Chapter 48
"It's very simple," Bryce said when we caught up with him at his law office in the afternoon.
"Preston had a last-minute change of heart.
He didn't want to leave his family with nothing.
He asked me to draft the updated trust agreement, and I did.
The original document was a living trust and it is amendable as long as the grantor is still alive.
There is nothing unusual about this. People make changes all the time.
Preston had a moment of reflection on his deathbed, and fortunately for his family, they will reap the benefits of that. "
"How do you benefit from this updated agreement?” I asked.
Bryce’s brow knitted, and he looked at me with confusion.
"I don't benefit from this, apart from my fees.
Preston has trusted me with his dealings for over a decade now.
It has been my great honor to serve him, and I look forward to serving the needs of his family in the future.
If they choose to retain other counsel, that is their choice, but I hope they will see that I have served them well throughout these years.
" Bryce took a deep breath. "Gentlemen, I have a fiduciary duty to my client to serve his best interest. I believe that I have done that faithfully. "
"Were you serving Preston's best interests, or Judy's?"
His jaw tightened. "It goes without saying that my first responsibility was and is to Preston. Now that he is gone, my responsibility is to execute his estate in the manner that he wished."
"Some would say he was not in the right frame of mind on his deathbed."
"Any changes made to the amended trust document were made at Preston's request while he was fully aware and cognizant. It would be irresponsible and illegal for me to do otherwise.”
I shared a look with Jack.
“Surely you anticipated this might be contested,” I said.
“As you can see, Preston’s signature was witnessed by two disinterested parties,” Bryce said, pointing to the document.
“Who are these witnesses?”
“Neighbors,” Bryce said with a smile. “We live in a contentious society. But I can assure you, everything is above board.” Then he added, "By the way, how did you come across this document?”
I redirected. "You were at Preston’s house the night Sydney died, correct?"
He tensed, then exhaled. "Yes. Sydney was there that evening." He frowned and shook his head. "It's so terrible what happened to her. I still can't believe she's gone. Have you made any progress on that?”
"I like to think we’re getting closer," I said, staring into him.
"I appreciate you stopping by, gentlemen. Please let me know if there's anything I can be of assistance with. If you'll excuse me, I really must be getting back to my clients."
"Certainly. Thank you for your time." I stood up, reached across the desk, and shook his hand.
JD did the same.
As we started for the door, I asked, “What time did you leave the Hollister residence that night?”
Bryce thought about it for a moment. “It was late. I don’t quite recall the time. I stayed with Judy, and we discussed quite a few things.”
“Business or personal?”
“A mix of both, if I recall.”
“If you had to put a fine point on it, what time exactly did you leave the house?“
His brow knitted with confusion. “I’m not sure why that matters?”
“I’m just trying to account for everyone.“
“It was late. I’ll leave it at that. I don’t want to misspeak.”
We showed ourselves out of his office and walked back to the lobby.
I said goodbye to the cute receptionist, then stepped into the main hallway and headed back to the elevator.
I pulled out my phone and dialed Isabella.
I asked her to look into Bryce's cell history and location data the night of Sydney's murder.
Then I called Brenda. "You need to do a full autopsy on Preston Hollister. "
"Why is that?”
"Because I think Hollister may have been murdered."
"Hollister was in hospice. That's considered an attended death. No need for me to sign off on it. No autopsy required. His body was transferred to the funeral home and either embalmed or cremated. I'll call and check on the status of the remains. But I think you're out of luck on this one.”
My jaw tightened, and I may have grumbled an obscenity or two. "Get in touch with the funeral director and call me back.”
“I'm on it."
I ended the call and told JD, "We might have a problem."