off his mind. A lot of the officers are like that, they want something and they want it done immediately. Like lawyers. Now that everything's computerized, I was able to do that for him.“
„You said a lot of the officers?“
„My father was a lawyer. His brother was a cop. This started way back when. Before we were Houseman and Houseman, we were Houseman, Riley, Friedkin. For anything personal, not Department business, of course, a lot of the men would come to us. They still do, even more than years ago.“
„I guess you give them what they want.“
„Mostly, it's speed. That, and good advice. What Tim asked for, same day service, it's not all that unusual.“
„Were there many changes in the new will?“
„Well, the executor, from his mother, Kathleen, to you. And the beneficiary was changed from Kathleen to his sister Mary Margaret. That's all. Nothing fancy.“
„And he didn't say anything about why he wasn't making Mary Margaret his executor?“
„No. Well, yes, he did. He said that you would know ... let me think ... he said that you would know what he wanted.“
„Damn. What does that mean?“
„I guess whatever's spelled out in the will.“
„Wouldn't his sister have known what he wanted in that case?“
„I suppose. He must have had his reasons.“
„So I've been told. That's what one of the detectives said.“
„You know, Rachel, had he told me he hardly knew you, I would have strongly advised against this. But he didn't tell me. I didn't have a clue. In fact, that wording was his, the part that says, 'my dear friend.' I guess it's a cop thing. They're not very talkative, not to civilians, anyway. Not even to their own lawyers.“
Guys, I thought, not just cops. Someone gets the message through to them before they're toilet-trained: stiff upper lip, don't complain, don't explain, the whole John Wayne thing.
„You're not required to accept this burden, Rachel. It's an awful lot of work. Of course, if you do take it on, you'll be paid for your time and effort. You do know that, don't you? I only ask because an awful lot of people don't, and because Detective O'Fallon never discussed this with you.“
„No, I had no idea.“
„The executor receives a percent of the value of the estate.“
„The only other estate I dealt with was my mother's, and my sister and I were the beneficiaries, so that wasn't an issue. I don't feel right about this, that part of Mary Margaret's money will go to me.“
„Oh, don't worry about that. You'll earn it. And it's what Detective O'Fallon wanted. He was clear about that, Rachel, all my clients are. I always explain what's customary. And why.“
I was thinking about what she'd just said, about the amount of time this would take. I was thinking about the bills that showed up in my mailbox with great regularity, whether or not I was working. I'd worked for dead people before. That wasn't the problem. But this was the first time a client was dead before hiring me.
„I'll arrange a bank account with you as the signatory as soon as you get me the account information. We can write the checks here, but we'll need to send them to you for signing. Meanwhile, I'll get to work on the rest of what you need. Please keep in touch.“
„Thanks, Melanie. I'll try not to bother you unnecessarily.“
„I get paid, too, Rachel. Getting bothered, as you put it, is part of what I get paid for. Call whenever you need to.“
Though I believed Melanie, that there'd be a lot of work, more than I could guess, I still wasn't comfortable with the news that I'd be paid. O'-Fallon had had something in mind. Unless I was able to discover what that was, I wouldn't feel I'd earned the money.
Still, there was the reality of those bills to pay. In fact, there was something else I had to do that morning to keep myself afloat. O'Fallon's rent, I guessed, was governed by Rent Stabilization Laws. Otherwise he would be living in Queens, not Greenwich Village. My fabulous deal had
„You said a lot of the officers?“
„My father was a lawyer. His brother was a cop. This started way back when. Before we were Houseman and Houseman, we were Houseman, Riley, Friedkin. For anything personal, not Department business, of course, a lot of the men would come to us. They still do, even more than years ago.“
„I guess you give them what they want.“
„Mostly, it's speed. That, and good advice. What Tim asked for, same day service, it's not all that unusual.“
„Were there many changes in the new will?“
„Well, the executor, from his mother, Kathleen, to you. And the beneficiary was changed from Kathleen to his sister Mary Margaret. That's all. Nothing fancy.“
„And he didn't say anything about why he wasn't making Mary Margaret his executor?“
„No. Well, yes, he did. He said that you would know ... let me think ... he said that you would know what he wanted.“
„Damn. What does that mean?“
„I guess whatever's spelled out in the will.“
„Wouldn't his sister have known what he wanted in that case?“
„I suppose. He must have had his reasons.“
„So I've been told. That's what one of the detectives said.“
„You know, Rachel, had he told me he hardly knew you, I would have strongly advised against this. But he didn't tell me. I didn't have a clue. In fact, that wording was his, the part that says, 'my dear friend.' I guess it's a cop thing. They're not very talkative, not to civilians, anyway. Not even to their own lawyers.“
Guys, I thought, not just cops. Someone gets the message through to them before they're toilet-trained: stiff upper lip, don't complain, don't explain, the whole John Wayne thing.
„You're not required to accept this burden, Rachel. It's an awful lot of work. Of course, if you do take it on, you'll be paid for your time and effort. You do know that, don't you? I only ask because an awful lot of people don't, and because Detective O'Fallon never discussed this with you.“
„No, I had no idea.“
„The executor receives a percent of the value of the estate.“
„The only other estate I dealt with was my mother's, and my sister and I were the beneficiaries, so that wasn't an issue. I don't feel right about this, that part of Mary Margaret's money will go to me.“
„Oh, don't worry about that. You'll earn it. And it's what Detective O'Fallon wanted. He was clear about that, Rachel, all my clients are. I always explain what's customary. And why.“
I was thinking about what she'd just said, about the amount of time this would take. I was thinking about the bills that showed up in my mailbox with great regularity, whether or not I was working. I'd worked for dead people before. That wasn't the problem. But this was the first time a client was dead before hiring me.
„I'll arrange a bank account with you as the signatory as soon as you get me the account information. We can write the checks here, but we'll need to send them to you for signing. Meanwhile, I'll get to work on the rest of what you need. Please keep in touch.“
„Thanks, Melanie. I'll try not to bother you unnecessarily.“
„I get paid, too, Rachel. Getting bothered, as you put it, is part of what I get paid for. Call whenever you need to.“
Though I believed Melanie, that there'd be a lot of work, more than I could guess, I still wasn't comfortable with the news that I'd be paid. O'-Fallon had had something in mind. Unless I was able to discover what that was, I wouldn't feel I'd earned the money.
Still, there was the reality of those bills to pay. In fact, there was something else I had to do that morning to keep myself afloat. O'Fallon's rent, I guessed, was governed by Rent Stabilization Laws. Otherwise he would be living in Queens, not Greenwich Village. My fabulous deal had
Similar Books
