Chapter 27
Vee
Tricia Loften, Esquire, was waiting in my office when I returned from the meeting. Opening the door, I found her seated by the windows. “Trish,” I said, “I didn’t know you were coming to Lexington.”
Trish stood. “After your call yesterday, I wanted to talk to you in person.”
“Is this good or bad?”
She patted her tablet. “I received the notification of Mrs. Daphne Hubbard’s challenge to the last will and testament of Reid Hubbard from the Fayette Circuit Court about an hour ago. In legalese, attorney Joseph Eads renounced your father’s will for statutory share.”
I motioned toward the chair where Trish had been seated and sat at the chair facing her. “From what you said yesterday, she’s suing for half of his estate, personal property, and a third of his real estate.”
“That’s correct.”
“What does that mean for the Coopers?” I asked.
“That’s why I’m here. I’ll be meeting with Cammy Wilcox at noon about the Coopers.”
Closing my eyes, I let out a long breath through my nose, willing tears to stay at bay. Trish’s kind dark stare met me when I opened them. “I don’t care about any of Dad’s estate. Daphne can have it all. I don’t want ownership of the team divided.”
Trish reached out, laying her hand on my knee. “This isn’t over, Vee. This process has only just begun. I had an idea.”
My eyes opened wide.
“I can ask the judge for a separation order. If granted, the Coopers’ business entity will be separated from Reid’s personal probate assets.
As it stands, the Coopers are incorporated.
That should pave the way for separation.
The incorporation is why the Coopers have been able to keep operating.
Asking the judge to make it official is a start. ”
“Can the Coopers be separated from her challenge?”
Trish sat taller. “I can’t make any promises. I need to read through information Cammy is getting for me.”
“What if I hadn’t hired you? Joe Eads seems to be fully in Daphne’s corner.”
“You did hire me. And I’ll do my best for you.”
“I’m not being selfish.” I rubbed my palms over my slacks.
“Dad had the chance to sign a new will and chose not to.” I sat forward.
“And now I’m confused about his private life.
Daphne acts as if their marriage was perfect.
Bre said Joe knew about Dad’s plans to divorce.
” It felt cathartic to speak to an objective listener, one clad by client/attorney confidentiality.
“And a few minutes ago, Grant dropped a bomb.”
“What kind of bomb?”
I shook my head. “He told me that either Bre is lying about the pregnancy or she’s pregnant from someone else because according to Grant from Daphne, Dad had a vasectomy before their marriage.”
Trish’s eyes opened wide. “If Bre’s pregnant, a paternity test will be mandatory before that child is included in Reid’s estate.”
“I told her. She didn’t sound concerned.” I shook my head. “But I don’t get it. Why would she lie about a pregnancy?”
“Reid Hubbard had about six billion reasons for her to lie.”
“She showed me an engagement ring.”
Trish nodded. “That could confirm their affair.”
“The thing is,” I began to explain, “she kept the ring in her desk. All the contents of her desk were seized by the police. They’re holding them.”
“It’s okay. The police will inventory everything.”
I exhaled. That was what Leigh said.
Trish pursed her lips. “I don’t know your family well. Why would Mrs. Hubbard relay that private information to your cousin?”
Closing my eyes, I shook my head. “I don’t want to know.” I shrugged and made a face. “Pillow talk.”
“Oh.”
“No, that’s gossip. I have no proof, nor do I want proof.” I stood. Crossing my arms over my chest, I stared out the window at the graying landscape. “I never imagined my father would cheat.” I spun back to Trish’s direction. “Now I’m assuming everyone is.”
“Have you spoke to your stepmother about the estate?”
“Not really.”
“Maybe it would be a good idea. Her challenge is filed, but if you spoke and relieved her fears of being left out, we might be able to work this out without the input of the court.” She reached into her bag and pulled out a manila envelope. “I wanted to give this to you.”
I took the envelope. “What is it?”
“Your parents’ divorce decree.”
