“It depends on what you mean by okay. If you mean without a problem, then no. We found the will.” He told Hez about Clark telling them where to find the hidden metal box. “What do we do now?”
“I’d hoped you wouldn’t find it. Is your mom there?”
“I’m here, Hez,” Jenna said.
“This is a really hard spot, Aunt Jenna. Dean can reopen probate and contest the sale. He’ll ask you to testify, and you’ll tell the truth about having heard about the will. Even though you thought it was all okay, it will be all the proof he needs to invalidate the sale and gain ownership.”
Jenna’s gulp was audible. “What about the money we gave Mary?”
“You bought it at auction from the estate, so the estate would have to repay your money. How much did you pay for it?”
“One point five million. Hank had made some good investments, and Blake chipped in money, too, so we bought it outright.”
“So you would eventually get that money back once Dean sold the property. But it would be tough to find a place for the animals until you could buy and build what you need elsewhere. Maybe Dean would give you some time. There’s one more possible wrinkle.” Hez’s voice deepened as if he hated to be the bearer of bad news. “If Dean accuses you of conspiring with Mary to deprive him of his rightful inheritance, the court could find that to be the case and you’d never get your money back. At the very least, he could tie it up in court for years.”
Paradise tried to wrap her head around the enormity of the catastrophe facing them. There was nothing she could do. The small savings she had was a pittance and wouldn’t go far toward helping this family she loved so much. If she and Blake got married right away, he could share the master with her, and shecould try to find enough space in the second bedroom for Jenna and the boys. She’d be glad to sandwich them into her apartment, but they’d have to throw air mattresses on the floor.
“Do I just hand the will over to the court?” Jenna’s voice gained strength as she spoke.
“You’re not an heir or executor of the Steerforth estate, so you can’t address the probate court yourself. Mary or Dean would have to do that. Given the circumstances, you should probably give it to Mary and give Dean an official copy. Then it’s out of your hands. They may come to a private agreement.”
Blake let out a long exhale. “Paradise and I tried talking to Dean today about what might be done to let us keep the property. He has no interest in that and seems to know all about the rare earth here. I think that’s what drove him to carry out a new search for the will.”
“Interesting,” Hez said. “How would he have discovered that?”
“He didn’t say and seemed upset that he’d admitted he knew. I thought maybe he knew someone who worked in the mining field and had heard a rumor that brought him back here for more information. He and Mary hadn’t spoken until he came back a few weeks ago.”
“Find Dean’s friends, even an old girlfriend. If he killed his uncle, someone probably knows.”
Paradise had forgotten that possible avenue. She made a mental note to talk to Mary about that direction when they delivered the will. Mary’s situation was even more dire than theirs—she wouldn’t be entitled to anything and would have to pay back what she’d received. She’d likely spent at least some of it on the house where she lived. Would she be homeless too? She was older, and it wouldn’t be easy to start again.
Chapter 32
After church Blake pulled onto the shoulder of the road before the drive that led to Mary’s and evaluated her beautiful beach home. It was waterfront, and she’d probably put every penny she’d gotten for The Sanctuary property into it. He exchanged a long glance with Paradise, who sat with the document in her lap. The dread on her face reflected the same emotion churning inside him.
“I think I’d rather face a sniper right now than get out of this truck and give that will to Mary.”
Paradise glanced down at her lap. “This will come as such a shock.”
“Maybe not. She knows Dean broke into the house looking for it, so she might be prepared for the possibility.”
“Wethoughtwe were prepared,” she pointed out. “But none of us believed it would come to this.”
“Good point.” He squinted toward a car exiting the carport space under the pilings of Mary’s house. “Someone is leaving, but that’s not her car.”
The white car, a Nissan Altima, turned out of the driveway andpassed them on the road. The driver was on the phone and didn’t glance their way as he went by. Even with tinted windows Blake recognized him.
Paradise leaned forward and stared after the car. “W-was that Adams?”
“Yep. The bigger question is, what was he doing at Mary’s?”
Paradise whipped out her phone. “I’m texting Jane! Maybe they can apprehend him.”
Blake moved his foot from the brake and accelerated toward Mary’s house. “Something doesn’t feel right about this, babe. He was sabotaging things at The Sanctuary, and we find him here hiding his car under her house? Most people park in front.”
“We’ll see how Mary acts.” She grabbed her purse and slid the will into it. “I don’t think we should give her the will until we figure out what’s going on. What if she’s in on this in some way?”
“What are you getting at?”
