It was a little over four hours from Belle Fleur to Gulf Shores. The picturesque drive provided beautiful views of the Gulf of Mexico and the sandy beaches on one side, and the gorgeous waterfront homes on the other.
Although it took multiple calls to get through to him, they were finally able to make an appointment with Lawrence Talbot, IV. He insisted that they meet him on the eighth hole at the country club’s golf course.
They rented a cart and some clubs, changed their gear and followed the path to hole eight. A distinguished older man was seated in a cart, sipping on what appeared to be a whiskey sour. His head full of silver hair and leathery skin told them he was a man used to being outdoors.
“Mr. Talbot?” asked Leif.
“That’s me. You the boys looking for my stepson?” he asked.
“Yes, sir,” said Mitch. “He attempted to kill my wife.” The old man nodded, frowning at nothing in the distance.
“She stop him from buying drugs or something?”
“No. She was the emergency room doctor that turned him in,” said Mitch.
“Ah, I see. Yes, I’ve heard him say she lied but I’m not a stupid man. The problem is that my wife protects her son at all costs. I suspect because he is her drug dealer,” he said frowning.
“You know she’s taking drugs?” asked Dan.
“Her and all her friends. Craziest shit I’ve ever seen. I think she believes I’m just some blue-collar guy that made it good. She’s wrong. I have a degree in construction management and I’ve run my own company for more than thirty years. I didn’t get rich by being stupid. Although I did one thing that was stupid.”
“Marry her?” asked Mitch. The other two stared at him and the old man chuckled.
“Well, okay. Two things that were stupid. No, I didn’t write a prenup and I’m having difficulty changing my will because she’s convinced the lawyer, one of her female cohorts, that I’m not stable of mind.”
“We can help with that,” said Dan. “I can have a lawyer change the paperwork today. File it, get it signed and notarized.”
“Seriously?” he asked.
“I wouldn’t lie about something so important. She wouldn’t have a clue until you tell her. What we’re more concerned about is your health,” said Dan. “We’d like to be sure that you’re not inadvertently taking any drugs she’s giving you.”
“Yes,” he nodded. “My doctor wanted the same thing. I have all my meals away from the house now. When she has the cook bring them up or she brings them up, I pick at it and then throw it away. But that’s my problem. Your problem is that worthless piece of shit, Alden.”
“Yes, sir. Have you seen him?” asked Mitch.
“Not recently but I know that she visited him a few days ago. I heard her on the phone with him. She thought I was sleeping. It pays to pretend to be senile,” he smirked.
“You’re not senile, sir. In fact, I suspect you’re incredibly sane and if you’re lucky, you’ll have a lot of years left,” said Dan.
“The will is filed under the district court here in Gulf Shores. You have my express permission to get it rewritten,” he said. Leif nodded as he spoke to the legal team back home.
“Sir, can you send an e-mail to this person designating the changes and beneficiaries?” asked Leif handing him a piece of paper.
“I’m wondering,” he said nodding, taking the paper from him. “Can you handle divorce proceedings as well?” Leif whispered into the phone and gave him a quick nod.
“Fine. Let your attorney know I’ll call them when we’re done here. I think it might be best if I take a short vacation from the house. I’ll gather some things and perhaps stay in a hotel for a while.”
“You could stay somewhere close to us,” said Leif. “Book a room in New Orleans.”
“I was just thinking the other day it’s been ages since I was there,” he smiled. “Perhaps I’ll let a doctor there check me out as well. You never know. I love my old friend and family doctor but he could be getting paid by Gloria as well.”
“We’ll take care of all of that,” said Mitch. “Can you give us some insight into these women buying and taking these controlled substances?”
“I think at first it was recreational. It made them feel better. Then they discovered they could be used for other purposes. Weight loss, anxiety, or the most popular, disposal of a spouse,” he said with a sad grin.
“Lawrence, it’s not your fault,” said Dan.
“Isn’t it? I knew she’d been through three husbands when I married her. Alden seemed like a good guy at the time. He was just starting his medical career and appeared to be hardworking. Then he was fired from one hospital and was hopping around. I knew something was wrong but when I asked about him, she made it very clear he washerson, not mine.”
