hair was nicely styled, and there was a touch of makeup on her face.
Reynolds could hear talk coming from the kitchen. There were two cars
parked out front when she had arrived. Probably family or friends
offering condolences. She also noted platters of food on the dining
room table. Cooking and condolences seemed, ironically, to go hand in
hand; grief was better digested on a full stomach, apparently.
“I need to see records of your and Ken’s bank accounts. Do you know
where they are?”
“Well, Ken always handled the finances, but I’m sure they’re in his
office.” She led Reynolds down the hallway and they went into Ken
Newman’s home office.
“Do you have more than one bank you deal with? “”No That much I do
know. I always get the mail. It’s just the one bank. And we only
have a checking account, no savings. Ken said the interest they paid
was a joke. He was really good about money. We own some good stocks,
and the kids have their college accounts.”
While Anne looked for the records, Reynolds idly glanced around the
room. Stacked on one bookshelf were numerous hard plastic containers
in various colors. While she had noted the coins encased in clear
plastic on her previous visit, she hadn’t really focused on these.
“What’s in those containers?”
Anne looked at where she was pointing. “Oh, those are Ken’s sports
cards. Coins too. He was really good at it. He even took a course
and became certified to grade both cards and coins Just about every
weekend he was at some show or another.” She pointed up to the
ceiling. “That’s why there’s a fire detector in here. Ken was really
afraid of fire, in this room especially. All that paper and plastic.
It could go up in a minute.”
“I’m surprised he found the time for collecting.”
“Well, he made the time. He really loved it.”
“Did you or the kids ever go with him?”
“No. He never asked us to.”
Her tone made Reynolds drop that line of inquiry. “I hate to ask this,
but did Ken have life insurance?”
“Yes. A lot.”
“At least you won’t have to worry about that. I know it’s little
enough consolation, but so many people never think about those things.
Ken obviously wanted you all to be taken care of if anything happened
to him. Acts of love often speak louder than words.” Reynolds was
sincere, yet that last statement had sounded so incredibly lame that
she decided to shut her mouth on the subject.
Anne pulled out a three-inch red notebook and handed it to Reynolds.
“I think this is what you’re looking for. There are more in the
drawer. This is the most current one.”
Reynolds looked down at the binder. There was a laminated label
affixed to the front flap of the notebook indicating that it contained
checking account statements for the current year. She flipped it open.
The statements were neatly labeled and organized chronologically by
month, the most recent month on top.
“The canceled checks are in the other drawer. Ken kept them divided by
year.”
Damn! Reynolds kept her financial records stuffed in an assortment of
drawers in her bedroom and even in the garage. Tax time at the
Reynolds household was an accountant’s worst nightmare.
“Anne, I know you have company. I can look through these by myself.”
“You can take them with you if you want.”
“If you don’t mind, I’ll look at them here.”
“Okay. Would you like something to drink or eat? Lord knows we’ve got
plenty of food. And I just put on a fresh pot of coffee.”
“Actually, coffee would be great, thanks. Just a little cream and
sugar.”
Anne suddenly looked nervous. “You still haven’t told me if you found
out anything.”
“I want to make absolutely sure before I say anything. I don’t want to
be wrong.” As Reynolds looked into the poor woman’s face, she felt
tremendous guilt. Here she was letting the man’s wife unknowingly
assist her in possibly tarnishing her husband’s memory.
“How are the kids holding up?” Reynolds asked, doing her best to shake
this traitorous feeling.
“How any children would be, I suppose. They’re sixteen and seventeen,