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"Who did?"
"I don't know anything about anything, so you might as well change the subject. This is not a court of law, you know. I'm not under oath."
An attorney in the making. For a moment I thought she'd put her fingers in her ears and start humming, just to shut me out. I cocked my head, trying to catch her eye. "Tri
"I don't have to answer."
"How about a nod if I guess right?"
Tri
"I'll bet it was Berlyn."
Silence.
"Am I right?"
Tri
"Ah. I'm assuming that little gesture means 'yes.' So Berlyn sent the tape. Now the question is, how'd she get it?"
More silence.
"Come on, Tri
Her tongue moved across her teeth as though she were testing for fuzz. Finally she said, "Swear you won't tell?"
I held up my hand as if taking an oath. "I won't say a word to another soul. I won't even mention that you mentioned it."
"We just got sick of hearing how wonderful she was. Because she wasn't all that great. She was pretty and she had a great bod, but big deal, you know?"
"Really," I said.
"Plus, she took money for sex. I mean, Berlyn or me would never have done that. So how come Lorna got elevated to the stars? She wasn't pure. She wasn't even good."
"Human nature, I guess. Your mother doesn't get to have Lorna in her life, but she keeps that perfect picture in her heart," I said. "It's hard to let go when that's all you have."
Her voice had begun to rise. "But Lorna was a bitch. All she thought about was herself. She hardly gave Mom and Daddy the time of day. I'm the one helps out, for all the good it does. I'm as sweet as I know how, and it doesn't make any difference. Lorna's the one Mom loves. Berlyn and me are just bullshit." Emotion was causing her skin to change colors, chameleonlike. Tears rose like water suddenly coming to the boil. She put a hand to her face, which twisted as a sob broke through.
I reached out and touched her hand. "Tri
She was crying by then, her voice high-pitched and pinched. "Then why doesn't she tell us? She never says a word."
"Maybe she's afraid to. Or maybe she doesn't know how anymore, but that doesn't mean she isn't crazy about you."
"I can't stand it. I can't." She sobbed like a child, giving rein to her grief. I sat and let her work it through on her own. Finally the tears subsided and she sighed heavily. She fumbled in the pocket of her cutoffs, pulling out a ratty hankie, which she pressed against her eyes. "Oh, God," she said. She propped her elbows on the table and then blew her nose. She looked down, realizing she'd picked up the imprint of wet paint on her forearm. "Well, shit. Look at that," she said. A bubble of laughter came up like a burp escaping.
"What's going on?" Berlyn was standing at the front door, her expression blank with suspicion.
Both of us jumped, and Tri
Berlyn had a plastic carryall of groceries in one hand, her key ring in the other. She fixed Tri
"Nothing," I said. "We were talking about Lorna, and Tri
"Just what I need. I've heard enough about her. Daddy's got it right. Let's just drop the subject and get on to something else. Where's Mom? Is she up yet?"
"I think she's in the shower," Tri
Belatedly, I became aware of water ru
Berlyn dumped her purse on a chair and moved over to the counter, where she began to unload grocery items. Like Tri
Berlyn turned to Tri
Tri
"Ten minutes," I supplied, though I hadn't been asked. "I just stopped by for the stuff your mother left. Tri
Berlyn studied me with interest. "So you said."
"Ah. Well. Fun as this is, I better be on my way." I got up, slung the strap of my handbag over my shoulder, and picked up the box, ignoring Berlyn. "Thanks for the painting lesson," I said to Tri
Her smile was pained. She said, "Bye," and gave me a halfhearted wave. Berlyn went into the den without a backward look, closing the door behind her with a decided snap. I stuck my tongue out at her and crossed my eyes, which made Tri
It was nearly six o'clock when I unlocked my office door and put the box of Lorna's files on my desk. Everybody else in the firm was gone. Even Lo
An accountant could probably have made quick work of this stuff. I, on the other hand, having made a C minus in high school math, had to frown and sigh and chew my pencil. Janice had filled out a schedule of Lorna's assets, listing the cash in her possession at the time of her death, uncashed checks payable to her, bank accounts, stocks, bonds, Treasury bills, mutual funds. Lorna had no pension plan and no life insurance. She did have a small insurance policy for the jewelry she'd acquired. She hadn't owned any real property, but her liquid assets came to a little under five hundred thousand dollars. Not bad for a part-time clerk-harlot. Janice had included a copy of Lorna's will, which seemed clear enough. She'd left all her valuables, including jewelry, cash, stocks, bonds, and other financial assets, to her parents. Attached to the will was a copy of the completed "Proof of Holographic Instrument" that Janice had filed. In it, she attested that she was acquainted with the decedent for twenty-five years, had personal knowledge of her handwriting, that she had "examined the will and determined that its handwritten provisions were written by and the instrument signed by the hand of the decedent."