1 The Reluctant Dick - The Case of the Not-So-Fair Trader by Jim Stevens Page B

dollars...”
    There is a collective sigh in the room.
    “…with liabilities to the corporation totaling sixteen-point-three million dollars.”
    All breathing in the room stops. Doris’ mouth drops open despite her Botox-frozen jaw. Clayton fumbles his Blackberry. Brewster scratches his privates. Christina’s hand covers her mouth as if she had witnessed the first killing in a cheap horror film.
    “There’s more.” Conway continues, attempting to be as lawyerly as possible. “Two seats on the Board of Trade have existing contracts to be sold, all stocks, bonds and securities are in the process of being liquidated and placed in receivership for outstanding debt.”
    Although each Augustus at the table is only half-related to one another, they have taken on exactly the same look, resembling a family of mimes with pure pasty-white skin, sunken black eyes, and drooping smile s .
    “There are other odds and ends that I will not take the time to list,” Conway says to fill the air with words until some of the shock wears off. “Finally, there is a life insurance policy in the amount of twelve-million dollars.”
    For the second time in less than five minutes all activity stops faster than in a game of freeze tag.
    “To be divided between my current wife, three children, with a half share to Horace Heffelfinger and Millie Maddocks.”
    I make a mental note of the last two names.
    “But before any disbursements are made,” he pauses, “a rider to the policy demands,” he reads carefully, “in the event of an unnatural death, all listed recipients of the proceeds must be cleared of any involvement of wrongdoing before their portion of the settlement is paid out.”
    Brewster speaks for the group. “Where the hell did that come from?”
    “Your father added the rider,” Conway says.
    “Yep,” Tiffany says and gives a slight wave to the assembled.
    “You sure?” Brewster chokes out.
    “It was signed and notarized in the Richmond Insurance offices,” Conway explains.
    “He never mentioned any rider to me,” Brewster says.
    “And there was no rider on the will I read , ” Doris’ voice rises, “a month ago.”
    “What prompted you to do that?” I am not supposed to ask questions here, but I do.
    Doris turns around in her chair to face me. “None of your damn business.”
    Conway takes back the floor. “Rider was dated and signed two weeks ago Thursday.”
    “Is it legal?” Clayton asks.
    “I was the witness,” Conway confesses.
    I laugh. Conway was the witness to the signing of a document he wasn’t allowed to read. That Alvin was a real character.
    The disbelief continues at the table . N o one really knows what to say.
    Conway explains, “Alvin recently suffered major trading losses with the swings in commodity prices over the past months.”
    “No way,” Clayton says. “Its been a sucker’s market for weeks.”
    “He used to make millions when the markets took big swings,” Doris says. “He’d get a hard-on on days like those.”
    “A little too much information,” Tiffany says to me.
    “I bet it was your fault.” Clayton points her finger at Doris.
    “Me?”
    “You made Dad crazy, with your shopping and facelifts and all the crap you put him through.”
    “I made him nuts?” Doris screams back at her son. “Look at you.”
    “Me?”
    “You’ve ruined it for all of us!” Christina yells at Doris.
    “You got a lot of nerve accusing me,” Doris turns to her stepdaughter. “You think he enjoyed seeing his only daughter in the arms of another woman?”
    “That had nothing to do with this,” Christina says.
    “Did he say anything to you?” Clayton asks Brewster.
    “No.”
    “You were trading off his seat; you had to have seen him going down.”
    “Were the checks still clearing he was writing to you?” Brewster surprises Clayton with this one.
    This is information that will definitely end up on recipe cards.
    Brewster counters, “I’d like to have half the cash he