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“No. There’s no record of receiving it.” Clive waited for a response.
“One must have thought the other did it. I’ll have it taken care of right away.” Arthur paused. “And then how long do you think it will be before we can hear the will?”
“I don’t know exactly, but I can assure you we are working on this as quickly as possible.”
“Thanks, Clive.” Arthur sounded content with the answer.
“If you can have Rowena e-mail it to my assistant and copy me, I would appreciate it, Arthur.”
“Absolutely. I’ll take care of it right now.” He hung up and looked at Rowena. “Get back to the house and e-mail Clive the inventory. Cripes, I swear I have to do everything myself.”
Rowena looked around the massive storage unit with all the returned pieces from the estate. She wasn’t going to be bullied. Not today. Not while she was wearing sweatpants, a T-shirt, and cheap sneakers. “Take a look around, Arthur,darling. None of this would be here if I hadn’t arranged for it to be.”
“Zip it, Rowena. Go back to the house and e-mail the information to Clive. He sounded like he was coming around. Maybe we won’t have to chip away at any more Chippendales.”
“Oh goody.” Rowena pulled off her work gloves and tossed them on top of one of the crates. She had been dying for a cigarette but was concerned the place would go up in smoke. She slipped on her raincoat. Heaven forfend that anyone see her dressed the way she was.
Rowena made it back to the manor without seeing anyone. She went to Arthur’s study and pulled up the Excel spreadsheet. That was when she noticed the second tab at the bottom of the Excel workbook. It said SALVAGE. It hadn’t occurred to her to check that list. All those items had been sold to someone in bulk. It was the contents of the garage and one of the sheds. Mostly old, dilapidated items. There was only one entry. It was to a salvage company in Pennsylvania. She hesitated for a moment. Then shrugged.Why on earth would Randolph hide something in an old piece of furniture?Surely, he wouldn’t.
Rowena pulled up her e-mail account and sent the file to Dunbar and his assistant.That ought to speed things up. If only.
She hurried back to the storage unit to continue with the Millstone demolition derby with Arthur. It made her sick to rip such works of art apart. Not that any of it was her style. She had to be honest. It was more the monetary value than anything else that appealed to her sense of value. Once she and Arthur were done, none of it would be worth a plugged nickel. Maybe for kindling, but that was it.
Arthur was pulling another crate apart. “Well?”
“Well what?” Rowena yapped back.
“Did you send it?”
“What do you think I did? Obviously, I wasn’t getting my hair done.” She shook her head in disgust and continued to pry the front off the drawers off a Hepplewhite inlaid mahogany writing desk. If Randolph were still alive, he would surely have had a heart attack witnessing the destruction occurring there.
Rowena tossed the small crowbar into the corner. “Can we finish this later?”
Arthur gave her the stink eye. She needed no other response. She opened a bottle of Fiji water and took a gulp. It was going to be another long haul.
Chapter Eighteen
Cranberry Lake
Saturday evening
Colette was busy preparing dinner for Clive, Logan, and Max. She felt amazingly comfortable navigating her way around the Viking appliances. There was a pork tenderloin in the freezer that she was able to defrost. Potatoes, green beans, and salad would finish off the meal.
Logan was the first to enter the kitchen. “Something smells phenomenal.”
“A special blend of seasonings,” Colette said over her shoulder. “Something my mother taught me, mixing the right herbs together.”
Logan opened the oven door to take a peek. “And roasted potatoes?”
“Yes, and salad and green beans.”
“Impressive. I don’t think my dad and I have eaten this well before.”
“I always try to have a well-balanced meal for Max. He knows he has to have something green at dinner.”
“Looks like you have that covered.” Logan nodded in the direction of the large salad bowl.
Colette smiled. “I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your father’s invitation. I was getting very nervous, especially when I found out that the man claiming to be Jacob Taylor wasn’t really a lawyer with your dad’s firm.”
