The Fallen Angels Book Club

by R. Franklin James

  There was a pause.

  “Rebecca, is everything okay? Are you in tr—”

  “No, I’m not in trouble.” I spoke through clenched teeth. It was going to take time before my family would see me as I was now. “I called for a couple of reasons.”

  Another pause, this one a little longer.

  “Yes, go ahead.”

  “How is Kirk? What did the test results say?”

  My brother-in-law had always treated me with kindness, more so than my family members. At least he seemed to give me the benefit of the doubt.

  Rita cleared her throat. I could almost see her pinching the bridge of her nose, her habit when trying to compose herself.

  “The results were good. The cancer was caught early. He has six more treatments and then they’ll keep him under close watch.”

  I smiled. “That’s real good news. I know you must be relieved.”

  “What else, Rebecca?”

  What was it about my family that always put me on the defensive? My sister’s coolness made me feel about eight years old.

  “I want to thank you for your reference letter. My attorney says it struck just the right note.”

  “Good, I’m glad,” she said. “I hope … I hope you’ll have another chance to prove yourself. You deserve it.”

  “I intend on taking advantage of that chance, Ri. I’m much wiser now.”

  “Good, is there anything …?” She almost didn’t let me finish my sentence. I knew she was struggling with conflicting emotions and judgments, and wanted to get off the phone.

  “Bill is dead. He was murdered.”

  Her sharp intake of breath reassured me that she wasn’t as robotic as she’d sounded since the beginning of the call.

  “Oh, my god, they don’t think—?”

  “No, they don’t think I did it.” I wasn’t able to hold back a sigh. “Well, that’s all I wanted to tell you.”

  There was a moment’s silence.

  “Here’s a thought, why don’t you plan on coming home for the fourth of July?” she said. “Yes, I think that would be a good idea. Kirk will be finished with his treatments.”

  Her offer was a shock and now it was my turn to pause.

  “Ri, what about Mom and Dad?”

  She laughed. “I’ll start talking to them now. They’ll have a couple of months to get used to the idea.”

  At that we both laughed then grew silent, knowing that a couple of months might not be enough.

  I murmured, “Even if it doesn’t happen, thanks for the suggestion.”

  Rita spoke quietly, “I miss your laugh, Becca.”

  “I miss you, too, Ri.”

  That night, my happy thoughts about Rita were interspersed with thoughts of Bill. His face kept slipping into my alpha levels. Sometime around three a.m. I awoke, my eyes wide open. The full reality of Detective Faber’s comment hit me. The only thing that linked all three murders … was me.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  I waited until the firm’s lobby was empty and walked nonchalantly over to our receptionist.

  “Emily, did you go down to the mail room, today?”

  “No, I haven’t had a chance. I’ve been stuck here on the phones. The clerks are having a staff meeting, and I won’t be able to pick up the mail until after lunch.”

  “I’ll go. I need a change of scenery.”

  “You will?” Emily looked at me with more than a little surprise. “Hollis, do you even know where the mail room is?”

  “Of course I do. It’s been a while, but I’ve been there. It’s in the basement, right?” I grinned at her. “Just send somebody for me if I’m not back within the hour.”

  She smiled with hesitancy. “Right.”

  I found the mailroom in record time, considering I only missed one turn. Two young men, more than likely interns, busily pulled letters and packages out of a large canvas bin. The constant drone of the air-conditioning unit forced me to speak up to be heard

  “Excuse me. Where is the pickup for Dodson, Dodson and Doyle?” I called out.

  A youth with enough tattoos on his arms to resemble a Persian rug pointed to a far corner next to the only window in the room. Avoiding boxes and bins, I made my way to our area. I had a new appreciation for receiving any mail at all.

