Families are messy - 16

“Excuse me?” Casey looked at his phone as if it was some alien being, wishing his sister could see the scowl on his face.

It was mid-Saturday morning. His date with Marcia had ended quite well in his opinion, even considering that at the last minute he’d lost his nerve and had just told her he’d enjoyed the evening. What he’d really wanted to do was kiss her—but he hadn’t. Too soon, he’d admonished himself as he bid her good-night and watched her cross the lobby of her apartment building to the elevator. She’d turned when it arrived to wave at him and he’d waved back before returning to his vehicle and heading home.

“Darla,” he said moments later, “I would have no problem lending you the money if you needed it, but I will not give you one penny to subsidize whatever fool plan ‘Skull’ has to advance his modeling career. End of story.”

He sighed as he listened to her pleading, the fact that she was into serious pout mode evident in her voice. But when she started to get angry as he reiterated what he’d just said to her he told her he had something he needed to do, right now, and managed to hang up before she began yelling.

“God save me from family,” he muttered, turning off his cell. When the house phone rang a minute later he checked the Caller ID, saw it was Darla, and ignored it.

“I vote we get out of here,” he said to Duke, getting his leash.

Obviously Duke was in total agreement, beating Casey to the front door. As they stepped outside a battered looking car was pulling up to the curb in front of the house. Now Casey was far from a snob but this thing looked like it belonged on cement blocks in front of a place in the poorest section of town, so when Fairchild stepped out of it Casey’s eyebrows rose in surprise.

The investigator looked at Duke and stood stock still. Casey chuckled, beckoning the man to join him, telling him Duke was harmless.

“If you say so,” Fairchild replied as he came up beside them. “You coming or going?”

“Getting away from the phone,” Casey admitted just a bit sheepishly.

“If you’re walking I’ll join you, otherwise I can come back later.”

“Considering it must be important for you to come all the way out here we’ll walk.”

Once Duke had established which way they were going to walk Casey asked Fairchild, “So, good news or bad?”

“Depends on your point of view I suppose. I ran the financials on all your family members, or more to the point had someone I trust who’s an expert do it because they’d know what to look for.”

“Alright. What did you find out?”

Fairchild took out a notebook, opening it to the page he needed. “Technically your older sister, Mrs. Gordon, is in good shape since her husband’s well-to-do. Before you ask there are no problems with his finances or if there are his accountants know how to hide them well.”

“I figured that. She just dislikes me on general principals.”

“Any particular reason for that?”

“I don’t kiss her ass.”

Fairchild nodded. “Some people don’t like when that happens. Alright, on to your younger sister. I’m sure you know she seems to attract leeches and lets them have money.”

“I’m too well aware of that, although this time she tried to hit me up for a loan for her latest leech.”

“Not too surprising since her money’s tied up in a trust until she’s twenty-five and she spent her ‘allowance’ from this last month already, probably on,” Fairchild rolled his eyes, “Skull.”

“Him I’ve met,” Casey admitted with a wry chuckle. “One of the best moves my father made before he died was putting Darla on that monthly allowance.”

“I’d say so and unless you have the same codicil in your will that would definitely give her a motive to try to kill you.”

Casey thought about that. “Well she couldn’t know how my will is written, none of them do, but that is a good point and until I sign the new one she’d get her share free and clear, no strings.”