Chapter 34
"Does he check out?"
Was the first thing that I asked of Les. Thinking that this was maybe a trap to get to me. I knew that grandma had written her will some time ago but assumed that my mother would have had that in hand and obviously she hadn't included me with any details. It had been when my parents had been at the lawyers when I had left the house with my mother's words echoing around me.
"She's dead because of you, you don't deserve to be called her granddaughter, so I won't allow you to be involved with her last wishes. As far as I'm concerned, you've already done enough damage because of your selfishness"
I felt Les's hand on my arm and looked at him with tears starting to form. Was my mother right? Did I deserve to know what had been in that will?
"Beautiful, I had Cal run a report and he's who he says he is. You weren't to blame for what happened to your grandmother, so you have a right to know what message she had for you"
I suppose that Les was right, but it didn't feel that way.
"Where can I meet with him?"
Les smiled as I agreed to meet with the lawyer and instead of answering he took my elbow and led me to the elevator. I watched as he removed his phone so assumed that he was messaging the person on reception. I was walking into the same conference room where Ranger had met with Usman so went around the table and sat in the same chair that he had.
"Les, would you stay with me, please?"
"I'll go and get him"
I wasn't sure why I felt so nervous as I waited for Les to come back and watched as he walked an elderly man into the room. I instantly recognized him as the lawyer that I'd used for my divorce. In fact, it was on grandma's recommendation that I'd used one at all. From what I could remember he knew his stuff and even though he'd been pitted against Dickie Orr, my ex, he'd done his best to ensure that the divorce proceeded as legally as possible. Even he couldn't get me out of all of the debt that Dickie had landed me in and that was when I swore to always have control of where I lived and what I owned. Yeah, Dickie had named me on a mortgage for the house that he'd borrowed against without me knowing. It turned out that the debt was far greater than the value of the house and he'd even had the nerve to max any cards that we had.
"Miss Plum, it's good to finally catch up with you. I was worried that I would never be able to finalize Edna's wishes"
I shook hands with Mr Ryman before we both sat down but I had to admit that I was confused with how he knew that I'd be here.
"Mr Ryman, I'm here because I need to keep my location here in Trenton quiet. How did you know to come here?"
His embarrassment at being asked that was obvious but at least he had the courage to answer me.
"I sometimes go to the same club as your father, and I overheard a conversation. It seems that your father was disparaging about you being back here in Trenton, that he wished that you'd just disappeared, and never returned. That was when someone informed him that he'd heard from a detective Morelli that you were here, with the thugs and criminals at Rangeman"
I suppose that I shouldn't have been surprised that Joe had put out that information and acknowledged that it was bound to happen. Everyone would know where I was now, and I hated to think what lies were being gossiped about.
"Miss Plum. I have never been swayed by gossip. I know that the men here are very honorable and know that they will keep you safe. Seeing you today and finalizing your grandmother's wishes is part of my client confidentiality. No one will know from me"
I nodded my head at how honest Mr Ryman had been and knew that he would keep his word. I watched as he removed some papers from a briefcase and placed them in front of him before he looked up to me.
"Your grandmother was a very astute woman who had a very good understanding of her family's dynamics which was why she allocated a section of her will that only you would be privy to. She requested that I delivered this to you. Inside this envelope is a letter and also a key for a safety deposit box that only she knew about"
I looked at the envelope that Mr Ryman slid across the table toward me totally surprised with what he'd said. Maybe grandma's letter would explain some more details.
"I hadn't seen her for quite some time and the envelope hasn't been opened since her last visit. If you would sign this document to say that you have received the envelope, then I can continue to inform you of some of the contents of that box"
As soon as I signed the paper Mr Ryman was placing it into a folder in his bag but removing another paper in front of him. I was sure that I was frowning because I had no idea what else my grandma could surprise me with.
"Your grandmother's last visit was to give me some very specific instructions. There were two parts to her will, the first was to be shared between her daughter and family but the second was for your ears only. I thought that it was quite unusual at the time, but she was adamant with how I was to proceed"
I didn't know anything about that, probably because it had been something that had never been discussed. I had never been interested in anything that my grandma had owned because I suppose that I never wanted to think of her dying. I saw her as being invincible.
"She did inform me in confidence of what her intentions were and the reason for there being a separate envelope for yourself. Had you been with your family at the reading of the will I was to tell you to open the envelope in privacy, away from your family so that only you knew of the contents. The reason that she insisted on that happening was that you were to be the only person who knew about it, so that no one could contest her will if they were to find out"
I had to admit that what Mr Ryman was saying seemed a strange thing for grandma to have done. Why would anyone want to contest her will unless there was something very specific that my mother saw as being rightfully hers. I didn't think that grandma had anything that we would have argued over because she didn't have anything of any value, only maybe sentimental keepsakes.
"It seems that your grandmother, Edna Mazuur, had a winning lottery ticket. She opted for the lump sum and asked me to deal with her wishes. She took some out to set up trust funds for her granddaughters, but the remainder, nearly $14 million was put into bonds that she wanted you to have"
I opened my mouth and closed it, not sure what to say. That couldn't be right, I mean surely I would have known about her winning that amount of money, wouldn't I? I honestly didn't know what to say because what Mr Ryman was saying to me was a complete shock.
