The Inheritance Trap
Montreal, Quebec, July 2022
My estate lawyer, Nicole St. Germain, sat behind her modern wooden desk on the 2nd floor of a renovated Victorian home in the Westmount suburb of Montreal. Sitting across from Nicole was my second wife, Gabriel, with our four-year-old daughter, Sophie, and my two adult children, Philip and Dominique.
“Thank you for coming today. We are reading the last will and testament of Andre Rochefort; you all have my condolences for your loss,” said Nicole.
My longtime Band Manager, Jacques Fontaine, sat to the side of Nicole’s desk. Jacques is also the executor of my will.
I sat in the adjoining office and watched through the one-way mirror. It had been one week since my tragic accident.
“I haven’t seen my father in over a decade; I doubt I’m in his will,” said Philip, who lived in San Francisco. “Why did you ask me to come here?”
“Be quiet, Philip and let Nicole do her job,” said Dominique, having just flown in from Paris.
Nicole said, “I will skip over the legalese and get right to the inheritances. Andre provided for his wife as follows:”
“To my wife, Gabriel, I leave the mansion in Montreal and all the contents. She will be provided with an annual sum of $500,000 for her use until Sophie reaches the age of eighteen. Swanson & Son’s accountants will administer the fund. In addition, Gabriel will be entitled to an annual sum of $250,000 for the sole support of our daughter Sophie until she reaches the age of eighteen. The accountants will reimburse Gabriel for eligible childcare expenses.”
“That’s all?” shrieked Gabriel.
Nicole expected this response and cooly added, “I am just reading what Andre stipulated in his will.”
“What about the townhouse in Manhattan, the Bahamas villa or the yacht?” Gabriel asked. “And all those old cars?”
“All of Andre’s assets, other than what he stipulated in his will, have been sold, and the money donated to charity,” said Nicole.
“That’s bullshit,” said Gabriel. “And what about Andre’s songs and the publishing rights? He had ten gold albums that earned hundreds of millions of dollars?”
“I understand he sold those rights three months ago,” replied Nicole.
“Where is all that money now?” Gabriel demanded.
Nicole replied, “As I said, all the cash went to charity other than what is needed to meet the conditions of Andre’s will.”
“Well, Gabriel, I guess that’s all the bimbo wife gets, don’t bitch too much, or Philip and I will legally challenge our Dad’s will,” said Dominique. “Got your sights on another rich dude yet?”
“Let me continue,” said Nicole.
“I leave my collection of classic cars to my adult children, Philip and Dominique, who may enjoy or dispose of them as they see fit. A sum of $1 million has been set up with Swanson & Son accountants for the management, storage, and maintenance of the classic car collection.”
“Anything else?” asked Philip.
“Yes,” said Nicole.
“Andre also directed the sum of $50 million to be used exclusively to support the Women in Need charity, to be administered by my longtime Band Manager and executor, Jacques Fontaine.”
Gabriel turned to Jacques and said, “Something stinks here. What did you force Andre to do? I know you hated the fact that he married me. I want that $50 million or else. A Women in Need charity that’s rich; I’m a woman in need of money.”
Jacques replied, “Gabriel, I don’t like you, but you should be grateful for what he gave you. If there had been no baby, you would have gotten nothing. His will is what Andre wanted. Take me to court if you want, but a retired judge has already verified that Andre was of sound mind when he wrote his will.”
“So we get dick shit,” said Dominique, “and this washed-up rock band stooge gets millions?”
Philip added, “What the hell am I going to do with a bunch of old cars.”
Jacques had been quiet, but he decided to address Philip and Dominique. “Neither of you approved of your father’s lifestyle, but he was a world-famous rock star, admired by many people. You ran as far away as you could from him. Consider yourself lucky to inherit his classic car collection. There are over 100 cars, many extremely rare and valuable.”
Dominique said, “Jacques, you are coming to Miami with Philip and me to see this car collection.”
Nicole said, “That completes the reading of the last will of Andre Rochefort. Philip and Dominique, in this envelope, are the keys and directions to the classic car collection located in a warehouse in Miami, Florida. Gabriel, the accountant, will get in touch with you to arrange your entitlements. If there are no questions, we should adjourn.”
