If You Only Knew by M. William Phelps Page B

Security documents changed, bank accounts situated, speaking with the financial institutions Don had his money invested in and anything else involved in trying to figure out a dead man’s finances and how the family could do what was in his (and now their) best interests.
    What could she say? The offer seemed to be a welcoming gesture. Billie Jean agreed—she was all for it. She definitely needed the help.
    They would meet in the coming days, she said, and get it all situated.
    Over in another part of the room, her daughter, Vanette Vereeke, whose father Billie Jean had been married to before Don (one of two marriages for Billie Jean before she met Don), ran into Vonlee. The last time she had seen Vonlee, Vonlee was a child. Vanette, like pretty much everyone else in her family, considered Vonlee eccentric and maybe even a little over-the-top in the way she dressed, did her makeup, walked and talked. Vonlee was a presence, certainly. There was some narcissism in there, too, with Vonlee always looking to be the focus and center of attention. There were reasons for this beyond Vonlee being a Southern belle and simply wanting and needing constant praise. But on this night, as they all celebrated Don’s life and paid homage to him in mourning, Vanette noticed something else about Vonlee as she approached: Vonlee was wearing an enormous amount of what looked to be brand-new jewelry.
    â€œRings and bracelets, like diamonds,” Vanette said later.
    So much that it stood out among a crowd of people.
    One ring in particular was of great interest to Vanette and some of the other women who were standing around and talking during the wake.
    â€œWow,” Vanette said, staring at Vonlee’s finger, “you’re engaged?”
    Vonlee had known the guy she was dating only about a month. He had given her the ring, though they were not engaged officially. She told him she was not ready to get married. He told her to keep the ring, anyway, and “maybe it will change” her mind. The diamond was huge. Vonlee said she’d be crazy not to accept it. She wore it on her wedding ring finger.
    Several other women came and stood around as Vonlee and Vanette discussed the ring.
    â€œLook at that ring, Vonlee. It’s very noticeable.”
    Vonlee, who was obviously distraught and cooked up on pills and booze while at the wake, took the ring off and passed it to Vanette, who put it on and held it out in front of herself. “My goodness . . .” As were the other women, she was impressed with the sheer size of the thing. She took it off and gave it to another woman standing in the circle.
    â€œThey were all passing it around, like girls do,” Vanette said later.
    â€œLook at this . . . ,” one woman said.
    â€œIncredible,” envied another.
    â€œLucky girl . . .”
    As Vanette worked her way around the room, she walked over to where her mother was talking to a few people.
    â€œYeah, I came home around eleven and he was dead on the floor,” her mother told the group, according to what Vanette later claimed.
    Eleven?
    The call to 911 did not come until around 4:00 A.M .
    Maybe she simply forgot?
    Her mother was being herself, her daughter later explained, while schmoozing with people at the wake. Her mom was very skilled in adversity. She could take a bad situation and enter into it with a straight face and generally a positive attitude. She was an expert at meeting stressful situations and handling them. People wanted to know what happened to Don, Billie Jean surmised—and so she was going to be open and honest and tell them what she knew. She didn’t want people arriving or leaving with any sort of misinformation. That would only feed rumors.
    â€œShe could appear to have everything under control,” one family member later said of her. “She didn’t appear to be visually upset, but I’m sure inside her heart she was.”
    Well into calling hours,