A Daughter's Legacy

But could Kelli handle working in a zoo for six months, even for Nana?

She stole a glance at Jason. He sat unnaturally still, his muscular shoulders rigid, tense. Those green-brown eyes watched her closely. A horrible suspicion stole over her.

Her gaze slid back to Mr. Lewis. “You said the zoo director would evaluate my performance at the end of six months. Has the zoo named a replacement for my mother?”

“Not yet, but the board will confirm the appointment within a few days. That was a condition of the zoo receiving its half of the estate.” Mr. Lewis glanced at the younger man seated beside him. “The new zoo director will be Jason Andover.”

Chapter Three

Beneath the cover of the desk, Kelli’s nails dug into the fleshy part of her palms. The sharp pain helped her maintain a composed expression. At least, she hoped so. She could not force herself to look at Jason.

How had he managed to convince Lillian to agree to this ridiculous condition? No doubt he’d charmed her with his good looks and that oh-so-subtle southern accent. In her job at the accounting firm, Kelli had seen several older women fall victim to an attractive younger man with dishonorable intentions. She’d never thought of Lillian being susceptible in that way, though. Which proved once again how little Kelli had known her own mother.

I should have been here for her. Then she wouldn’t have gone looking for a replacement for her affections.

Both men were waiting for her to say something, but her whirling thoughts made an intelligent reply impossible. She needed to get away to think, to pray.

Mr. Lewis rescued them from the awkward silence.

“I expect you’ll want to read through the trust document before you make your decision. Lil did include a provision for you in case you decided not to accept her conditions.” He extracted another envelope from his briefcase and handed it to Jason. “She also asked me to deliver this.”

Jason hesitated, then took the letter almost reluctantly. He folded the envelope and shoved it into his breast pocket. She narrowed her eyes. What had been her mother’s parting words to this—this gold-digger?

On second thought, she didn’t want to know.

She pushed the chair back from the desk and addressed Mr. Lewis. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to see the house now. Do I need to call a taxi, or can you run me over?”

“You don’t need a taxi.” He closed the case and snapped the clasps shut. “Lil’s house is here, at the back of the zoo.”

Kelli’s jaw went slack. “She lived at the zoo?”

Jason answered. “Not at the zoo. Her house is just beyond the rear wall. I’ll take you.”

Terrific. She’d rather not spend any more time in his company than necessary, but Mr. Lewis wasn’t jumping in with an offer.

“Thank you.” At least her voice sounded cordial, even though she still couldn’t bring herself to look at the man.

He rose and came around the desk to slide open the center drawer. Kelli rolled the chair as far back as the limited space allowed, but she was still close enough that his thigh brushed her arm. She jerked away, her skin tingling, and tried to ignore the masculine scent that clung to him. No hint of cologne, just the clean smell of soap, or maybe shampoo.

From the drawer he retrieved a set of keys, which he handed to her. “House and car. She told me there’s an extra set of each in her home office.”

She took them without a word and gathered the trust document and letter Mr. Lewis had given her.

The attorney stood when she did, and extended a business card. “If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call.”

Several pressed on her mind and she hadn’t even read the documents yet. But he probably couldn’t tell her why her mother did this bizarre thing. Hopefully, the letter would give a satisfactory answer. She slipped the card beneath the paperclip, then retrieved her laptop case from the corner and put the papers inside. When she started to pick up her suitcase, Jason leaned forward to grab it, along with the polished box containing her mother’s remains.

“Let me get that for you. It’s a bit of a hike to the back.”

The case had wheels, but rather than argue she inclined her head. “Thank you.” He was polite, she’d give him that.

Shouldering her laptop case, she preceded the men through the door. Everyone but Angela had left the office, and the blonde sat behind her desk, a phone pressed to her ear. She smiled and gave Kelli a silent wave.

The Florida heat slapped at her the moment she stepped outside, the humid air heavy in her lungs. Mr. Lewis shook her hand and mumbled, “I’m sorry for your loss,” before disappearing in the direction of the front gate. She watched him go through the turnstile exit as a pair of young mothers, each with a stroller and a toddler clutched by the hand, entered.

Reluctantly, she turned toward her guide.