"If you would please let me know how you wish to proceed, then if you want I can arrange for the bonds to be cashed in or have the ownership transferred to you. As far as I am aware their location is contained in the envelope"
I was totally shocked with what I'd heard and to be honest had no idea what to say or what answer to give to him. 14 million dollars was such a lot of money to have left just to me but in my heart I think that I knew why she had done it.
"Mr Ryman. Could Miss Plum have some time to think about that. As you'll appreciate the information that you've told her has been quite a shock and I'm sure that she needs time to not only assimilate the information but to also consider carefully what she does next"
I was so thankful for Les giving Mr Ryman that response because I honestly still couldn't believe what had been said. Yes, I certainly needed time to make a decision and it would need to be well thought through.
"Certainly. You know how to contact me if you require my services"
He left without another word, with Les showing him the way out, leaving me on my own looking at the envelope and my mind reeling with the thought of so much money. Why hadn't grandma said anything? I went back to what I'd been thinking before, and I suppose that I knew the answer. Grandma wouldn't want my mother to have control of so much money and would maybe be worried that I wouldn't see a dollar with Val being the only one to benefit.
As those thoughts went through my head I wasn't sure how I felt by this unexpected news. Yes, grandma and I did have a special relationship but it made me feel very guilty that she'd gone to those lengths for me. Even as I looked at the envelope in my hands I was aware of the door opening and I expected it to be Les who walked into the room so was surprised when Ranger stepped in and sat down next to me.
"I thought that you were busy"
Feeling a little guilty that I'd asked Les to stay with me when I met with the lawyer.
"Never too busy for you. Do you want to open that here or up in the apartment?"
Definitely somewhere private.
"Can you be with me? He, the lawyer, well there was more that he told me"
Hell, I was feeling so needy at the moment and the idea of being alone when I opened that envelope scared me a little bit. Not that I was scared of what would be inside but more with how I would cope with it. For the moment I would focus on the envelope because to be honest the thought of all of that money scared the bejeebers out of me.
Sat on the couch in the apartment was when I really looked at the envelope. It was one of those padded envelopes that had been sealed closed. I smiled at the outline of lips from lipstick across the flap and remembered my grandma's penchant for bright red. Sealed with a kiss was what came to my mind a saying that she often used. From kissing any grazes that I'd had as a child to kissing my forehead after we'd spoken was her way of showing me her love. Something that my mother had never done.
My name was written in my grandmother's writing and judging by how legible and straight it was I knew that she must have written it some time ago. I took a small knife from Ranger as he passed me one and carefully slit the envelope open so as not to damage the seal from the kiss and then pulled out a paper from inside. I had to take deep breaths knowing that this was my last connection to her.
"My dearest granddaughter. If you are reading this, then I'm at peace and in the arms of my beloved Harry. I watched as you grew up, that spunky little girl who grew up into a beautiful and determined woman. I hope that you knew that I was always there for you despite the many obstacles that were thrown your way. Maybe overcoming them was how you developed such a deep initiative to survive. That you have such a trusting heart does me proud.
After Harry died, I vowed that I'd live every day to the full and didn't give two hoots what anyone thought of me, take that advice from me because what people think and say isn't important. What's important is that you learn to love yourself for who you are as others who are important will do.
I don't know where I went wrong with your mother, but she isn't someone that I'm proud of. That is why I decided to write this letter just for you because she has always been jealous of the bond that we always had. I wanted to ensure that you got from me the things that were important. That was why I directed that nice man, Mr Ryland, to ensure that you would never struggle again. To you I leave love but also things that were precious to me, that only you would appreciate, and your mother never would.
I ask only one thing of you. Follow the instructions in the box and ignore what anyone else says to you.
I will always be watching over you"
Reading that letter felt as though she was here with me. If I had tears in my eyes then they were happy tears, knowing that even as she grew older that she had always felt that bond that we shared. I tipped the envelope over and watched as a key fell onto my lap. At least she'd added a tag to say which bank she'd used. I fingered the key desperate just to go right now and discover what was in the box, but I knew that wouldn't be happening. Having someone watching the building was bad enough and then there was Lawrence to contend with. I was pretty sure that he would be watching out for me and if I went to a bank, he'd probably get the wrong idea for my visit. My Ryman had said that he hadn't seen grandma for a while, so I knew that she hadn't hidden the pin inside her safety deposit box.
"Babe, what does she mean when she says that you'll never need to struggle again?"
I was pretty sure that she was referring to the bonds, but I wasn't sure how to explain it to Ranger. I suppose the best way was to just repeat what Mr Ryman had told me. Until I actually saw with my own eyes the content of that box, I wasn't even sure that I believed it.
"The lawyer said that grandma had won the lottery a few years ago. She allocated some of the winnings to trust funds for Val's children but left the rest to me in bonds. No one else knows about them or that she had even won any money, so she had Mr Ryman make it legal"
What else could I say?
"Tomorrow Babe, we'll arrange for you to go the bank then"
Ranger hadn't said a word as I'd read the letter, but I knew that he was reading the contents along with me. I was grateful that he didn't make a comment but knew what I would want to happen.