Death Vetoes The Chairman (Lizzie Crenshaw Mysteries Book 7) Read Free

Brookdale News , standing there. “What are you doing here? I thought you were in the middle of nowhere, hiding from humanity.”
    “Are you going to let me in or are you going to let me freeze on your front porch?”
    “Oh, get in here, you big baby. It’s not that cold out there,” I said, stepping aside so he could come in. Closing and locking the door behind him, I put Mittens back down, and she went over and put her front paws on Dale’s left leg. He leaned over and scratched behind her ears. “So, what can I do for you, Dale? Is this a social call? How long are you planning on staying this time?”
    “It’s good to see you too, Lizzie. Tough day at the office?”
    “No more than usual. Would you like something to drink?”
    “Water will be fine, thanks,” he replied, taking off his coat and hanging it on the front doorknob. When I came back with his water, he was sitting in my brown suede recliner, and Mittens was in his lap.
    I handed him the bottle, sat down on the couch, and waited for him to take a drink. “So, what’s new?” I asked.
    “I came by to talk to you about the newspaper.”
    “What about it?”
    “I’m still planning on selling it.”
    “Jake will be happy to hear that.”
    “Why do you say that?” he said, looking puzzled.
    “You told me you were going to sell the paper to him.”
    “I said I was thinking about selling to Jake.”
    “Did you change your mind?”
    “No, I’m still going to sell the paper…just not to Jake.”
    “What?!”
    “Let me rephrase that,” Dale said. “I’m not going to sell him the majority stake.”
    “I see,” I said. “So, you’ve been gone all this time trying to find someone to buy the majority share?”
    “I have someone in mind,” he said cryptically, “I just haven’t talked to them about it yet.”
    There was a sharp pain over my right eye, and I gently rubbed it. “Dale, I have a lot of work to do, and you’re starting to give me a headache. Would you please hurry up and get to the point?”
    “Grouchy tonight, aren’t you?” I glared at him. “I plan on offering Jake a twenty percent share of the newspaper, and I’m offering the other eighty percent to you.”
    My mouth fell open. “Excuse me?”
    “I’m offering you the majority stake in the paper.”
    “Are you crazy? I don’t have that kind of money, Dale. I don’t think I could even get a big enough mortgage on the house to cover what you’re going to ask for it.”
    “Why would you need to mortgage the house?”
    “Because I’m as poor as a church mouse! What kind of stupid question is that?”
    “Have you read Debra’s will yet?”
    I glanced guiltily at the envelope by my glass before shaking my head. “I’ve been busy.”
    “Didn’t you get the messages I left you this week, asking you to read it?”
    “I told you, I’ve been busy!”
    “Read it. Right now.”
    Reluctantly, I leaned forward, grabbed the long envelope and opened it. “ I, Debra Leighanne King Cosgrove, being of sound mind and body…” I looked up at Dale. “Who is she kidding? She was as crazy as a rabid raccoon! This isn’t going to stand up in a court of law.”
    “She submitted to a psychiatric examination, and was declared sane.”
    “I wonder how much she paid for that diagnosis,” I muttered under my breath.
    “Keep reading,” he ordered.
    “ …being of sound mind and body, do hereby declare that this is my last will and testament. I will make this short and simple. I leave all my worldly possessions, including a bank account in Brookdale, Texas, a bank account in New York City, New York, as well all contents of my safety deposit boxes in various locations (detailed in a separate letter), and access to an overseas account in London, England, to my half-niece, Elizabeth Crenshaw. The grand total of these various accounts comes to roughly…” I sputtered to a stop. “She’s joking, right?”
    Dale shook his head. “We went over all of her accounts with her