“Sandra.”

I kept my voice neutral. Not mom, just her name.

A brief pause. I could almost hear her recalibrating.

“I heard about Harold,” she said. “I’m so sorry for your loss. I was thinking I should come up for the memorial service. Pay my respects.”

“The memorial was 3 days ago.”

Another pause.

“Oh, well, I also heard there’s a will reading coming up. Family has a right to attend these things, you know, especially when it involves a brother’s estate.”

There it was. The real reason for the call.

“How did you find out about the will reading?”

“I have an attorney, Victor Harrington. He made some calls.”

The name sparked a faint memory. Uncle Harold had mentioned a Victor Harrington once, an attorney he’d consulted years ago and decided not to work with.

I spoke to Margaret Morrison, Uncle Harold’s estate attorney. The next morning, she confirmed my suspicions. Sandra had hired Victor Harrington to file a claim challenging the will. Their grounds, undue influence, alleging that I had manipulated a sick man in his final months. They were also demanding to attend the will reading as immediate family members of the deceased.

I stared at the photo of Uncle Harold on my desk. In the picture, he was smiling, almost like he’d known this would happen, almost like he’d planned for it.

Margaret Morrison’s office occupied the 47th floor of the Columbia Center, Seattle’s tallest building. Through the floor toseeiling windows, you could see all the way to Mount Reineer on a clear day. March 10th wasn’t clear. Rain streaked the glass as Margaret laid out the situation.

“Victor Harrington filed a formal challenge to the will on behalf of Richard and Sandra Meyers,” she said, sliding a document across her desk. “The claim alleges undue influence. They’re arguing that you isolated Harold from his family during his illness and pressured him to change his estate plan.”

I read through the filing, my stomach tightening with each paragraph.

“They’re demanding 50% of the estate,” Margaret continued. “Their legal theory is that as Harold’s only surviving sibling, Richard should be entitled to inherit under intestasy rules or at minimum receive a significant share that reflects the natural bonds of brotherhood.”

“Natural bonds?” I repeated. Richard and Harold hadn’t spoken in 8 years before I came to live with Uncle Harold. Did you know that?

Margaret nodded.

“I’m aware. Harold told me the whole history, but that’s not what concerns me about this filing.”