Page 64 of Murder on Charity Lane

“So is World of Goods suffering since Frank’s death?” I asked, scrunching my toes in the sand. “Because of losing such a big donor?”

“The opposite,” Angela told me.

“What, they’re doing better than ever?”

“Yup. Jane’s been meeting her heavy hitters, talking about Frank. Mentioning how life is uncertain, don’t they want to leave a legacy? She’s raking in the cash.”

“Damn, she’s good,” I said.

“Yeah, and driven by incandescent fury at losing the Millerbrandt Award.”

“What’s that?” Nicholas asked.

“Like the highest-status nonprofit fundraising award in the country,” Angela told him, as the waitress started setting our food on the table. “Jane hit the short list but didn’t quite win.”

“The short list is nice though.”

“Not for Jane. She’s one of those people who believes that ‘second place’ just means ‘top loser.’”

I reached for a French fry. “Ha! Well, Karina must be writing a huge check in his memory. The Frank DeYoung Clean Water Initiative or something.”

“That’s exactly what Jane was pushing for,” Angela told me. “But she’s not.”

“She’s not what?” Nicholas asked.

“Karina isn’t writing a huge check. Or a small check. Or any check. Karina is suspending all giving as of now. Jane just told me. World of Goods is getting nothing from the DeYoungs.”

“So much for Frank’s legacy,” I said.

Angela shrugged. “Karina wants to remodel the house. And to buy an Italian yacht to live on half the year. She’s always dreamed of owning one but Frank thought it was too ostentatious.”

Nicholas jingled the ice in his tea. “On the bright side, she can name it The Legacy.”

“Not helping,” I told him, then frowned at a sudden thought. “Wait. Is that, like … motive?”

“What?” Angela asked.

Nicholas gazed at me. “You mean Karina wants an Italian yacht, but can’t get one while he’s alive. But now that he’s gone…”

“Yeah, but she only had to wait a while. She would’ve inherited soon enough.”

“Who wants to wait years and years for their yacht? Not me.”

“What do you mean, motive?” Angela asked.

The tourist family at the next table stood to leave and two seagulls swept in, shrieking over abandoned French fries.

“Just ghoulish curiosity,” Nicholas lied.

I nodded along. “My play needs drama, so we’re looking for angles. Plus, our landlady is friends with CJ. And our friend is friends with her, too. Uh, what does Jane think of her?”

“Not much,” Angela said. “Jane doesn’t talk about the help.”

“Ouch,” Nicholas said.

Angela brushed her hair behind her ear. “Yeah. I love her, but she is what she is, you know?”

“What do you think happened with Frank?” I asked.