The Billionaire's Will (18 page)

When a white limo pulled up to the curb and stopped, she was
surprised. Austin didn’t wait for the chauffer to open the door for him. Instead, he got out and quickly walked to her. He was even more handsome in his black tie clothing, than he had been in a business suit. His smiling eyes were so compelling, it took her breath away.

“You look stunning,
” he said as soon as he came close.

“So do you.” She pointed at the limo. “Spent a month
’s salary on that, I wager.”

“Almost. Who are you?”

“Maggie.”

“No, I mean
what is your full name? How can I introduce you to my friends if I don’t know?”

“Maggie Jackson,” she smiled and
slightly curtsied.

He grinned an
d proudly offered his arm. “Shall we, Miss Maggie Jackson?”

“
You are very kind, Sir.” She took it, let him seat her in the back of the limo and then waited while he went around to the other side.

“
Do you drink?” he asked once the door was closed and the limo started moving.

“
Very little, but perhaps something to calm my nerves.”

“Don’t worry,
” he teased, “axe-murderers don’t kill women in limos. Too many witnesses.”

“That’s comforting.”

He opened the bar in the back of the seat in front of them. “Rum and coke okay?”

“More coke than rum, please.”

Austin carefully poured and then handed the first drink to her. “I can help you get another job.”

“I might need you to.”

“Consider it done. Maggie, there is something I need to tell you before we get to the ball. I am an attorney. In fact, I am Nicholas Gladstone’s corporate attorney.”

She stared into his eyes for a moment and then looked away. “If that be the case, I shall not offer to pay for half of what this limo costs.”

Austin chuckled. “The limo, the driver, and more than you can imagine belongs to Nicolas Gladstone’s estate. He was a good friend and he passed away a few months ago.”

“I see.
I confess I looked you up on the internet after you told me your name, but it didn’t say all that.”

“I would have
looked you up too.” He reached into his pocket and handed her a cellphone. “I programmed it with my number, in case you need to reach me.”

“
So you can help me find a job?”

“
Or, when you need someone to talk to.”

Maggie finally grinned. “And where do you suppose I am to put it just now
? Down my blouse?” She almost made him blush.

“You didn’t bring a purse?”

“No, but I did bring ID and enough money for a cab if you turn out to be a letch.”

“
I promise that won’t happen. I have a reputation to uphold.”

“Yes, but Jim says even men in business suits murder their wives and girlfriends.”

“He is right, of course. Do you really feel threatened being with me?”

“No, not really.
Do you? After all, I could be the axe-murderer instead of you.”

Austin pretended to catch his breath. “I had not considered that. Are you?”

“Not yet, I can’t afford an axe.”

He smiled and clinked his glass against hers. “Here’s to low pay for all prospective
axe-murderers.”

“Here, here.” She sipped her drink and let the warmth fill her empty stomach. Too nervous to eat, that was the only sip she intended to take. Drinking could very well spoil the entire evening and she wasn’t about to let that happen.

“Tell me,” Austin asked, “why do you sign off without warning me?”

“Oh that. It is because I really want to tell you all about me, but…”

“But you didn’t want me to show up on your doorstep.”

“How did you guess?”

“You wouldn’t let me pick you up at home.”

“Home is a bit embarrassing just now.”

“You have no family here in the states?”

She looked down and smoothed a wrinkle out of her skirt.
“None that I would lay claim to.”

“It is so nice to talk to you in person. I have often wondered what it would be like. You are t
he same in person as you are online.”

“You are much taller,” said Maggie.

Again, she made him laugh. “And you are far more beautiful.”

Maggie frowned, “You’re not going to get all mawkish again, are you?”

“Mawkish? Now I know you truly are the Sissy I have come to admire. I’m curious. How did you keep your company from collecting all those fees?”

Maggie
finally relaxed a little more and giggled. “I was supposed to turn off all the credit cards until the fees were charged and I didn’t. Customers started to see the charge on their statements and called.”

“They complained, I take it?”

“They complained, I got yelled at for an hour, and then I got fired for stealing. It was worth it, I guess. At least the company couldn’t cover their tracks as easily as they hoped.”

“How short do you think they still are?”

“I don’t know, I would guess several thousand, but I truly don’t know.”

“
Does Jim need my help getting a job too?”

Her eyes widened.
“Could you…I mean with his prison record?”

“I would be happy to. We just happen to have a position open in our accounting department.
What is his last name?”

“McMorrow.”

“Tell him to come see me Monday.”

“I
shall, thank you.”

“What’
s the name of the company you worked for?”

“Oh, don’t mention that dreadful place.”

“I’m just curious.”

“A
curious attorney?”

“
You caught me. What they did is illegal in this state and any other. They shouldn’t be allowed to get away with it.”

She took another sip anyway.
“You’re not talking about turning them into the authorities, are you?”

“They robbed their customers and fired you unjustly. I have a friend who handles those kinds of cases
. He can get your lost pay and clear your record.”

“
So I wouldn’t have to admit I got fired on a resume?”

“Not if you win, and you
will
win. Which company is it?”

“
GSTS.”

“Never heard of them.”

“Not many have. It’s a small company.”

He finished his drink and
this time when he looked at her, she was watching him. “What?”

“Can I have that
cellphone before I leave the ball? I am short of communication just now and I have no way to call Jim.”

