Behind the Pine Curtain Read Online Free Page B

later, if at all.
    “This is his will. We’ll have a formal reading later, but I thought you should know ahead of the others. There’ll be problems, no doubt.”
    “Problems?”
    “Yes. He’s compensated your mother nicely, of course. More than half of his assets. But the business—Keys Industries—and a couple of other holdings, the rest of his wealth, he left to you.”
    “ What? ”
    “Your uncle, who has been managing the lumber mill for years, may contest the will. Of the original mill, your uncle owned less than forty percent. But you must understand, the mill was but a small portion of Keys Industries. And besides your uncle, you can be most certain that your mother will contest the will.”
    “Jesus Christ, John! Why would he even mention me in his will?”
    “On the surface, it would appear that he was trying to make up for what they did to you. In reality, he truly loved you.”
    “Well, I can’t take it. I don’t need his money. I don’t want his money.”

    “I understand. I’m simply his lawyer and the executor of his wishes. If you choose to sell the business or give it to your uncle or mother, that’s your decision. You probably have no idea of his worth, but it is substantial, Jacqueline. His business holdings aren’t limited to the mill.
    In fact, while it is common knowledge that he bailed the bank out all those years ago, no one really knows that the bank would collapse should he pull his money. Keys Industries controls the bank.” He paused. “Perhaps, after you’ve had a chance to absorb this, you may decide to accept it.”
    Jacqueline stood, pacing nervously across the room. This, she was not expecting. Jesus, talk about ironic. If her mere presence in town didn’t send her mother to her death, this most surely would.
    “He controls the bank?” she asked quietly.
    “Yes.”
    “How?”
    “It goes back to the days of your grandfather. However, poor business decisions over the years left the bank in desperate need of capital. Your father obliged, using Keys Industries. In turn, he was able to secure loans for future plants at exceptionally low interest rates. Financially, the bank is extremely sound now. Your father hired a financial consultant from Houston years ago to oversee investments and such. He doesn’t officially have anything to do with the bank, like the title of president—that honor goes to Mr. Wells—but he has the last say on everything. Your father trusted him completely.”
    Jacqueline was speechless. “And my mother knows none of this?”
    “No. She thinks he had a small interest in the bank. I assume she believes it was all left to her, along with the mill and the business, of course.”
    “Jesus Christ,” she murmured.

    John smiled. “No, he left Brother Garner out of the will.”

CHAPTER FIVE
    Jacqueline had one free day before the funeral, so she took Mary’s advice and drove into town, foregoing her original thoughts of playing a round of golf. You don’t play golf the day before your father’s funeral, even if the weather was perfect for it.
    She found herself driving back toward the old downtown area, the buildings looking much drabber now in the light of day. And small.
    Pine Springs had not changed, not really. Dobson’s bakery was still on the same corner. The meat market next to it. She felt a grin come on when she saw the sign for the café. Garland’s Café-Just Good Food .
    God, did that bring back memories. Kay’s family had owned it for as long as she could remember, and Jacqueline spent many a Saturday morning there, helping Kay and her sister Rose in the back with dishes much to her mother’s dismay. A café was no place for the mayor’s daughter. On impulse, she decided a cup of coffee was in order. Perhaps Mrs. Garland would be there. It would be nice to say hello, at least.
    The bell jingled as she opened the door, and she looked up, certain it was the very same bell she remembered from all those years ago. A few curious