Customers crowded the aisles at Wagner’s General Store for their annual sale on fall flowers. It was a crazy day to shop for new jeans for Alex, but Shauna hadn’t had a choice. His old ones were beginning to look like high-water pants. She navigated the shopping carts and people back to the children’s section and grabbed three pairs of jeans, then headed for the checkout.
She bumped her cart into another on the way out the door. “So sorry.”
It wasn’t until the woman turned that she recognized Kristy Gillings. An attorney, Kristy didn’t dress the part in her generally wrinkled khakis and oversized sweaters. Her gray hair was usually messy, but she had the reputation of being one of the best lawyers in the area. She’d drawn up Jack’s will and had been helpful after his death, but seeing the woman always brought a hard knot to Shauna’s stomach. She didn’t like to relive those days.
Kristy stopped and smiled. “I tried to call you a little while ago and got your voice mail.”
“I didn’t hear my phone, but it’s loud in here. Is everything all right?”
Kristy’s blue eyes twinkled. “I think you’re going to say things are more than all right. Do you have time to come to my office right now?”
The office was just across the street, so Shauna nodded. She parked her shopping cart at the front door, then walked with Kristy. The Victorian building had been redone in Painted Lady colors, and the interior boasted fresh gray paint since Shauna had been here last.
Kristy led her past the receptionist to the spacious back office that had huge windows overlooking a park by the bay. She shrugged off her ratty blue cardigan. “Have a seat.” She dropped into her black leather desk chair.
Shauna perched on the edge of the seat across from the gleaming black desk. “What’s this all about?” She thought she’d paid all the taxes due after Jack’s death, but what if there was a bill outstanding? Or what if the mortgage was about to be foreclosed? She’d gotten it caught up, but it was possible the bank had already started proceedings.
Kristy opened a folder and pulled out a sheaf of papers. “I have Clarence and Lucy’s wills here. You are their only beneficiary.”
The words didn’t make sense to Shauna. She sat blinking at Kristy until the words coalesced in her head. “You can’t be serious.”
“You were an equal beneficiary with Darla until their daughter’s death, and then they changed their will. Everything goes to you.” She slid a paper across the desk. “Here is a list of the assets.”
Shauna couldn’t bring herself to take the paper. She didn’t want to benefit from losing such dear friends. “Why would they do that?”
Kristy shrugged. “Seems simple enough to me—they loved you.”
“I-I loved them.” Her throat was so tight Shauna could barely whisper.
Kristy nudged the paper closer to her. “It’ll take some time to settle part of the estate. The house was insured for six hundred thousand, but the land is worth over at least twice that. They had some stocks as well as cash in the bank. All told, you stand to inherit about two million dollars.”
Two million dollars.
The breath escaped from Shauna’s lungs, and she shrank against the seat back. “That can’t be possible.”
“Barring anyone contesting the will, of course, but I don’t foresee that. They had no close relatives.”
Shauna gathered her wits. “Clarence’s brother. I contacted him about the funeral, but he’s not coming. They’ve been estranged for a long time.”
“Well, he could possibly choose to contest it, but he wouldn’t have any grounds. They were both of sound mind and in good health. Their wishes will stand any kind of court judgment.”
Shauna still couldn’t take it in. She could pay off her mortgage and her helicopter, but it felt wrong to be happy about that when her friends were dead. “Thank you for telling me.”
“Probate will take a few months. I have some documents for you to sign so I can open probate and settle it all.” Kristy lifted more papers from the folder. “We can take care of that now if you have time.”
Even as she numbly went through the motions of reading and signing the paperwork, she forced back tears. What would people think when they heard this news? Would they think she had finagled her way into their hearts for money?
It was going to take some time for Shauna to wrap her head around the news. She parked in Clarence’s driveway and got out under a spectacular sunset that painted the sky in glorious bands of red and gold. Her eyes burned, and the lump in her throat refused to go down no matter how much she swallowed.
How could they have done this for her? They’d never even hinted at it. She stood against the yellow crime-scene tape and stared at the burned ruins of the house. The charred beams and timbers still reeked of soot, and she flinched as the memory of that night filled her head. Hot tears rolled down her cheeks, and she swiped at them with the back of her hand.
Who had done this to Clarence and Lucy? What could be worth their lives?
Tires crunched on the drive behind her, and she turned to see the sheriff’s car roll to a stop. Everett got out and studied her face before taking several steps toward her.
“Any news, Sheriff?”
“What are you doing here?”
“Just missing them, remembering the good times.” Her voice quivered, and she pressed her lips together.
He propped a booted foot on a blackened truss. “They were good people. I wish I could tell you I know who did this, but I’ve got so little to go on that I’m not sure I’ll ever solve it.”
She had hoped for answers. “Are you coming to the funeral on Sunday?”
“Yep. The killer often shows up, and I want to check out attendees. Maybe some of their family will show up. I still haven’t tracked down their heir yet.”
“His brother is the only living relative, and he’s not coming. They’ve been estranged for years.”
He lifted his black brows. “Hmm, maybe he’s their heir. Do you have his name? I want to check him out.”
The need to talk moved up her throat. “They left me everything.”
The sheriff pulled his foot off the beam and straightened. “They left you their estate?”
She nodded and stuffed her hands in her pockets. “I had no idea until today. Kristy Gillings tracked me down and told me about it. It seems unreal.” Shauna glanced up at him. “Why are you looking at me like that?” His expression had gone somber and calculated.
“You were the last one to see both of them alive. And you stood to gain from their deaths.” He sighed. “Look, I don’t think you had anything to do with the murders, but my lead detective is not going to be so sure. And the state boys are helping us on this, so I’m guessing you just moved to the top of the suspect list.”
“But I didn’t know anything about it until an hour ago.”
He put his hand on her shoulder. “Go home, Shauna. Don’t talk about this to anyone. I don’t want their suspicions to misdirect the investigation.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “When do you think I can go home? I’ve been at Zach’s for five days already. If you don’t think you’ll ever find the killer, I need to decide what to do. I can’t stay at his house forever.”
“We are still sifting through evidence at your house. There’s a lot of destruction, which makes for a lot of debris to search. We should be done in a couple more days.” He frowned and zipped up his jacket against the wind stiffening off the ocean. “I don’t want you to go home just yet. Give us a few weeks to see if we come up with a suspect.”
She nodded and didn’t argue with him. “I’ve got to pick up Alex.”
No matter what the sheriff said, she had to get on with her life sooner or later. It seemed clear neither the sheriff nor the state police would be able to do much to help her. They had no clues and no real direction, so what was she supposed to do?
She got in her truck and pulled away. It wasn’t until she turned onto the road to Marilyn’s when a thought struck. Once the will was executed, she’d be able to hire all the security she needed.