Forget to Remember

for it was “WF.” What did that stand for? The timing was such that it must be a payment in return for her telling Michael when Carol was coming for the first time. WF must stand for Weatherford Foundation.
    This was the smoking gun.

    CHAPTER 33
    Rose was crying. Paul handed her his handkerchief to dry her tears. They were sitting on the sofa in his office he used to meet with his clients in a more informal atmosphere than talking across a desk. He had come in early, before she arrived, so he could confront her before she started wondering about her desk being broken into.
    She spoke haltingly. “I didn’t know Michael was alive. I certainly didn’t know he was trying to kill Carol. I was dealing with Katherine Simpson at the Weatherford Foundation. She asked me to notify her any time Carol came into town. I didn’t know Carol was actually the heir. What Katherine wanted sounded innocent enough. I didn’t even think the information was particularly confidential. I wasn’t trying to cheat Carol out of her inheritance. I know I shouldn’t have done it, but I needed the money. My son has to have orthodontia.”
    Paul believed her. She wasn’t a murderer. Except for this incident, she’d been a loyal and dependable employee. He was inclined to be lenient. “You betrayed office confidentiality, so, of course, I have to let you go. I won’t press charges if you won’t have any more dealings with Katherine Simpson. Don’t say anything about Michael being alive to anyone. In addition, tell me everything you know about Katherine and the foundation.”
    “I don’t know anything. I’ve never met Katherine. All I have is her phone number. She sent me two checks drawn on the foundation. The first was a sort of retainer with the understanding I would give her a heads up about any possible heir to the Sakai estate. The other was for telling her Carol was coming here the first time. She promised me another check for telling her about Carol’s return.”
    “When Carol called here, you pumped her for the name of the motel where she was staying and her room number. That doesn’t sound innocent.”
    Rose blew her nose into what had been Paul’s clean handkerchief. “Katherine gave me a list of things to find out whenever Carol came to town. I didn’t think it was anything sinister. I was just trying to earn my money.”
    Paul had another thought. “The first time Carol came, did you give Katherine the address where she was staying in Los Angeles?”
    “Well…yes.”
    “That almost cost Carol her life. Michael flew out to California and shot her. Fortunately, the wound wasn’t serious, but it could have been.”
    Rose sobbed. “I didn’t mean to hurt her.”
    ***
    Carol grabbed a bagel from the continental breakfast setup in the motel lobby and chugged down a glass of orange juice. She had slept longer than she intended. She checked out of the motel as she was leaving. She would be staying at the farm from now on.
    She drove directly to the farm. She was concerned about Mrs. Horton’s safety. She passed through the gate in the deer fence and was approaching the house when she saw a man in the driveway. He was wearing the uniform of a security service. He motioned for her to stop. She did so and rolled down her window.
    He was middle-aged, with a pot belly, not her idea of a guard. He did have a gun, but she suspected she could get the better of him in hand-to-hand combat. She introduced herself. He nodded, consulting a list. “I’m Tim. You’re the granddaughter. I understand you’ve got two names, Carol and Cynthia.” He smiled, showing a missing tooth.
    She didn’t tell him about her third name. She told him she was glad he was there. He must have been lonely because he became chatty. “I’ve got the day shift today. We’re furnishing twenty-four hour coverage. The deer fence around the house is a big help, because it only has a few gates. Even though the fence is quite long, we can essentially watch all the gates from this spot. Just the same, I’m periodically walking the fence. At night we’re going to turn on the outside lights to aid visibility.”
    “This is the only road to the farm.” Carol was thinking out loud. “To get to the other gates, a person would have to walk through the woods or the fields. That would limit his escape possibilities.”
    “Yes, ma’am. Exactly what we figured.”
    The guard service hadn’t been given Michael’s name, only a description of him. He