FicWad

When Michael arrived, Kelly met him at the door. She was tall and slender, with auburn hair and deep green eyes. She would have been attractive, but she dressed drably - or is it because she is in mourning? Michael wondered - and her hair was pulled back and caught at the nape of her neck with a plain band. "Mr. Knight," she said, "I'm Kelly Peterson. My sisters are upstairs right now, in their rooms, but I'm sure they'll be down in a few minutes. Please come in."

"Thank you, Miss Peterson."

"You'd better call me Kelly. There are three Miss Petersons here in the mansion. We won't know which one you're talking to, otherwise." She glanced back at him as she led the way into the study and he saw a glint in her eyes.

So, she has a sense of humor. That's good. "Then please call me Michael."

He stopped short when he saw what was on the desk. There was a cloth, and a few small objects were lying on it. Kelly noticed the direction of his gaze and said, "My father's personal effects. They were given back to us this morning."

"I hope you don't mind my asking, but why are they lying out here, instead of put away somewhere?"

"I don't mind. They are out, because I feel something is wrong."

"Wrong? How?"

"That's just it. I can't put my finger on it. Either something is here that shouldn't be, or something is missing that should be. I haven't figured it out. And I keep feeling that there's something else that I'm missing about what happened."

"Kelly! For God's sake, put those things away! What is wrong with you? This obsession with Father's things is absolutely ghoulish."

Michael turned to see two women - obviously Kelly's sisters, since they look a lot like her. Their eyes are different, though; theirs are amber colored, he thought - entering the room. Kelly introduced them to Michael and turned back to fold the cloth over her father's things, and put them away in a drawer.

As she did so, she listened to the conversation of the others. The glint of humor returned to her eyes as she heard her youngest sister start to flirt with Michael. She definitely isn't subtle. And this is going to give him an interesting impression of us. She glanced up at him to check his expression, but he seemed to be handling her sister well, and even enjoying the attention to a certain extent.

The chore finished, she turned back to the others just as the doorbell rang again. "That will be the lawyer," she said.

"So go let him in. Chambers is busy," replied Laura. Evidently expecting her older sister to obey her order, she turned back to Michael. "Shauna and I thought it was the lawyer arriving, when you came. I'm glad it was you. We need someone here who isn't going to pretend he is all cut up over father's death. My sister and I are devastated enough.

"Your lawyer? Have I come at a bad time?"

"Oh, no, Michael," replied a male voice. Michael glanced up to see a slender man in his late forties, wearing wire rimmed glasses and his curly dark hair sprinkled with a little gray, walk into the room, preceded by Kelly. "Devon advised me that you would be present. I agreed that you should be here for the reading of the will. I doubt it, but it may give you some leads as to who might be responsible. Once I've finished, I will be sending the police a copy, so they can check it out as well."

"Jack Murray," Michael replied as he shook the lawyer's outstretched hand. "It's good to see you again, although I would have preferred it to be under better circumstances."

"Agreed. Well, shall we get to it?"