Shannon patted her chest. ‘My nan’s money is my business. So where is it, eh? Did she leave it to you?’ She turned to Jamie. ‘Or you? Because I haven’t heard a thing all this time. All I got was one short letter telling me she’d died.’
‘She didn’t leave her money to me,’ said Jamie, wishing his greedy sister would just go away. It was all a bit much sitting there listening to her waffle on about inheritance and what she deserved. He was glad his grandmother left her out of the will.
‘She didn’t leave her money to me either,’ said Alice. ‘And if she didn’t leave any to you, then I guess she didn’t want you to have any.’
‘One of you had better tell me where her money went, because if she sold this place, then that’s a lot of cash floating around.’
Jamie took a calming breath. Shannon had always been quite blunt with her words, but the conversation was a touch too cold for his liking. ‘Don’t you even care that she’s dead?’ Judging by her expression, it didn’t look as though she did.
‘So, you’re only here for money?’ asked Alice.
‘I’m here for what’s rightfully mine.’
‘Why have you waited so long? Mabel passed away in August. It’s December now.’ Alice shook her head.
‘I do know, and as I’ve already explained — I travel a lot.’ Shannon huffed. ‘I really don’t have time for this. Just give me my share, and I’ll be on my way.’
Jamie looked at Alice before turning back to his twin. ‘We don’t have your share. There is no share. I don’t even know what Nan did with her money. Probably left it to her partner.’
‘She did,’ said Alice. ‘And charity.’
Shannon’s cheeks went a shade of purple. ‘Are you telling me that my inheritance went to some local cats’ home?’
Alice bobbed her head. ‘Something like that.’
‘I’ll see about that.’ Shannon stood. ‘I’m going to get a solicitor involved.’
‘Well, you do that,’ said Jamie, fed up with her attitude. ‘And good luck to you, but it’s got nothing to do with us, so no need to come back here again.’
Shannon’s eyes widened. ‘Could you be any ruder?’
He didn’t want to argue with her. Whenever he had in the past, it had always drained him, as half of what she said never made sense. She was always right, and either the victim or the hero of the story, never able to see the villain in her ways.
Alice stood, gesturing towards the door. ‘At least you now know what’s been happening here. Perhaps if you’d called, you’d have saved yourself the long trip.’
‘We’re here visiting my husband’s family.’
Jamie blew out a sarcastic laugh. ‘Yeah, good to see you too, sis.’
She made for the door. ‘You haven’t exactly made me feel welcome, Jamie. You didn’t even bother to contact me to let me know you’d been released.’
‘Why would I? You didn’t write to me when I was inside.’
‘I moved away.’
‘Does that affect your hands then?’
Shannon shook her head. ‘Don’t make this my fault. I was staying away from trouble. I had a new life.’
And now he had one too, and it didn’t include her. There was no malice inside him, no anger or remorse connected to her. He just felt it was a shame they weren’t close like some siblings he knew. She’d always been distant even when home, and as he grew he figured perhaps that was her way of protecting her mental health from all the trauma.
Shannon turned to Alice and held out a hand. ‘May I have the contact details of my nan’s partner?’
‘Nope,’ said Alice flatly. ‘She’s an elderly woman, and she doesn’t need the stress.’
‘If she gives me my money, she won’t get any stress.’
Alice shook her head. ‘You won’t get anything from her. Mabel hardly left her a thing. Their chosen charities gained the most.’
