I protested that Beverly would be furious.

Walter managed a rueful smile.

“She’s been furious for forty years.

We’ll survive another day.”

He also established a modest fund to support Paige’s education and asked me not to use the trust as a weapon against anyone.

The objective was security, he said, not revenge.

When he died, Elaine completed the trust administration, including the necessary recordings and notices.

Gordon dismissed the paperwork as boring estate business.