“Of course. I
t is yours to keep.”

“No matter what?”

“No matter what.”

*

With her husband chauffeuring the Connellys for the evening, the cook decided to meet a friend for a movie. At a quarter to nine, Teresa wished the cook well and happily watched her drive away too. That left the house completely empty. Even so, she waited a full ten minutes more to make absolutely certain none of them were coming back.

It was time.

Teresa ran to her room, got her gun and put it in her uniform pocket. It was all working out perfectly – more perfectly than she could ever have imagined.

S
he went to the safe in Mathew’s bedroom. She moved the painting, turned the dial, pulled the handle down, and then pulled the door open. To her relief, he had not changed the combination. Next, she took the cash and the birth certificate out, and laid them on a nearby table. She opened the checkbook, tore two checks out of the back of the book, and laid them on top of the birth certificate. Teresa put the checkbook back; pulled a photo and a note out of her other uniform pocket, placed them on top of the checkbook, and closed the safe.

She grabbed the checks, the cash
, and the birth certificate, remembered to turn off the light in his bedroom, and then hurried down the stairs to the office. She sat down, spread the checks on the desk and carefully made them out. On both, she boldly entered her real name on the
payable to
line and dated them with the current date. The only difference between the two checks was the amount – the first was for five hundred thousand and the second, a cool million.

Her nerves were becoming a little frayed when she opened the bottom drawer of the desk, removed the
three-on-a-page checkbook she found a few days earlier, and then recovered Mathew Connelly’s signature stamp. Teresa made sure the inkpad had enough fresh ink, and practiced on plain paper a couple of times. It worked perfectly. She held her breath, pressed the stamp on the inkpad, and then printed his signature on the first check. She repeated the process for the second check, and then lightly blew on the wet ink.

The signatures were perfect.

With her camera phone, she chose the deposit icon for a bank account in Glasgow, Scotland, took a picture of the check, and pressed send. She sent the second check to an account in London and at last, Teresa remembered to breathe.

Step one was complete.

She put everything back exactly as she found it, grabbed the birth certificate, the cash and the checks, and raced up the stairs to Laura’s bedroom.

She pulled the gun out of her uniform pocket, carefully wiped her fingerprints off with a cloth, and then walked to the nightstand beside Laura’s bed. She opened the drawer, positioned the gun so Laura could easily
grab it and closed the drawer.

Next, she went to the closet, opened a shoe drawer and removed an empty
, quart size baggie and a roll of tape. She set the birth certificate aside, counted out a hundred dollars and set that aside as well. She put the checks and the rest of the cash inside the baggie and sealed it.

Teresa
unbuttoned it, let her uniform fall to the floor and taped the baggie to her leg. She took the white ball gown off the hanger and put it on. It was a little too large, but she didn’t care. What she cared about was the bag full of money that bulged on the side of her leg. She hadn’t counted on that.

Starting to panic
, she quickly looked around. In such a vast quantity of clothes, there had to be something she could use. At last, she spotted a peach colored shawl and calmed. She grabbed it, the cash and birth certificate, slipped her feet into the pair of Laura’s shoes she tried on earlier, and hurried to the dressing table. It only took a moment to pile her long dark hair on top of her head and pin it in place. Satisfied, she added a touch of color to her cheeks, found an unused tube of lipstick and applied it to her lips. The color didn’t look great on her, but she didn’t care about that either.

“Good enough,” she muttered.

Step two was complete.

She called a cab, put the shawl around her shoulders, picked up the birth certificate and cash
, and turned off the light. She was about to leave, when she remembered the invitation, rushed back to the office, grabbed it out of the top drawer, and then went to the living room to wait.

By then, she was exhausted, but
she was too nervous to rest.

It didn’t take long for the taxi to arrive, and when she saw it come through the gate, she rushed out the door to make good her escape.

“The Fillmore Country Club, please.” She reached in her bra, pulled out the cash, and handed the cabbie $40.00. Will this cover it?”

“Yes,
Ma’am, and then some.”

“Keep the change,” said Teresa. As the taxi pulled away, she
once more looked at the home of Mathew and Laura Connelly, and then bowed her head. Leaving Laura was hard, but it had to be done.

*

Austin let the chauffer open the door for her, and then scooted out behind Maggie. He offered his arm again, returned her smile and escorted her to the door. The first one he introduced her to was the doorman, Samuel, who looked pleased to see Austin with a date.

The
wide hallway was filled with the sweet smell of flowers, and faint music that grew louder as he walked her to the doorway of the Fillmore Country Club’s ballroom. The polished hardwood dance floor glistened under slowly revolving light fixtures that gave off a soft blue and gold glow. Bouquets of orchids on white stands sat between floor-to-ceiling windows; with blue velvet draperies that were tied back to expose white sheers. Waiters, dressed in white jackets, carried drinks on large silver trays while the orchestra played a waltz. Some of the couples were dancing, while others sat at tables, or were helping themselves to the light buffet.

“I
s it not divine?” Maggie asked.

Austin leaned closer.
“It is, now that you are here.”

She blushed slightly
and began to examine the faces in the crowded room. It seemed everyone knew Austin and it wasn’t but a moment before he began introducing her to everyone. Maggie was pleasant to them all, thanked the ones who complimented her looks and prayed that part would be over soon.