  A large white plastic container with the firm’s logo was almost full to the brim. I had a suspicion Emily had either missed the morning pickup, or Triple D was doing even better than I thought. I took the bin over to a long side table that was relatively clear. I shoved everything down to one end and started to sort the mail. First, I separated the letters from the large mailing envelopes, which left me with a much smaller stack. I scanned through the oversized envelopes, searching the return addresses for Bethel’s logo. In a matter of minutes I held a large tan envelope with a three-day-old note attached saying it had been delivered to a wrong address. I didn’t care. I dumped everything back into the bin and called out goodbye to the young men, who didn’t even look up.

  Emily was on the phone. She waved at me to put the mail on the far side of her cubicle. Clutching the Bethel envelope, I was ready to retreat when she held out the date stamp for me to properly log in the mail. It was easier if I just went along. I returned to my office, shutting the door.

  Bethel was considered one of the best appraisal firms in the area, but they were a small company. Triple D used them when a value was likely to be contested. However, Avery rarely used them because a year ago he’d had a falling out with one of the owners. Male ego. If Avery knew Mark had spent money and, even innocently, hired a firm he was at odds with, he’d give Mark the reference from hell.

  In the nineties, California cracked down on appraisers who either weren’t qualified or couldn’t justify their assessment. Since then, appraisals followed a standard format. An introductory letter described the assignment, followed by a regional, then area, then site description of the property. Some were twenty pages and others were one hundred and twenty. There was a value comparison of like properties. The evaluation closed with the value computation for the subject property. Finally, at the very end, the appraiser provided a résumé or qualification narrative.

  The Riddick report was thick. I turned to the end to read the comparables and the valuation summary. Bethel had listed ten recent sales within two miles of the Riddick property, all similarly built, and all within the last six months. The two appraisals Avery received showed the Riddick property value ranging from four to five million.

  Bethel’s evaluation came in at two million.

  I blinked to make sure my vision wasn’t blurred. Then, as a sanity check, I confirmed I was reading about the Riddick property. The difference of three million on the high end was glaring. I needed to compare the other two reports to Bethel’s. They were in Avery’s office.

  I walked past his office. The door was closed. I looked over at the “Out” board. One of Ed’s favorite topics in management meetings was to harangue us about signing out on the “Out” board. Signing out let everyone know where we were and when we expected to return—an inexpensive tracking tool. Our team was always held up as an example of staff doing things right. When I saw the line after Avery’s name was blank, I knew he was behind that closed door. I had to wait.

  I was tempted to call Mark, but he’d told me he had job interviews today and I didn’t think a cellphone going off in his pocket during an interview would be helpful. I went back to my office to read the full Bethel report.

  It was clear Bethel hadn’t embellished the valuation by using the listing prices for comparable properties, but had only included closed escrows. This made the findings more defensible. Sometimes appraisers inflated a value by basing it on a seller’s asking price, not the price it eventually sold for. The real estate market was still reeling from the sub-prime market debacle. Conservative appraisers were erring on the side of only including done deals.

  If Imelda’s estate was worth not five million but two million, it would h
ave major ramifications for estate taxes and how much her heirs would benefit. As executors, Triple D was responsible for liquidating the assets and distributing the proceeds. We got a percentage of the valuation, in this case an inflated valuation.

  I got up and fetched a bottle of water from the lunch room. My agitation made me hyper and I avoided Emily, who was probably beginning to question my trips back and forth through the lobby. Avery’s door was still closed. I stopped at Emily’s desk and glanced down to see if his phone line was lit. It was.

  “Do you want me to give you a call when his line is free? It will save you a few steps.”

  “Thanks.” I walked back to my office and closed my door.

  Mark’s instincts had been right, but I wasn’t sure what it all meant. We had three appraisals, but one was totally out of the ballpark. When Avery got the Bethel invoice, he wouldn’t be happy.

  My phone rang a few minutes later. “Hollis, he’s off his phone.”

  I rushed out and knocked on Avery’s door. “Can I interrupt you for a few minutes?”

  “Sure, you’re just the person I wanted to see. Have a seat.” He pushed aside some paperwork to make a six-inch space on the top of his desk for my notebook.

