FicWad

After the lawyer left, Laura stood up and walked over to the window to watch him drive away. She returned to the desk and picked up the copy of the will he had left behind. She scanned it, turning the pages quickly, then threw it back down. "What was Daddy thinking, leaving you one third of the stock in the company, Kelly, and making you executrix of the will? He must have been drugged or momentarily taken leave of his senses! Didn't you already get enough from Mother?" She looked at her older sister and the contempt on her face was plain.

"And why on earth would he do that?" added Shauna. "He disliked you as much as you disliked him."

Kelly looked up from a letter she had been reading. It had been with the will, and was addressed to her. "Oh come on, you two. You both know why. First of all, he wanted to keep the company in the family as much as possible. And as much as you two may not wish it, I am part of this family. Since he made the will while Mother was still alive, I suspect she had something to do with my getting some of his stock shares. Apparently, he never got around to changing it. And second, neither of you has a head for business or for anything legal. He knew that, in spite of everything, I was the best choice for the job."

"I suppose, now that he's dead, you're going to throw us out of the house," said Laura bitterly.

Kelly looked surprised. "I thought you wanted to leave."

"This is our home. It was Mother's, and she may have left it to you, but it is ours, too."

"So you want to stay here? It's now a home to you? Up till now, you've been calling it a mausoleum."

"Don't be silly, Kel," Shauna said. "That's just the décor. We could change all that and make this a showplace."

"Well, don't start calling decorators right away. I don't want to change anything until we find out who killed Dad and George. And maybe not even then." She turned to Michael. "Do you want one of us to show you the grounds, Michael?"

"Thank you, but I prefer to check around on my own, if you don't mind. But I'd like all you ladies to remain inside, for your own safety, until I get back."

"Of course."

"Well, I don't know about that. I'm tired of staying inside. I want to get out, do things. Why did Daddy think we needed a bodyguard anyway?" said Shauna petulantly.

"That's part of what was in the letter he wrote to me. Apparently he decided to make us part of one of his experiments."

"What??"

"It seems - according to this letter - that he stumbled on some information that could be worth a lot to some people, and a lot more to others to have it suppressed, or even eliminated. He hypnotized us and planted a different part of the information in each of our subconscious minds."

"Why would he do a thing like that? Why didn't he just tell whoever needed it, or make it public to everyone?"

"Does the letter say anything about what the information is?" asked Michael.

"Not a word. Just that it's vital that it be kept secret for the time being." She looked at the letter again, frowning. "That's odd. Why would he use those words, especially in a letter to be given me after his death?"

"That is strange," Michael replied. "So, since it seems that people would have a good reason for either kidnapping or killing any or all of you, please remain here while I have a look around. I won't be gone long."

They finally agreed, and he left the room and headed out to KITT. As they drove off, he said, "Did you have a chance to examine the estate and the surrounding area, KITT?"

"Yes, Michael, and I must say the security around here is quite impressive."

"And yet someone managed to get on the grounds and plant the bomb in Arthur Peterson's limousine."

"I have to admit, I'm at a loss as to how anyone could have done that, Michael. I have been unable to detect any weak link in the system. It even has a scanner that would detect if anyone was hiding inside any vehicle entering or leaving the premises. And I was able to check the records of the past two weeks. There have been no failures of any kind. It sounds more and more like an inside job."

"But who? One of his daughters? Or one of the employees? Do you have the backgrounds of everyone who works here?"

"Yes I do. All of them check out clean. No one has been fired, and no one seems to have a grudge against him."

"Except maybe for Kelly. You heard her sister say that she disliked her father and vice versa."

"True. Devon is calling, Michael."

Michael punched the code in the terminal above the windshield. "Devon. What's the latest?"

"I was hoping you could tell me. Do you have anything to report?"

"Not really. KITT says the security system is in perfect working order, and has been since well before the limo exploded. He can't detect any way for someone to sneak onto the estate. So it sounds more and more like an inside job. And it seems that the elder daughter and Peterson were not on the best of terms."

"But do you really think she has the expertise to do something like that?"

"KITT, is there anything in her files that would indicate she does?"

"No, Michael," KITT replied. "She holds a degree in business administration, and another in philosophy, but nowhere does it show that she learned anything about explosives."

"What about the other sisters?"

"Neither of them has the expertise either. Their role in the business seems to be minimal, mostly public relations. They handle appearances the family makes, and if there are any out-of-town clients to be entertained, they take care of that, too."

"What about the phone records, Devon? Could any of them have called a professional from the house?"

"I'll have Bonnie check that out right away, Michael. But they didn't confine themselves to the house prior to the explosion. So it would be wise to check the business phone records as well."

"Good idea. In the meantime, I'll check out the garage where the limo was kept. Then I'm off to see Gregory Cameron. Later, Devon." Michael terminated the connection as he and KITT finished their tour and headed behind the mansion