Death Of A Dream Maker by Katy Munger Page A

his feet and T.S.
followed, a sense of dread inescapably closing in on him. “I regret
that I cannot tell you any more at this time,” Freeman said, his
hand extended in farewell. He avoided T.S.'s eyes. “Our firm's
lawyers will be in touch with you within a few days, I'm sure.” His
manner, T.S. noted, had grown cold. He could not understand the
change.
    “Nothing more?” T.S. asked. “Why would your lawyers
be in touch with me? Is there some sort of problem?”
    “Problem?” The managing partner's laugh was a
mirthless bark. “Isn't it always a problem when lawyers get
involved?”
     
     

CHAPTER SIX
     
    Something's up,” Casey Jones reported to Auntie Lil
later that afternoon. She was crammed in a phone booth in the
parking lot of a diner just off Long Island's Sunrise Highway.
Worse, she was fighting an intense urge for a double cheeseburger
and a triple order of fries. Surveillance made her hungry.
    “Something's up?” Auntie Lil repeated. She'd spent
the last hour back at home puzzling over the phone call she'd
overheard at Max Rose Fashions. It was getting her nowhere.
    “Definitely. I'm standing right across a service road
from Sam Ascher's office now. He was one of Max's lawyers. I
recognize the name from the prenup. I followed the wife here an
hour ago. Imagine my surprise when her visit turned into a family
reunion. They're all here—the scary sister, most of the nephews,
his brother's wife, Abby, and a handful of assorted unidentified
suckers-on.”
    “The reading of the will?” Auntie Lil suggested.
    “Maybe. If so, they didn't waste much time. But then,
they probably wouldn't. After all, they've got airfare to Palm
Beach coming up and some of their cars must be at least six months
old. Listen, I'm starving but I'm going to stick it out a few more—
wait...” Casey was silent and Auntie Lil could hear the steady whiz
of cars streaming past in the background. “Hold the phone,” Casey
muttered briefly, and the silence returned. This was maddening to
Auntie Lil: to think that something big was going down and she was
stuck in her apartment miles away. Oh, to be fifty years
younger.           
    “Oh, my God...” Casey muttered.
    Auntie Lil couldn't take it anymore. “What!” she
cried. “Tell me at once!”
    “They're hot. Steaming!” Casey reported. “Whatever
went on in there has really teed them off. Two of the nephews just
roared out of the parking lot in their cars, spraying gravel. The
old-crone sister looks like she's hyperventilating right now, and
that old broad Abby is staring off at the traffic like she's ready
to throw herself under a van. And... here she comes now—the widow.
Oooh, black widow, I should say. She's in a venomous mood. She just
said something nasty to Abby.” Brief silence. “Now, that was an
interesting hand signal. Make that twin hand signals. Must be some
sort of code.” She laughed. “So much for family harmony. Yes, no
doubt about it. Max has just shafted his family royally.”
    Auntie Lil was not a vindictive person, but the
thought cheered her immensely. It was bad enough to think that Max
had carried so many people during his life without complaint. At
least he had broken free in death.
    “How can we find out the particulars?” Auntie Lil
asked.
    “Well, as soon as it goes to probate...” Casey's
voice trailed off. “I could try a few sources, but I can't promise
anything.”
    Auntie Lil let her go after extracting a promise to
call back the second she had any news. She was deep in thought when
the phone rang a minute or two later. She hesitated—all afternoon,
someone had been calling and hanging up without leaving a message.
It was annoying, but not necessarily alarming.
    Still, it could be Casey calling back with more news.
And if it was her harasser, she'd just tell him off once and for
all.
    “Yes?” she demanded sternly. No pervert was going to
push her around.
    “Is this Miss Lillian Hubbert?”
    “Yes it is,” she