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Authors: John D. MacDonald
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about to join a health club. He always says that. I suggested Loie' outfit. He asked me if I had come to change my will, and I said that it was still okay as is, but I would like to talk about Billy Ingraham's estate.
We sat down across the desk from each other and he said it was a tragic thing that Billy had to lose out on a lot of good years remaining, and he said the estate was in very clean condition because Billy had done a lot of neatening up after he sold out his business interests, getting rid of little cats and dogs, small partnerships, shelters, tag ends of land. Everything that could be put into a discretionary trust had been put into it, so there would be very little to go through probate. Mostly the cars and his collection of western art. "Millis the sole heir?"
"Looking to marry her, Trav?"
"Or get a job in a sideshow handling snakes? Sure. I don't really have to know how she's going to be fixed, Frank. I would guess she gets the bulk, less a few bequests to causes here and there. What I want to know about is insurance."
"Why?"
"Because if there are any policies on him that pay off double in the case of accidental death, there's a chance of collecting."
"Accidental! Look, the man was overweight and out of condition. He had high blood pressure. He had a lot of stress all his life. And he died in bed."
"Is murder an accidental death?"
"Are you nuts, McGee? Have you been watching TV?"
"You know about the Sundowner of course."
"I know all about it. I know how much of a bath he took. I know you found it for him. Don't look surprised. That's confidential information, lawyer and client. And I know what you were paid. A nice windfall. I hope you're going to declare it. That's my legal advice."
"I always declare everything that will show up in somebody else's tax records. You taught me that a long time ago."
"What's this murder nonsense?"
"Again, legal confidentiality, Frank please."
"You've got it."
"Those two little kids who got killed by a bomb last Saturday. The bomb came to me in the mail. I forgot to lock the truck. I was parked in that mall lot. The package looked like a book. When I got home, it was missing. Those kids had petty theft records."
He stared at me, biting his lip, then said, "And you haven't gone to the police?"
"You know all the good reasons I have to keep a low profile with the local law. Maybe the theft of the gift and the explosion are unrelated."
"Who wants you dead?"
"Maybe somebody who thinks I punished those kids for stealing the boat. And they might think Billy hired me to do just that. I don't know who. If I don't know who wanted to bomb me, then I don't know who killed the little boys, do I? What would I go to the police with?"
"Okay. But it sounds like a very outside chance."
"Can you get an autopsy?"
"Millis told me on the phone the body is being embalmed there. If they did an autopsy there, she would have mentioned it. Jesus, Trav, what basis have I got for ordering an autopsy? You know what would happen. Everybody would think it was Millis I was suspicious of. Somehow I don't want her mad at me."
"What's the timing?"
"Let me see here. She flies in late with the body on Friday, gets in at eleven-twenty at Miami. Decker and Sons will have a hearse there to bring it up to the funeral home. Services Sunday morning, the thirtieth, at United Baptist, and burial at noon out at Elysian Fields, next to Sadie."
"How about unofficial? It would just be the skull."
He thought it over. He shook his head. "I just can't do that and I'll tell you why. Suppose we do come up with evidence of a different cause of death? Even though it's way out of our jurisdiction I would have to advise the local law and I guess they would advise the French authorities. I never had one like this before. I think it can be done officially, but very quietly. I am going to have to use up some tickets I've got out all over town. Judge, assistant state's attorney, doctor, Floyd Decker. Jesus, I hate to
We sat down across the desk from each other and he said it was a tragic thing that Billy had to lose out on a lot of good years remaining, and he said the estate was in very clean condition because Billy had done a lot of neatening up after he sold out his business interests, getting rid of little cats and dogs, small partnerships, shelters, tag ends of land. Everything that could be put into a discretionary trust had been put into it, so there would be very little to go through probate. Mostly the cars and his collection of western art. "Millis the sole heir?"
"Looking to marry her, Trav?"
"Or get a job in a sideshow handling snakes? Sure. I don't really have to know how she's going to be fixed, Frank. I would guess she gets the bulk, less a few bequests to causes here and there. What I want to know about is insurance."
"Why?"
"Because if there are any policies on him that pay off double in the case of accidental death, there's a chance of collecting."
"Accidental! Look, the man was overweight and out of condition. He had high blood pressure. He had a lot of stress all his life. And he died in bed."
"Is murder an accidental death?"
"Are you nuts, McGee? Have you been watching TV?"
"You know about the Sundowner of course."
"I know all about it. I know how much of a bath he took. I know you found it for him. Don't look surprised. That's confidential information, lawyer and client. And I know what you were paid. A nice windfall. I hope you're going to declare it. That's my legal advice."
"I always declare everything that will show up in somebody else's tax records. You taught me that a long time ago."
"What's this murder nonsense?"
"Again, legal confidentiality, Frank please."
"You've got it."
"Those two little kids who got killed by a bomb last Saturday. The bomb came to me in the mail. I forgot to lock the truck. I was parked in that mall lot. The package looked like a book. When I got home, it was missing. Those kids had petty theft records."
He stared at me, biting his lip, then said, "And you haven't gone to the police?"
"You know all the good reasons I have to keep a low profile with the local law. Maybe the theft of the gift and the explosion are unrelated."
"Who wants you dead?"
"Maybe somebody who thinks I punished those kids for stealing the boat. And they might think Billy hired me to do just that. I don't know who. If I don't know who wanted to bomb me, then I don't know who killed the little boys, do I? What would I go to the police with?"
"Okay. But it sounds like a very outside chance."
"Can you get an autopsy?"
"Millis told me on the phone the body is being embalmed there. If they did an autopsy there, she would have mentioned it. Jesus, Trav, what basis have I got for ordering an autopsy? You know what would happen. Everybody would think it was Millis I was suspicious of. Somehow I don't want her mad at me."
"What's the timing?"
"Let me see here. She flies in late with the body on Friday, gets in at eleven-twenty at Miami. Decker and Sons will have a hearse there to bring it up to the funeral home. Services Sunday morning, the thirtieth, at United Baptist, and burial at noon out at Elysian Fields, next to Sadie."
"How about unofficial? It would just be the skull."
He thought it over. He shook his head. "I just can't do that and I'll tell you why. Suppose we do come up with evidence of a different cause of death? Even though it's way out of our jurisdiction I would have to advise the local law and I guess they would advise the French authorities. I never had one like this before. I think it can be done officially, but very quietly. I am going to have to use up some tickets I've got out all over town. Judge, assistant state's attorney, doctor, Floyd Decker. Jesus, I hate to
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