Advice of Counsel (The Samuel Collins Series Book 1) Read Online Free Page B

she asked the baby.  This was no
accident.  Mrs. Johns smiled at me.  “Hello, Samuel.”
    “Mrs. Johns,” I nodded.
    “It looks like you have everything under control in here,” she
said.  “Why don’t I get started on the crib?  Where do you keep your cleansers,
dear?” she asked Maddie.
    I was off the hook.  Thank goodness for Mrs. Johns.  I made a
mental note that I owed her one and decided I would reduce my fee for preparing
her will in consideration of her saving me from having to bathe the kid.
    “You okay then?” I asked Maddie, making another attempt at an
exit.
    “Yeah.  Thanks for your help Samuel.”
    “No problem,” I lied, trying to sound nonchalant.  “I’ll leave
your affidavit on the table.  Call me if you have any questions about going to
the EEOC.”
    I got out of the house as quickly as I could, and went home and
took a shower to disinfect myself.

Chapter 2
    Maddie called me the next morning at work to tell me she had
gone down to the EEOC and filed her discrimination charge.    I was curious as
to whether her supervisor would take any adverse action against her.  I almost
hoped he did so we could amend the charge to include retaliation; the more
ammunition we had, the better.  It would be a great case to take before a jury,
and Maddie would make a good witness after we got her a new hairstyle.  The
jury would definitely be sympathetic towards her. 
    On a hunch, I called my investigator friend back and requested
that he send someone into Maddie’s department at Datacare to see what he could
dig up.  I reasoned that if a supervisor was so blatant in his harassment of a
subordinate, it could be indicative of the attitude of the higher-ups of the
company, as well.  And the higher up the executive, the bigger the payoff.
    While I had him on the phone, I asked if he had come up with
anything on Landra Krally, but he said that so far she was clean.  I told him
to keep digging.  My instincts told me that little Miss Krally was up to no
good.  And as much of a pain in the ass as my neighbors might be, I wasn’t
going to let some con artist rip off their life savings.
    I called Mrs. Johns when I got off the phone to let her know
how much I was going to charge for revising her will and my timeframe for
getting it to her.  I had knocked off $100 from my fee for her coming to the
rescue during the baby-shit fiasco at Maddie’s house.  She had risen several
notches in my book with her calm and collected handling of the situation.  Of
course, she didn’t know that I had discounted my fee, so that meant I would
have to quote the same price to Mrs. Howard since I knew the two would be
comparing notes on my services and fees.  While I had her on the phone, I
inquired as to the inclusion of Landra Krally in her will.
    “Landra has been helping us out for years,” Mrs. Johns said. 
“None of our children live close to us and she’s like a daughter to us.  We
just wanted to acknowledge how we feel about her and thought it was a nice
gesture.”
    A nice gesture ?  A nice gesture in my book was a gift
certificate to Outback Steakhouse, not leaving someone a couple hundred
thousand dollars in your will.  How could I put it tactfully?
    “I know it’s none of my business, but have you conveyed your
intentions to your sons with regard to the change in your will?”
    “Well, I don’t remember if we mentioned it or not?  Is there a
problem?”
    “No, there’s no problem.  I just want to make sure you are
absolutely certain that you want to leave such a large portion of your estate
to someone who isn’t family.”
    I had never heard Mrs. Johns laugh before, and it gave a whole
new dimension to her personality.  “You’re very sweet to be concerned, Samuel,
but you needn’t be.  We’re absolutely certain.”
    I still didn’t feel good about it, but I wasn’t going to argue
with her.  I told Mrs. Johns I’d have the wills to her by the end of the week,
then I hung