Free The Ghost Who Loved Diamonds by Bobbi Holmes Page B

Who’s
that?” Cheryl frowned.
    “Aunt Brianna’s
attorney.”
    “I thought we were
going together to see him!”
    “You went to the beach
with Ian, and when I spoke to Mr. Renton on the phone he said if I wanted to
see him today I had to go right down to his office.”
    “You’re trying to pull
something, Dani. You could have come down to the beach and gotten me.”
    “Well, I didn’t. And
according to Mr. Renton, Aunt Brianna wrote her will years before she came down
with Alzheimer’s.”
    “You know that often
goes undiagnosed.”
    “What is it you really
want, Cheryl?”
    “Just what’s mine.”
    “We both know Aunt
Brianna had no reason to leave you part of her estate. You had nothing to do
with her. But you obviously want something. That’s why you’re here.”
    “No Dani. I’m here to
stake my rightful claim to half of the estate.  And my attorney says I have a
solid case.”
    “Next week I have a
buyer coming to look at the necklace. The house was already appraised. How
about I simply pay you from the proceeds of the necklace for whatever half of
the estate is worth. In turn, you agree that settles any claims you have, and
you can go back to California and leave me alone,” Danielle said wearily.
    “Why would you do
that?” Walt stood up straight, no longer leaning against the wall. The cigar in
his hand vanished.
    “So your attorney
agrees, I do have a case,” Cheryl said smugly.
    “It isn’t that, Cheryl.
I just want to move on with my life and I don’t need you complicating things
for me. If that means I only keep a share of the funds from the necklace, so be
it.”
    “This is ridiculous,”
Walt grumbled. He began pacing back and forth between Cheryl and Danielle.
    “Why would I want to
sell the necklace?” Cheryl asked.
    “So we can divide the
estate.” Danielle thought the reason was obvious.
    “Maybe I don’t want
to,” Cheryl said stubbornly.
    “What do you mean?”
    “It’s not like I need
the money,” Cheryl told her. “How often does someone have the opportunity to
own—and wear—something so unique?”
    “Maybe you don’t need
the money but I can’t even afford to pay the inheritance tax on the necklace.
Are you saying you want to buy out my share of the necklace?”
    “Don’t be ridiculous,”
Cheryl scoffed. “Why should I pay for something that I already own?”
    “For one thing, you
might not be entitled to half the estate. And even if you were, you’d only own
half of the necklace.”
    “What about this
house?” Cheryl asked.
    “What do you mean?”
    “Half of the house is
mine.”
    “Cheryl, I said I would
buy you out of your imagined half with the proceeds from the necklace. It would
be like selling off the estate—the house and necklace—and then splitting the
money. And if you are so determined to keep the necklace, then you’ll have to
buy out half the necklace, minus half of what the rest of the estate is worth.”
    “But I want half the
house.”
    “Why in the world do
you want half the house? You have your own house in California. I can’t believe
you want to move to Oregon. You have your friends and life back there.”
    “You just want the
house because of what’s hidden here,” Cheryl snapped.
    “What do you mean,
what’s hidden here?”
    “You know very well
what I mean! I don’t believe for a moment that man just stole one necklace. I
bet he stole all sorts of jewelry and it’s hidden throughout this house.”
    “If that were true,
then whatever we find wouldn’t be ours to keep anyway. It would have to go back
to the rightful owners.”
    “Please stop talking
like I was a thief!” Walt grumbled.
    “You found that
necklace and got to keep it. So don’t tell me you wouldn’t be able to keep
whatever else you find,” Cheryl insisted.
    “That was different.
Walt Marlow inherited the necklace and it was passed down to his heir, which
was Aunt Brianna’s mother.”
    “That’s just stupid.
Why would he inherit a