Chapter 26
When he looked up and saw his secretary he said, “I thought you were gone.”
“I was leaving when a man walked in.”
“I’m not showing any appointments.”
“He doesn’t have one.”
“Then get rid of him.” Simon had learned years earlier that the drop-ins were both bothersome and broke. They never brought their checkbooks.
“You should make time for this guy.” She looked uneasy.
“Who is it?”
“Name’s Jerry Korsak. Brother of Clyde. Stepson of you know who. I don’t think he’s leaving.”
“Does he appear to be violent?” Simon asked as he quietly pulled open a drawer and glanced at his .38.
“No, actually he’s rather polite. Wears a tie.”
Simon was not wearing one. He took a deep breath as reality set in. “Okay. Can you break it up in thirty minutes?”
“I’m going shopping, remember?”
“Right. Call me in thirty minutes with some urgent matter.”
“Will do.”
Simon paused for a second and checked the drawer again. He shook his head and said, “I’ll be okay.”
“I can’t shoot like Fran but I can make some noise.”
Both of them chuckled at the legend of Fran. Her threat to blast off Clyde’s testicles was still good for a laugh around town. Simon said, “Thanks, but I’m fine.”
“Okay. And I’ll run by the hospital and see Eleanor. I made her some brownies and have a few other things. Poor lady doesn’t see many visitors.”
“Thanks for doing that, Tillie. She’s a dear old woman in a lot of trouble.”
The necktie was smartly knotted and went nicely with a plaid shirt and wool blazer. Jerry was in his early fifties, lean, cleanshaven, and well groomed. Simon had seen Clyde in the courtroom the day after he slugged poor Wally, and the difference between the brothers was startling.
Jerry said he was living in the “D.C. area” and working for a government contractor, which narrowed things down to around five million people.
Simon didn’t probe because he didn’t want to seem interested, and also, he quickly learned that every answer was vague.
As they chatted awkwardly and sipped coffee, Simon tried desperately to figure out if Jerry knew Eleanor was in the hospital, and if so, then who told him.
He referred to her as “Mom.” Clyde had used “Momma.” They couldn’t keep their lies straight.
After a few minutes of light conversation, Simon was convinced he could not believe a word Jerry said.
He was shifty-eyed, blinked a lot, and had trouble looking at Simon and holding a gaze.
Finally, Simon asked, “What brings you to Braxton?”
“Oh, well, uh, Mom called last night, told me about her accident, asked me to come check on her.”
Simon absorbed this with a hard stare, as if it wasn’t true and he wanted Jerry to know it was a lie. “Who told you I was Eleanor’s lawyer?”
“A nurse at the hospital.”
“Really? Which one?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Didn’t take notes.”
“So, you’ve been to the hospital?”
“Just left. Mom seems to be doing fine, don’t you think?”
“I suppose. She got banged up pretty bad.”
“I’m thinking of spending Christmas with her.”
“In the hospital?”
“No, she says she’s going home tomorrow. I figure she’ll need me around the house to help out, you know?”
“She’s not going anywhere. She can’t even walk yet.”
Jerry tried to laugh, his first effort at that, and said, “Well, someone needs to tell her.”
“I talked to her doctor this morning,” Simon said, controlling himself.
“They’ll move her to a rehab unit in a day or so and start working with her legs.
She won’t be home anytime soon.” The idea of Jerry in the house was unsettling, though Simon had removed as much sensitive material as possible.
It was all locked up in a drawer ten feet from his desk.
“Okay,” Jerry said, eyes darting even quicker, then he blurted, “Does she have a current will?”
“You’ll have to ask her. I can’t discuss client matters.”
“She’s my stepmother, the widow of my father. You can at least tell me if she has a current will.”
“Why do you want to know?”
“Because my father promised me and Clyde a nice gift in the estate.”
“He died ten years ago.”
“Right, and he forgot about the gift. We’ve always figured Mom would make things right in her will.”
“How often do you see Eleanor?”
“Uh, well, not much. I’ve been living down in Florida and it’s a long ways off, you know? But we talk all the time on the phone.”
Simon had inspected her phone records and checked every long-distance call she’d made in the past year. Another lie. “That’s odd, because I’ve known Eleanor since March and she’s never said anything about having a conversation with you.”
“Are you calling me a liar?”
“No sir, I am not.”
Evidently, Jerry was not as hotheaded as his brother. He shrugged and put down his coffee cup. “Fair enough. I just wanted to say hello and let you know that I’m only an hour away, should you need me.”
Simon had a dozen responses but managed to keep it pleasant with a simple “Thanks.” He could not imagine any turn of events that would cause him to “need” the man. His sudden appearance was trouble.
After he left, Simon sat for a long time and tried to analyze the visit. Nothing made sense. An hour later, driving to the hospital, Simon decided not to mention the episode. If Eleanor brought it up he might quiz her. If she said nothing about it, he would assume Jerry was lying.
Loretta Goodwin met him in the hallway and said it was a bad time to visit. Eleanor was asleep and had not been feeling well. Her breathing was labored, her blood pressure was erratic, and she needed some rest.
“Has she had any visitors today?” Simon asked.
“I haven’t seen any.”
“Any lawyers snooping around?”
“As a matter of fact.” Loretta pulled a business card out of a pocket and handed it over. “You know this guy?”
Simon looked at the card. It could’ve been worse. “Yeah, afraid so.”
“He left about an hour ago.”
“Thanks. I’ll hang around in the cafeteria for a while. If she wakes up, come fetch me.”
“That’s what I live for.”