Chapter 5 - Marcus's Greed
The cracks in Evelyn's facade completely shattered the following week. Thanks to Arthur’s old PI files, Helen and I did some digging into Marcus. The truth was pathetic, yet dangerous.
Marcus's car dealership had gone bankrupt five years ago. He was drowning in debt, owing millions to private creditors who were not the forgiving type. Evelyn hadn’t returned because she suddenly missed her son or her late husband. She returned because she and Marcus were desperate. They needed Arthur’s estate to save their own lives.
They started playing dirty. I found my car tires slashed outside my condo. Strange men parked across the street from Arthur’s house when I was cleaning it out.
"They're trying to intimidate you into a settlement," Helen warned me over the phone. "Sterling knows they are losing the case on the merits. He’s going to push for a payout to make this go away."
Sure enough, the very next morning, Sterling approached Helen in the courthouse hallway.
"My client is willing to settle," Sterling said, all the arrogance stripped from his voice. "Fifty percent of the liquid assets. You keep the properties. We walk away. No messy trial."
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I looked at Evelyn standing down the hall. She looked haggard, terrified. Fifty percent was still a fortune. It would end the harassment. It would end the nightmare.
"No," I said, my voice louder than I intended. Sterling looked at me, surprised. "Arthur worked his hands to the bone for that money. He worked overtime so I could have a life. She gets absolutely nothing."
