‘No, apparently not. There’s no body. And it happened almost ten miles out at sea, so it’s just the Coast Guard that’s involved. They’re doing an accident investigation– that’s what the Coast Guard people told us.’
When their salads arrive, Jill tells her that Greg’s attorneys are going to start the process of having Greg declared legally dead so that they can get on with administering the estate. She explains, delicately, that there will be no delay because of not having the body, because of the manner of Greg’s death and the fruitless search.
Lara finally asks, casually, through a mouthful of lobster, ‘And who gets the estate, in the end?’
‘Oh,’ Jill says, equally casual. ‘It mostly goes to Ted, although a significant amount goes to Mount Sinai– the hospital that treated their mother for cancer.’ She takes on a regretful expression. ‘The lawyers asked to see us yesterday. Poor Ted. He had no idea. It’s bad enough that Greg is dead, but now he’s getting most of his money, and I think it makes him feel guilty.’
Poor Ted, Lara thinks acidly, watching her friend. Despite Jill’s regretful expression, Lara can tell how thrilled she is about it. She’s not that great an actress.
‘Enough about me and Ted,’ Jill says. ‘What’s new with you?’
Jill returns to the gallery after her lunch with Lara, reviewing their conversation in her mind. Lara had a bit of an edge to her today, Jill decides. But then, maybe she would too, if Ben and Lara had just inherited millions. No need to let her oldest and best friend know that half of it is locked away in a trust. None of her business.
She and Lara understand one another. They’ve been friends since they were practically kids, just eighteen years old, sharing everything. Jill thinks a little uneasily about how they would sit in their pyjamas in each other’s dorm room, talking and laughing about how they planned to marry money. Lighthearted, childish talk. But they’d both meant it. She’s never had to worry about Lara telling Ted about that because she could level the same accusation at Lara. Fortunately, Lara had married first, and Jill had held her tongue.
But now Jill recalls their lunch. Was she right to say that Tedwas struggling? Had she laid it on a little thick? Ted has been sleeping just fine. Why did she tell Lara that he’s not sleeping and having bad dreams? She realizes it was because she’d instinctively felt the need to steer Lara away from any suspicion. Because if anyone would suspect the truth, it would be Lara. So she was pretending. They were both pretending. Jill was pretending they were upset about Greg’s death, that it wasn’t the best thing that had ever happened to them, and Lara was pretending that she didn’t mind at all about their inheriting so much money. Because she’s obviously not happy about it.
How dishonest people are, Jill thinks.
Chapter Nineteen
LARA SHOULD BEthinking about what to make for dinner, but she doesn’t feel like cooking. Instead, she sits in the front room and wishes Ben would get home.
She hears the sound of his key in the lock and thinks,at last. Their tabby cat, Polly, hears it too, gets up off her chair, and trots to the front door to greet him.
Lara’s been wondering what Ted and Jill might do with all that money– will they buy a summer home? And then she remembers that Greg had a summer home on Long Island, somewhere in the Hamptons, and they’d probably get that, and a whole new set of friends. With that thought, her husband appears at the door to the front room, looks in, and seeing her face, says, ‘What’s wrong?’
‘Nothing’s wrong. What kept you?’
He glances at his watch. ‘Nothing. I’m not late for anything, am I?’ He reaches down to pat the cat, who is weaving around his legs.
She shakes her head. ‘No. I just wanted to see you, that’s all.’ She rises from the sofa and gives him a kiss. ‘I don’t feel like cooking. Do you want to order in tonight?’
‘Sure, what do you feel like?’
‘I don’t care. I’m not especially hungry.’
‘Let’s wait a bit then, I had a late lunch.’
‘Okay,’ she agrees. ‘I had lunch with Jill today,’ she begins.
‘Oh yes? How is she?’ Ben asks. They’ve moved deeper into the room and they both sit down in their usual places, her on the modern white leather sofa, him facing her in his favourite Eames chair.
‘Remarkably well,’ Lara answers. ‘But that’s not surprising, since Ted just inherited forty-five million dollars, give or take.’
Ben’s eyebrows shoot up. ‘Wow. So they got it all, did they?’
‘Notall.A “significant amount” went to Mount Sinai Hospital. But they got most of it.’
He sighs, reading her. ‘Lara, this is how things work. Rich people inherit. And so will we, some day. You know that.’
She nods. She knows they will inherit from Ben’s parents some day, but probably not for a long time, when they’re too old to enjoy it, and it won’t be tens of millions.
‘Why does it bother you?’ he asks.
‘It doesn’t bother me,’ she protests.
‘It obviously does.’ He leans forward in his chair. ‘Look, if you’re worried that it’s going to change your friendship with Jill, just tell her. Tell her that you value her friendship, and you don’t want things to change between you. I bet she’d appreciate that. I don’t think she’s going to drop you as a friend justbecause she’s got more money now. You guys go too far back.’ He adds, ‘Money’s not as important as you seem to think it is.’
