The Outsider

by K'Anne Meinel

  Joy listened unabashedly. Women like that seemed to relish their position as more knowledgeable, and no one could miss the superior tone in her voice. Just because she knew more than her contemporaries, people she didn’t consider her equal, she was rubbing it in. Still, the knowledge would be useful. Joy remembered the names, even though they were in French, for future reference.

  She was absolutely exhausted by the end of the conference. She’d learned a lot, but still felt it was not enough. The classes had been long, boring, and mostly directed at the professionals in their audience. The hands-on courses, while smaller classes, were informative, but she had learned more at the mall. She felt she got her monies’ worth, but she was recognized by the end and had to leave a little early as she began to feel uncomfortable at the whispers and stares.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  As Joy sat and listened to Lenora Abner go over the last of her documents, making sure that the young blonde understood them, she waited until they were finished to ask one final question. “Do you know of a place called Château Mont-Choisi?”

  Lenora blinked, surprised at the question after all the legal paperwork they had gone through. The trusts set up in Joy’s name, the tax deferments they worked out with Annette Whitley’s firm, along with the work on the final wills. It had been tremendously complicated. Joy hadn’t given Annette’s firm full access to her funds, which had been smart. She’d put a lot of it in bonds, CDs, and other investments, but allowed enough that Annette was thrilled with how much she had to play with. The legalities had been intense as Lenora worked with the tax lawyers to keep as much of Joy’s money out of the hands of the government as possible. Duncan had tried to stick his nose in several times during their meetings, but much to Lenora’s secret delight and amazement, Joy hadn’t liked him and had told him to butt out or she would walk with her millions.

  “I haven’t heard of it. Are you thinking of doing some traveling?” The poor kid could use it. The press certainly knew she was in San Antonio and she had been found out at that seminar she had attended. That had been front page news. Then, someone from the local department store had started a rumor that she had donated thousands of dollars to make people’s wishes come true in the form of gift cards. She was now being hounded to donate, to help people she had never met, and the press were frothing at the mouth. If she had an address where they could send mail, the post office would love it as she was sure the envelopes to Joy Parker in care of General Delivery were piling up.

  Joy nodded. “I think I’d like to go to school there, but I don’t know how to set it up,” she admitted.

  “Well, that’s what I’m here for,” Lenora smiled. Her team, the one she had to develop to handle Joy’s assets and immense fortune, would be glad to do something so easy for her. They’d made a lot of money doing her legal work and would continue to do so if the young blonde retained them.

  “I’d like to leave, and soon,” she said quietly. She felt hunted. She looked hunted. She was also very bored. Watching television at the condo was tedious and she knew she needed a distraction.

  “Joy, are you okay?” Lenora asked on a personal note. They’d done everything professionally and handled it accordingly, but she actually cared for the girl. Money aside, the kid needed friends. She could see she had no family, the way the final will had been worded. They were cut off, absolutely and totally.

  Joy glanced up. She could see the concern in Lenora’s face. Still, she was not sure she could trust her on a personal level. Then she laughed at herself. This woman knew her on many levels, she’d entrusted her with her millions. She’d entrusted her partner with more than that and gave her access to so much more. She knew that her banker had been alarmed until she personally called and informed him what she wanted on Annette Whitley’s advice. The many CDs, funds, and even an IRA had thrilled him. His main concern was the amount she had transferred out. He’d gotten a lot of mileage, career-wise on her one singular deposit. With promises of more coming in, he was appeased. She shrugged as she answered, “I am a bit bored,” she admitted. “I have nothing going on and I thought going back to school would be a good idea. I heard the name of that place, but was not sure I could get in on my own.”

  “Believe me, we will get you in,” she assured her client, not realizing she was making an almost impossible promise.

  “Thank you,” she said politely, something she had said a lot as they went through the many documents. Now Joy had a trust, a revocable one, but one that she could use to hide behind should she need to. She also had so many investments that the millions she had been awarded would eventually more than pay for themselves. She also had another couple of trusts set up to help others in need, special projects that she had thought about and would have them continue even if she was incapacitated or died.

  “We will set this up so that the interest alone will pay more in a year than most people see in five or ten years,” Annette assured her as they filled out the contracts under Lenora’s supervision. Joy signed nothing that Lenora hadn’t seen.

  Annette had explained in just the few weeks since she had deposited the funds how much interest she had earned, how thrifty she had been, and what she should set as her limits to keep herself solvent. Annette had been disappointed not to get the full amount to play with, but her firm was set now and she and her staff, and she would hire more, would make sure that Ms. Joy Parker stayed wealthy…very, very wealthy. The commissions they would earn would keep them solvent for life if she stayed with them and their investments. She also admired the kid. She hadn’t been talked into giving them access to the full amount, not even a quarter of it. She had listened about CDs, bonds, and even the IRA. They’d even set up special trust funds to help people that Joy specified back in Milwaukee. There were so many more funds tied up in ways that the IRS wouldn’t get such a large chunk of the Parker estate now.

