The Missing Dough(71)

When she pulled out a slim envelope, there was more than cash there, though. “All I need is for you to sign a waiver for the rest of Mom’s stuff, and half the money is yours.”

“So, you’re trying to buy me off, is that it?” Maddy asked, not taking the envelope.

“Believe me, I’m doing you a favor. All that Mom left behind were bills and two mortgages. There’s not going to be anything left, so I’d advise you to take this and be happy that you’re done with it.”

“Well, I can’t sign anything until I know how much we’re talking about,” Maddy replied, studying the skinny envelope. Unless Rebecca had deposited the money and written her a check, there was no way that there was five grand in there.

“I’d really rather it was a surprise,” Rebecca said stubbornly. “Does it honestly matter how much it is? This is pure profit for you.” She pulled out another copy of the waiver we’d seen before and handed it to Maddy, along with a pen.

My sister promptly put them both down on a nearby table without signing anything. “Sorry, but I don’t think I’ll be able to sign anything without knowing what you’re offering me in return.”

Rebecca started to pout a little and then shrugged. “Fine. Spoil the surprise.” She opened the envelope again and pulled out five one-hundred-dollar bills. “Think about what you could do with that money.”

“This is half of what you found?” Maddy said as she looked at the anemic pile of cash.

“Right down the middle,” Rebecca said, averting her gaze for a moment as she said it.

Maddy shook her head. “Thanks, but no thanks. I wouldn’t take it if it were ten times that much.” I echoed her smile, since we both knew that the real amount from an equal split would be exactly that, five thousand dollars.

Rebecca glanced at me quickly, and I did my best to kill my smile.

“You’re making a huge mistake,” she said to Maddy.

My sister picked up the waiver and the pen and handed them back to Rebecca. “Maybe so. It wouldn’t be the first time, and I’m pretty sure that it won’t be the last. Have you decided what you’re going to do with the house?”

“I’m moving in, at least for now. I managed to scrape up eight grand to pay off most of the bills, including the second mortgage, so I’ll be okay for a while.”

What a coincidence. After taking eight of the ten grand from the drawer to pay off the second, she still wasn’t giving Maddy half of what was left. I wouldn’t trust the woman to count my fingers for me.

“Funny, I wouldn’t think you’d choose to live there after what happened to your brother and mother,” Maddy said.

“Mom died at the hospital, and Grant was murdered over there across the square,” she said as she pointed to the spot on the promenade. “Besides, it’s going to take a long time to go through everything at the house, and it will be quite a bit easier if I’m staying there to do it. I wouldn’t want to miss anything. It was important to my mother, you understand.”

Maddy shrugged. “Whatever you say. Let me know when you’re ready to file for probate. I have a vested interest, you know, and I want to be there.”

“Of course,” Rebecca said through gritted teeth. Maddy was playing with fire. If Grant’s sister was indeed the murderer, my sister was adding her name to the list of those most likely to be killed next.

As Rebecca started to leave, Maddy called out, “And don’t forget to include the thousand dollars you found in your assessment.”

“What thousand are you talking about?” Rebecca asked curiously.

“Well, that’s how much you found in the drawer. That’s right, isn’t it? Half of a thousand is five hundred, and that’s what you just offered me.”

“Certainly,” Rebecca said, and then she was gone.

“My, that was fun,” Maddy said.

“Would you come into the kitchen with me? The next sandwich should be ready to serve now.”

She followed me in, and the second the kitchen door was closed, I asked her, “Did you enjoy yourself just now?”

“I’ve been wanting to tweak her since the day we met quite a few years ago. Yes, I’d have to say that as amusements go, that was right up there.”

“Maddy, we both know that she was lying about the money she found, but what good did it do to let her know that we were aware of the fact that she was cheating you?”

Maddy frowned. “Okay, maybe it wasn’t the smartest thing that I could have done, but I couldn’t let her think that she had outsmarted me. You know why she’s staying at the house, don’t you? Sentiment has nothing to do with it.”