Page 13 of Snow Going Back

Kate nodded and sat down opposite them.

‘How much do you know about when this company was started?’ Bob asked.

Kate frowned. ‘The basics, really. That it was started here in 1962 by Jacob Morris. Philip Schuster became a named partner in ’75, and then he opened the London office in ’81.’

‘OK.’ Bob nodded, then leaned forward onto his knees and laced his fingers together. Kate eyed the boxes of food on the table as her stomach grumbled at her. They smelled amazing.

‘Please, eat,’ Bob urged, following her gaze.

Raymond sat up and reached for one of the boxes. ‘Yes,’ he agreed, with feeling. ‘Please do. I’ve been daydreaming about the Kung Pao chicken since we ordered. I so rarely get to order it here, with Bob around, and my wife has me on a seemingly lifelong diet.’ He shot her a pained look.

Kate laughed and reached for the nearest box. She tonged some noodles and waited for them to continue.

‘Coreaux Roots was one of the accounts you took over when Sophie left,’ Bob said, picking up his drink. ‘They likely haven’t called on you for much, but are you familiar with their business?’

‘Yes,’ Kate said, mentally sifting back through their brief encounters. ‘Timber company. Up in Vermont?’ Bob nodded. ‘Medium-sized enterprise that turns over pretty decent profits, if I remember rightly. A lot of land assets.’

‘That’s right,’ Bob said. ‘What you maynotknow is that they were Morris’s first-ever client.’ He took a sip of his drink. ‘Jacob Morris came from very humble roots. Family had nothing. He was smart though. Anddriven. Got himself a full scholarship to university, studied hard and graduated top of his class. He made a friend there, who stayed in touch after he returned to Boston.’

‘Let me guess – the founder of Coreaux Roots?’ Kate asked.

‘One and the same,’ Bob replied. ‘When Jacob started this firm a year or so after college, his old friend William was firstin line. He signed up on a retainer for the firm to handle all legalities related to Coreaux Roots,and’ – Bob paused – ‘himself and his wife, too.’

Kate frowned. ‘What do you mean?’

‘From what I gather, William didn’t trust lawyers. But he trusted Jacob. Asked him to take all of it on, not just the business,’ Bob told her with a grim shrug. ‘Jacob was just starting out. He needed clients… So while his firm officially only dealt with corporate law, he agreed to William’s request, too, as a favour.’

Raymond cleared his throat. ‘They worked out quite a specific contract which included us being legally responsible for their affairs after they passed.’

Kate’s eyebrows briefly shot up. That was unexpected.

‘William died a few years ago and it was pretty straightforward, as he left everything to Cora,’ Bob continued. He shifted in his seat and fiddled with his glass. ‘But last week, we got a call informing us Cora had passed.’

‘I’m sorry,’ Kate offered.

‘Oh, we didn’t know her. But, as I said, the contract was very specific,’ Raymond replied. ‘It states that in the event of the second of the two passing away, whoever officially holds their account here has to take up temporary residence in their home within one week and personally log all assets and possessions, then divide everything according to the terms of the will. In the absence of clear named parties, that person must make an informed decision about how everything is divided after spending no less than six weeks in their home and around the people who were in their lives.’

‘What?’ Kate exclaimed, looking back and forth between them. ‘You can’t be serious?’

‘Very much so, I’m afraid,’ Bob replied.

Kate shook her head. ‘No,’ she said firmly. ‘Bob, Ican’t. I have cases coming out of my ears. I can’t just drop everything to go and fanny about listing frilly curtains and fine china. With all due respect, that’s something you can send a junior to do. They can be spared, and it all sounds straightforward, if a little odd…’

Bob held his hand up and cut her off. ‘Kate, I already thought of that, and thatwasthe initial plan.’

‘Was?’ Kate echoed warily.

Bob sighed heavily and pulled a newspaper out from under the food-laden table, passing it over. ‘Thisis why we can no longer switch you out.’

‘Of course you can,’ Kate countered, taking the paper from him. ‘As long as we put the right people in place, it won’t matter that it’s notme. Who would even know?’

‘Oh, quite a lot of people,’ Raymond said heavily.

He pointed at the paper in her hands, and she looked down.

‘Oh.’ As she stared at the bold black headline and the pictures underneath, her hopes of getting out of this suddenly plummeted.

EIGHT

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