Free Murdered in Argentina: A Jack Trout Cozy Mystery by Dianne Harman Page B

the shops open in town. We can go downstairs and have some breakfast if you’re up to it, or I’d be happy to bring some up to you.”
    “No, the thought of food makes me sick, but this coffee does look good. I still can’t believe all this is happening.”
    “I imagine you’re in shock, and that’s perfectly normal. I wish you could rest for several days, but there are some things that need to be done. First of all, what about Ray’s relatives? Did he have a family? What about children?”
    “No,” Lisa said. “We used to say it was a good thing we found each other, because neither one of us has any family. I think he told you about his father. His mother’s deceased, and there’s no one else. He was never married to anyone before he married me. He’d more or less married his business. I’m sure people probably thought he married me strictly because of my looks and that he could afford me, but there was more to it than that. We argued a lot, but that was our way of interacting. I loved him very much, and I know he loved me.
    “I came from a very wealthy family, but there was no love there. My father and mother were divorced when I was very young, and I was actually raised by my grandmother. The only good thing my parents did for me was to name me as their beneficiary, because each of them died before I was twenty years old. Ray and I really had no role models for what makes a good marriage. I’m sure others wondered about our marriage, but we did the best we could do.”
    You’ve got that right , Lisa , Carola thought. I was one who certainly wondered about your marriage, but this explains a lot.
    “Lisa, did Ray have a will or a trust? Do you know who his lawyer is? Did he ever tell you what he planned to do with the company if something happened to him?”
    “Ray and I had trusts. Even though Ray used to joke around about how much money I spent, I’m actually quite wealthy in my own right. Ray had a bit of an ego and wanted people to believe he was the wealthy one. His lawyer insisted we have trusts. If something happened to me, Ray was to get all of my money and assets and vice versa. I guess now I’m the owner of Moving Graphics,” she said looking down at her perfectly polished fingernails. “I probably should call our lawyer. It would be better for him to hear it from me then from someone else. Even though the top people in his company are here, I’m sure they have phones, and they’ve already probably made some calls.”
    “I agree. That’s a call you definitely need to make today. I imagine the company will be fine for a few days, since I’m sure the people who are here made plans so their departments would operate smoothly while they were in Argentina,” Carola said.
    “I really don’t know much about the company. I know that Ray talked a lot about how Mitch Graham was ready to take over the company, but Ray wasn’t ready to step down. I probably should talk to Mitch.”
    “Do you think you’ll keep him on as president?” Carola asked.
    “I’ve never thought about any of this. I suppose it should keep going the way it has, and I could stay in the background as the silent owner. That’s something else I probably need to discuss with our attorney.”
    “Why don’t you shower and get dressed? It’s eight now. I’ll arrange for us to go into town about ten. We can look around and then have lunch. I know you’re probably not hungry, but with everything that’s happened, you need to keep your strength up. I want to talk to a couple of people here at the lodge before we go. When we get back you can call your attorney. It’s too early now. Does that sound good to you?”
    “Not really, but I suppose there’s nothing else for me to do until we leave San Martin on Thursday. Carola, let me ask you something?”
    “Of course. What is it?”
    “When I couldn’t sleep last night I got to wondering why the chief of police didn’t take statements last night from the people who