Chris Collett - [Tom Mariner 01] by The Worm in The Bud (txt) Page B

other thing you must be prepared for is that none of these places is cheap.’ So there was the rub.
    Despite the encouragement, was that final comment subtly designed to discourage her?
    Whether or not that was the case, as Anna left the surgery, those were the words that resounded in her head.
    She felt ruthless doing it so soon, but the next logical step was to establish where she stood financially. From Dr Payne’s practice, Anna drove to the small block of offices on Harborne High Street that accommodated the Barham family solicitor. It seemed unlikely that Eddie would have made any kind of will; after all, he wasn’t yet forty—
    ‘But actually he had.’ Paul Jenner was another man who had lurked on the margin of Anna’s past life. That he was a junior partner in the firm was a misnomer as he must be fast approaching retirement and had been the one to assist Eddie and Anna through the legal minefield that had followed the deaths of their parents. As Anna had told him the news he’d whitened, called to request tea from his secretary, more for himself than for Anna, before moving on to business. ‘Fortunately, Eddie’s forethought will make things much simpler. You’d be amazed at the mess that can be left behind in some cases,’ he said. ‘But prudence would seem to be a strong quality in your family. Eddie came in to see me a few weeks ago to talk through the arrangements.
    Then he came in to sign the finished document a week or so later.’ Jenner looked uncomfortable. ‘I’m sure he even used the phrase “in case anything should happen”, which, naturally I took to be a superstitious response to your parents’ accident. But now of course—if what the police say is correct—I’m so sorry.’ He drew to a faltering close leaving Anna to consider further proof, were it still needed, of the way in which Eddie’s mind was working. Anna had been so sure that the police weren’t correct, but little by little that certainty was being severely undermined.
    Moving to the back of his small, conventionally furnished office, Paul Jenner flipped through the top drawer of a filing cabinet before removing from it a slim folder, which he brought over to the desk. Taking out two documents, both of which bore Eddie’s signature, he passed one to Anna.
    ‘Here we are. As I said, he seemed in a hurry, so he asked me to act as sole executor.’ Jenner shifted uneasily.
    ‘I expect he didn’t want to trouble you. And it’s all very straightforward. Edward’s entire estate has been left to James.’ Suddenly he was finding it hard to meet Anna’s eye.
    Then it dawned on her. He thought she’d come to claim her share of Eddie’s legacy for herself. ‘That’s good,’ she said, to allay his anxiety. ‘A huge relief.’ But her words seemed to have little impact.
    ‘As you already know, the house was left to James as part of your parents’ bequest, not to be sold until professional care for him becomes essential.’ Providing Jamie with lifelong security and at the same time making explicit her parents’ desire that Jamie should, until it was no longer viable, be cared for in the family home. ‘I seem to remember that Edward and yourself were compensated by the will accordingly.’
    ‘We were,’ Anna agreed. The sum of money had allowed her to put a deposit on her first flat. Eddie, she recalled, had been rather more impulsive. That was when he’d developed his taste for Porsches, albeit secondhand ones. The house was something she’d have to consider. With a bit of lateral thinking she was sure it didn’t have to be the millstone it had become for Eddie.
    ‘The most effective way of administering the residue of Edward’s estate will be through a trust fund, with yourself named as the sole trustee.’ At last he met her eye. ‘Edward didn’t mention any of this to you?’
    ‘No.’
    ‘Well, as I said, it seemed to have been quite a sudden decision. Perhaps he was planning to discuss it.’ And