Page 2 of The Will

“I understand you are upset, as he was your father, but please don’t make me hang up on you.” The words were barely a whisper out of her mouth before his volume cranked up, continuing his demeaning rant. “You’ll regret that!” was all she caught of his rant before she followed through and ended the call. All she felt was relief.

Grandpa had been right, that follow-through was the key to dealing with a toxic person. It only took six years for her to get to where she could stand up for herself without feeling the need to apologize. The apology part Grandpa had worked on with her from the beginning. He said she had to unlearn some behavior so she could work on her confidence. He had been terribly upset with Chloe’s condition when she came to him.

“You used to be fierce like your grandmother,” he had said to Chloe one night. “I don’t know what all happened to you in my son’s home, but it was more than what you told me. We need to get you back to yourself.” His tone had been so positive, and with his eyes filled with love and affection for her, she had not had the heart to tell him that she thought it was her own fault. When Chloe arrived at Uncle Gene’s home, she had brought a suitcase of emotional baggage along with her.

Chloe’s mom had been a single mom from the start. She didn’t want to marry Chloe’s father, and he didn’t want children or the responsibility. This was probably best since he was shot five years later in one of his “business” deals, as Chloe’s mom had called it. Uncle Gene wasn’t afraid to shove in her face later that her “Daddy” was a junkie and a dealer. He even went as far as to say that he had made sure that kind of trash did not make it into the family. Chloe didn’t know what he meant by that comment, but she was sure it wasn’t something she wanted to know.

So, she worked hard on herself with her grandpa. She would go to work at the new upstart internet business in town during the day and then spend her nights with Grandpa, focusing on her confidence. She wrote letters to the people she felt hurt her the most, took them out to the barbeque grill, and read them out loud to the wind before burning them in the fire. Grandpa said that it was part of the recovery process that he read about on the internet.

Grandpa had differed from older generations and had embraced the computer era, keeping up on his ability to use a search engine to find news and information. He liked to say, “Learn something new every day so you never stop learning.” Chloe was grateful though, as she had shed much of her anxiety because of these practices that Grandpa had found.

Six months ago, though, his health had started to seriously decline. The doctor had told him that his pancreas was failing due to cancer. They gave him insulin. He was told he would take it for the rest of his life after they removed his pancreas. Now, here Chloe was, with her grandpa gone and no clue what to do next.

She got up from the table, plugged in her phone to charge, and headed upstairs to pack her things. She knew the consequences of hanging up on her uncle. Best to get started, so she would be ready when he came to kick her out of the house instead of waiting until the last minute.

Chloe climbed the stairs, crestfallen as she knew this would be her last time in this house.

Chapter 2

AlexanderMoorereacheddowninto his pants pocket to pull out the picture and dossier of the person he was looking for on his assignment. He took this missing person request from his brother, Cy, a couple of days ago.

Cyrus Moore and Alex both worked for Moore Law, which was started by good old dad to make a name for himself among the rich and powerful of their city. They weren’t rich like the billionaires of Wall Street, but they could still be the owners of million-dollar mansions on a lake, where they can drive their boats right into their basements.

Cy had been the good son and gone into the law side of the business. Alex had been the rebel and chosen to head into criminology. He was technically the heir to the family fortune and the prestige that went with it, but everyone knew Cy was the favorite and would receive that honor. That did not bother Alex in the least. He felt Cy had worked hard and he put up with a great deal more of their Dad’s shit than Alex had been willing to do.

Besides, Cy loved the law. He seemed to take to the study of it like it was a part of him, while Alex always felt suffocated in a courtroom. Even when he was just there to testify, he wanted the whole thing over as quickly as possible. If he spent too long in a roomful of liars, he might snap. Liars were always the problem. Not the salesperson type, those were easy to brush off. They didn’t really believe their lies, so Alex could ignore them without a pause or any irritation. It was the ones that honestly believed their own lies, the narcissistic types, that would always get under his skin. He was sure he got that pet peeve from growing up watching his parents’ relationship.

Thaddeus Moore, Alex and Cy’s father, was a prominent lawyer and powerful person in the political scenes, both in their city and the surrounding states. Alex was sure he had ambitions for bigger things, but he had not snagged a big enough fish to get there. He had gotten to his position of power by design.

His law office is in the middle of downtown, in one of the shiny office buildings not too far from one of the Great Lakes. The view was breathtaking from the tenth floor of the building, looking out onto the lake or the city. You couldn’t help but be impressed either way. Thaddeus had invested in this building when it was built in the 1980’s. He knew it would pay off later, and it had. He got prime real estate for the law office, his personal penthouse suite, and income from the other tenants in the building. Not that he needed the building income with the prices he charged for his services. Alex wasn’t even sure which elites could afford the personal touch of his father’s skills.