  “Your friend Lily is driving me crazy. She’s got this notion her property is worth millions. I’ve spoken with her niece. She seems intelligent and understands what needs to be done. This pro bono matter is taking many more hours than you led me to believe it would.”

  I felt chastised. “Sorry. I thought I had everything ready to go for her to sign.”

  “You did. She changed her mind. A friend at the center told her she should have a detailed inventory to back up the appraisal. I told her a detailed inventory is expensive and is only needed for large estates. Your summary listing of items would be more than adequate.”

  “She didn’t buy it?”

  Avery pursed his lips. “No, she didn’t buy it.”

  “Let me do a detailed inventory. My hours are the least costly.”

  He paused.

  “Okay, that could work. Try to get it done by the end of the week. I’ve driven by the house. It’s nice, but it’s not the Getty estate.” He reached into his top drawer. “Here are the keys.”

  “I’ll take care of it as soon as I can.”

  “Fine. Now, what did you want to see me about?”

  I swallowed, debating whether I should go for broke and totally piss him off or cut my losses and leave.

  “Ah, I just wanted to see the appraisals for the Riddick matter. I didn’t get a chance to read the full reports.”

  Avery stared at me. “It’s not necessary. The matter is on its way to being closed. No thanks to Mark, we were able to wrap everything up quickly. I got your note that we’re getting an expedited hearing. As always, your work is top grade. Have I told you how much I appreciate you?”

  The compliment seemed a bit overdone, but I smiled. “Why, thank you for the kind words. I try hard.”

  “It shows.” He lowered his voice. “Now, if you work your magic with Lily, I have a new client I’m tempted to let you work alone. I’d like to see you stretch your talents and manage a case. Think you might be interested?”

  “Of course I’d be interested.”

  “Good. I’m off to San Diego for a couple of days. Let’s wrap this thing up with Lily and we’ll be able to move on to better opportunities.” He looked down at his watch. “I’m meeting with Ed and Phil in a few minutes. Leave a message on my phone if you get into a bind. I can always get one of the associates to help you.”

  In the hallway, I shot my fist into the air as a silent cheer. Yes! Handling a client’s case by myself, even with Avery’s oversight, was a treasured perk and would give me solid experience.

  But I was a little disappointed to think he believed I could be so easily distracted that I didn’t notice he’d waved me off the Riddick appraisals. I might be wasting my time, and even risking my job, but I had to satisfy my curiosity.

  I hadn’t started out intending to search Avery’s office, but by the end of the day, I decided I would.

  I went home to have dinner and returned to the firm at eight-thirty. Even so, one of the associates was still in her office. She was typing away on the computer and didn’t even raise her head when I passed by. I closed Avery’s door behind me. My heart beat like it was coming out of my chest. My mouth was dry, but I plunged ahead.

  From the rows of stacked case files, it was clear that Avery had started to organize his papers. Usually twice a year, when he was no longer able to stand the clutter, he cleared his desk. This was not a good sign. There was a chance he’d removed the Riddick file. After a few minutes, I found the court papers Mark and I had prepared—along with the tax documents, bank records, and to my relief, the appraisal reports. I stooped to lower the bulky material onto the floor.

  “What are you doing here, Hollis?” Avery’s voice held none of the warmth it had earlier. In fact its coldness chilled me.

  Thinking fast was one of my strongest skills, but I was pretty sure that this time Avery wouldn’t find it an asset. I straightened up, letting my discomfort show.

  “Hi, boss. I know what you’re thinking, but you know me. I got something in my head and can’t let it go. I just wanted to go over the Riddick appraisals. There was—”

  “What did you think you were going to find?” He moved toward me but stopped to look at the top of his desk.

  I tried to take the offensive. “Uh, I wanted to comp—, I mean, review the two appraisals. This is a crazy market and I wanted to see what they used for market determination.”

  “Why?” His green eyes bored into mine.