“Lil’s house is this way.” Jason nodded down the path they’d taken earlier from the amphitheater.

Kelli fell in beside him. At least he didn’t try to talk with her as they walked. Nor did he roll her suitcase, but carried it easily by the handle, although she knew how heavy it was. The muscles in his arm looked firm, not at all strained by the effort. Lillian’s ashes were tucked snugly in the crook of his other arm. She couldn’t help glancing at his profile. Under close inspection, it was hard to picture him as one of those ruthless men who preyed on lonely women. He was definitely handsome enough, but she’d always figured men like that were smooth, polished. Maybe even a little greasy. Jason’s wholesome good looks didn’t fall into that category.

You can’t judge a book by its cover, Nana always said. Cliché, but true, and worth keeping in mind.

Thursday seemed to be a popular day at the zoo for moms with preschoolers. Small children flocked around every animal exhibit they passed, their watchful mothers hovering nearby. That was something she’d never enjoyed, though Nana had more than made up for her mother’s lack of attention. Kelli dodged a pair of giggling girls who raced down the path toward a colorful peacock strutting around a grassy alcove. She caught an indulgent smile on Jason’s face as the bird leaped gracefully to the top of a thick hedge, neatly avoiding his would-be admirers.

He led her around a concrete building with a sign proclaiming it to be the Small Animal House, then beside an open fenced area containing a pair of kangaroos. As they passed, one of the creatures hopped across a strip of dusty ground toward a second kangaroo snoozing on a shady patch of grass.

Their path ended at a tall wooden fence with narrow, painted slats displaying the sign, Employees Only. Jason unlocked a padlock, then gestured for her to go through. Kelli stepped into a sort of alley that ran the entire length of the zoo. On the zoo side, the fence was wooden with barbed wire at the top. Six feet inside that stood a chain-link barrier, also topped with an intimidating mass of barbed wire. A single-lane paved road ran between it and a normal-looking privacy fence, this one apparently marking the outside boundary of the zoo’s property. The surface was unbroken but for a single gate.

It was to this gate Jason led her. On the other side, she stepped into a small, enclosed yard with a steep slant. A neglected-looking orange tree in one corner provided the only shade. Dry, patchy grass was strewn with weeds and needed trimming. The house, perched at the top of the hill that comprised the yard, appeared to be in decent shape, at least from the outside. She followed Jason up the slope and into a screened-in patio with a white plastic table and a single chair that both looked as though they could use a good cleaning. Using his own keys he unlocked the back door and swung it open for her.

Kelli couldn’t maintain her silence any longer. “You have a key to my mother’s house?” Her voice rang with disapproval.

His eyelids narrowed, and he met her gaze without flinching. “I’ve been feeding her cat since she went to the hospital.”

“Oh.” Kelli dropped her head and slipped past him into the house. Lillian had a cat? She’d never mentioned it. Another thing her only daughter should have known.

The room in which she found herself was sparsely furnished, and immaculately clean. A squarish sofa rested against the back wall to the right of the front door and beneath a wide picture window with thick tan curtains. Beside it, a wing chair sat at a ninety-degree angle facing a small television set on top of a spindly cart that looked like it should hold a microwave oven instead. A curved laminate countertop separated the living room from a compact but fully appointed kitchen, and that was where Jason set the box.

He strode past her and placed her suitcase beside a doorway to the right. “This is the bedroom, and over there—” he pointed to a short hallway at the other end of the great room “—is her office. I’ve only glanced in, but I’m afraid you might have a mess to deal with. It looks about like her zoo office.”

Kelli’s gaze took in the room in which they stood. “This room is so clean.”

“I don’t think she spent much time in here.” An indulgent grin twisted his lips. “She was kind of a workaholic.”

He didn’t think. Did that mean he didn’t know, because he didn’t spend any time here either? The hint of a dimple in his chin became more noticeable when his smile cocked sideways. Looking at it, Kelli found herself hoping she was wrong about him. Maybe he was nothing more than what he appeared, a nice guy who shared Lillian’s love of zoo animals.

But what about that trust? How did he manage to get Lillian to name him as her successor at the zoo, and my boss?

