Page 39 of Three Steps Behind

“That’s the one.”

“Why Brookes?” As he preferred to go by.

“Nick claims that’s who she was having an affair with and that her leaving him the money proved it.”

“Wow. He must have flipped.”

“Completely. Claimed it was a farce, and when that didn’t work, he told Miss Collins he’d be contesting the will, which she said wouldn’t get him far, then he stormed off soon after.”

Oh, how she wished she could have seen that.

“Was Brookes there?” Images of a drag-out fight in the parking lot between Nick and him flashed through her mind.

“No. He was invited but passed.”

“So does he know what he was left?”

“Sounds like not yet.”

“Well, that’ll be exciting news. What about Steve? Surely Taylor didn’t leave her brother out.”

“He was the beneficiary of her life insurance policy and inherited the properties in her name.”

“Was Nick still there for that part?”

“Yes. It was right before Nick’s last wicked try.”

She looked at Deck, and he shrugged.

“Wicked try?” she asked.

“You’re not going to believe this, but he even complained Taylor wasn’t in her right mind when she changed the will.”

“What! That’s baloney.”

“He tried everything. It was really pathetic.”

“Sounds like it. I wish I’d been there to see him get no money after cheating on sweet Tay.”

“Unfortunately, he’s not totally out.”

“The other insurance policy?” Harper sighed. She and Deck discovered it in their digging earlier in the day.

“Yep. Nick took out the policy on Taylor two months ago.”

“And it’s worth?” They’d only seen the fact that he had one.

“Two million dollars.”

Her jaw slackened. “You’re kidding?”

“Afraid not, sweetie. Nick just got two mil from poor Tay’s death.”

It broke her heart to learn the cheating scum still got money. Any money. “The timing is interesting. Only two months ago. I wonder why.”

“You and me both. And, according to Tay’s lawyer, who we talked to after Nick stormed out, Taylor changed her will and policy beneficiaries only a few months ago as well.”

“Probably when she found out Nick was cheating.”