Page 140 of The Me I Left Behind

The next morningat ten o’clock, Maggie and Julia waited for Jonathan Murray. His administrative assistant led them to hisoffice, and they sat in straight-back wooden chairs in front of his desk. Apparently, it was court day, and he was fitting them in between cases.

He breezed into the office after a few minutes. “My apologies. I’ve a full day in court, but wanted to meet with you as soon as possible. I knew I’d have a small window, so I’m glad you could meet now.” He shook both of their hands and sat behind the desk.

“I’m eager to know about the will.” Maggie shifted in the uncomfortable wooden chair and wondered if he had placed them there intentionally. She couldn’t imagine lingering for a long time sitting there.

He made direct eye contact with her. “Well, things became simpler this morning. We should be able to take care of most things quickly, then get to probate, and settle.”

Julia leaned in. “That sounds like there are no complications. Correct?”

He smiled. “The one complication I expected removed itself.”

That made Maggie sit up straighter. “The Olivers?”

“I received a call from Maxwell Oliver before court. He and his wife are not contesting the will. We are moving forward with Max’s wishes as they stand.”

“Great.” Maggie relaxed a little. She didn’t care what the damn will said, she’d deal with it, but was just glad she could do so without complications.

He pulled out a large manilla folder and opened it on his desk. “Max’s will was simple and to the point. Shall I go through the chief points now, then give you a copy to take with you? Then next time, we can go through executor duties.”

“Sure. That’s fine.”

“Alright. You, Maggie, are the sole beneficiary and executor of his property and assets. Besides the house and the Escalade, Max owned very little property. The house is yours, transferrableupon death. No need to go through probate. We will get your name on the deed, and then you can do whatever you want with it, then. We will take care of that soon.”

Maggie blinked and glanced at Julia, who smiled. “Okay.”

“The Escalade is also yours, as well as any of his personal property in the home. There are no other personal property assets listed in the will.”

Julia kept nodding, looking at Maggie, wearing a slight grin.

“Max had no savings, but had quite a bit of money in a checking account. Your name is not on the account, but he made you the beneficiary. He likely has some bills, credit cards, and the like, which will fall to you to see paid. All of this will eventually go through probate, and then you can access.”

“I see.” She paused for a moment, wondering if he was going to say anything else. “What about his business?”

He looked up. “Yes. Honestly, there are some unknowns there and you might need to do some research. Apparently, he had a home office, and I hope there are records there, and an office in Brisbane.”

“He had a condo there, I believe. He worked out of it.” She looked at Julia. “And we have the contents of his home office, files and such.”

“Good.” Jonathan nodded. “There are options, I suppose, but you will want to determine if the business had debt, pay that off, and then dissolve it. Of course, that is up to you.”

Julia tapped her fingers on his desk. “So, you are saying he left the business to her as well?”

“Oh, yes. I guess I didn’t say that.”

“Just to be clear.” Julia caught Maggie’s eye.

She had no clue what to do about the business. Dissolving it sounded fine with her, but she’d consult Julia. Another day. “Is that all?”

He glanced at his watch, then shuffled through the file. “Just one thing, and I’ll do this quickly.” He hit the intercom button on his phone. “Pamela? I need two copies of the Max Oliver last will and testament, including the information on the Oliver trust. I don’t see them here in my file. ASAP please.”

Maggie glanced at Julia.

“The trust. You know Max received funds monthly from a family trust. His father is the grantor, and his attorney is the trustee. Max named his children as the beneficiaries. The money will accumulate until each child is twenty-one years old, and then they each will get a share of the funds. The details are in the document.”

Maggie leaned closer. “Are the children specifically named in the trust?”

He glanced at the paperwork. “No. Apparently, Max wanted to leave that open-ended. In case he had more children, I suppose. It’s not uncommon.”

“I see.”