Breaking Ground

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Book: Breaking Ground by William Andrews Read Free Book Online
Authors: William Andrews
Tags: Fiction, General, Mystery & Detective
Historical Society?”
    â€œI never talked to her about her will, just about the gift, and the fact that she wanted me to know she would pay it off this summer.”
    â€œWhich makes it sound to me like she intended to go through with the land sale,” Henry said.
    â€œYou mean she didn’t have enough money otherwise?”
    Henry laughed heartily. “Don’t mean that at all. Mary Ellen had huge assets, but like most good Yankees she kept them in stocks and bonds and land. Not exactly liquid, especially with the market the way it is. She could have raised the half-million in cash easily, but she wasn’t the type to sell into a bad market if she could hold on to get more gains. The thing is that the land deal provided cash so she wouldn’t have to liquidate anything. That definitely appealed to Mary Ellen. But like I was saying, if she told you she was going to have the money shortly, then I’m sure she wasn’t going to opt out of the sale. And that’s what Steven thinks, too. But back to the will. The reason I asked you if Mary Ellen had talked to you about it is that Steven told me she had mentioned it to him.”
    â€œWhen?” Julie asked.
    â€œInteresting timing. Over breakfast Tuesday morning, apparently for the first time. She told him she was thinking of changing her will to leave one-third of the estate to the historical society.”
    â€œWow!” was all Julie could say.
    â€œIf you knew the size of the estate, Julie, you’d be saying double wow. But let me be clear about this—she didn’t change the will, and didn’t even mention the idea to me, so I don’t think the society can pursue this.”
    â€œWhat do you mean by that, Henry?”
    â€œJust that if she had told you she was going to make the change and then didn’t, because she didn’t have time, the society might have grounds for contesting the will.”
    â€œWe wouldn’t do
that!
”
    â€œWell, not with me as solicitor! That’s when I’d have a plain and visible conflict. But I had to advise Steven of the possibility, and that’s why I needed to know if Mary Ellen had talked to you.”
    â€œMaybe that’s what Steven thought she was going to do on Tuesday morning. He told Mike Barlow his mother was planning to see me before the groundbreaking, but she hadn’t mentioned that to me. But Steven might have thought so, especially if Mary Ellen just brought up the idea of a change over breakfast that morning.”
    â€œI suppose. Anyway, it’s obvious Steven would not have been happy if she had.”
    â€œNo, I guess not,” Julie said slowly, pondering the implications. “But did she tell Steven why she was going to do that? Could she have decided to back out of the land deal and then change her will so we got the money that way?”
    â€œThat’s certainly a reasonable inference,” LaBelle said.
    â€œBut because she was killed she couldn’t back out?” Julie practically yelled over the phone.
    â€œWell, obviously. But I doubt we can conclude she knew she was going to die and therefore couldn’t exercise the cancellation option.”
    â€œNo, but she had Tuesday and Wednesday and today to cancel. Or so she thought.”
    â€œSure. I see what you mean. But I don’t think that’s the issue here. The idea of changing the will had more to do with Steven.”
    â€œHow so?”
    There was a long pause, and Julie heard the sip and swallow again at Henry’s end. Finally he continued. “Look, this is where my legal duty gets blurry, but I talked to Steven about this, and he said I should go ahead and tell you. He wants everything out front.”
    â€œOkay, but I’ll keep it to myself if you want me to.”
    â€œThat would be best. Here’s the thing: Mary Ellen told Steven and Elizabeth—or Steven says she did; I can only repeat what he told me—that

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