  Coming back to the present, Lenora looked at the young woman and smiled. “I’ll call you tomorrow and let you know,” she promised. They had everything they needed from Joy. All the signatures, all the copies, everything so that this very wealthy young woman was protected. Even if she died tomorrow, her siblings couldn’t sue the estate for anything. They would get nothing at all except their dollar, which showed she had ‘thought’ of them and she had been of sound mind when she named them, but they were excluded from the many millions. That had satisfied their client.

  “Thank you. Then I’ll be leaving the condo once that is set,” she promised. She wanted to leave anyway. She thought she had seen the same reporter on the corner and no longer walked outside, afraid she’d be asked for an interview or photographed. She also knew the condo was not a long-term situation for the firm. It was because of her enormous wealth they had put her up there in the first place.

  Lenora shook her hand before she left, wondering what life would hold for the young woman. She’d look into this chateau place herself. She handed all the paperwork to her assistant to file for her. The stack was enormous. Joy Parker was an important client for the firm. Any call from her was to be put directly through to Lenora if she called.

  The car that took Joy from the law firm was a discreet sedan with the windows tinted. She was grateful for that as she’d seen the reporters from time to time. They didn’t know where she was staying, but she’d seen that one man twice now and he’d looked far too interested in her condo for her comfort. They’d inquired at the conference and she’d seen the news report on that as they speculated why she had attended. Her brother was still ‘pleading’ on the news for her to contact her ‘beloved’ family, they replayed that one the most. She had eliminated them from her life today with the final documents she had signed. Now, she needed to plan her future. She sat back as the driver took her from the law firm’s underground parking to the enclosed garage at the condo. Once again, she saw the green car parked on the corner with a man watching from inside. She would have thought he’d be less obvious. As Bernie drove into the condo garage, the door
shut behind the sedan. “Thank you, Bernie,” she said quietly as she got out and walked inside. At her request, he waited fifteen minutes with the engine off in the enclosed garage before leaving again.

  * * * * *

  Lenora had never heard of that Chateau, but a search showed her that it was in Switzerland, that it was what some termed a ‘finishing school,’ and it was going to be very expensive for her client to attend. She was not even certain she could get her into it. Very notable people had attended, several princesses all over the world from what she could tell. Still, she called the school. With the time difference, she had to wait until morning to speak with the superintendent. She was grateful the French-sounding woman spoke impeccable English as she explained she had a ‘client’ who would like their daughter to attend. At first, the woman suggested their client attend a six-week course given by the Institut Villa Pierrefeu, which would cost about twenty thousand for the length of the course. Lenora explained that her ‘client’ wanted more for their ‘daughter,’ that Ms. Parker was a special case and they weren’t interested in a course, but rather the boarding school itself. It took several long phone calls, hours of them actually, but Lenora had Joy enrolled for their spring semester and the cost was staggering. Still, she had delivered as she had promised.

  “Ms. Abner for Ms. Parker,” the receptionist said in a monotone as Joy answered the phone at the condo the next afternoon.

  “This is Ms. Parker,” Joy answered, amused at the formality. They’d exchanged phone calls for weeks as they finished all her legal work. She’d just been contemplating her next move, wondering if the reporter on the corner, who was still there, would be able to find her if she went to another state.

  “One moment please,” she said as she put Joy on hold.

  “Joy?” the delighted voice of Lenora came through the line. “I’ve got some great news,” she was smiling as she told her. She was so happy with the results of her work that day, she couldn’t wait to tell the girl. She knew how computer-inept Joy was and she wouldn’t have been able to pull the strings that Lenora had. As it was, it had taken a call and a favor from a U.S. Senator that Duncan knew to get what they wanted.

  “Oh, yeah?” she asked, not expecting to hear from her so soon. Maybe they wanted her out of the condo now that their business was concluded.

  “I got you into Château Mont-Choisi starting in two weeks after their winter break is over,” she announced. She almost felt like she should wave a magic wand and go, ‘Ta-da!’

  “You did?” she gasped. She hadn’t known if she could, or would find it. It had been a long shot and she knew she couldn’t have done it on her own.

  “Yes, I did.” She liked the sound of awe in the girl’s voice. She had been fun to work with through the legal paperwork. Always appreciative, she thanked them all repeatedly as they worked for her. It was obvious she was very young on some things as they worked through everything.

  “That’s awesome,” she answered enthusiastically. “Can I head there now?”

  “That’s up to you. They don’t expect you for two weeks. It’s a boarding school, so you will have to live there,” she warned, hoping she had understood that.

  “Well, I could stay in a hotel until the term starts and look around,” she sounded so young and unknowing.

  “Well, take your Wisconsin winter clothes. Switzerland sounds lovely, but cold!”

  “Lenora, thank you for everything,” she said once more, sincerely. “I couldn’t have done all this without you.”

  “I was just doing my job, and if there is anything…” she began, but Joy interrupted her.

  “No, you knew I was green and you held my hand. I won’t forget that,” she promised. “Could you have Bernie pick me up tomorrow and take me to the airport?”

  “You’re going that soon?” She knew she would have needed time to think it over, but she sensed the kid was restless.

  “Yeah, I think I will do that, go and check it out.” She mentally began packing her suitcases. She now had five of them.