A large yellow cat appeared from the bedroom behind him. It arched its back as it rubbed against Jason’s leg, meowing loudly. The sound cut off abruptly when the animal noticed Kelli. In an instant, it shot back into the bedroom.

Jason’s smile became apologetic. “Leo’s a little shy around strangers, but he’ll get used to you.” He paused and looked away. “That is, if you’re here long enough.”

He’s hoping I’ll leave. Kelli tightened her lips at the realization. If I walk out, what happens to my share of the trust? Does he get it, maybe?

The question that had hovered in her mind since Mr. Lewis told her the condition of the trust shot out of her mouth before she could reconsider asking. “Tell me something. Exactly what was your relationship with my mother?”

“My rela—” Confusion slowly drained from his face as he picked up the meaning behind her question. A flush colored the already-tanned cheeks. “She was my boss. And I like to think she counted me as a friend, too. She didn’t have many friends.” His eyes narrowed. “Or family, either, apparently.”

A jab at her. Okay, she probably deserved that. And it was certainly true. She hadn’t been a model daughter. She closed her eyes and rubbed them with a thumb and forefinger. It galled her to realize Jason knew more about her mother than she did. But that didn’t mean she had to be rude.

“I’m sorry. I’m not thinking very clearly right now.” She opened her eyes and forced a quick smile. “Today has been a shock, to say the least.”

His expression remained guarded as he stared at her. Then he nodded slowly. “I’m sure it has. I’ll leave you alone.” He pulled the key ring out of his pocket. When he had twisted off a key, he placed it on the empty countertop. “Now you have all the house keys.”

A glimmer of light caught his eyes and warmed his gaze. Kelli found herself wanting to return his smile.

Instead, she looked down at the beige carpet between them. “Thank you.”

“If you need anything, call the zoo office and ask for me. The number’s in the phone book.”

He hesitated as though he wanted to add something, but then changed his mind and left. Kelli crossed to the back door and lifted one of the mini blinds’ slats to watch as he strode across the weedy yard. When he’d disappeared through the back fence, she turned and leaned against the door. The room was sterile, eerily so.

She looked at the box. Its presence seemed to dominate the silent house. Here she was, alone at last with her mother.

“Lillian, why did you do this? Are you trying to punish me?”

Her questions fell flat. The polished wood swam in Kelli’s vision when the first tears since that terrible phone call three days ago filled her eyes. Impatiently, she brushed them away, much like she’d seen Jason do during the service. With a loud sigh, uttered more for its noise value than anything else, she lifted her laptop case to the counter and opened the front flap, where she’d placed her copy of the trust and her mother’s letter. Maybe she’d find some answers there.

Jason let himself through the gate and paused on the other side, his breath whooshing out as his lungs deflated. That girl was more like Lil than he’d originally thought. The direct way she had of fixing those gray eyes on him, of thrusting out her chin like she was ready to take on anyone who stood in her way. Just like Lil used to do when they were working on a problem with one of the animals. Only he’d caught a couple of emotions flickering across Kelli’s face that he’d never seen Lil display. Right before he left, for instance, she’d looked so tired, even a little vulnerable. Small. Lil was always larger than life, in control—of her emotions and of any situation that arose.

“Oh, Lil, we’re sure going to miss you around here.”

He crossed the trail to lean on the top rail of the fence surrounding Cali and Halil’s yard, and watched the kangaroos snooze in the shade. They’d been at Cougar Bay for a couple of years, compliments of a failed private zoo up in Kentucky. Lil had been ruthless in her determination to acquire them, their first large marsupials. They’d quickly become a favorite among zoo guests.

What had happened between Lil and her daughter? Jason’s conversations with his boss in the past few weeks had been frustratingly unenlightening. He hadn’t known what to expect from Kelli, but in some part of his mind he thought she’d be Lil’s total opposite. Flighty, maybe. Or perhaps openly rebellious, with purple hair or pierced eyebrows or something. What else besides rebellion could drive such a wedge between a mother and daughter? He certainly hadn’t expected an intelligent, beautiful woman with pain lurking in her eyes.

But he probably should have. Lil’s words, uttered in a raspy, shallow voice in her hospital bed the day before she died, rang in his memory.

