If You Only Knew by M. William Phelps Page A

times. She’d never heard from Don about any problems he and his wife might have had.
    â€œExcuse me, Mrs. Rogers?” Toni asked.
    â€œA pass . . . Don ever made a pass at you, Toni?”
    â€œMy goodness, no. No, Mrs. Rogers. Never.”
    This call had come right around the time Vonlee had mentioned to her aunt about Don and what happened when Billie Jean was away in California. That I-got-something-on-you-now charge Billie Jean had allegedly made to Don after walking out of the room and coming back to find Don on top of Vonlee. Apparently, if he’d done it to Vonlee, Billie Jean must have been thinking, maybe he’d done it at the office, too. It seemed Mrs. Rogers was in the mood to get all she could on her husband.
    â€œWell, he’s made advances toward Miss Titlow and . . . ,” Billie Jean started to say to Toni.
    â€œNo, no, Mrs. Rogers,” Toni insisted. “Not me. Not ever. He never, never, ever has done anything. He’s never even used four-letter words around me. He is always a gentleman.”
    Billie Jean talked about Don’s health. Toni had no idea how sick Don might have been. Still, Billie Jean mentioned to Toni, “He’s been having problems with rectal bleeding lately—did you know that ?”
    â€œNo, I did not,” Toni said, wondering why this woman felt the need to share such personal information with her. “But maybe you ought to get him to see a doctor, Mrs. Rogers.”
    â€œHe won’t go. He just won’t do it,” Billie Jean said.
    The two exchanged some small talk and hung up.
    * * *
    Scott Hadley (pseudonym), Billie Jean’s future son-in-law, had never met Don or Vonlee, but he was in town from his home in Illinois, along with Billie Jean’s daughter, to pay his respects. Scott had just asked Billie Jean’s daughter to marry him in the weeks before Don had died. He was part owner in a software development firm in Illinois. He had some experience in finances and financial security, he and his wife-to-be explained to Billie Jean at the wake. Scott even offered to help the family wade through what could be temperamental financial waters after someone died unexpectedly.
    The widow introduced Scott to Don’s brother and sister. Then she found Vonlee and introduced him to her.
    â€œWe had just a small conversation,” Scott said later. “Typical to what you would have with various people at a wake—just small talk about the family.”
    â€œHow’s Billie Jean doing?”
    â€œHolding up rather well, considering.”
    â€œWhat a tragedy.”
    â€œIndeed.”
    Someone at the wake suggested that Scott sit at some point with Don’s immediate family and Billie Jean to discuss Don’s finances and what should be done with what was a rather large bank account he had left behind. It was unclear later on about who had actually suggested the meeting. But in any event, as of August 2000, Don’s net worth was valued at $1,778,603.11. Eighty-nine percent of that was in investments, with 1 percent available as cash, the remaining 10 percent or so being part of Don’s fixed monthly/yearly income.
    The guy had a nest egg, no doubt about it. Billie Jean was clearly looking to get this taken care of as soon as possible. She had to pay bills, run the household and make sure Don’s partnership in the company was being fairly represented. She couldn’t just curl up in a ball and be the grieving widow. That would not serve anybody well. And, to be honest, it had never been her way of dealing with problems and tragedy.
    â€œI can help you,” Scott told his future mother-in-law. “I lost my father several years ago, and having gone through it myself with my mom, I can assist you in everything. Help organize the finances.... I know the process.”
    Scott went on to explain that there was a lot of work involved in hunting down life insurance policies, getting Social