All Bedlam Courses Past (part two hundred twenty-six)

All Bedlam Courses Past

Chapter Eight

Things Relative

(part two hundred twenty-six)

Weem said: “It’s of some use to the prosecution to catch the accused at odds…a Demrose versus a McGhee, say. Whips up to a fine impression on the jury.”

“Mr. Phelan,” Monaghan said.

Phelan bent, to restore himself with additional papers. “Mrs. Demrose employed a Mr. Harrison Grace as her personal lawyer, and it is from Mr. Grace have been given these two copies of her final wishes.”

“Her will and testament, in legal order?”

“Yes, Miss.” As men did in her father’s presence, Phelan turned to him, answering. “Quite in order, but, however, not altogether obtaining. There had been a complication.”

“Mr. Phelan, you are in private practice. Not,” Weem said, “under authority, to represent the State’s Attorney’s office, up there in Chicago?”

“Nor do I represent any party in the present case. Nor do I represent Mr. Monaghan.”

“But you…”

“Now if there were no lawyer present,” Monaghan said, “Mr. Ebrach, or Mr. Gremot, certainly, would not be easy having the young lady’s friendly assistance given to myself alone, without counsel.”

“A person privy to them,” Phelan augmented, “has provided me sight of the necessary documents. Which I introduce to avoid the appearance of relying on hearsay. One might produce a Bible, and have a swearing in, if anyone in this room were not implicitly trustworthy.”

“A complication,” Phelan went on, when a hard silence had duly implicated the member of the press. “Mr. and Mrs. Demrose were in the process of adopting a son.”

“An actual human child? I don’t mean to put it that way, but…”

“As we had touched upon yesterday, Miss. Miss Buckley…and Mr. Demrose, for that matter, both aver the dream a long-cherished one.”

Élucide held Phelan’s eye an instant, but if this were sarcasm, the lawyer’s face was as a dull advertisement, painted on brick.

“Hence, the will in effect, and the second will, to be so.”

“And as we are so little concerned with the unfortunate woman’s possessions,” Ebrach said, “you will tell us only those clauses that furnish, in theory, motive.”

The chief assets were the Nashville property, Alarica, and the capital from the late Moult Buckley’s estate, the source of Regina’s income. Arnulfa Zucker was not named in the will, while a servant who had preceded her was to have a legacy of five hundred dollars.

An oversight. Miss Zucker frosty at any suggestion she knew or cared about her mistress’s dispositions. Five hundred dollars, Élucide thought, and felt the table’s downward glances echoed this thought, was slight, as an impetus to murder.

238

Bedlam

All Bedlam Courses Past (part two hundred twenty-seven)

(2025, Stephanie Foster)