  I frowned. “One of the Internet sites showed a much lower value. I usually don’t give online values any credence, but it was so much … lower.” The lie fell easily from my lips. This was not the time to practice telling the truth.

  Avery just stood there, looking at me. Then, from his bookcase, he picked up the folder he must have come back for.

  “Get out of my office.”

  I moved away from the box and picked up my purse. “I was wrong. I’m sorry.”

  “I’m sorry, too.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  In the morning, I tried to reach Mark. He wasn’t picking up his phone. We had talked about meeting at Lily’s house so we could go to lunch after I finished with the inventory. I went into the office, grabbed a couple of pens, and signed out. I didn’t want to run into Avery. I needed time to think about the implications of the appraisals on the Riddick estate and what I was going to do about it.

  Inside the stuffy old house, my blouse was already sticking to my back as the day started to heat up. It was hard to believe that just a couple of weeks ago I had been freezing in my overcoat. Weather was never boring in the Bay Area.

  For the fifth time in five minutes, I looked at my cellphone for the correct time. Where was Mark? I counted on him checking his messages. We needed to talk about the Bethel appraisal, which lay in the trunk of my car.

  The house was dark and quiet. I felt too much like an intruder. I pulled back the living room drapes. The light burst in. The room was lovely. I couldn’t quite imagine the cantankerous Lily I knew living in such a serene abode.

  The bright colors of the Spanish tiles encircling the fireplace shone even in the half light and the overhead chandelier was a graceful, open-framed sphere with six globes of clear glass that seemed to float from the tray ceiling. Lily must have hated having to leave it all behind for the starkness of the senior center. No wonder she was so grumpy.

  I tiptoed across the thick carpet to the adjacent dining area. A massive rectangular table with eight chairs was covered with ghostly white sheets, but I could make out the heavy ornate mahogany legs underneath. At the rear of the room, I was drawn to the floor-to-ceiling stained glass windows. Pictured in the Craftsman-era style windows were rolling hills that gently sheltered a valley flowing with a wide pathway of what appeared t
o be vibrant yellow daffodils. A young woman stood off to the side in the foreground and pointed to the real side yard that bordered the house with lush green hosta plants. These were the windows Lily wanted to preserve.

  “Peaceful, isn’t it?” Avery said from the entry.

  He startled me, but I didn’t turn around. “Very.”

  “I looked on the board and saw that you were signed out to come here.” He walked over to stand next to me, looking at the windows.

  He wore a cotton sports jacket and a T-shirt over jeans. Our eyes met. Under other circumstances, one of us might have suggested we check out the master bedroom. I had the feeling we’d never know what we could have been.

  “I thought you were going to San Diego. Avery, I’m sorry about last—”

  “Not important.” He held up his hand. “My meeting was rescheduled until tomorrow. I’ll leave later tonight.” He reached into the small plastic grocery bag he carried. “I brought you some cold water. It’s warm outside and real stuffy in here.”

  Just holding the chilled bottle was relief to my sweating hands.

  “Thanks. You always think of everything.” The coolness was heaven as it went down.

  He opened a bottle and took a long chug. “Do you know why I came all the way out here?”

  I took a breath. “I guess you didn’t trust me to itemize Lily’s belongings.”

  “No, that’s not true. You’re a professional. Better than some of our associates.” He walked around the room and opened one of the many cabinet doors that encircled the dining area. “I just thought that, considering Mrs. Wilson’s propensity for paranoia, it’d be better if two of us did this.”

  It was a lie and I was anxious to know why.

  He turned on the light, and the rest of the dark corners disappeared.

  I thought about that a moment. “Lily can be a real handful. She’s gotten more distrustful over the years, always thinking people are stealing from her. Still, even paranoids have enemies.”

  He smiled and took a small notebook from his inside pocket. “Okay, let’s get started. I need to be able to verify the condition of the furniture and the personal contents. Have you been upstairs yet?”