The Widow

Before Simon’s murder trial, Teddy Hammer works with Clement Gelly, the court-appointed conservator, to attack Netty’s last two wills (the ones drafted by Thackerman and Simon). Hammer, who is revealed to the reader but not to other characters to be aware of a 1988 will that leaves the estate to the Korsak brothers, plans to surface this undiscovered will. He sends Clement to Atlanta to assess the estate’s value.

In Atlanta, Clement meets Buddy Brown, the family’s former broker. Brown explains that Harry Korsak’s 1988 will placed assets in trust for Netty, with the remainder to Jerry and Clyde. He confirms that the Korsaks had built tremendous wealth in stock, but then drops a bombshell: In 1999 Harry lost everything in an uninsured island development destroyed by a volcanic eruption. Brown confirms the estate’s assets total around $500,000. Clement returns to Hammer and declares the supposed fortune a hoax.

One month before trial, at a closed hearing, Judge Pointer grants the defense motion to move Simon’s trial to Virginia Beach—a community where the case has not been in the news and where the jury pool will be less prone to prejudgment. She then recuses herself, citing health concerns. Before stepping aside, she confirms courthouse rumors that Netty’s estate totals only a fraction of what was claimed.