The Billionaire's Will (8 page)

Teresa stopped the DVD, got up, offered her a hand
, and helped Laura stand. Just as she said she could, Laura walked to the elevator on her own, and then down the hall to her bedroom. She let Teresa help her change into a nightgown, and then got into the bed.

“Good night,” Teresa sai
d as she turned off the light and closed the door.

At last, Teresa
’s time was her own. She hurried to her room, bolted the door, pulled the album out from under her bed, and curled up in a chair.

It was not the kind of album
she expected. There were only two wedding pictures, and although the couple looked happy, it wasn’t the kind of wedding the daughter of an extremely wealthy man would normally have. The wedding license was on the opposite page. Teresa carefully pulled the plastic back and studied the license.

The Connellys were married in
Los Vegas, in a simple civil ceremony officiated by a Justice of the Peace. Their birthdays were verified by photo IDs, which was no doubt required by law to prove they were old enough. The signatures of the two witnesses were unreadable, but that didn’t matter. She jotted down the dates she found on the marriage license, meticulously put the plastic back in place and turned the page.

T
here were a few more pictures of the two of them together but that was all, until Teresa turned to the last page. On it was an 8 x 10 photograph of an older man. Teresa pulled the plastic back and turned it over. The notation on the back simply said, “Daddy.” She stared at it for a long moment, and then put it back. As quietly as she could, she left her room and put the photo album back in the library where she found it.

A
s she walked past the indoor swimming pool on the way back to her room, she heard a noise. She stopped and turned around. She listened for a moment, thought she could hear splashing, and slowly walked to the edge of the glass door. Guardedly, Teresa peeked around the corner.

To her
astonishment, Mathew was swimming the length of the Olympic size pool, taking laps just the way a professional swimmer would. He was good at it too. Mesmerized, she watched him for several more seconds, but then he stopped midway back, looked directly at her, and motioned her in.

Teresa caught her breath. She could feel her heart racing and she considered ignoring him
, but he was her employer and if he sent her away now, it would ruin everything. Timidly, she opened the door and stepped inside. “I heard a noise.”

“I’m
sorry,” he said, “I didn’t mean to disturb you.” He kept his distance, swam to the side of the pool and hung on to the rim with one hand. “There are some towels and swimsuits in the shower stall that need washing.”

She
glanced toward the shower stall, looked back and nervously clasped her hands together. “Yes, Sir, I shall see to it in the morning.”

“Good. By the way, don’t tell Laura I was here.”

“Why…if I may be so bold as to ask?”

“It upsets her.”

“Oh.” Teresa changed the subject. “I didn’t hear your car, Sir.”

“I leave it outside the gate
when I come at night for a swim, and I leave before my wife wakes in the morning.”

“
Your bed is never slept in.”

He
smiled. “Believe it or not, I know how to make a bed.”

“I see.” She turned and opened the door
.

“Have we met before?”
he asked.

Without turning back around, she answered. “No, Si
r.”

Teresa walked
out the door, ran down the hall, and rushed into her room. She locked the deadbolt, sat on the edge of her bed – and then drew in a deep breath. It would be a while before she calmed down enough to sleep.

*

It was later than usual by the time Maggie entered the chat room. After work, she stopped at a bookstore and then the store across the street to pick up something for dinner. She was about to pay for her purchases, when she looked and saw two men hanging around outside her apartment door. Afraid to go home, she decided to stay there until they left. She slowly walked down each isle, spotted a bin filled with odds and ends, picked out two large, wedge-shaped doorstoppers and put them in her cart.

The store manager
appeared to be closely watching her, probably to see if she was shoplifting, but that didn’t bother her. It was better than going home. An hour passed and then another, before her neighbor came home, greeted the two men and the three of them left together. Relieved, Maggie paid for her purchases and went home. As soon as she was inside, she bolted the door, put the doorstoppers in place, and then went to a drawer and grabbed a spoon. She lifted the lid off her cottage cheese, and began to fill her empty stomach. At last, she pulled her computer out from behind the stove, hooked it up, turned it on, and sat down at her table.

She had three new emails, all of which were spam
that obviously came from people unfamiliar with the English language. Sometimes, they made her smile. Maggie deleted them and then opened the chat room. Bronco was already there, just as he usually was.

Sissy3211: Sorry I’m late.

Bronco8881: I was about to send out the Calvary.

Sissy3211: Are they gallant as well as handsome?

Bronco8881: Probably.

Sissy3211: Next time, go ahead and send them.

Austin chuckled. While he waited for her to log on, he imagined all kinds of things that could be wrong – from something awful happening to her, to her just not wanting to talk to him anymore. He was relieved when neither was true.

Bronco
8881: Do you realize that something might happen to one of us, and the other would never know.

Sissy3211:
True.

Bronco
8881: I’ve got an idea. Why don’t you ask a friend to notify me if something happens, and I’ll ask one to tell you? Deal?

Sissy3211:
But with no personal information?

Bronco
8881: If you insist, just a word about what happened. Sissy, I truly was worried.

Sissy3211:
I didn’t mean to worry you. I was late getting home and I have no way to let you know.

Bronco
8881: You don’t have a cellphone that lets you send an email?

Sissy3211:
No cellphone at all. I hope to get one someday.

