Read Online And Thereby Hangs a Tale by Jeffrey Archer - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Jeffrey Archer
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Haskins, looking back
down at it, 'she has acted as "my devoted nurse and close companion".'
'Are there no loopholes for us
to exploit?' asked Chester.
'That's most unlikely,' said Haskins, 'because,
with the exception of one paragraph, I drew up the will myself.'
'But that one paragraph changes the whole outcome
of the will,' said Joni. 'Surely we should take this woman to court. Any jury will
see that she is nothing more than a fraudster who tricked my father into
signing a new will only days after you had amended the old one for him.'
'You may well be right,' said Haskins, 'but,
given the circumstances, I couldn't advise you to contest the validity of the
will.'
'But your firm's investigators have come up with
irrefutable evidence that Ms Beattie was nothing more than a common prostitute,'
said Chester, 'and her nursing qualifications were almost certainly
exaggerated. Once the court learns the truth, surely our claim will be upheld.'
'In normal circumstances I would agree with you,
Chester, but these are not normal circumstances. As I have said, I could not
advise you to take her on.'
'But why not?' came back Joni. 'At the very least
we could show that my father wasn't in his right mind when he signed the will.'
'I'm afraid we'd be laughed out of court,'
said Haskins, 'when the other side points out that the will was witnessed by a
highly respected doctor who was at your father's bedside right up until the day
he died.'
'I'd still be willing to risk it,' said
Chester.
'Just look at it from her perspective. She's
a penniless whore who has recently been dismissed from her job without a
reference, and she sure won't want her past activities aired in court and then
reported on the early evening news followed by the front page of every morning
paper.'
'You may well be right,' said Haskins. 'But it's
still my duty as a lawyer to inform my clients when I believe their case cannot
be won.'
'But you can't be worried about taking on Kullick
in court,' said Chester. 'After all, you didn't even think he was good enough
to be a partner in your firm.'
Haskins raised an eyebrow. 'That may well be
the case, but it wouldn't be Mr Kullick I would be up against.' He replaced his
halfmoon spectacles on the end of his nose and once again picked up the will,
then turned over several pages before identifying the rel-evant clause. He
looked solemnly at his clients before he began to read.
'I also bequeath ten million dollars to my
alma mater, Princeton University; five million dollars to the Veterans
Association of America; five million dollars to the Conference of Presidents,
to assist their work in Israel; five million dollars to the Republic-an Party,
which I have supported all my life; and finally five million dollars to the
National Rifle Association, the aims of which I
approve, and which I have always supported.'
The old lawyer looked up. 'I should point
out to you both that none of these bequests was in your father's original will,'
he said, before adding, 'and although I am in no doubt that we could beat Mr
Kullick if he was our only opponent, I can assure you that we would have little
chance of defeating five of the largest and most prestigious law firms in the
land. Between them they would have bled you dry long before the case came to
court. I fear I can only recommend that you settle for a cane with a silver
handle and a photograph of your father at Princeton.'
'While she walks away with a cool seventy million
dollars,' said Joni.
'Having sacrificed thirty million to ensure she
would never have to appear in court,' said Haskins as he placed the will back
on his desk. 'Clever woman, Ms Lynn Beattie, and that wasn't even her real
name.'
6 DOUBLE-CROSS
T HE JUDGE LOOKED DOWN at the defendant and
frowned.
'Kevin Bryant, you have been found guilty of
armed robbery. A crime you clearly planned with considerable skill and
ingenuity. During your trial it has become clear that you knew exactly when to
carry out the attack
down at it, 'she has acted as "my devoted nurse and close companion".'
'Are there no loopholes for us
to exploit?' asked Chester.
'That's most unlikely,' said Haskins, 'because,
with the exception of one paragraph, I drew up the will myself.'
'But that one paragraph changes the whole outcome
of the will,' said Joni. 'Surely we should take this woman to court. Any jury will
see that she is nothing more than a fraudster who tricked my father into
signing a new will only days after you had amended the old one for him.'
'You may well be right,' said Haskins, 'but,
given the circumstances, I couldn't advise you to contest the validity of the
will.'
'But your firm's investigators have come up with
irrefutable evidence that Ms Beattie was nothing more than a common prostitute,'
said Chester, 'and her nursing qualifications were almost certainly
exaggerated. Once the court learns the truth, surely our claim will be upheld.'
'In normal circumstances I would agree with you,
Chester, but these are not normal circumstances. As I have said, I could not
advise you to take her on.'
'But why not?' came back Joni. 'At the very least
we could show that my father wasn't in his right mind when he signed the will.'
'I'm afraid we'd be laughed out of court,'
said Haskins, 'when the other side points out that the will was witnessed by a
highly respected doctor who was at your father's bedside right up until the day
he died.'
'I'd still be willing to risk it,' said
Chester.
'Just look at it from her perspective. She's
a penniless whore who has recently been dismissed from her job without a
reference, and she sure won't want her past activities aired in court and then
reported on the early evening news followed by the front page of every morning
paper.'
'You may well be right,' said Haskins. 'But it's
still my duty as a lawyer to inform my clients when I believe their case cannot
be won.'
'But you can't be worried about taking on Kullick
in court,' said Chester. 'After all, you didn't even think he was good enough
to be a partner in your firm.'
Haskins raised an eyebrow. 'That may well be
the case, but it wouldn't be Mr Kullick I would be up against.' He replaced his
halfmoon spectacles on the end of his nose and once again picked up the will,
then turned over several pages before identifying the rel-evant clause. He
looked solemnly at his clients before he began to read.
'I also bequeath ten million dollars to my
alma mater, Princeton University; five million dollars to the Veterans
Association of America; five million dollars to the Conference of Presidents,
to assist their work in Israel; five million dollars to the Republic-an Party,
which I have supported all my life; and finally five million dollars to the
National Rifle Association, the aims of which I
approve, and which I have always supported.'
The old lawyer looked up. 'I should point
out to you both that none of these bequests was in your father's original will,'
he said, before adding, 'and although I am in no doubt that we could beat Mr
Kullick if he was our only opponent, I can assure you that we would have little
chance of defeating five of the largest and most prestigious law firms in the
land. Between them they would have bled you dry long before the case came to
court. I fear I can only recommend that you settle for a cane with a silver
handle and a photograph of your father at Princeton.'
'While she walks away with a cool seventy million
dollars,' said Joni.
'Having sacrificed thirty million to ensure she
would never have to appear in court,' said Haskins as he placed the will back
on his desk. 'Clever woman, Ms Lynn Beattie, and that wasn't even her real
name.'
6 DOUBLE-CROSS
T HE JUDGE LOOKED DOWN at the defendant and
frowned.
'Kevin Bryant, you have been found guilty of
armed robbery. A crime you clearly planned with considerable skill and
ingenuity. During your trial it has become clear that you knew exactly when to
carry out the attack
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