“Good afternoon, Lady Forsythe. It is so very good to see you again. How is her ladyship?”
Mrs. Abernathy had been in service to Sir Laughton almost as long as he had been my great-aunt’s lawyer, and knew our family well.
We exchanged greetings, then she pressed a button on a small panel at her desk and announced that I had arrived. She then showed me to his office.
“My dear, Mikaela,” he said, coming round his desk. “It is good to see you. I was quite surprised when Mrs. Abernathy said that you called for an appointment. You know that you need not be so formal.” He then added, “I do hope it is nothing serious.”
“I have questions,” I replied, setting aside my umbrella. He assisted with my long coat, then hung it on the coat rack near the door.
“It is in the matter of an investigation that Mr. Brodie and I have undertaken.”
He nodded as he returned to his chair behind the desk. “And Mr. Brodie is well also?”
I assured him that Brodie was quite well.
“How may I assist you?”
I explained the basics of the two murders, and then specifically asked about the possibility that Simon Harris might have established a trust to see to his affairs after his death.
“Simon Harris, Harris Imports. I remember that tragic situation. And to answer your question, yes, it is possible. Her ladyship has such a provision in her own trust that will provide for you and your sister for years to come, as well as her various properties. Carrying out specific duties for someone after one is gone, with a Trustee appointed to carry out those duties.”
Then, that would explain the regular payments that had been made to Mr. Martins all these years since, and still…
“Is it possible to find out if there is in fact a trust for either Simon Harris or Harris holdings?” I then asked.
“There is no public record of trusts. The trustee named in the trust would hold the document on behalf of the person who had it created. Their responsibility would be to manage and administer the trust according to the terms set out in the trust.”
“Would anyone else have a copy of it?”
“The lawyer who drew it up would have a copy. Perhaps a bank, if funds are to be distributed, or the title registrar if the trust calls for the transfer of property. I assume this pertains to the inquiry case you and Mr. Brodie are pursuing.”
I acknowledged that it was.
“How else might we learn what is in the trust?”
Sir Laughton sat behind his desk, chin resting on steepled fingers as he considered the question.
“It might be possible to obtain a copy of the trust, as far as specific instructions are concerned, if you were a party to the trust, or perhaps a claimant.”
“Claimant? What sort of claimant?”
“If, perhaps, you believed that you had an interest in the estate held by the trust and had not been properly represented.”
“How would one go about that?”
“You would need to be represented by someone with knowledge of such matters,” he explained.
“An official letter of intent would be drawn up and sent to the office of the holder of the trust.”
“How long might that take?”
“It could take several days to establish the need for the disclosure of the trust.”
“Could take?” I replied.
It seemed that it was possible to expedite the matter based on the particular wording in the letter of intent.
“For the sake of argument, how quickly might it be done?”
