Estate of Murder — Lois Lamanna

Estate of Murder Shock is an inadequate word to describe Susan Weston's reaction when she learns she has inherited the estate of Walter Gambrel, the richest man in the county. Pressured to fund the remodel of a dilapidated boarding house into an upscale bed and breakfast, Susan reluctantly accepts the condition placed on the inheritance, to find out what happened to her benefactor's wife â€" thirty years ago. Impeding the investigation is a senior member of law enforcement struggling with his rookie involvement in the missing person case. Adding to the confusion and danger is a woman posing as the missing wife in order to claim half of Wally's estate. The search takes Susan to a nursing home where the former owner of the boarding house currently resides. Martha rambles about the days leading up to the disappearance but her diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease leaves Susan questioning what parts of the story are fact and what parts are the product of the woman's condition. When the relationship between the executor of the will and Susan changes from business to social, and then to romance, the new status raises doubts whether it is Susan or the money that is the attraction.