The Widow and the Will (12 page)

Chapter 19

Hudson grabbed his towel from the arm rest as he climbed off the treadmill. He wiped his face and neck and took deep breaths as he cooled off from his five mile run. Usually a hard run would help him focus his thoughts and give him clarity when he was struggling with a case. It hadn’t worked this time and he was still as conflicted about the Jack Kingston estate as he had been before he got on the machine. After Tess left his office the day before, Hudson had been making mental notes and doing psychological fact checks about the case well into the evening. An evening he spent alone, as usual.

After a restless night, he’d gotten up early and gone to the office, hoping not to find Ford in another passed out state. His hopes were well founded and the couch was empty. That was a huge relief to him. He didn’t need any other stress in his life at the moment and Ford seemed to be cleaning himself up a bit. He wasn’t passing out at the office, he looked fairly well rested when he got into the office and hadn’t looked hungover in days. Hudson had spent an hour looking through some of the research his brother left for him and worked on completing the probate forms he would need. But the uneasy feeling he had about the entire Kingston matter had grown and clouded his ability to work effectively on any other cases.

Weaving his way between the machines and people working out, Hudson headed toward the locker room, alternately waving at people he knew and nodding at strange women who smiled at him. He felt more mentally exhausted than physically. The locker room was empty and as he reached for the door to his cubby, he could hear his cell phone ringing.

Not recognizing the number, he pinched the phone between his cheek and shoulder as he pulled out his shaving kit and got ready to shower. “Hudson Marks.”

“Hi, it’s Tess.”

“Hey, is anything wrong?” Forgetting his shower, Hudson stood up straight and pressed the phone harder to his ear. Her voice sounded… confused? Unsure?
Uh oh
.

“No, at least I don’t think so. I may have made a mistake, though.”

Hudson grimaced. “Okay, tell me.”

“Emily Kingston called me last night and I answered.”

“Shit,” Hudson sighed. “I thought I said no contact.”
Do I ever have a client who actually listens to my advice
?
Nope
.

“Yeah, I know.” Tess hesitated. “But she was like a second mom to me for a lot of years. After what happened at their house, I wanted to hear what she had to say.”

“Which was?” Hudson sat down on a metal bench, tossing his shaving kit back into his gym bag. He kept his voice controlled and even to hide his irritation.

“She was giving me the really hard sell to go with Roger and David for legal and financial advice. When I finally stood up for myself and said no, she wasn’t real happy. I couldn’t tell if they’re not telling her stuff or if they’re all acting together to make my life hell. I do think she’s hurt and mad about not getting anything in the will.”

“How do you feel about that?” Hudson dug around in his bag for the shaving kit again.

“I’m not sure. I was really pissed off before I called you. I mean, the Kingstons never seemed like materialistic or greedy people. But why else would Emily give me such a hard time about it all? And I got really mad at Jack too, though I know it’s silly. It’s not like he knew he was going to die. He only made out the will because he was mad at his parents for keeping the secret from him, right? I guess it doesn’t really matter. Everything and nothing makes much sense anymore.”

“I’m sorry it feels that way right now, but I promise I will do the best I can to make it easier for you. Please don’t talk to Emily or any other Kingston again, all right?”

“Okay.”

“I’m on my way back to my office. If anything else happens, call me.”

“Okay. Bye.”

Hudson ended the call and returned to the task at hand. He showered quickly and dressed in his old jeans and sweat jacket before leaving the gym to return to his office. To his relief, Ford was waiting for him.

“Hey, boss,” Ford greeted when Hudson walked in. He was sitting behind the desk with his feet propped up and the laptop on his thighs.

“You know I hate when you call me that.” Hudson threw his gym back on the couch and went to the coffee pot. “What did you find out?”

“Not a ton we didn’t already know. Besides, I can tell you rifled through the printouts I left.”

Hudson grinned guiltily. “Yeah. Let me fill you in on the latest.” While he grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, he related his phone call from Tess. “Why do you think the mother would call her like that?”

Ford shrugged. “I think Roger and David aren’t telling Emily about what’s going on and everything they’re doing. That could end up hurting them, though. If Emily starts feeling bad, then maybe we could have Tess work on her. Get the mother on our side.”

“It’s definitely something to consider.” Hudson drained half the water and then capped it. “But if she’s pissed because she wasn’t left anything, then she’s not likely to come over to our side.”

“Give it a think, but maybe in a day or two, Tess could call her back and see if she can find out what’s going on from that end.”

“We’ll see. In the meantime, I need to get the probate paperwork filed first thing tomorrow. Any word on that tox report yet?”

Ford shook his head and swung his legs off the desk to the floor. “My girl in the ME’s office isn’t returning my calls. I can’t tell if I’m being blown off or if she’s really that busy.” He closed the laptop and put it in the desk drawer.

Hudson sighed and gave Ford a suspicious look. “You didn’t sleep with her and never call, did you?”