Everyone thought Thaddeus was a generous family man that loved his community. He went to all the right parties, where he met all the right people, and manipulated them with great skill. He could charm a room with one pass and all the flies would swarm to him. Business deals, law clients, and realtors would all hover for their opportunity to pitch their ideas to him. He carried a stack of business cards to hand out at any functions because of this.

Of course, business opportunities were not the only things presented to him at these parties and galas. Women flocked to his presence, worse than the businessmen. He was strikingly handsome, with a perpetual tan that accented his blue-gray eyes, and a face that looked sculpted rather than born. His square-like jaw and long, thin nose gave one the impression of a Greek statue brought to life, with thick, black hair which he had cut to perfection every two weeks. He was always clean shaven, and when he smiled, his white, straight teeth seemed to shine. Women went giddy over him. Women wanting to be his girlfriend, wife, or just a fuck buddy would place notes in his pockets. They didn’t care what the role was, as long as they could bask in his limelight for just a little.

That was the way it went for him until Alex’s mom came into the picture. Jennifer Markham, who became Mrs. Thaddeus Moore, was an up-and-coming actress and singer on tour with a popular musical at the time. She made the mistake of going to the cast party the night before the first performance. This party was sponsored by the chief promoter and his partners, one of which was Thaddeus Moore.

Based on the stories told to Alex growing up, his father was completely smitten from the moment of introduction. He charmed her during the party, hardly ever leaving her side. He attended every performance that week and continued his pursuit in earnest. Every night, no matter where the performance was, Jennifer received a bouquet of red roses in her dressing room and hotel room. Every time there was a note from Thaddeus expressing his devotion to her. She felt seen and started having long conversations on the phone every night with him. Finally, Thaddeus got her to come to town again, where he romanced her into marrying him.

While Alex and Cy are quite grateful to have been born, watching their father’s treatment of their mother was heartbreaking. Alex remembered it got so bad when he was just coming into his teens, that he was sure his mom was going to hurt herself. Each time their relationship would reach that kind of low, Alex’s father would suddenly pour on the charm again and make her the queen of his world. Watching this helped Alex develop his unique talents, and it’s the reason he does his job so well. His mother’s expressions had been an open book: happiness, joy, dejection, and depression. She tried to hide her pain when he was little, but Alex learned her expressions well and what they meant. His father was harder to read, but he eventually figured him out as well.

People are unaware of how their tiny movements can be clues to what is really going on in their lives. Science labeled them as micro expressions. Alex called his knack to read them his bullshit detector.

Letting out a long sigh, Alex looked at his watch. His contact was late. Alex was not surprised, as Jimmy was a teenager who got distracted by things easily. He was also a great asset and contact that Alex had gained by doing favors. He helped find Jimmy and got him out of a sticky situation. Alex did this for clients or marks at times, only asking for a favor in return for his help. While Jimmy had paid his favor already, Alex was hoping he wouldn’t turn down a job. Just as he was thinking he might have to pull out his phone and text, a thin 15-year-old tapped Alex on the shoulder.

“Yo boss, what’s up?” Jimmy greeted him. He was dressed in skater shorts and an oversized t-shirt with the saying “what’s 1000 minus 7”, the picture was of a teen anime character with white hair and in a scary-looking mask. Alex didn’t know what the saying was, but from the look of the shirt, he was sure it was worn often. Jimmy kicked his board up into his left hand and smirked at Alex.

Alex gave him a look back, but not a smile. Alex wasn’t much for smiling. He raised one eyebrow up and asked, “Boss?”

Jimmy gave him a big smile in response, “Well, how am I supposed to greet you? You’re in your thirties, in the middle of a skatepark, you’ve got a scowl on your face and you’re dressed like you planned to hit up a biker bar. ‘Hey dude, who pissed in your Cheerios?’”

Alex thought about it for a minute. He was a tall man, about 6’4”, with a fit physique from constantly having to take down criminals. He knew he got looks from others because of his physical appearance. Alex was wearing some black pants, black hiking boots, a white oxford, and a black leather jacket. His features were completed by his jet black hair and beard, and his light green eyes. He might look like a thug to others in the park, especially with the scowl on his face.But supposed to be at a biker bar? Really?

“Regardless of my apparent lack of fashion sense, I have asked you not to call me boss. Alex is fine. This time, I have a paying job for you.”

“Whaddya need?” was Jimmy’s reply, a hint of curiosity in his voice.

“Surveillance, if you will. I have a new case and the target doesn’t want to be seen. Like she is trying to make it hard for people to get to her. Her PO Box is her main address, so catching her will require someone who can be unseen by most people. Right now, you and your friends fit the bill. I need you to tap into your former thieving skills. Please don’t pick any pockets while you do this. I don’t need to bail you out of jail or get distracted from the target. Simple casing of the target. Sound like something you can manage?” asked Alex.

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