid? She had completely trusted Jake and he hadn’t given her any indication that he was deceiving her. She felt like a complete idiot. Suddenly things that Jake had said during those late night phone calls made complete sense.
“Since you and Mr. Coulter were officially still married, that would make you his widow. All of Mr. Coulter’s estate is legally yours.”
Ellie stood up in alarm. “WHAT?” she cried. “No. No. No. This isn’t happening. That’s not possible.”
“Perhaps you should take a few moments. This must be a shock,” Mr. Thomassen said, leaning back in his chair.
“A shock? No, why would you ever think that?” Ellie ranted. “You’ve just told me that not only have I been married all this time, but now I’ve inherited Jake’s estate by default.”
“That is the long and short of it, yes,” he agreed, his fingers forming a triangle in front of his face.
“How was this even ethical?” she said as she started pacing the room. “Isn’t there some law against deception like this?”
“It was my understanding that my client intended to get divorced at some point,” Mr. Thomassen said calmly. “He stopped communicating with me earlier this year, and I did not receive any communication from you or a legal representative who was looking after your concerns. As far as I knew, the two of you had worked things out.”
“I just don’t understand how this could have happened,” she said. She gnawed on her fingernail as her mind tried to process what was happening.
“Regardless of how it happened, it is a reality,” Mr. Thomassen replied.
“What about Jenny?” Ellie saw a potentially explosive scene about to unfold in her future.
“Mr. Coulter’s current will does not provide for Ms. Marks. I believe it was also his intention during our upcoming meeting to update his will to accommodate for her,” he said pointedly.
“Does she know yet?” Ellie asked.
“No. She and Kathryn Coulter are due here in about an hour to discuss the specifics of Mr. Coulter’s will. I thought it best that I advise you prior to that meeting, as I’m sure this news will be…unexpected,” he answered.
“You don’t think she knew that Jake hadn’t filed the papers yet?”
“Do you think she knew?” He threw the question back at her.
Ellie thought back on Jenny’s reaction at the hospital. If she had known this… Ellie shook her head.
“I would think not either,” he said.
“I need time to think,” Ellie said. “This is all a bit overwhelming.”
“Of course,” Mr. Thomassen said. “I can have the necessary papers drawn up for your signature next week.”
“What do you need my signature for?’ she asked.
“Transfer of assets papers, and that sort,” he said as he started shuffling papers about.
Ellie wondered how he could keep anything straight with the mess on his desk.
“I don’t want it. Any of it,” she said, putting her hand down on the pile in front of him, drawing his attention back to her face. “Let Jenny have it.”
“I would advise that you take some time to think about that, Ms. Coulter,” he replied. “If that is what you want, then we can do that. But you’ve been through a great loss, and I think it would be best if you took some time to process this. There is the matter of your former home as well as Mr. Coulter’s business holdings.”
Ellie sat back down in her chair, exhausted and overwhelmed. She couldn’t think anymore. “I don’t want it,” she said flatly.
“Here’s my card.” Mr. Thomassen pulled a business card from his left-hand drawer. “Think about it over the weekend. If that is still your decision on Monday, then give me a call and I will draw up the paperwork.”
Ellie stood and took the card. She shook her head again. “Fine,” she finally said. “You’ll hear from me on Monday.”
Mr. Thomassen nodded and then shuffled some more papers around, revealing a phone. He picked up the receiver and dialed.
“Darlene,” he grunted, “bring in my messages, will you?”
Ellie realized her appointment was over. She walked toward the door as it opened to reveal the wizened old woman, who nodded in her direction before dismissing her as well. Glancing at her watch, she realized that Kathryn and Jenny could potentially appear at any moment, and that was one confrontation she intended to avoid until she could get this whole mess settled. She left the building as quickly as she could, ducking her head the whole way.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Back at the shop, Ellie tried calling David at the hospital but a nurse told her that she wasn’t able to locate him. Then she dialed Kevin’s cell phone number and got his voicemail.
“Kevin, please call as soon as you get this message. I got some crazy news today and I really need to talk to somebody about it,” she said, trying to control the panic in her voice. She wanted to say more, but decided that anything more might worry her friend into hightailing home instead of calling her. It wasn’t like she was dying.
Ellie heard the bell at the front door and realized that in her rush she had left the front door unlocked. “Dammit,” she said under her breath, and went to the front to tell whoever it was that the shop was closed.
Melanie Wilson stood in the doorway, peering about. Her face brightened as she saw Ellie emerge from the back room. “Finally!” she exclaimed. “What the hell has been going on, Ellie? I’ve been calling you for days, and then the shop has been closed. I’ve been worried sick. I’ve been trying to call Kevin too but just kept getting his voicemail.”
Melanie’s face dropped and Ellie realized that hot tears were streaming down her face. She had thought the random crying was over, but what she had found out in meeting with Mr. Thomassen hit her like a ton of bricks.
Melanie guided her to a table. “Oh, sweetie, just calm down. I’ll make us a pot of coffee.”
Ellie watched in amazement through her tears as Melanie adeptly moved about behind the counter getting the coffee ready. She hummed while she worked and never even asked where any of the supplies were kept.
Melanie caught Ellie’s stare and shrugged. “I’ve been coming here practically every day for three years. I’ve paid attention.”
Soon two cups of steaming coffee were on the table, and Melanie sat down across from her. “Okay, kid, spill it,” she said.
Ellie tried to start at the beginning, but everything came out in spurts that were all over the place. She started with the funeral, then jumped back to the conversation she and Jake had had right before the accident, and then told Melanie about her and Kevin’s discovery about the Bradfords in the library.
Melanie asked questions throughout, and finally Ellie had told her everything, including the strange dreams that both she and Jake had experienced. Ellie found herself on the verge of telling Melanie that she could see people’s auras, but at the very last minute she held it back. Her story sounded crazy enough. By the time she was done, Melanie had her notebook out and was scribbling notes.
“This is just about the weirdest damn story I’ve ever heard in real life,” she said when Ellie was done.
Ellie burst into a fresh batch of tears, an
d Melanie instantly looked regretful of her words.
“I’m sorry, kiddo. That was probably the wrong thing to say. Ask my husband. Hell, look at what happened the other night at Linda’s. I’m famous for it. I really am sorry about Jake, though.”
“It’s okay, Melanie. I needed someone to talk to,” Ellie said, sniffling. There was nothing menacing about Melanie’s aura. She was genuinely concerned about Ellie’s well-being.
Ellie saw Melanie shift in her seat uncomfortably, and she realized the woman was unsettled for other reasons besides her unbridled tongue. “Is there something else on your mind?”
Melanie tapped her pen against her notepad, as if debating her best plan of action. “There are some other things that you may want to know.”
“Like what?” Ellie asked.
“The story that agent babbled about the Bradford home fascinated me, what with him thinking it was haunted and all,” Melanie started.
“I think the story had that effect on everyone there, obviously,” Ellie said.
“So I’m gathering.” Melanie paused again. “So I’ve been doing some digging into the Bradfords myself. That fairy tale seemed a little too farfetched for my tastes.”
Ellie leaned forward in her chair, her afternoon’s revelations forgotten for the moment. “Did you find anything?”
“I found quite a bit actually,” Melanie said. “More than I expected really. And the interesting thing is the bits and pieces that you dreamt line up pretty well with what I’ve found.”
“Tell me everything,” Ellie demanded.
Melanie flipped over her notebook and started looking through the pages. “For starters, Joseph met Lillian when he was visiting some friends in Louisiana. They fell madly in love, like kids those days always did, and decided to get hitched.” Melanie’s finger ran down the page through her notes as she continued.