Ford flipped him off, but chuckled. “Yeah, I slept with her, but I
did
call again. She was the one who didn’t seem interested. Besides, it was a couple of years ago. Maybe I’ll take a ride over there and see if I can get some answers.”

“Do that.”

“What else do you want me digging up?” Ford asked as he stood up and stretched. “I haven’t been able to find anything on any of the Kingstons yet.”

Hudson finished the water and then crunched the bottle, his knuckles cracking as he did so. “Hold off for now. Go back to working on the other files you have for the time being.” He tossed the empty water bottle into the recycle bin across the room.

“You got it.”

Hudson went to his office and sat down. Closing his eyes, he conjured an image of Tess and pasted it onto the mental white board in his head. Around her, he threw up pictures of Roger, David, and Jack Kingston. A blank question mark had to suffice for the birth father. More blank squares for the unknown players who might be lurking in the shadows. He tried to draw mental connections between them all, but the lines became tangled in his brain and all he could focus on was Tess’s face – her creamy complexion and wide blue eyes. He gave her a smile, so he could view her the way he thought she looked best. Small, even teeth peeking from between her full lips.

“You look like you’re thinking about something good.”

Ford’s voice brought Hudson back to reality and he opened his eyes, hoping he didn’t look guilty. “Uh, yeah.”

“Maybe we’re looking at this the wrong way.” Ford leaned against the door frame and crossed his arms over his chest. “I think we should dig into Jack’s past a little bit more. Do you think there’s any way he might have known about the adoption earlier than he let on or the Kingstons said?”

Hudson shrugged. “Hmm, anything’s possible.”

“What if he has a history of depression or something? What were his teenage years like? How about his college life? I’m not sure we can get truthful answers from Tess. She loved him and wouldn’t be able to see him with an objective eye. She could be protecting him, even if only on a subconscious level.”

“Oh come on!” Hudson blurted the words before he could help himself, leaning forward on the desk. “Tess doesn’t have a dishonest bone in her body!”

“Take it easy, brother,” Ford admonished gently. He was the one giving out suspicious looks now and Hudson felt it. “Is there something you aren’t telling me?”

Hudson groaned and ran his hands through his hair, yanking on the ends. “No, no. I’m sorry.”

“Be honest with me, do you have a thing for Tess?”

Hudson wanted to shout no, just as vehemently as he had defended her moments before, but didn’t. After a few seconds, he found his voice. “No. Not really. I mean, I can’t deny she’s hot. And I feel really bad for her. This is about the shittiest situation I’ve ever seen for a girl who’s so young, but…” His voice trailed off.

“But what? You hardly know her. You can’t be in love with her.” Ford glowered as he said it and Hudson felt ashamed of himself for having lost some of his objectivity.

“No. I’m not in love with her.” Hudson answered honestly. He
wasn’t
in love with Tess, but he certainly was attracted to her. “I guess maybe it’s just the case? She’s always on my mind.”

Ford’s glare faded, replaced with a grin. His eyes even twinkled a little from the mirthful expression on his face and that made Hudson feel more like an ass than anything else.

“Don’t look at me like that.”

“What?”

“Like you’re about to start singing ‘Tess and Hudson sittin’ in a tree.’”

Ford’s laughter was like a strong breeze coming through the office to blast away the cobwebby feeling in Hudson’s brain and he joined in with a chuckle of his own. There was that connection again, the one brothers shared that was as unexplainable as the Bermuda Triangle.

“How long has it been since you got laid, brother?”

Hudson snorted. “Too long.”

“Rebecca? That was the last girlfriend, right?”

“Yeah.” Hudson didn’t even want to think about her. They’d met at the gym and dated for awhile, but she had wanted marriage and kids and a house – the whole nine yards and it wasn’t something he’d been ready for at the time.

“Gotta put yourself back out there, Hud. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself mooning over your client and that is not a good idea.”

“I know.”

Ford leaned down in an attempt to catch Hudson’s eye. “I’m serious. If you can’t be objective, you won’t be able to help Tess.”

“You’re right. I get it.” Hudson looked at his brother and nodded his head. “It’s just that–”

“I know. You don’t have to say it. Either lock it away until this mess is over, or stop it once and for all. Otherwise, you could fuck it all up. Not just for Tess, but for your license to practice law.”

Hudson took a deep breath and nodded again. “Don’t worry about me, brother. I’ll handle it.”

“Good.”

“All right then. Do you want me to start looking into Jack?”

“Yes. Do it.”

Chapter 20

I’m such a hypocrite
. Ford sped along the streets of St. Clair Shores, his motorcycle thrumming between his thighs. He’d given Hudson the what for about not getting hung up on a client, when it was all he could do not to think about Tess. Unless he had a specific task at hand, the image of her face hovered in his vision way more than it had any right to.

And now he felt guilty. What if his brother did want to pursue something with the lovely widow after the case was resolved? Ford hated to admit it, but he would never be able to be in the same room with them at the same time. It would drive him crazy. His logical brain knew that there could never be anything between Tess and him. His rational mind understood that he was just lonely and longing for some female companionship with more substance than the airheads he found at the bars he frequented. His lucid self was firmly grounded in the reality that he was not someone good enough for the likes of Tess Kingston. Besides all of that, Hudson would be a far better match for her than he could ever be.