Austin didn’t think there was anyone left in the world
that didn’t have a cellphone, except maybe in North Korea.

Bronco
8881: More important things to spend your money on?

Sissy3211: Precisely.

Bronco8881: I understand.

Sissy3211: Bronco, I’m kind of worried. My boss gave me some spreadsheets to go over. I think it’s the company’s
balance sheets. What do I do if I find something wrong?

Bronco
8881: You’re an accountant?

Sissy3211: Not really. That’s the thing, why give them to me?

Bronco8881: Maybe she knows you’re that smart.

Maggie ate another mouthful of cottage cheese.

Sissy3211: I can’t help thinking it’s a trap. She needs someone to fire and I think I’m next.

Bronco
8881: I sure would like to meet this old nag.

Sissy3211: She’s not an old nag, she’s about thirty and very pretty. She knows it too.

Bronco8881: Those are the worse kind.

Sissy3211: I’m going to be that way, as soon as I can afford to get this big wart
taken off my nose.

Bronco
8881: Very funny.

Sissy3211: Go ahead laugh. Should I send you a picture of the wart?

Bronco8881: From one of your magazines? No thanks.

Sissy3211: Darn, I had the perfect picture all picked out. I think it is from a movie…something about a Nanny.

Bronco8881: I don’t think I’ve seen that one.

Sissy3211:
You’ve got a lot of catching up to do.

Bronco
8881: I’m sure I do. What kind of movies do you like?

Sissy3211:
I am partial to romances, but not if the ending is sad.

Bronco
8881: I like political thrillers, but the books are better than the movies.

Sissy3211:
You read a lot?

Bronco
8881: Not lately. Sissy, don’t.

Sissy3211:
Don’t what?

Bronco
8881: Sign off yet. I can always tell when you’re getting tired of talking to me.

Sissy3211:
I don’t get tired of talking to you, I just…

Bronco
8881: What?

Sissy3211: Run out of things to say, I guess.

Bronco8881: Well, we could talk about the books we’ve read and the movies we’ve seen.

Sissy3211: Okay, talk.

Austin smiled and started with some of the classics. That kept her online for nearly an hour more, and reminded him of books he could mention in the future. She was well read, even more so than he was, and someday he hoped to catch up.

Someday…after this mess with
Nick’s will was over.

*

The next afternoon, Maggie peered around the corner of the bookstore and searched the faces of the people in the plaza. At the same time, Jim peered around her.

“That’s him,” she said, “sitting on a bench eating lunch.”

“Maggie, there are five guys out there sitting on benches.”

“The one by the big green trashcan.”

Jim stepped out in the open. “All the benches have green trashcans next to them.”

Maggie grabbed his shirt and pulled him back. “He has dark hair and is wearing a suit, a white shirt and a red tie.” She let hi
m peek around the corner again.

“The one with the ax
e in his hand?”

She giggled. “That’s the one.”

“He looks pretty dangerous to me.”

“You stay
here; I’m going to go talk to him.”

“Not on your life. I intend to find out everything I can about this weirdo
first.”

“Weirdo? Just because he talks to me in a chat room doesn’t mean he’s weird.”

“Is he wearing the same suit?”

She glanced at Austin again.
“It looks like it, why?”

“That might be a good sign. A wife would see that he wore a different suit the next day.”

“I hadn’t thought of that.”

“
Maggie, just go find a guy your own age. That one looks too old for you.”

“How old do you think he is?”

“Thirty, maybe older.”

“I’ll
go ask him.”

Just as she started around the building, Jim
took hold of her arm. “Don’t tell him who you are. By the way, who are you in this ridiculous chat room?”

“I’m sissy3211
,” she answered, wiggling free of his grasp.

“Sissy? That’s appropriate
, you’re afraid of a real relationship.”

“I am not. I dated once.”

“
Once
? Bravo! I…” Jim had a lot more to say, but Maggie had already walked away.

She
leisurely strolled to the bench, sat on the other end and pretended to watch the water cascade down each tier of the fountain. She didn’t think he noticed her the first time she glanced at him, but the second time, he was looking directly at her.

“Mesmerizing, isn’t it,” Austin said.

“Very,” she answered. This time when Maggie looked at him, he was pulling something out of his pocket.

“
Jackie,” he said into his cellphone. “Any news?... I see…of course, I’ll send that as soon as I get back to the office…He is a beauty, isn’t he. Tell Carl he can ride him anytime he wants. I keep him pastured at Evergreen Stables and I’ll let them know to expect him…By the way, ask Michael to come by the office, I have a gift for the three of you…you too.” He hung up and put the phone back in his pocket.

“You have a horse?” Maggie asked

“I do,” Austin answered. “Do you like horses?”

“
Very much.”

“Do I detect a British accent?”

“Not much of one, I hope.”

Austin smiled and nodded. “I have to go.” He stuffed
what was left of a sandwich back in his bag and stood up. He looked directly at her, nodded, and walked away.

She watched him
walk across the one lane street in front of the Gladstone Building and then go inside. She kept her eyes on him as he walked to an elevator and then went in when it opened. He didn’t look back, which was a good thing, she supposed. In a movie she saw once, the main character said if he looked back, it would mean he was interested. She wanted him to be interested, but in Sissy3211, not a woman he happened to see on a bench.