The Trouble With Eden - Lawrence Block [182]
Three days after the funeral she called Henry Biedemeyer. She had seen him at the services and he had said then what a good man Clem had been. Now he made the same little speech. It was tiresome enough hearing that sort of thing once, but she heard him out politely.
“I’ll want to have a new will drawn,” she said. “Do you think you could see me today?”
He said that he could, and offered to come to her house.
“No, I’d as soon get out of the house myself. An hour from now? Will that be all right?”
An hour later she was sitting in his office. Her will was a simple one, essentially the same document Oscar Biedemeyer had drawn shortly after her marriage. All of her estate was to be placed in trust, with the entire income payable to her husband. Upon his decease the principal was to be divided among various charitable institutions. The only changes she had seen fit to make over the years had been related to the ultimate bequests.
“This should be simple enough,” Henry said. “We’ll just eliminate the trust and make the dispersal immediate. Unless you had other changes in mind?”
“Nothing earthshaking. Just let me look at that list now and see who I’m mad at. I used to drive your father crazy. There was a time when I was in this office every few months cutting off one outfit and adding another. Let’s see now. These look all right. Doylestown General. How do I feel about Doylestown General? Oh, I guess we can leave them in. Hold on, now. Why in pure hell is the March of Dimes still here? Didn’t Salk put them out of business?”
“They’re working on other crippling diseases now.”
“Might have known they wouldn’t put a going operation like that on the shelf. No, let’s cross them out of there. Now there’s an organization dedicated to saving wild horses and ponies from extinction, here’s a circular I got from them, and they can have the March of Dimes share.”
“You seriously want to give that much money to wild horses and ponies?”
“If I didn’t know some fool would contest it, I’d be strongly tempted to give the whole shooting match to wild horses and ponies.”
“Well, you’re the boss.”
And don’t forget it, she thought. She said, “One other thing. There’s a young girl who works for me, Linda Robshaw. She’s been a great help to me all year and I know she’s at loose ends. I think it would do her good to have the shop, and I’d like to see the Lemon Tree stay in operation after I’m gone. God knows it’s little enough in the way of a monument. Can you add a codicil to that effect?”
“That’s easy enough. I can also make it contingent upon her operating the business for a specified length of time.”
“Oh, the hell with that. I don’t put strings on things, Henry. She won’t have a problem with inheritance tax, will she?”
“On the shop and the inventory? You rent the store, so all that’s involved is fixtures and stock. What’s that worth?”
“Damn near nothing.”
“Under fifty thousand dollars?”
“So far under you couldn’t see it from there.”
“Then you can forget inheritance taxes.”
“She might need money for cash flow, though. I wonder if I shouldn’t give her a few thousand dollars free and clear?”
“You could,” he said. “There’s an easier way. Just set a higher balance in the Lemon Tree checking account You’ll lose a few dollars’ interest every year but that’s no hardship in your position. And it simplifies things.”
“I should have thought of that myself.” They went over a few details and were finished. She got to her feet “When can you have that for me, Henry?”
“Let me see. Today is Wednesday. How would Monday be?”
“Monday?”
“Monday, Tuesday at the latest. I’ll give you a call.”
“I’m certainly glad we simplified things.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“I think you’re stalling me, Henry, and I think I know why you’re stalling me. And I don’t think I like it”
“I’m not sure I understand.”
“I’m sure you do.”
“These things take