That didn’t stop his gut and heart from wishing it all could be different.

Once again, Ford found himself in a position where he knew eventually he would have to squash any feelings he had for a girl in lieu of what his brother wanted. He was no stranger to the scenario. There had been plenty of times he’d let a girl go because Hudson wanted her or showed even the slightest interest. They’d both been short changed a lot in their lives and Ford always figured it fell to him to see that Hudson got all the opportunities. His little brother had made something of himself. He’d worked hard, gotten through school and started a business. What had Ford done? Jail time. That was about it.

As his mind zoomed down memory lane, his physical self was maneuvering the bike through a particular subdivision. As he watched the house numbers, looking for one in particular, he felt his cell phone vibrate in the right breast pocket of his vest. He pulled it out and smiled.

“What’s up, brother?”

“Where are you?” Hudson’s voice boomed through the phone. There was loud music in the background.

“Ridin’. What about you?”

Ford came to a stop sign and paused before going through. Idling down, he crept up to Roger and Emily Kingston’s house. Lights beamed through the windows from the living room and a room upstairs. Two cars were parked in the driveway.

“At the Goose. Come on over. I’ll buy you a burger and a beer.”

Ford grinned. The Blue Goose was Hudson’s favorite bar, though God only knew why. The clientele tended to be older and the lack of available single women was evident.

“Eh, I don’t know.” Ford held the cell away from his face so he could open the camera app. He took pictures of both license plates on both cars, then held it back up to his ear. “I’m not really hungry.” He pulled away slowly, driving one handed.

“Come on, man. You have to eat,” Hudson urged.

“Nah.” Ford navigated out of the sub back onto Harper and headed north toward Ten Mile Road. Within minutes he was parked in front of David Kingston’s house repeating the same steps as before to get a picture of the license plate, all the while listening to Hudson list off the reasons why big brother should join him.

“Okay, I’m done begging. I’ll be here for a while longer if you change your mind.”

“Think I’m gonna ride for a little while longer, then head home.”

“Shuh,” Hudson scoffed. “You’ll probably head to that dump where Joe hangs out and get shit faced. Don’t drive if you do.”

“Yes, baby brother.”

Ending the call, Ford rehashed the conversation with Hudson earlier in the day and wondered if his brother really would be able to put his growing feelings for Tess aside while he worked her case. Probably, because his common sense usually outweighed any personal desires he had in life. It’s why he never stayed with any one girlfriend for more than a few months. Oh sure, Hud thought it was the way he acted that made women turn away from him, but Ford knew the truth. His brother pushed them away because, deep down, he barely trusted them. While he hadn’t directly experienced some of the grisly things from their childhood like Ford, Hudson had still been able to sense that the bulk of the trouble stemmed from their mother’s actions. It made him sad to think that his brother might not ever be able to push past it and find a lasting relationship with a girl. Ford decided a long time ago he would deal with having a fucked up life, but loathed the thought Hudson might be bound for the same fate. That’s why he would step away, if Hudson chose to pursue Tess. She could possibly be the one to change that fate for his little brother and Ford wasn’t about to let that chance go, if he could do anything about it.

But romance would have to wait. Tess needed both Hudson and Ford focused and on point to deal with whatever lay ahead. Usually the brothers were on the same wavelength when it came to gut feelings about cases and Tess’s was no different. They both knew something wasn’t right, yet they hadn’t really been able to pinpoint anything. It was only a theory, but Ford was becoming more convinced that Jack’s death wasn’t a freak accident. With all that money at stake, it was more likely someone wanted Jack dead. If that turned out to be true and it could be proven the whole game changed. Not only would there be a need to involve the cops, but Tess’s life could be in danger. He didn’t have a shred of proof, though, and decided he would definitely bounce the idea off his brother. Hudson would tell him if he was being paranoid or crazy.

He wished he knew exactly what it was about Tess Kingston that had him all fired up. At first, Ford figured it was just her looks. Beautiful blond with blue eyes and a really nice body. But the more he learned about her and Jack, the more inspired he felt to help her and make sure she didn’t get screwed over. She’d lost her husband all over some dollars, and that was shit Ford didn’t cotton to. Even if Jack had made his will out of anger, that didn’t mean he wouldn’t have gotten over it. Judging by what Hudson had told him about the guy, Ford thought Jack would have made peace with his family and even shared the loot at some point in the future. So why go and kill him? Why not just wait it out? Ford shook his head as the thoughts whirled around his brain.

Looking around, Ford realized he had come to the intersection at Ten Mile and the freeway. He thought about heading west on I-94 to meet up with some buddies at their favorite watering hole to help get Tess Kingston off his mind. Sitting at the traffic light, it was a right turn to get onto the freeway heading to Detroit or a left turn to find his way home.

The light turned green and Ford turned right.