"I know what you mean," Stone said, "and I don't see how it would help to make her more aware. She's been told all the facts and the risks, and if she chooses to be in denial, then who's to say she shouldn't be? Certainly not I. If her attitude helps her get through this, that's fine with me."
"Let me ask you something for the record, Stone, and I'd appreciate the frankest answer you can give me. Your answer won't'appear until well after the trial, and I'll hold it in confidence until then."
"What would you like to know?"
"Right now, at this moment, what do you estimate her chances are of getting out of this?"
Stone sighed. "I don't really know how to answer that. There are so many variables here, most of which I have no control over, that the situation is entirely unpredictable."
"Do you think there's really a chance she could hang?"
"Yes, I do."
"No kidding, really?"
"Really."
"Jesus Christ."
"Yes."
"It just doesn't seem possible that this sort of thing could happen in this day and age. I mean, if she'd fetched up in the United States, she'd be walking around scot free, wouldn't she?"
"I believe she would. I don't think a prosecutor could get past a preliminary hearing in the United States. I'd blow him out of the water. With Paul's medical records, his note-taking habits, your testimony, and above all, with Allison's testimony, I don't think any judge would buy a murder charge for a minute. I sometimes wonder what would have happened if she'd fetched up in Antigua or Guadeloupe."
"I wonder, too."
The two men sat silently, each contemplating the worst for Allison Manning.
CHAPTER 25
Stone sat talking with Jim As they chatted he saw a taxi pull up outside and a woman get out. She seemed middle-aged, was tall and fashionably thin, and was wearing a wrinkled silk dress and a straw sun hat. The driver got two suitcases out of the trunk, took some money from her, and drove away. Thomas Hardy saw her, too, and went out to help with her bags.
"Well," Jim Forrester said, "I'm going upstairs for a nap." He got to his feet. "I think I might be coming down with something." He ambled off toward the stairs.
Stone watched as Thomas set the woman's bags down by the bar and reached for the registration book. The woman signed it, then seemed to be asking Thomas some questions. Thomas's eyebrows suddenly went up, and he beckoned to Stone.
Stone got up and walked across the restaurant toward the bar, getting a closer look at the woman as he walked. She was, at the very least, in her early forties, he reckoned, and she had on more makeup than suited her.
"Stone," Thomas said. "This is someone you might want to meet."
The woman turned toward him. "Are you Stone Barrington?" she asked.
"Yes, I am," Stone replied.
She held out her hand. "I'm Allison Manning," she said.
"How do you do," Stone said. Then the name sank in. "Who did you say…"
"I'm Paul Manning's widow," the woman said, "and I'm not very well, if the truth be told. However, I expect to be a lot better quite soon."
Thomas went upstairs with the bags, leaving Stone alone with the woman.
"I suppose you're with the press," Stone said wearily.
"I'm not with anybody," the woman replied. "I used to be with Paul Manning, but I understand he's dead. Can you confirm that?"
"Yes, I can," Stone replied. "Why don't we sit down?" he indicated his table. "You seem to have been traveling; would you like a drink?"
"Oh, God, yes," she breathed and headed toward a chair. "A very dry Gibson would be lovely."
ThOmas came back down the stairs, and Stone ordered her drink. When they were settled at a table, Stone said, "I'm afraid you have me at something of a loss, Miss…"
"Mrs.," she said. "Mrs.Manning. And yes, I suppose you are at something of a loss. You're representing her, aren't you?"
"I'm representing Allison Manning," he said. "Why don't you tell me what's going on here?"
"What's going on, Mr.Barrington, is that I've come claim my husband's estate."
"You're speaking of Paul Manning, the writer?"
"I am."
"And you claim to have been married to him?"
The woman opened a large purse, extracted an envelope, and handed it to Stone. "I believe this will answer your question," she said.
Stone opened the envelope and took out a single sheet of paper. It was a photocopy of a marriage certificate stating that Paul Manning and Elizabeth Allison Franklin had been married in Dade County, Florida, some fourteen years before.
"And you are Elizabeth Allison Manning?"
"Call me Libby; everyone does."
"May I see some sort of identification, please?"
She opened her bag again and handed over an American passport.
Stone examined it, and it confirmed her identity. He handed it back. "Thank you," he said. "And when were you and Paul Manning divorced?" he asked.
"Never," she replied. "Paul and I were never divorced; we were married until the day he died."
"I see," Stone said. He didn't see at all. "And what brings you to St.Marks?"
"I read of Paul's death in the papers," she replied. "I told you, I've come to claim his estate."
"And how do you propose to do that?" Stone asked.
She opened her bag again and produced another document. "This is a copy of Paul's will," she said, "leaving everything to me."
Stone looked it over. It was short and to the point and dated the day after the date on the marriage certificate. He handed it back to her. "Mrs.Manning," he said, "I'm afraid you've come a long way for nothing."
"Oh? How's that?"
"Paul Manning's estate is being handled in Connecticut, and there is another, more recent will leaving everything to another, more recent Mrs.Manning."
"Oh, I know all about her," the woman said. "Paul was never married to her, not really,no matter what he told anybody. I am the only woman he was ever married to."
"Can you give me a little background on all this?" Stone asked, trying not to sound plaintive, though he was feeling very plaintive indeed.
"Of course. Paul and I met when we were both working for the Miami Herald, some fifteen years ago. We fell in love, were married, and…"
"And lived happily ever after?"
She smiled sourly. "Not exactly. He ran out on me some years later."
"How many years later?"
"Four years later, four and a bit. But we never bothered to get a divorce. Paul continued to support me, though. He sent a check every month."
"And when was the last time you saw Paul?"
"When he left. After that, I dealt with his lawyer, in Miami."
"Do you still live in Miami, Mrs.Manning?"
"Libby; please call me Libby; everyone does."
"Libby, do you still live in Miami?"
"No, I live in Palm Beach. Well, near Palm Beach."
"And you never remarried?"
"Never."
"What sort of work do you do, Libby?"
"I write a society column for a local paper in Palm Beach. Doesn't pay very much, really, but it gets me to all the parties."
"So you live on the monthly check from Paul?"
"That's right. Only it didn't arrive this month, and when I saw the papers, I knew why. I called the lawyer in Miami, but he said he had received nothing from Paul's office this month. So I figured I'd better get down here and take charge of things."
"I see."
"You're a lawyer, right?"
"Yes, in New York."
"Well, I guess I'm going to need a lawyer. You want to handle this for me?"
"I'm afraid I'm otherwise engaged," Stone said.
"Then I'll just have to find somebody else, I guess."
"Mrs.Manning… ah, Libby, I'm afraid that getting a lawyer in St.Marks won't help you in dealing with Paul's estate. As I said, that is being handled in Connecticut, in Greenwich."
She stared at him blankly. "You want me to go to Connecticut?" she demanded.
"It's not a matter of what I want, and I don't want you to think that I'm giving you legal advice, which I'm not, but it seems logical that the solution to your problem if there is a solution, is not in St.Marks." He wanted desperately for her to be anywhere else in the world but St.Marks.