I blinked away a lone tear. “What bills need to be paid against the estate? And how much do I really have when everything is paid?” Since I didn’t have access to the 401Ks until I graduated college, I needed to live, pay for school, and pay back my own debt, though that wasn’t much in the grand scheme of things. I owed a landlord for back rent, which totaled three grand. I’d bet he’d already packed up my things and rented out the apartment. I had to settle my score with him if I wanted my furniture and the rest of my clothes.
Mr. Davenport’s bushy eyebrows lifted. “Until we work up the tax documents, it’s hard to say. The good news is that the lawyer in Florida was able to get the temporary injunction approved to freeze the assets. Mr. Malden will not have access to any of your money. The next steps are to get the accounting straight, remove Mr. Malden as the trustee, pay any outstanding debt, and name a new trustee. You also need to decide if you would like to bring a civil suit against him.”
I wanted retribution. I wanted for all this to end. I wanted to move on, and above all I wanted control of my life. If I did take Terrance to court, that would be more money out of my pocket. In the end, it was a crapshoot whether I would win. Not to mention, if I did, how would he pay me?
Kelton rubbed the backs of my fingers as he leaned into me. “Whatever you decide, I’m with you,” he whispered in my ear.
Terrance was cooperating, and I’d told him I wouldn’t press charges if he did. “No civil suits.” I pinned a glare on Terrance.
“I’m sorry for everything, Elizabeth,” Terrance said. “I truly am.”
Behind Terrance’s gambling habit, he wasn’t a bad man. I’d never known him as well as my dad had, but I knew my dad would have done whatever he could to help a friend turn his life around. “You need serious help. I pray rehab works for you.”
“Thank you,” Terrance said.
“Good.” Mr. Davenport glanced at Terrance. “I appreciate you coming in. If I need anything else, I’ll be sure to call. I’ll walk you out.” Then he eyed Kelton. “I need a word with you and Ms. Reardon.”
Kelton stiffened his chair.
Terrance and Mr. Davenport left the office.
“I’m so screwed. Did you see how he looked at me when Terrance said police van?” Kelton’s voice wobbled.
Mr. Davenport came back in. For one beat, the room was silent. Then Mr. Davenport cleared his throat. “Before we get to the matter of your résumé, Mr. Maxwell, care to explain the events of last Saturday night? Mr. Malden mentioned how all of you ended up at a police station for illegal gambling.”
Kelton’s knee moved.
I would’ve reached out to comfort him, but even I was jittery. I knew I should leave. I had no business being part of Kelton’s job interview. I couldn’t let Kelton take the rap for what had been my fault though. If I hadn’t gotten angry, we wouldn’t have found ourselves in a police station.
“It’s my fault,” I said. “I figured it was the only way to get Terrance’s attention. Kelton tried to talk me out of it.”
“Is that true, Mr. Maxwell?” Mr. Davenport asked, his finger resting under his chin.
Kelton sat up stoically. “I knew the consequences of my actions when I accompanied Elizabeth on Saturday night. And as much as I want to be a lawyer, Elizabeth is more important to me than the law. So, thank you for your interest in me.” Kelton started to stand.
No way Kelton was jeopardizing his one dream of being a lawyer for me. I opened my mouth to speak.
“Sit down, Mr. Maxwell,” Mr. Davenport said in a hard tone. “First, I admit that I was skeptical of your qualifications until I spoke to Brady, Schlenk, and Schiel. Then I was impressed when you contacted me about Ms. Reardon’s case. Then you didn’t show with Ms. Reardon for our meeting, so I thought you were irresponsible. However, you did surprise me by making a follow-up appointment to try and salvage your screw-up. I get that you’re dedicated and that you want this intern job. But I was serious when I said that any trouble with the law will not be tolerated in this firm.” His gaze fell to a sticky note on the outside of a folder in front of him.
While he did, the silence was deadly.
“After Mr. Malden explained the events of Saturday night, I made a call to a Detective Rayburn.” Mr. Davenport switched his gaze from the note to Kelton. “He said you kids were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Apparently his undercover agent, who he wouldn’t name, said Ms. Reardon and a friend of yours, Dillon Hart, were the ones playing poker. Regardless, Mr. Maxwell, none of this gets you off the hook. But…” He ran a finger over his eyebrow. “My gut tells me you will be a great lawyer. And we need great lawyers. So you get one shot with me. If you pull a stunt like that while working here, you’ll be fired on the spot. Are we clear?”
“Yes, sir,” Kelton said as he stood and held out his hand. “Thank you.”
I was about to explode, but I didn’t want to come off as a crazy person by jumping into Kelton’s lap. So I smiled as wide as I could.