Griff didn’t argue, but she could tell by the mutinous look in his eyes he’d be watchful during the service. Maybe a distraction would help lessen his grief.
Homework finished, they went down to supper. Afterward Griff helped Kenzie clear the dishes then went back up to his room. She was watching him climb the stairs when her cell phone rang. She didn’t recognize the number, but it was local, so she took the call.
“Kenzie, this is Martin Bales, Lee’s attorney. I’m sorry to call you at home, but I needed a little more time to go over things. I wanted to be sure I had everything correct.”
“What’s this about, Martin?”
“I wanted to let you know Griffin is the beneficiary of Lee’s life insurance policy.”
Surprise filtered through her. “I didn’t know he had a policy, but it’s good to know Lee was thinking of his son.”
In his own way, Lee had loved Griff. He’d just been too selfish to ever have time for him. Which was probably good considering his abusive behavior. She hadn’t considered using the information against him in the custody battle, but if he hadn’t been killed she might have been forced to. Except she didn’t want Griff to know.
Unease slipped through her. Protecting Griff gave her a motive for the crime, exactly what the police were probably thinking.
“It’s quite a large sum, Kenzie,” Bales continued, returning her attention to the call. “Three million dollars.”
“What?”
“That’s right. As his mother, you’re his guardian. Lee also named you Griffin’s custodian, which means you’ll be managing his money until he reaches his majority at age eighteen.”
A three-million-dollar life insurance policy—and I’m in charge of the money.Her hand tightened on the phone. “No, Martin, I can’t do it. You have to appoint someone else.”
“It’s too late for that, Kenzie. You need to think about what’s best for Griff. You’re a smart businesswoman. You’ll make good choices for your son. No matter what happened between you and Lee, he trusted you. He knew you’d take care of Griff.”
Kenzie fell silent, her mind spinning with the ramifications of what this would mean.
“I’d like you to come down to my office as soon as possible,” Martin said. “We can go over the details and I’ll explain things.”
She didn’t answer.
“Kenzie?”
“Yes, all right. I’ll come down to your office.”
“Call my secretary in the morning and set up a time. I’ll see you at the funeral. Good night.”
The line went dead. She turned to see her grandmother watching her. “More trouble?” Gran asked.
“Lee had a life insurance policy, Gran. Three million dollars.” Her chest tightened. “Griff’s the beneficiary, and I’m in charge of the money.” She swallowed and turned away. “I have to go. I need to see Reese.”
Her grandmother dried her hands on the dish towel she was holding. “I’ll put Griff to bed. You do whatever you need to, honey.”
Kenzie grabbed her purse off the breakfast bar, paused long enough to kiss Gran’s cheek, and headed for the garage. A few minutes later, she pulled her Subaru into a visitors’ parking space in front of Reese’s condominium building. She had never been there. In today’s business world, it was too risky for an employer to entertain a female employee in his home.
Too late to worry about that now.
A uniformed guard in the lobby, thick silver hair, slightly overweight, rose from his seat behind the counter. “May I help you?”
“I need to see Reese Garrett. Can you let him know Kenzie Haines is here?”
“Of course, Ms. Haines.” The guard made the call and gave Reese her name. “You can go right on up,” he said. “His elevator is the one on the right. He’ll enter the code.”
She hurried in that direction. As she stepped inside and the doors closed, it occurred to her that Reese might have a woman in his apartment, something she had failed to consider. Surely he wouldn’t allow her to come up if he had someone there.
On the other hand, they hadn’t established any rules. Kenzie had no interest in seeing anyone else, but what about Reese?
She prayed he was alone as the private car swept up to the top floor of the high-rise building. The moment the doors opened and she stepped into the entry, Reese pulled her into his arms.