Inhaling, I looked down at the envelope in my hands as if it had the power to bite me.
“I can give you a summary,” Trish offered “if you don’t want to open it.”
Nodding, I felt my pulse race and my heart thump beneath my breastbone. This wasn’t life-changing information. And yet it felt as if it could be.
“In the State of Kentucky, a couple may divorce with the cause of an irretrievably broken marriage. That was the wording on the filing.”
“That’s kind of generic.”
Trish nodded. “It is. Legally, it’s all that’s required. Your parents were married for only two and a half years. They divorced before your first birthday.”
I looked at the envelope and back to Trish. “What does it say about custody?”
“The court awarded your father and mother joint custody.”
“Joint?” I asked, puzzled.
“That surprised me too. I followed through on court records. A year after the divorce was final, the State of Kentucky revoked Olivia’s custody and awarded sole custody to Reid.”
“Why?”
“When you were sixteen months old, Olivia Stockard Hubbard took you, without permission, out of state. Your father hired a private investigator. The investigator tracked you to Douglas, Arizona. If you choose to read the file, there’s a police report. Olivia was charged with kidnapping.”
“My mother kidnapped me?”
“She crossed state lines, so it was a federal charge.”
“Was she convicted?” I asked.
“She was sentenced to four years in Arizona State Prison Complex, located in Goodyear, Arizona.”
“What happened to her after that?”
“Olivia Stockard—she officially dropped the Hubbard name while in prison—was released after only two and a half years due to prison overcrowding and—it appears—a favorable judge. She was put on mandatory parole. Three months into her parole, Olivia missed a meeting with her parole officer.” Trish took a deep breath.
“She hasn’t been heard from since. There’s no trail, no credit cards, no residency, and no driver’s license or voter registration. ” Trish inhaled. “She vanished.”
“Well, that’s shit.” I tossed the envelope down to the nearby table. “We don’t know if she’s dead or alive.”
Trish shook her head. “She’s listed as deceased, due to the length of time since her last known whereabouts. However, that doesn’t mean she is. There’s no record of a body.”
“People can’t really start a new identity, can they?”
Trish inhaled. “It takes the right money or connections. The government does it.”
“Why would the government give my mother a new identity?”
“It’s unlikely that they would. It is possible but improbable.”
A doubling sense of loss flowed over me, like a cool autumn shower, leaving me with goose bumps. “I lost both my parents.”
“Vee, you lost your mother a long time ago. I wouldn’t let this distract you from the battles at hand.”
I sucked in a deep breath. “My father may not have been the man I thought he was, but he was a good father. He was good for the Coopers. I plan to do whatever I can to carry that on.”
Trish stood. “I’m meeting with Cammy soon.” She looked at the envelope. “Do you want me to take that?”
I bit my lower lip. “No. I can’t promise I’ll read the information inside, but I want the ability to read it.”
Trish nodded. “After I meet with Cammy, I’ll work on the separation request to separate the Coopers from your father’s estate.”
“What about Bre and the baby?”
“Medical records are protected. Just know that baby won’t get a cent of Reid’s estate that belongs to you if there isn’t a positive paternity test.”
After Trish left, I took the manila envelope and slipped it under files in a long file drawer below the highboy in my office.
As I started to close the drawer, I began to think about how little we use paper files anymore.
However, Bre mentioned that Dad liked paper. He liked to physically hold things.
I called Aunt Rachel’s cell phone.
“Vee.”
“Are you busy?” I asked.
“Actually, I am.”
“I want to look for something in Dad’s office.”
“Oh, I’m in the Carroll meeting room. Just tell Kandace. She can let you into the office.”
“Thanks,” I said as I disconnected the call.
My unread emails were calling me, and I had no idea what I was looking for, but I followed my instinct and made my way through the executive suite to Aunt Rachel’s office. Once inside, I closed the main doors and stared around the large room.
“I need some answers, Dad.”