Fisher (Prince of Tigers, #3) - Kathi S. Barton Page 0,27

people his wife owed, and he was here to kill him for the money. When the man smiled, Paddy felt no relief from it. “May I help you?”

“No, sir. I’m going to help you. At least my brother is. His name is Fisher Prince. And while that means nothing at all to you, he’s going to be marrying your sister-in-law Piper soon. He wants to assure you that he’s going to help you in any way he can.”

Paddy laughed and asked if he was going to lend him three-hundred-thousand dollars. Instead of answering him, the man reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out what looked like a checkbook. Asking him who he was to make the check out to, Bryant filled out the amount and signed his name to the check as he waited.

“I was joking.” Bryant said Fisher wanted to do this. “I can’t take money from a stranger. I don’t care who he says he’s marrying. I don’t even know how you figured out I was in trouble here. Is it already out in the papers?”

“Not that I’m aware of, no. I found out from your wife in an indirect way, but she’s the one that took the money. Fisher and our whole family wants to help you out, so perhaps Mary will stop pursuing Piper about money that no longer exists. The money is gone from her mother’s estate, sir. It went to pay all the bills that were acquired when Mrs. James was ill. They lost the house and cars, along with any chance of either of them getting the sort of health care that was needed.” Paddy asked about the money they sent to Piper. “I wasn’t told there had been any money sent to her from anyone in her family. I can check on that. But I’m sure that had there been any, Piper would have mentioned it. I don’t know if you’re aware of this or not, but Mary and Louis have been chasing Piper all over this end of the United States to get the money they feel is due to them. Four fifths of whatever was left. They seem to think that since Piper lived at the home, she doesn’t deserve any proceeds from the money. The brother and sister seem to think that because they were married and had families, they should get a share for both them and their spouses.”

“That’s ridiculous. Why would I think Piper shouldn’t have gotten anything she wanted out of whatever was leftover? She did all the work and gave up her life to make sure that Mary and Louis didn’t have to worry about their parents.” Bryant told him that wasn’t the way he’d heard it. Paddy laughed. “After today, sir, I’ve no doubt at all that my wife is trying to get something for nothing, and would blame it all on her sister. What is the story she is telling Piper? Who I like, by the way. Never seen a person so opposite of her siblings.”

“Both Louis and Mary seem to think Piper should have stayed home with the parents, as she was already living there when the father became ill. Then after he died, it was left to her to care for her mother too. Money wasn’t as tight as it was at the end. Begging for money from Mary and Louis had become a lost cause. From what I’m to understand, neither of them even came to visit their mother in the ten years after their father passed. They were even late to the funeral. It’s not my family, but I would think they’d just leave her alone for all she did for them when there was no one else.” Paddy had known there was more to the funeral than Piper giving them the wrong time just to be mean. He asked Bryant how much he knew about his wife. “I know she and Louis are in Tennessee at the moment. That was the last place Piper was before she started making her way to her home with my brother. Louis has purchased a gun. I’ve no idea what he plans to do with it, but he has it. They started home, Fisher and Piper, to avoid any trouble from them. Fisher wanted me to come here and see if you think paying back the money Mary took will be enough to keep Mary away from Piper.”

“I wish I could tell you something you want to hear, Bryant, but I