Chapter 57
Simon felt no loyalty to Eleanor Barnett.
Her deceit had caused more problems than she could possibly have foreseen.
However, the last will and testament he prepared for her was properly executed and legally valid, unless, of course, it could be proven that she was not mentally sound.
That fight now belonged to someone else.
But he would not sit idly by and allow Teddy Hammer and his bogus clients to plunder what was left of her diminished estate.
Plus, he was about to be disbarred and sent away, so what the hell?
He decided to thoroughly muddy the water and go out in a blaze of glory.
Judge Pointer called things to order, welcomed the large crowd, and thanked everyone for their attendance and their interest in making sure the judicial system worked properly.
Of course, the crowd had no such interest. They were there to have a look at the lawyer who poisoned his wealthy widow client and got convicted of her murder.
Everyone was working on a story. Simon knew all eyes were on him.
The locals—lawyers, clerks, courtroom regulars—were, as a group, dumbfounded that Simon Latch, one of their own, had managed to get himself in such hot water.
They found it difficult to believe that he was headed for prison.
The others—reporters, journalists, true-crime hucksters—were there because they smelled blood and wanted a fresh angle.
Wally Thackerman sat low in the back row, curious as hell but still unwilling to step forward with his version of Eleanor’s will, primarily because he had no idea what would happen if he did so.
The chances of him cashing in on his scheme seemed remote.
The chances of getting embarrassed seemed rather high.
Once the will was admitted for probate, the question became: Who would serve as the executor or the administrator?
The will named Simon as the executor, but that did not seem feasible.
An administrator was needed, and Simon argued that Clement Gelly should be appointed.
Clement took the stand and agreed to continue with the estate.
Teddy Hammer wanted Jerry Korsak to have the job and to control the estate’s affairs. However, he was afraid to put him on the stand. At that point, Simon would be allowed to grill him, and the results would likely be disastrous.
Teddy said, “Your Honor, we have confidence in Mr. Gelly and will agree to his appointment as administrator. The much larger issue is the validity of this will. We plan to file an objection to it and demand a trial.”
“On what grounds?” Judge Pointer asked.
“On the grounds of undue influence. Ms. Barnett was under the complete control of Mr. Latch when she signed her will. At trial we plan to prove that at the time it was drafted, Mr. Latch was laboring under the false assumption that his client was quite wealthy. The language of the will gives him extraordinary power, along with the opportunity to earn substantial fees for representing not only her estate, but also the trust it created. He was after her money, Your Honor, plain and simple.”
The last thing Simon wanted at that point in his life was to sit through another trial, especially one where he was the sole target. And he would not sit through the will contest. He really didn’t care who got the money or how much was actually out there.
He managed to mute Teddy Hammer and tune out everyone else. For a moment he was pleased to be making his exit, albeit a rather unexpected one, from the legal profession. The lawyers—they do go on and on.
Let the vultures fight over Eleanor’s remains.