The Mysteries of Max: Books 31-33 by Nic Saint (interesting novels in english txt) 📕

grow up, she thought. Strange, then, that Marvin’s brother had so gone off the rails, and met a terrible death.

She finally took a seat, and moments later Marvin returned with a matronly woman, her hair piled high on her head, dressed in long flowing robes that gave her a slightly oriental look, and wearing a stern look on her broad face. She lowered herself onto an upholstered chair and regarded Odelia like the Queen would regard a royal subject.

Marvin, dressed in a turtleneck and corduroy slacks, remained standing next to his mother’s chair. “You wished to talk to me?” said the woman a little haughtily, not exactly overflowing with joy about Odelia’s visit.

“Yes, as a matter of fact I did. Francine Ritter came to see me this morning.”

Mother and son shared a look of concern.

“Yes?” said Mrs. Harrison a little stiffishly.

“It would appear she hasn’t received child support for the last six months, and she asked me to come and have a word with you, and maybe try to find a way to sort things out.”

“There’s nothing to sort out,” Mrs. Harrison snapped. “We don’t owe that woman anything.”

“But she’s the mother of your grandchildren.”

“That may be so but she’s also the main cause of my son’s ruin.”

“Mother, maybe we should first listen to what Miss Poole has to say,” Marvin suggested. He seemed more forthcoming about his ex-sister-in-law’s predicament than his mother.

“I will not,” said his mother, “listen to any of this nonsense. I blame that woman for Franklin’s death, and so she gets nothing—not a cent!”

“Why do you feel she’s responsible for your son’s death?” asked Odelia.

“Because ever since he met Francine, Franklin started down the path that led to his ruin.” Her face softened as she gazed upon a framed picture of her son. “Franklin was always such a sweet boy. We had high hopes for him, Herbert and I. But after he met Francine he changed. Gone was the fun-loving boy I knew and loved. He started drinking and using illegal substances and God knows what else. I didn’t recognize my own son!”

“Mother,” said Marvin warningly.

“No, Marvin, someone has to tell that woman what’s what, and clearly she’s chosen Miss Poole as her emissary.” She turned back to Odelia. “Is she taking us to court?”

“I’m not sure,” said Odelia. “I think she would prefer to deal with this amicably.”

“Amicably! There can be no amicability between us and Francine, Miss Poole.”

“But what about your granddaughters?” said Odelia, taking out her phone. She held it out, showing a picture of the two girls. They looked like two blond-haired little angels.

Mrs. Harrison momentarily seemed to relent, but then her expression hardened and she said, emphatically, “Those girls are not my blood.” And with these words, she majestically rose, and walked out.

Marvin took the seat his mother had vacated and gave Odelia an apologetic look. “I’m sorry,” he said, “but Mother feels very strongly about this. I talked to her before, and she feels that when Francine left Franklin she also forfeited any right she might have had to his money—our money. And now that he’s dead, well…”

“But surely she is entitled to the child support your brother owed her?”

“Franklin didn’t pay because Franklin couldn’t pay,” said Marvin quietly. “My brother had gone down a very dark path, Miss Poole, but I’m sure you’re aware of that. He lost his standing in the community and his position as part of this family. My father….” He glanced up at the ceiling, then continued, “My father decided to cut him off six months ago, because he felt that Franklin had become an embarrassment, and didn’t want anything more to do with him.”

“How is your father?” she asked solicitously. “Even though he was unhappy with your brother he still must have been devastated when he heard about what happened.”

“We haven’t told him. We’re afraid that if he finds out it will kill him.” He took a deep breath, and stared out the window. Odelia could see that the death of his brother had affected him powerfully. To lose a sibling is an awful thing, but to lose a twin, she knew, was like losing part of oneself. “Father isn’t well, you see. In fact he’s pretty much at death’s door. He’s a good deal older than Mother. Mother is sixty-six, but Father is eighty-seven, and he’s been ill for quite some time. He’s strong, and he’s holding on for as long as he can, but we’re afraid that a shock like that would be the end. So we prefer to keep him in the dark. Let him think Franklin is still out there, up to his usual mischief.”

“Was he always like that, your brother?”

A smile lit up the man’s face. “Oh, yes. Franklin and I may be twins, but we couldn’t be more different. He’s always been a troublemaker. Even as a young boy he used to run around setting off firecrackers in the kitchen or shooting at windows with a BB gun. He’d drive our parents crazy. I was always the bookish kid, never happier than with my nose stuck in a book in some corner of this big rambling place we are lucky enough to call home.” He turned back to Odelia. “Don’t get me wrong, Miss Poole. I loved my brother. I absolutely did. But he was a handful, and maybe he’s better off now, wherever he is. He was definitely a tortured soul, and the last couple of years even more so than before.”

“Do you agree with your mother that Francine is to blame for his behavior?”

“No, absolutely not,” he said emphatically. “In fact I think Francine had a positive influence on him. While they were together he was doing much better. Unfortunately he couldn’t accept the responsibility of fatherhood, and of raising a family, and so he escaped, and soon was up to his old tricks again. Sleeping around, doing drugs…”

“Did you know he was living in a squat house?”

“No, I didn’t know that,” said Marvin softly. “He’d