After everyone had left, Nicole walked to the office next door and hugged Andre after entering.
“Did everything go as you planned?” she asked.
Andre replied, “Yes, quite well. Where did Jacques get that story about a retired judge?”
Nicole replied, “I suggested it to him as a way to silence Gabriel.”
“Gabriel was the typical gold digger; I should have known better, but my little daughter Sophie needs to be cared for. Philip and Dominique turned on me after their Mother died; they claimed I was to blame for her death because I was on the road with the band so often. I never accepted the forensics report, which said that Lucille committed suicide.”
Miami, Florida August 2022
Philip and Dominique chartered a private jet for the flight to Miami and hired a limousine to drive them to the warehouse. They asked Jacques to accompany them and provide some advice about what to do with the classic car collection.
“Here’s the key, Philip; you open up the side door,” said Dominique.
Philip entered the warehouse and found a light switch. The rows of bright lights shocked him as he gazed into the massive warehouse. Dominique followed him in and gasped at the long row of cars lined up along both walls.
Jacques joined them and said, “I’m headed to the office to check the vehicle registration paperwork. Have a walk around and enjoy your new car collection. The keys are in each car, and you can test drive one if you want.”
Philip and Dominique started to walk down the middle of the warehouse, staring at the cars on each side. Old Jaguars, Corvettes, MGBs, and Camaros all in pristine shape, and the shine on the hoods was bright as new.
“Philip, look there. Isn’t that the same kind of car that Mom drove?” Dominique said.
Philip stopped cold and stared at the red 1967 Mustang fastback.
“I think that is Mom’s car,” he said. “It has a scratch on the driver’s door.”
“Shit, what’s it doing here. Mom died in that car,” said Dominique.
“I know. Remember, I found Mom in the garage. She committed suicide, taped a garden hose to the exhaust and ran it into the car with the engine running,” said Philip.
Dominique looked at the Mustang and turned to face her brother.
“How do you know it was a garden hose? The police didn’t tell us anything like that,” asked Dominique.
“I guess somebody told me years ago,” he replied.
Jacques sat in the office and watched the two staring at the red Mustang on the video monitor. He could hear their every word.
“You know something about Mom’s death, don’t you?”
“Drop it. Mom was a drunk and a terrible mother. How many times did she hit you?”
“Life was hard for her with Dad on the road all the time. Don’t blame her.”
“She got what she deserved,” said Philip.
“No, she did not deserve to die Philip.”
“I had to stop her; she was going to kill us,”
“That’s bullshit, Mom would never do that.”
“She had too much to drink that night and popped some pills. I saw her take a knife from the kitchen and yell your name.”
“Philip, what did you do?”
“I had to save you. Mom tripped on the living room carpet and passed out.”
“Philip, how did Mom get to the garage if she passed out?”
“Don’t know,” Philip said, “let’s go find Jacques.”
“Did you put Mom in this car and attach the hose?”
Philip stared at the Mustang and flashed back to that night, carrying his Mom from the house into the garage and putting her in the driver’s seat, attaching the garden hose, starting the engine, and then leaving his Mom to die.
“I would do it again. It was all Dad’s fault for leaving us alone with her,” yelled Philip.” She was evil and going to kill us. I stopped her and saved our lives. You should thank me.”
Dominique stared at her brother, “What have you done? You killed our Mother.”
Jacques gave the signal to the police waiting outside.
Philip and Dominique turned to the noise at the front of the warehouse as the large garage door opened. Several police cars quickly entered and stopped by them.
Two officers jumped out and pointed their weapons at Philip.
“Hands on the hood, right now, feet spread. Philip Rochefort, you are under arrest for the murder of Lucille Rochefort,” said one of the police officers.
Jacques walked out of the office with a copy of the video recording and approached the police. He handed over the tape and then turned to leave.
“Sir, who owns all these cars?” asked the police officer.
“This man right here, Alan Richards,” replied Jacques.
“Dad,” Dominique shrieked and then fainted.
“Philip, at long last, the truth comes out. Philip, you will be convicted for murdering my wife and your Mother. May she now rest in peace,” said the new Alan as he turned and walked away from his former life.
