154. Scheme

While I read the letter, Lance took the phone, told St. Anne he would call him back and hung up.

“Does the insurance company know about this?” I asked.

“No,” he repled. “And this is all news to me today.”

“I mailed this letter for Agnes the day before the fire,” I said.

When I finished, I sat with it in my hand, staring out at the mountainscape.

"The arson is a problem, of course,” said Lance. “But if the insurance company doesn’t know of ... or can’t prove ... Agnes’ claim, they could  pay the full value of the monastery building," he said. "If the monastery and acreage were worth $500,000, they will say the land, the building's foundation, the water well are all undamaged and not reimbursable. The net will probably be about $200,000 to $300,000 and it will be paid to the owner of the insurance policy."

"I guess that would be ..." I said.

“You,” he said,  “according to Agnes’ letter.”

“St. Anne wants you to not tell anyone we know this,” said Lance. "He wants you to collect the insurance money and give half to him.  In return he will burn the letter so that the authorities don’t know of Agnes’ ... claim.”

“Lance, you’re also involved ... a co-conspirator or whatever youi’d be  called,” I said.

Lance didn’t respond directly to that commnet, but said, “When we find the $199 thousand which Agnes supposedly left you, added to your half of the insurance money you’ll have upwards of a half million dollars to take care of your Brothers,” he said.

I looked at Lance, trying to read his face.  “Or run off to Tahiti by myself,” I said.

“Yes, you could do that,” he said. “Everything is in your name.”

“Lance,” I said to him, with what I hoped was an earnest look on my face,  “what do you think I should do?”

“What you think best,” he said without blinking.

I laughed.  “Who should we call first,”  I said, “the insurance company or the District Attorney?”

Lance relaxed and sat back.  A smile formed on his face.

“You’ll be disappointing Agnes,” he said.”

“Not as much as St. Anne,” I laughed.