successfully avoided her stepmother’s air-kisses—something else she hated that Claudette did all the time—and took a step toward Levi.
“We haven’t met.” Gabby extended her arm in greeting.
Her brother’s bodyguard shook her hand. There was a slight squeeze that sent ‘I know all about you, too’ meaning loud and clear. “Detective Woodward.”
Gabby felt immediate confidence in the man, although she’d previously done a background check on Levi James which came up with no red flags. His Irish-Hawaiian blood was evident in his sturdy build, but she was unsure from which ancestry the thick wavy hair came.
“The detectives said they wanted to talk to you,” Levi said, volunteering information that Theo refused.
Gabby frowned. “Okay.”
The investigation of Peter’s suspicious death was the domain of the Robbery and Homicide Division (RHD). Her boss specifically ordered her to stay out of the case. She had mixed feelings about sticking her nose in it, but if Peter’s death was not an isolated incident and her brother was in danger, a familial obligation compelled her to get involved.
“After the reading of the will, fill me in on what you know without compromising the investigation.”
“Your father requested that the initial reading be done with only the three of you.”
Levi was asked to stay outside, and the only ones permitted in the office were Gabby, Theo, and Claudette.
A ghost of a smile touched Gabby’s lips. Peter liked his multi-layered existence, seeing how he excised her from his life when she defied him and shunned the Hollywood life. Though she wasn’t surprised that he left her something in his will. What surprised her was Claudette. After what Peter put her through in the divorce, Gabby would think his ex-wife would spit on his grave.
“Why is she here?” Her half-brother nodded to Claudette.
Apparently, Theo didn’t think highly of his mother either.
Claudette hardly winced at her son’s jab, although it could be all that surgical enhancement had frozen her face. She had her own skin care line that she marketed only to the top Hollywood spas and plastic surgeons. Her beauty was timeless, only showing the merest signs of aging through the years. Claudette flicked a curtain of platinum blond hair to the back of her shoulder at the same time she regarded her son with a brittle smile. “Theo, mon cher, what did I say about manners?”
Theo responded in French, saying something that annoyed his mother more.
Mr. Goodman looked imploringly at Gabby.
She sighed. “Okay. Both of you. Can you do this family drama somewhere else, so we can get this damned will reading over with?”
Anger flashed through Claudette’s eyes, but the only indication of her temper was in the pursing of her lips.
“Please proceed.” Gabby gave the go ahead to the lawyer. She spied her brother slouched in his seat with his long legs stretched in front of him in a position that reminded her again of the man she’d buried in the back of her mind.
Shaking her head to clear the cobweb of memories, she concentrated on the lawyer’s words.
“I, Peter Woodward, a resident of Beverly Hills, California, and the United States and being of sound mind and memory…”
The lawyer droned on with the legalese about revoking and nulling past wills and testaments. Then he mentioned his children, Gabrielle and Theo.
“I specifically, and intentionally, and with full knowledge included Claudette Dumont in this will even though we’ve been divorced for three years and she was fully compensated and has no claim on my estate. The reasons will be stated later.”
Mr. Goodman went on about the debt agreements and fees and taxes arising from the execution of the will.
“My specific bequests will be the following:
One, to my son, Theo Woodward,
My car collection except the red Mustang which will be given to my long-time friend and managing partner, Nicholas Carter.
My house in Malibu, Bel Air, Montouk …”
Gabby rolled her eyes as her father basically signed all properties over to Theo.
“If my son doesn’t survive me, all bequests will be given to Gabrielle.
Two, to my daughter Gabby, I bequeath the house in Beverly Hills though she doesn’t give a shit about it. She will not be allowed to sell it. If she does, the money will be distributed to the charities listed in the following.”
Gabby wondered what was her father’s motive. Did Peter think she would care if the money went to charity? It was probably the best option anyway. The lawyer went on about specific items like the charity distribution, art collection, libraries, and other assets.