Page 44 of The Me I Left Behind (Tuckaway Bay #4)

Twenty-Three

It took ten days for Max’s remains to get home from Australia and another three before they held his memorial.

Maggie had him cremated before being shipped to the states, because of the condition of the body when he was found in the ravine—and frankly, she hadn’t wanted to look at him one more time, anyway.

His parents were not pleased with her decision.

That’s when she told them that everything else was on them. Memorialize him however they wanted. Bury him, or display him on their mantel, whatever they wanted to do. She wanted nothing to do with making the plans or footing the bill or keeping his goddamn ashes safe.

She was done with Maxwell Oliver, once and for all.

She figured they’d balk at the expense—to her surprise, they didn’t.

Thank God.

She and the children stayed for the entire memorial at the funeral home, then went to the graveside service. Chloe was twitchy and anxious, but quiet. Jason and Carol were awkwardly silent, too. Both shed a few tears but, mostly, remained composed, holding their shit together.

She couldn’t imagine how difficult it all was for them.

On second thought, she’d likely be the same upon her own mother’s death.

How do I really feel? Am I sad? Relieved? Indifferent?

The emotions were elusive and ethereal.

Julia— good friend that she is —was at her side the entire time. As they were leaving the graveside, a man in a suit stepped up to them. “Maggie Oliver, I assume?”

“Yes?”

Julia intervened. “Maggie, this is Jonathan Murray, Max’s attorney.” She looked at him. “I didn’t realize you would be here today.”

He gave a quick nod. “I was hoping to speak with Ms. Oliver.”

Maggie could tell Julia was uneasy. She looked at her, then glanced at the children. “Kids, why don’t you all go on to the car? I’ll be there in a minute.”

“Sure, Mom.” Carol put an arm around Chloe’s shoulders and motioned to Jason. “Let’s go.”

She made sure they were a few feet away before she turned back. “Julia?”

Mr. Murray continued. “I just want a minute now, to see if you have time tomorrow morning to discuss Max’s will. You know you are the executor of his estate. Correct?”

“No. I did not know that.” Maggie stared at Julia. “Did you?”

“No.” She turned to the lawyer. “Are you sure?”

“Quite positive. Max’s former attorney drew the will up about ten years ago. He passed that information along to me a few days ago. Max’s parents have made some moves toward contesting it and since he, the former attorney, is the Oliver family attorney, he thought it best to hand it off.”

Puzzled, Maggie questioned that. “Wait. I don’t understand.”

“I think I do,” Julia said. “In short, Max’s parents may contest the will, and apparently, they and Max shared the same attorney.

To avoid a conflict of interest, I’m guessing either Max’s parents would have to get a new attorney, or someone new represents Max’s wishes. In a semi-nutshell, I think.”

“Close enough,” Jonathan said. “Could we chat more thoroughly tomorrow morning at my office, say, around ten?”

“Yes. I can be there. Julia?”

“Of course.”

“Here’s my card.” Mr. Murray handed a business card to Maggie. “I’ll see you then.”

He walked off toward a string of cars parked alongside the narrow cemetery road. As he approached a late model Lexus, Maggie’s attention shifted to an older couple walking with purpose toward Max’s parents. She did not remember seeing them at the memorial.

Julia noticed them, too. “Do you know those people?”

“No. But Max’s parents seem surprised, maybe worried.”

She watched the couple turn away and head toward their vehicle. The older man reached out toward Max’s dad, saying something. Max’s father spun around and shouted. “You have some nerve!”

The woman cried out. “See how it feels to lose a child? How do you feel right now?”

“Oh shit.” Maggie turned to Julia. “Can you make sure the kids are in the car and away from this?”

“Sure. Why?”

“I think that’s Caroline’s parents.”

“Oh, fuck. Are you certain?”

“I’m about to find out.”

Julia glanced at the couple again. “I can take the kids on home. It’s been a long day.”

Maggie nodded. “That would be great. I’ll be there soon.” Good thing they drove separately.

“You’re okay?”

“Yup. Gonna be.” She headed toward the arguing couples, now in earshot of every word, and stopped just a few feet away.

Max’s mother was livid. “How dare you come here in our time of grief? We just lost our son.”

“I can’t say I am sorry for your loss,” the older man said. “We don’t want to get in your way here. We just want you to know that we finally feel justice has been served.”

“Justice!” Max’s father roared. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“Your son took our daughter’s life. Now he’s gone too. Things come around,” the woman said. “And it took its damn time coming, but as they say, karma is a bitch.”

