Chapter 5: The Old Lawyer
Leonard Hale lived in a small house near the lake. When Finnley arrived, the old man was already waiting on the porch with two cups of coffee.
They sat outside in silence for a while before Leonard spoke.
“I knew your father well,” he said. “Camden came to see me three weeks before he died. He was worried. He said Reagan and Carter were draining the company. He wanted to change his will, but he was afraid they would find out.”
Finnley leaned forward.
“Did he manage to change it?”
Leonard nodded.
“He signed a new will in my office. I kept the original copy. In it, he left almost everything to you. Reagan and Carter were only supposed to receive a small monthly allowance.”
Finnley felt a surge of anger.
“Then why didn’t anyone know about it?”
“Because after your father died, Reagan came to me with Carter,” Leonard said. “They claimed the new will was fake and that your father wasn’t in his right mind when he signed it. They also showed me documents claiming you had stolen from the company. I refused to hand over the will without proper investigation.”
He looked at Finnley seriously.
“Two days later, I received threats. My office was broken into. I decided to retire early and stay quiet. I’m sorry, Finnley. I should have done more.”
Finnley shook his head.
“You kept the will safe. That’s already more than enough.”
Leonard studied him for a moment.
“What do you want to do now?”
May you like
Finnley looked out at the lake.
“I want to take back what’s mine,” he said. “And I want to know how my father really died.”
