TANGLED WEB

After she struggled to right herself, and Robbie had left, Claire decided that her visits to the cousins was a thing of the past.  She picked up the phone and left a message on her lawyer’s machine to remove Robbie and the rest of the cousins from her will, and that she would set up an appointment to sign the new will as soon as she could manage it.

Then she treated herself to a luxuriant bubble bath.  Soaking in the warm water she reviewed the last few weeks and came to some firm decisions.  Decisions she had relinquished to Marissa.  Why did she do that?  Why was Marissa so accessible?

Coming out of the bath, her hair wrapped in a towel, her eye traveled to a shelf on the opposite wall.  The box with her lavender jade was gone!  She went to the shelf and as if to confirm it she ran her hand over the shelf where the box had been.  She then went to the bedroom, pulled out a dresser drawer and way in the back pulled out a couple of jewelry boxes where she kept a very small collection of diamonds.  The boxes were empty!  At that point there was a knock at the door.  If that’s you Marissa, I’ll tear you from limb to limb, she thought.

Standing in front of her was Aaron Bloomberg.

“Aaron!”

“I’m sorry to bother you, is this an inconvenient

time to see you?”

Pulling her robe closer together she said, “No, I’ve just come out of a tub,” and she directed him inside.

Aaron smiled as he sat down, “I understand you were in the hospital.”

“Yes, I just escaped!”

“Escaped?”

For a moment Claire looked quizzically at Aaron, then she laughed, “Not literally,” she leaned forward and said in a mock stage whisper, “they sprung me this morning.”

Aaron was pleased to see Claire’s sense of humor was there.  “I’m glad because I must bring up something of importance to you.  This girl...Marissa--has been saying that you were selling your apartment and that she had the power of attorney to act for you.”

“That’s not true.  I am not moving and she of all people is not speaking for me.”

Relieved, “I thought it seemed strange but she kept waving a legal looking paper saying she had the right to sell your apartment.”

“It’s unsigned.”

“I was wondering why she kept dodging me whenever I asked to see it.”

“I guess she hoped to sell it before I got out of the hospital but the doctors foiled her little plan.”

“Not so little, Claire, do you know what a pretty penny this apartment could go for?”

“I was just trying to be funny about a very unfunny situation.  She’s stolen my lavender jade and my diamonds, maybe more...I’ve just made the discovery.”

“Oh Claire!  Does she have your keys?”