“She won’t be happy about this, Jason. With good reason. It’s going to be painful, and she’ll probably hate you.” She’d paused to catch her breath. “Don’t go easy on her, though. Everybody needs to face their fears. And if she fails…” Lil’s voice had trailed off.

Jason heaved a sigh. He was getting accustomed to being hated by beautiful women. But after meeting Kelli Jackson, he found himself waging a private battle. On the one hand, his loyalty was to the animals of Cougar Bay Zoological Park, who depended on him for their very existence. That’s why Lil had trusted him to replace her as zoo director.

On the other hand, he’d only met her daughter an hour before, but he knew one thing: he didn’t want to see Kelli fail.

Chapter Four

The wing chair faced the tiny television set, and from the slightly worn appearance of the armrests, Kelli assumed that was Lillian’s habitual seat. She settled on the cushion on the opposite end of the sofa and slid off her shoes before tucking her feet beneath her. Her name, scrawled in Lillian’s untidy handwriting, drew her attention to the letter. She freed it from the paperclip and stared at it for a long moment. Lillian had rarely written to her over the years, and when she did, it was always a quick note inside a card on her birthday or at Christmas. Or brief, cryptic e-mails. Kelli couldn’t remember receiving an actual letter since she went to live with Nana when she was eight. She set the envelope on the cushion beside her. Easier to start with the trust document and its impersonal legalese.

Her gaze slid over the standard wording. The grantor is desirous of creating a trust for the purposes and upon the terms and provisions hereinafter set forth. Blah, blah, blah. The next section named the successor trustee as Jason R. Andover, and outlined the powers granted to him in carrying out Lillian’s wishes. Kelli set her teeth together. She’d assumed the trustee would be Mr. Lewis, her mother’s lawyer, or even the bank. That would have been standard. To name a complete stranger as a trustee was highly unusual.

Of course, he’s only a stranger to me. What was Jason to you, Lillian?

His handsome face swam before her mind’s eye, an angry flush staining his tanned cheeks at her pointed question about his relationship with her mother. Nothing inappropriate, Kelli now felt reasonably sure. He’d said Lillian was like a mother to him, and she found herself bristling again at the thought. Her mother had shared a relationship with someone else that she’d withheld from her own daughter. That stung. But it wasn’t Jason’s doing. The fault lay with Lillian.

Was Jason named as a beneficiary as well as trustee? Kelli flipped a page and found the section naming the beneficiaries. No, the only two listed were Cougar Bay Zoological Park and Kelli Ann Jackson. Interesting.

A few paragraphs later, she found the section outlining the distribution of the assets. Lillian’s car and the contents of the house were left unconditionally to Kelli.

She looked up and let her gaze sweep the sterile room. Bare furnishings, no knickknacks, no pictures on the wall. Lillian wasn’t into possessions, apparently.

The document went on to outline the conditions Mr. Lewis had described. If Kelli accepted an animal care position at the zoo and remained for six months, and if her performance was deemed acceptable at the sole discretion of the zoo director, she would receive fifty percent of the estate’s value.

She shifted on the scratchy sofa and scowled at the document. It specified that the position had to be “an animal care position,” which meant she couldn’t go to work in the office where she’d be far more comfortable. But even worse was the phrase at the sole discretion of the zoo director.

“So, in other words, I could work here for six miserable months, and if Lillian’s substitute son doesn’t like me, I’ll walk away with nothing.”

The harshness of her voice rang in the empty house. Her own fierce tone startled her, but not as much as the thought that caused it. Lillian assumed she could be bought, that she’d do the thing she abhorred just for the money. An angry flush warmed her neck.

The next item outlined the provision Mr. Lewis mentioned. If she chose not to accept a position at the zoo, she would receive a cash disbursement of $25,000, and the balance would be forfeited to the zoo.

“So, you didn’t leave me penniless. You gave me an out.” Kelli’s bitter whisper sounded flat in the silent room. Did her mother think that made the rest of this ridiculous document okay? Was that provision supposed to appease Lillian’s conscience for the turmoil she knew she would cause her daughter?

