The Widow

Netty meets Simon and explains that two nights earlier, Clyde arrived at her house uninvited, found a letter from Thackerman about the will, and demanded money. After she refused, she changed her locks. Simon tells her to let Clyde remain in jail and to avoid Thackerman. Simon goes to the courthouse, confirms that Thackerman’s injuries are minor, and watches a judge refuse to lower Clyde’s bond.

Worried about Netty’s safety, Simon arranges for her to hide out at a hotel on Lake Murray. He follows her home to help her pack and is alarmed by her erratic driving.

As Simon drives Netty toward Lake Murray, he privately questions whether her wealth is real. On the road, Thackerman calls Netty, and Simon has her put the call on speaker. Netty denies telling Clyde that Thackerman was her lawyer. After she ends the call, Simon explains that Thackerman may drop the charges to keep the will’s unethical terms private.

At the hotel, Simon checks Netty in using his credit card. Days later, the manager reports that Netty charged more than $4,000 to his now maxed-out card. Simon confronts her, and she claims it was a misunderstanding. She grudgingly settles the bill with her own card.

Over the next two weeks, Thackerman negotiates a plea that reduces Clyde’s case to a misdemeanor, and Clyde is released. Soon after, Netty calls Simon with an emergency from traffic court. She was ticketed for speeding, driving the wrong way, and driving on an expired license. Simon goes to the courthouse and speaks with Lieutenant Andy Reece, who confirms the seriousness of the violations, and the fact that this isn’t the first time Netty has been ticketed for her driving. Simon obtains a continuance.

Over coffee, Simon warns that she risks losing her license. Netty suggests they meet her friend Doris Platt for lunch, but Simon refuses.

On a Saturday in September at Janie’s soccer game, Paula says a corporate merger threatens her job and demands $12,000 to finalize their divorce settlement. Frustrated, Simon places a large batch of college football bets.

That night at Chub’s Pub, he celebrates his winnings. A stranger introduces himself as an FBI colleague of Yolanda, Simon’s former girlfriend, and warns him that Chub’s illegal gambling operation is under federal scrutiny. The next day, Simon returns to the pub and asks Spade to warn Chub about the investigation.

On Monday morning, fearing phone surveillance, Simon uses his office landline for sensitive calls. He notifies Netty’s insurance company about her pending tickets and calls his business banker to secure a $25,000 line of credit for Paula’s demand. He then tells Matilda that he and Paula are divorcing and that he now lives in the office. Matilda offers help.

After she leaves, Simon notices that Matilda has lost weight, is dressed in more becoming clothes, and generally seems happier. He wonders if she has started seeing someone.

Simon meets Netty for lunch. She says Thackerman has continued to call and is pressing for a meeting. Simon advises her to meet him. When the conversation turns to funeral plans, Netty grows upset. Simon brings up his fees and tells her she owes just over $3,000. She agrees to pay.

Back at the office, he instructs Matilda to prepare and mail an itemized invoice for $3,650.

Several days later, Simon draws a $12,000 advance on his credit line. He withdraws $7,900 in cash, meets Chub, pays off his gambling debt, and announces his retirement from betting. Two days later, he runs into Yolanda, his old law school girlfriend he calls “Landy,” who is now an FBI agent. They meet for a drink.

Landy confirms that investigators are targeting Chub but consider Simon a minor player who likely faces no charges. They reminisce about their relationship, flirt, and exchange phone numbers.

Back at his office, Simon watches through his window as Netty enters Thackerman’s office. With Fran listening, Thackerman questions Netty about how Clyde knew Thackerman represented her. Following Simon’s coaching, Netty deflects his questions, reveals nothing about her new will, and refuses his lunch invitation.

Later, Simon meets Netty at a Vietnamese restaurant. He tells her he negotiated her traffic case down to a single ticket and a small fine. While this result could have been achieved by any lawyer, Simon plays it up as a masterful sign of his professional expertise. Relieved she will not have to return to court, Netty thanks him. Simon pays for lunch again.

On Thursday, December 17, Sergeant Pully calls Simon to report that Netty crashed her car and asks him to come to the hospital for details. At the hospital, Pully explains that Netty, with a blood alcohol level of .09 (so, three times the legal limit), ran a red light and T-boned another car, injuring two people. Doris Platt, her passenger who was also injured, confirms these facts. Simon also learns Netty’s insurance was recently canceled.

He finds Netty with broken ribs and a serious leg injury. She asks him to stay, and he remains overnight, thinking about his greed and her severe legal and financial trouble.

The next morning, Simon tells the head nurse, Loretta Goodwin, to keep police from questioning Netty. When he returns to his office, two FBI agents arrive and ask about Chub. In a slightly hostile exchange, Simon invokes his right to counsel. Back at the hospital, he learns that Netty needs surgery and that the staff requires legal directives.

In the absence of any family members or other proxies, Simon drafts a power of attorney and an advance directive. Netty signs both documents in front of Dr. Connor Wilkes, the hospital’s CEO; she explains at length that she fully understands that she is granting Simon complete authority over her affairs. Simon then confronts Sergeant Pully and forbids him from taking Netty’s statement.

Several days after the accident, Simon uses his power of attorney to enter Netty’s house. The house is clean and tidy. He finds unpaid bills but no bank or brokerage statements and again fears she fabricated her fortune. Norris and Rose Frazier, neighbors who seem both worried about Netty and annoyed at her standoffishness, interrupt him with questions. He returns to his office, convinced he was duped by his elderly client.

While organizing her checkbook, he discovers a small notebook hidden inside. It contains handwritten entries listing multi-million-dollar stock and cash holdings. Simon rationalizes that her wealth must be real, but that she is a secretive and paranoid person who has asked her financial advisers not to send her paper statements. Relieved, Simon goes to the hospital and reassures Netty.

Two days before Christmas, Matilda announces an unscheduled visitor. Jerry Korsak, Clyde’s brother, requests a meeting. He calls Netty “Mom,” claims Netty called him, and that they speak often. He fishes for details about her will and says his father promised him and Clyde an inheritance. Simon sidesteps his questions until Jerry leaves.

Simon heads to the hospital. Loretta tells him that Netty feels unwell and that no one visited. She hands him a business card from another local lawyer who was snooping around Eleanor’s room earlier.