The Pepper in the Gumbo (Men of Cane River #1)(11)

Alice picked up her mail and flipped through the stack. She needed to get going or she’d be late opening the store. She refused to be lazy about the store hours, even if there weren’t many customers. She opened the first envelope without glancing at the return address and scanned the front page.

…Norma R. Green, hereafter known as the Testator, challenges the Last Will and Testament of Mr. Ronald B. Perrault. The Testator, also an heir at law by blood relation, was named in the will of the decedent as inheritor of By the Book until 2009, when the current will was written to benefit Miss Alice Augustine. The Testator appeals to the court for a review of the unintentional exclusion of Mrs. Norma R. Green, in light of the possible unsound mind of Mr. Perrault or the possibility his actions were made under duress.

Alice snatched up the envelope and stared, heart racing. She forced herself to breathe, sat down, then took a glance at the page again. Mr. Perrault’s will was being contested five years after he’d passed away? Maybe it was a mistake. She found the number of the lawyer’s office, someplace in Houston, and punched it in.

A secretary answered and Alice explained what she’d received, hating the quiver in her voice. The secretary transferred her, a man answered the line, and seconds later she was hearing the sound of her life being turned upside down.

“I’m glad you called, Alice. My client would like to reach a fair and equitable resolution to this problem,” Mr. Crocket said.

“I’m sorry. What problem? And how does your client know Mr. Perrault? He had no children or other relatives that I was aware of,” Alice said.

“No, she’s not a child. She’s his niece, his sister’s child. Mr. Perrault and his sister weren’t close.”

“But… the paper I got says that Norma was in the previous will? Is that correct?”

He sounded pleased. “Exactly. It must be an oversight. She was the heir to all the Perrault’s property and assets until 2009, when a new will was drawn up, with you as the beneficiary. Since it doesn’t exclude her specifically, we can only assume it’s a simple oversight.”

“The paper says he might have made the will when he wasn’t of sound mind or that he was under duress. I can tell you he was perfectly sane and no one forced him to give me the store. I didn’t even know he had until he’d passed away.” She tried not to let her anger show at the suggestion of forcing Mr. Perrault to change his will.

“Well, I think it’s best to let a court decide whether he meant to exclude his beloved niece, Norma.” Mr. Crocket’s voice had gone steely.

“Beloved? She didn’t even know he was dead!”

“Miss Augustine, I suggest you retain a lawyer to present your case. You’re aware of the petition to the court and if we can’t come to an agreement about the property, then we’ll have to let a higher authority decide.”

“The property. It’s just a store. And I live above it. I mean, there’s another apartment but the rent money only offsets the amount the store is losing…” Alice couldn’t help stuttering.

“The store may not be worth much, but the property has been appraised at seven hundred thousand dollars because of the parcel of property, the location, and the historic nature of the building. If you’re willing to meet with us, my client is amenable to being bought out from her share of the property. A third of the appraised value would be sufficient.”

Alice slumped against the chair. This woman and her lawyer wanted a quarter million dollars or they would take her to court to contest the will. “I don’t have that kind of money.”

“If the building is sold, then the profits could be split evenly between you,” he suggested.

“I won’t sell the bookstore. Mr. Perrault left it to me.”

“Well, again, I’d advise you to hire a lawyer. Or you can take our offer. If the judge finds in favor of my client, then you could be left with nothing.”

Alice felt as if she couldn’t breathe, as if the walls were closing in on her. Black spots appeared in her vision. “Goodbye, Mr. Crocket,” she whispered and hung up. She leaned over, whispering prayers learned in childhood, the French words coming to her unbidden. God wouldn’t let someone take her store, would He? She’d lived her life according to all His commandments, carefully guarding her eyes and her heart, making her store a place of refuge from the gritty ugliness of the modern world. Didn’t that count for anything?

The sound of the phone ringing so close to her head made Alice jump. The lawyer might be calling her back to harass her into selling the store. Alice held her breath, not making a sound, as if the person on the other end might sense she was there.

The ringing stopped, and her own voice filled the room. Then there was a beep, followed by an extremely loud sigh.

“Alice, pick up the phone. I know you’re there,” Eric said.

She grimaced. Why couldn’t he just leave a message like everyone else? Why did she have to talk to him at eight in the morning?

“Come on, Alice. I called last night and left a message. It’s really your turn to call me, but here I am, talking into the void.”

Ouch. That was right. She’d forgotten all about him.

“I hate your machine. I know you know that. Nobody uses them anymore. They cut you off just as you’re―” Beeep!

Alice stood up, eyes wide, hand hovering over the receiver. Too late to pick up now, and probably not a good time to call back. He’d be irritated with her for not answering. She tried to tell herself that it was simply hard to pretend to be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed in the morning. Truthfully, she just didn’t like to talk to Eric on the phone. He had one of those personalities that was better in person. Face to face, his rapid-fire speech and expressive voice was entertaining. On the phone, he seemed bossy and off-putting. She’d text him when she got downstairs and ask him to meet her for lunch. That would patch things up. Plus, she could really use some advice. Eric was a dentist, not a lawyer, but he might know what to do.