  “Well, if you need anything, you have my numbers,” she worried. That kid was so green, but perhaps this finishing school idea was not so bad.

  “I’ll learn to email,” she promised, laughing at the major misunderstandings they had over computer usage. She’d not realized what ‘Googling’ meant, and while her skills were still lacking, she now understood some of it better. The seminar she had taken a couple of weeks ago had helped enormously, but it was not enough and she knew it.

  After hanging up with Lenora, Joy called the airline and made arrangements for a flight to Geneva, Switzerland using her credit card. She’d leave San Antonio at nearly seven a.m. and thirteen hours later arrive in another country. She was getting excited, but the pit of her stomach was also gurgling over the enormous step she was taking away from everything familiar. Still, she was not living on the streets of Milwaukee anymore and she was grateful for that. She called Lenora’s office and gave them her flight information so Bernie could pick her up and then went to pack. She’d realized after living there these weeks how comfortable she had become. She knew she was too comfortable. Nothing ever lasted and she needed to go. She barely fit everything in her bags as she stuffed and folded and scrunched. The five cases sat by the garage door waiting for Bernie in the morning as she cleaned up after herself and threw out the last of the food she had in the cupboards that would spoil. She took the bag out to the garbage can and saw the green car again with the man pretending to read a newspaper. It angered her, but he was not on private property and could sit there.

  Still, mischievously, Joy reported him for loitering, telling the police how suspiciously he was ‘acting’ and she was pleased to see two cop cars there later, their blue and red lights flashing. The green car was gone that evening.

  Bernie got there at five a.m. and Joy was more than ready. She put the last of her clothes in an overnight bag and dressed in what she had laid out. She helped him stuff the cases in the back of the sedan, the garage door was down so her visitor couldn’t see what she was up to. She’d used Bernie’s services often enough that the green car man had no reason to be suspicious. As Bernie drove them away, she didn’t see the car sitting there this early, but thought she saw one in the parking lot of the convenience store down the block. He was probably getting coffee for his long day. As Bernie got on the highway to the airport, she smiled. Green car man was going to be disappointed if he didn’t see the sedan or her anymore.

  Curbside baggage was not available here anymore, but a baggage trolley was soon carrying her five bags. “Thank you, Bernie,” she said gratefully, wondering if she should hug him or tip him. He saluted her with a tip of his hat and she smiled. Pushing her trolley, she glanced in the windows and saw him watching her in the reflection. She wondered briefly what he was thinking, but shrugged and pushed harder. No one was about at this early hour, but she saw the ticket clerk powering up and she got into the line they had there, standing and looking around. She enjoyed people-watching and surreptitiously watched her fellow travelers as they began to show up. Everyone appeared sleepy at this early hour. Finally, the counter opened and she wheeled her trolley up confidently.

  “You realize there is a baggage charge for additional bags,” the clerk asked her after Joy identified herself and her destination.

  “Yes, I understand,” she admitted, annoyed at the additional charge, but knowing there was nothing she could do about it. Everything she owned was in the five cases.

  The woman looked at her passport and credit card suspiciously as she did her paperwork and attached identification tags to the luggage. One by one she weighed them and attached tags to the handles. She seemed angry at Joy for making her do her job. She gleefully told her the total of her ticket and the extra baggage and Joy handed over her credit card. It was almost as though she hoped it would be declined, but it was not. She watched as Joy put away her card as well as her driver’s license the woman had insisted on. She kept the ticket
and her passport firmly in her hand as she walked away, not even realizing how the ticket counter agent watched her.

  As Joy went through security she began to get hungry and wondered if she should catch something to eat now or on the flight. She would be flying to Newark. That, she thought, was in New Jersey. From there she would have a direct flight to Geneva. She gave in, caught a quick hot chocolate, and then ate on the plane.

  Those long hours on the flights gave Joy a lot of time to think. She hadn’t really missed how that woman had treated her at the ticket counter. She had instead chosen to ignore it. She wouldn’t draw attention to herself or her behavior. She also didn’t want anyone to know who she was and her name was still all over the news. They now referred to her as the ‘elusive’ Joy Parker. She still saw pleas from her siblings occasionally, but had chosen to ignore them all, cattily noting how aged her brother looked. Lenora had offered to contact them on her behalf, perhaps give them a warning, but Joy had vehemently declined. She figured it would annoy them more if she remained silent, and it did.

  She was feeling a bit trepidatious as she got off the plane in Geneva, but was relieved when all her baggage arrived. She hired a taxi to take her the forty-five-minute drive around Lake Léman or, as the world knew it, Lake Geneva. She could have taken the train, but had been unsure of getting her luggage on there by herself. She wished she had when the driver of the taxi kept looking at her in the mirror. She kept her eyes firmly on the sights. It was beautiful, the lake was lovely, and she allowed her mind to wander, wondering what her life would be for the next year at the Chateau. There had been another course she could have taken, something Lenora had told her about. It was a six-week intensive course that would have cost her twenty-thousand, but remembering the one she had attended in San Antonio for a couple of days, she felt she needed more of an in-depth study of what she wanted to know…and become.