528 THE ADVOCATE
VOL. 80 PART 4 JULY 2022
I spoke with Mary Groves in the absence of Louise Groves, to ensure that
she was not being unduly influenced. She indicated to me that Louise had
not exerted any undue influence, and that she desired to leave the property
to her. She indicated her brother, Louise’s father, had asked her to
leave the property to her before his death in 2015.
I am satisfied based on this conversation that it is Mary Groves’s desire to
leave the property to her niece, Louise.
WJS
Sabina closed the document. Did Mary tell her a story? Or William? Or is
she dotty? She Googled Randall Marks and saw that he was indeed a registered
psychologist. His Yelp reviews were excellent—almost five stars based
on 23 reviews. Definitely not a crackpot.
She Googled “Louise Groves and Randall Marks”. Maybe they were childhood
pals? Or current lovers? Nothing. What did she expect? To find a secret
liaison on the internet. There was nothing else she could do.
But she couldn’t let it go. She Googled “Groves family property”. A news
article from 1993 outlined the history. The Groves family built the home in
1928. Mary Groves and her two siblings, all born in the 1930s, grew up in
that home. Through the depression years, it was also home to boarders.
Mary was the last of her immediate family alive. Darren and Louise were
the last of the Groves family.
On her 45-minute walk home, Sabina pondered what she could do for
Mary. The answer hit her like a bolt of lighting. She scrolled through her
phone until she found what she wanted.
The next morning, she arrived early and skulked in the break room, waiting
for William J. He arrived a little before eight, today wearing a yellow
polka-dotted bowtie.
“Mr. Smith,” Sabina smiled.
William acknowledged with a nod.
“The Groves are coming in to sign the will, and I wondered if I could be
a witness?”
William looked at her, seemingly measuring her request.
“I was thinking of going to law school, and I thought it would be a good
experience.”
“I suppose.”
Louise and Mary were back at ten o’clock. Louise was considerably more
polite, owing, no doubt, to her pending windfall. “We are here for William J.
Smith.” Was that a smile?
William arrived carrying a manilla folder. He brought Mary into the conference
room and nodded at Sabina. She forwarded her switchboard to a student
intern. Deep breath. She took a pen off her desk.