Page 142 of Out on a Limb
But it wasn’t just that.
I pointed to the last paper. “My grandmother has an account here.” I rubbed my lips together. “It looks like she kept her family’s money separate.”
“Smart woman.”
She was smart. Comingling the funds would have made them my grandfather’s when she died.
Keeping them separate meant they belonged to her alone.
Her and anyone else on the account.
“Your name’s on that account too.”
I nodded.
It’s why my granddad tried to keep me out of the office and out of the loop. Why he didn’t want me to know too much.
He thought he’d eventually be able to figure out how to get his hands on what was mine.
“Remember when Alan tried to get me to sign that piece of paper?” Even then I knew he was up to something.
I just didn’t know the full extent of it.
Andrew’s nostrils flared. “I should have hit him harder.”
“He’s going to get hit with something.” I stacked up the papers and slid them back into the envelope that also held the second key for the box. “Definitely a lawsuit.”
It was the first thing on my list.
Sue the fuck out of Alan for theft.
“Your granddad’s not going to like that.”
I grinned at Andrew as I slid the drawer back into place. “I know.”
Epilogue
Collette
“YOU SHOULDA KICKED him in the nuts on your way out.” Sylvia put her feet up on the ottoman as she tipped back her third White Claw of the evening. “Always kick ‘em in the nuts.”
“The chief of police was standing right there.” I shifted in my spot on the sofa, leaning forward to grab one of the prosciutto and provolone rolls Andrew made. “And I’m pretty sure I was supposed to be looking pathetic.” I bit off a hunk of the meat and cheese. “Not sure kicking a downed man in the scrotum gives off those vibes.”
“We’ll just wait until he gets out on bail.” Sylvia eyed the tray of food in the center of my coffee table. “Then we’ll go take turns kicking him in the nuts.”
“And then we’ll burn his house down.” Sharon smiled like she was the first one to come up with arson as a revenge plan.
“We can’t burn his house down.” I swallowed the last of my wine. “I need it to sell for a bunch of money so I can get back what he owes me.”
It was the reason I didn’t have to worry about Sylvia making good on her threat. Alan couldn’t get anyone to bail him out.
He didn’t have the money himself, and it turned out neither did his second-best option.
Julia leaned my way with the bottle of white we were splitting. “What are you going to do about your granddad?”
It was a tricky question to answer. He’d been blowing my phone up since everything happened.
He did his best to try to convince me that he fully intended to tell me I was the owner of the garden, but not until I was ready to take on the responsibility of running it.