The zoo had conditions to meet as well. The adjoining property must be used for expansion of the existing facilities, and must include an African Habitat to house species native to the African continent. The expansion must include a suitable habitat for lions, funded by the estate’s liquid assets. Kelli flinched. Lions again. Jason R. Andover must be named as zoo director with an employment contract of one year.

Kelli’s lips curved into a grudging smile. She had to admit, Lillian seemed to have thought of everything. Without a time commitment, the zoo could have fired Jason the day after the money was disbursed. A year gave him a chance to prove himself in the position. Then her smile faded. Was that Lillian’s idea or Jason’s? Just how much input had the handsome new zoo director had into the conditions of this trust?

A soft thud from the other room drew her attention. She stiffened on the sofa. Was someone else in the house? She forced herself to relax. No reason to get jumpy. It was probably the cat. She set the document on the cushion and rose, making her way slowly in bare feet across the carpet.

At the end of a short hallway stood another sterile room, a bathroom without so much as a hand towel to give it a personal touch. Correction. Tucked between the toilet and the vanity, Kelli spied a litter box. She wrinkled her nose. How like Lillian, to give the cat his own bathroom.

The office door stood open to her right, and a glimpse inside bore testimony to Jason’s warning. Piles of paper littered the desk and the top of a two-drawer filing cabinet. A wall clock ticked loudly, and Kelli realized she’d been hearing the sound echo in the silent house since she arrived. But nothing stirred in the office. Kelli turned her back on it. There would be time to dig into that soon enough.

She crept toward the room on the opposite side of the bathroom. The place was almost empty. In the far corner stood one of those cat exercise thingies, nearly four feet tall with carpet-covered posts and a couple of platforms. Scattered across the floor were a variety of toys—hot-pink mice and a brightly colored stuffed bird. Apparently, the cat had his own bedroom as well. The orange feline himself—Leo, Jason had called him—was currently amusing himself by batting a rubber ball around the carpet. As Kelli watched, it bounced off the baseboard and created the soft thud she’d heard. Leo leaped after it and pounced, sending it flying in the opposite direction.

Then the cat caught sight of her in the doorway. In a flash, he shot through a crack in the closet’s sliding doors and disappeared from sight.

“Fine,” Kelli told the cat. “Stay in there, then. Doesn’t bother me at all.”

Instead of returning to the couch, she crossed the living room. Her suitcase stood where Jason had left it. She stepped past it, into her mother’s bedroom.

Thankfully, this room wasn’t nearly as messy as the office. Nor was it as antiseptic as the living room. At least there were pictures on the wall, all of them animal shots. Furnishings were sparse and serviceable: a double bed, a dresser, a nightstand. A thin layer of dust covered everything. Kelli knew from the hospital representative who’d called her three days ago that Lillian had been in the hospital for two weeks prior to her death.

And she didn’t want them to call me. Didn’t even name a next of kin until the end.

Across the room, the door to the bathroom stood open. Kelli started toward it, but a picture on the wall beside her head snagged her gaze. A close-up of a shaggy, golden lion, its mouth opened wide. The camera had captured a perfect shot of the vicious, powerful teeth.

A shudder rippled through Kelli, along with a powerful memory that was still too vivid, even after eighteen years. What was the matter with that woman? How could she sleep in the same room with a picture like this after what happened?

Revulsion twisted in her stomach. Wasn’t it enough that a lion had destroyed their family? A lion had been the reason Kelli grew up living with Nana instead of in a normal family with a mother and—she closed her eyes—a father. Kelli snatched the picture and set it on the floor, facing the wall. That creature would have to go elsewhere if she was to sleep in here for even one night. She looked around the room. The majority of the pictures seemed to be of lions, a fact that repulsed her and pricked her curiosity at the same time. What could possibly explain Lillian’s bizarre fascination with lions? It was sick.

Kelli shook her head. Before bedtime she’d take down all these animal pictures and stash them somewhere. Maybe Leo would like some company in his closet.

Back on the living-room sofa, she picked up the envelope and stared at it. The familiar ache, buried deep in her heart long ago, began to throb. Was this letter Lillian’s attempt to explain the actions that had such a devastating effect on her eight-year-old daughter? An attempt to heal the old wounds?