Max’s father pointed his finger at the man’s face. “We paid good money to keep your mouth shut. Keep that entire debacle quiet. The last thing either of us wants is this scandal brought to light again. Now, I suggest you keep your damn mouth closed, or I’ll have to file for breach of contract.”

“Try it,” the man said.

His wife moved in closer to Max’s parents. “You know he hit her. Right? He was mean to her. And that day? She was going to tell him she was leaving him. That’s why he killed her.”

Max’s father’s face turned red. “My son did not kill your daughter!”

“She was not leaving him,” his mother added. “That’s ridiculous. Why would anyone leave my son?” She spotted Maggie then, and though she appeared surprised, responded with a sneer. “Max was a handsome man, a hard worker, and a good provider…why would anyone even suggest leaving him?”

Maggie couldn’t stand it any longer. “Because he was a nasty son-of-a-bitch? And yes, Mrs. Oliver, you are the bitch.”

Max’s mother grasped her husband’s arm and fully faced Maggie. “And you, Maggie Oliver, are the tart who got knocked up only for his money.”

“So that’s what you’ve thought of me all these years.”

“That’s what he told us. I believed my son,” Mrs. Oliver scoffed.

“That’s a lie and you know it. I had money. I also worked hard. I had no choice but to take an unpaid leave of absence because of my pregnancy. He didn’t have to stick around.”

His father intervened. “But he did. The last thing we needed right then was you coming at us with a paternity lawsuit, too.” He pointed at the McDowell’s. “Those people were already leeching money from us hand over fist.”

Maggie glanced at Caroline’s parents. Good for them.

“Your son was a scoundrel. Of course you knew that. That’s why you always covered for him. Right?”

“I covered for him because I could,” Mr. Oliver said. “And because he was my son.”

“And because he was sullying your long-standing, proper Southern family name, I imagine.”

Mrs. Oliver pushed forward. “You know he never loved you. Or those kids. He wanted none of that, but because you trapped him, we had to do something.”

Wait. We? Maggie’s abdomen tightened. “What do you mean we .”

“We!” she went on. “His father and I. You know we are the reason he married you. You should be grateful. We insisted.”

Shut-the-fuck-up. “Go on.”

Max’s father pulled his mother back. “We’re not getting into that today.”

Maggie took two determined steps forward, closer to him. She spoke firmly and directly. “Oh, yes, we are. You are going to tell me what you did, because if you don’t, I am going to make one helluva scene. Right here. Right now.”

He stared at her, then at the McDowell’s, and grumbled angrily. “Fine. If he didn’t marry you, I was going to cut off his trust fund.”

“Excuse me? What trust fund? Max told me you canceled that years ago.”

“Oh, we threatened to several times when he’d come home whining about his lack of freedom. But the last time he did, about ten years ago, I told him if he came back again, I’d cut him out of the trust and the will for good.”

“You should have.”

His mother shook her head. “Not true. We always took care of him because…” She stopped talking.

“Because he always fucked things up. Right?”

“If he married you, and stayed married to you,” his father went on, “he would continue to get the funds from the trust he’d been getting since he was eighteen.

If anything, I wanted to make sure the grandchildren were taken care of, even if he wouldn’t let me see them.

If he divorced you, however, the trust funds would stop.

” He glowered. “We don’t do divorces in this family. ”

Just staged accidental killings?

Marital hostage taking?

All for money?

Maggie suddenly felt queasy and lightheaded. Shit. She took a moment, staring at the Olivers. “So you’ve been supporting us all these years?”

“Max’s business was more of a hobby,” his father said. “But it kept him busy.”

“And away from home.” She glanced away, seeing but not seeing groupings of people still hanging around the cemetery. “How perfect for him.”

If Max Oliver was not already dead….

She looked back at them. “You know, of course, about Max’s second family in Australia. Right? And his bonus child?”

Max’s mother gasped. “You’re lying.”

“I’m not. He had a lover and a child. He wanted to keep both families intact. That’s why I filed for a divorce. That and the fact that he beat the shit out of me several months ago, and he was hitting the kids. And this was your perfect son…the piece-of-shit you protected all these years.”

“Well, I never!”

“Of course, you never. That’s why you had a piece-of-shit son.”

Mrs. Oliver squared her shoulders. “I always knew you would somehow make trouble for us.”

Maggie narrowed her gaze. “Trouble followed your son. I regret every minute that I did the same.”

“We’re leaving.” Mrs. Oliver tugged on her husband’s arm. “Come on, Maxwell.” They headed for the car.

Maggie followed. “Wait. Just one more thing, and I want to make this perfectly clear.”

Mr. Oliver rotated quickly and roared. “What now!”