any group had shot out his window, because he hadn’t mentioned getting
threatening letters to me. He said he didn’t tell me everything and to drop it.
He was so vehement that I did.” Trey closed his eyes for a moment, pain
flickering across his features. “God, I wish I hadn’t.”
“The cops probably wouldn’t have found anything,” Lexie said. “According
to Ben, they give new meaning to ‘incompetent.’”
“I might have been able to convince Max to hire a P.I.,” Trey said.
“Although knowing Max, probably not. And Ben’s right about our local law
enforcement. I assume that’s why Max wanted you to check this out.”
“He was also afraid that someone else might discover some unrelated
family secrets during their investigation and make them public.”
Trey started tapping again. “He had a point. Max has always been so
protective of his privacy that the tabloids will pay a fortune for any dirt
related to him or his family. They’ll pay even more right after his death. But
he knew you’d never expose anything, both because you were his attorney and
because of your aunt. How did Ben get involved?”
“Max sent him a letter asking him to work with me.”
“That doesn’t surprise me. Max trusted Ben implicitly.”
Something in his voice made Lexie look at him curiously. “Do you know a
reason he shouldn’t have?”
“Only that I don’t think you should trust any beneficiary when you’re
dealing with as much money as Max had,” Trey said. “I like Ben. For what it’s
worth, he’s never tried to cheat me on a car repair, even though he knows I
know nothing about cars and would do whatever he recommended and pay whatever
he asked.”
“Do you know if any family member is desperate for money?” Lexie asked.
“Muriel,” Trey said immediately. “She went through all of her inheritance
from her late husband making contributions to her favorite religions and is now
living on her social security. She hasn’t made a mortgage payment for months
and is actually in danger of being foreclosed on. Which is ironic considering
her late husband, Harold, was president of the bank holding the mortgage.”
“Did Max know about that?”
Trey nodded. “She tried to borrow money from Max a couple of months
before he died, and I couldn’t help overhearing. He told her he wasn’t about to
finance Billy Graham’s ministries, the Vatican, Buddhism Today, and that Wicca
church or school or whatever the hell it is with his hard-earned cash.”
“She contributed to all of those?”
“And more,” Trey said. “Max told me she’s gone through every cent Harold
left her. She’s living on her social security.”
“Would Max really have let her lose her house?”
“Probably,” Trey said. “But he’d have made sure she had a place to stay,
paid rent for an apartment, or bought her a condo. He might even have bought
her house from the bank and let her stay there. He wouldn’t want her to be
homeless. Just unable to make contributions she couldn’t afford.”
“Anyone else?”
“Cecilia showed up a couple of days early for Easter,” he said. “She
seemed agitated. She had a long meeting with Max, and when it was over she was
even more agitated.”
“She asked him for money?”
“I don’t know. I do know that Max was really upset by her most recent
divorce and afraid she was turning into her mother. Max also told me that
Jeremy asked for money, although not why he wanted it. Probably had some hot
investment opportunity. Max turned him down.”
“What about Seth?”
“I know the money he’s inheriting will help him advance his career,” Trey
said. “And he’s no doubt still furious that Max refused to force the director
of Dark
Fire to hire him as an assistant last year.
“Not that any of them would have killed Max,” he added quickly. “And I’m
sure Max would have helped anyone who became truly desperate. I got more from
Max alive than dead, in case you suspect
threatening letters to me. He said he didn’t tell me everything and to drop it.
He was so vehement that I did.” Trey closed his eyes for a moment, pain
flickering across his features. “God, I wish I hadn’t.”
“The cops probably wouldn’t have found anything,” Lexie said. “According
to Ben, they give new meaning to ‘incompetent.’”
“I might have been able to convince Max to hire a P.I.,” Trey said.
“Although knowing Max, probably not. And Ben’s right about our local law
enforcement. I assume that’s why Max wanted you to check this out.”
“He was also afraid that someone else might discover some unrelated
family secrets during their investigation and make them public.”
Trey started tapping again. “He had a point. Max has always been so
protective of his privacy that the tabloids will pay a fortune for any dirt
related to him or his family. They’ll pay even more right after his death. But
he knew you’d never expose anything, both because you were his attorney and
because of your aunt. How did Ben get involved?”
“Max sent him a letter asking him to work with me.”
“That doesn’t surprise me. Max trusted Ben implicitly.”
Something in his voice made Lexie look at him curiously. “Do you know a
reason he shouldn’t have?”
“Only that I don’t think you should trust any beneficiary when you’re
dealing with as much money as Max had,” Trey said. “I like Ben. For what it’s
worth, he’s never tried to cheat me on a car repair, even though he knows I
know nothing about cars and would do whatever he recommended and pay whatever
he asked.”
“Do you know if any family member is desperate for money?” Lexie asked.
“Muriel,” Trey said immediately. “She went through all of her inheritance
from her late husband making contributions to her favorite religions and is now
living on her social security. She hasn’t made a mortgage payment for months
and is actually in danger of being foreclosed on. Which is ironic considering
her late husband, Harold, was president of the bank holding the mortgage.”
“Did Max know about that?”
Trey nodded. “She tried to borrow money from Max a couple of months
before he died, and I couldn’t help overhearing. He told her he wasn’t about to
finance Billy Graham’s ministries, the Vatican, Buddhism Today, and that Wicca
church or school or whatever the hell it is with his hard-earned cash.”
“She contributed to all of those?”
“And more,” Trey said. “Max told me she’s gone through every cent Harold
left her. She’s living on her social security.”
“Would Max really have let her lose her house?”
“Probably,” Trey said. “But he’d have made sure she had a place to stay,
paid rent for an apartment, or bought her a condo. He might even have bought
her house from the bank and let her stay there. He wouldn’t want her to be
homeless. Just unable to make contributions she couldn’t afford.”
“Anyone else?”
“Cecilia showed up a couple of days early for Easter,” he said. “She
seemed agitated. She had a long meeting with Max, and when it was over she was
even more agitated.”
“She asked him for money?”
“I don’t know. I do know that Max was really upset by her most recent
divorce and afraid she was turning into her mother. Max also told me that
Jeremy asked for money, although not why he wanted it. Probably had some hot
investment opportunity. Max turned him down.”
“What about Seth?”
“I know the money he’s inheriting will help him advance his career,” Trey
said. “And he’s no doubt still furious that Max refused to force the director
of Dark
Fire to hire him as an assistant last year.
“Not that any of them would have killed Max,” he added quickly. “And I’m
sure Max would have helped anyone who became truly desperate. I got more from
Max alive than dead, in case you suspect
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