Read Sea Change (The Nina Bannister Mysteries Book 1) for Free Online Page B

know?”
    He shrugged:
    “I really don’t.   Of course there’s the house and the two acres surrounding it, land that no one has been able to claim or build on.   But the Robinson’s were such—well, entrepreneurs––”
    “Gangsters, you mean.”
    Another smile, this one somewhat broader.
    “Some would say that.   Attorneys have to be more cautious.”
    “And attorneys’ wives.”
    “We’ll pretend you didn’t say it. But there is property all over Bay St. Lucy, property that is now being rented––”
    “Like my little house by the ocean.”
    “Yes. You’re paying rent to a kind of holding company, but that company in turn…”
    “Is a part of the Robinson estate.”
    “Precisely.”
    “We’ve all been held hostage by that family for decades.”
    “But that will change now.   I’ve been assured that, with the sister already dead, the youngest heir dying intestate, the property involved will revert to the city, which we can claim in lieu of back taxes.   The taxes involved are rather minor; but the loophole will allow the city to take over all the family’s holdings.”
    “So we’re talking––”
    “Millions of dollars, Nina.”
    “It’s surreal.”
    “Everything involved with the Robinsons was surreal.   Your husband had just hired me, just taken a chance on an ignorant black boy––”
    “You weren’t ignorant.”
    “I was desperate though. Anyway, I remember my first days at work.   I was sitting in that adjoining office, going through some old files when I heard what had happened the previous evening.”        
    “A horror movie.”
    He nodded.
    “I suppose that every little town—at least every little town in the south—has its Gothic mansion.”
    “Yes.   And now—heavens, the impact that this news is going to have.”
    “Well, as I say, I have no idea of estimating the windfall that will be coming to Bay St. Lucy; but you and the rest of the City Council will have some tough decisions before it.   We’ll have the funds to build an entirely new school system, elementary right up through high school.”
    She smiled.
    “Old Dell Mason Dees Hall could be torn down.”
    “Very possibly.”
    “And just in time.   Before it collapses.”
    “We can replace the library––”
    “—and, if Margot Gavin wishes, she can buy and renovate the house itself.”
    “What does she want to do with it?”
    “Make it into an elegant bed and breakfast.   With me to help run it.”
    “Are you interested?”
    “Maybe. I’m pretty happy now just puttering around, but—it would be something new.”
    “If it happens, you know I’ll handle the legal work, deeds, zoning regulations—for free.”
    “We wouldn’t ask you to do that.”
    “No discussion.    It’s done”
    “So.   What happens now?”
    “Well, Nina, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”
    He leaned across the desk, which groaned with his weight.
    “We may need to ask you a favor.”
    “Of course.   How may I help?”
    “You’re still on the city council I assume.”
    “Last time I checked.”
    “You like New Orleans?”
    “Love it.”
    “Want to go?”
    “I always want to go to New Orleans and I never can afford it.”
    “The trip will be paid for by the city.”
    “What would I be doing there?”
    “Since it’s almost certain that there is no will, there will be documents to sign following a formal announcement in the offices of Arthur Robinson’s attorney. Someone from Bay St. Lucy needs to be there.   It is somewhat like the reading of a will. There are legal differences, but you won’t need to worry about them.   You just need to be there, and sign as a legal representative for the town.”
    “You don’t want to do this yourself?”
    “I have to be in court tomorrow. And as for the other council members––”
    “They’ve all got jobs.”
    He smiled:
    “Yes. But somehow, you seem to be the most appropriate person.   You’ve taught everybody in town; now