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| Categories | Thrillers & Suspense |
| Author | John Grisham |
| Publisher | Arrow (January 1, 2011) |
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 448 pages |
| Item Weight | 11.6 ounces |
| Dimensions |
5.08 x 1.1 x 7.8 inches |
I. Book introduction
The Testament is an adventure story by American author John Grisham. It was published in hardcover by Doubleday on February 2, 1999.
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • In a plush Virginia office, a rich, angry old man is furiously rewriting his will. With his death just hours away, Troy Phelan wants to send a message to his children, his ex-wives, and his minions—a message that will touch off a vicious legal battle and transform dozens of lives.
Nate O’Riley is a high-octane Washington litigator who’s lived too hard, too fast, for too long. His second marriage in a shambles, and he is emerging from his fourth stay in rehab armed with little more than his fragile sobriety, good intentions, and resilient sense of humor. Returning to the real world is always difficult, but this time it’s going to be murder.
Rachel Lane is a young woman who chose to give her life to God, who walked away from the modern world with all its strivings and trappings and encumbrances, and went to live and work with a primitive tribe of Indians in the deepest jungles of Brazil.
In a story that mixes legal suspense with a remarkable adventure, their lives are forever altered by the startling secret of The Testament.
Plot
So, this story is about, An American billionaire named Troy Phelan. He’s an 80years old man with three divorced wives and six heirs. Troy suffered from his illness so he decided to commit a suicide ( he’s kinda crazy man). After his death, all his heirs and his wives wanted to read his will, his testament, (I know you’re thinking about all his money and his lucky heirs but you have to read till the end!!) And all his money was left to his Illegitimate Daughter (Rachel Lane) I told you he’s a crazy man but wise at the same time.
Rachel Lane is a missionary of world’s tribes, she lives in somewhere in Brazil with the Indians, she knew just a little about her biological father.
Troy’s lawyer decided to find Rachel and inform her about her father and his will, but he couldn’t risk his life in the third world, so he sent his an old friend (Nate O’reily) to find Rachel.
Will Nate find Rachel in a middle of nowhere? And will Rachel Accept this will?
Characters
Troy Phelan, an eccentric, reclusive, ruthless billionaire businessman, commits suicide. In order to cut his family out of his will, he makes a fake will a few hours before his suicide, putting his family into that will. Minutes before his suicide, he shows his lawyer a new will that he would like carried out. This will leave only enough money to each of his heirs to pay off their debts up until the day of his death, and leaves everything else to Rachel Lane, an illegitimate daughter that none of his family and associates know about.
Josh Stafford, Troy’s lawyer, confidant, and executor, must find Rachel, but he knows only that she is a missionary somewhere in Brazil. He decides to assign Nate O’Riley, a former high-powered litigator and recovering alcoholic, to find her. Nate is emerging from his fourth stay in rehab, and he reluctantly agrees to go. Josh manipulates the situation from behind the scenes.
Rachel Lane, an illegitimate daughter who Troy wills eleven billion dollars to. She is a missionary in Brazil who wants nothing to do with the money and refuses to sign any legal papers. She was re-contacted by her father when she was a teenager. Troy paid for her to attend college, but she then disappeared into medical school and seminary. She dies after contracting malaria.
Nate O’Riley, the lawyer sent to find Rachel Lane. He has been off-and-on drugs/alcohol several times, crashing harder every time. A workaholic whose habits have shattered both of his marriages, he is sent to Brazil to get him away from the office. He has two children from his first marriage and two younger children from his second marriage. His encounter with Rachel eventually sets him on a path to spiritual redemption. He grew feelings for Rachel, before she dies.
Father Phil Lancaster, the Rector of Holy Trinity Church in St Michaels, Maryland, who makes Nate welcome.
The Phelan Children, six children who were born to three different women (a seventh one died in a car accident). All of them, despite being given a gift of $5 million at the age of 21, are either broke or heavily in debt. They are desperate for a cut of Troy’s wealth and employ even greedier lawyers.
- Troy Junior: The oldest child. On his second marriage, his business ventures always end in failure. He was kicked out of college for selling drugs. Completely spent his $5 million before he was thirty and was fired from multiple positions in his father’s company.
- Rex Phelan: The second child. Currently owes more than $7 million and is under investigation by the FBI for being a director in a failed bank. Runs a series of strip clubs although all his assets are in the name of his wife, herself an ex-stripper.
- Libbigail Phelan Jeter: The oldest daughter by Troy’s first marriage with a long history of drug abuse. Currently married to her third husband, an ex-biker she met while in rehab.
- Mary Ross Phelan Jackman: The youngest child from Troy’s first marriage. The only Phelan heir still married to his or her first spouse. Considered the least volatile and most level-headed of her siblings, being the only one without any arrests, addictions or expulsions. She and her husband (an orthopedist) live a wealthy lifestyle but are heavily in debt.
- Geena Phelan Strong: The surviving child of Troy’s second marriage (her brother Rocky was killed in a car crash in high school). Married to her second husband, whose business ventures have all been poor investments. Described with her husband as being “two immature kids living a pampered life with someone else’s money, and dreaming of the big score.” Shifty, dishonest, glib and quick with the half-truth, thus considered as being the most dangerous of the heirs.
- Ramble Phelan: The youngest child overall, and the only one from Troy’s third marriage is fourteen years old and hasn’t received any money yet. Only attends school when he feels like it, lives in his basement, avoids his mother as much as possible, has never had a paying job, played any sports or seen the inside of a church. Likes to play the guitar and dreams of being a rock star. Considered to be the “scariest” of the Phelan heirs.
Editorial Reviews
- “An entertaining page-turner…his best novel in years.”—USA Today
- “Grisham includes his trademark legal wrangling, zippy plot and engaging minor characters. . . . His hordes of fans won’t be disappointed.”–“USA Today
- “A compulsory page-turner.”—Newsweek
- “Entertaining.”—The New York Times Book Review
- “Absorbing…the pages fly by.”—Chicago Tribune
About John Grisham
John Grisham (born February 8, 1955 in Jonesboro, Arkansas) is an American novelist, lawyer and former member of the 7th district of the Mississippi House of Representatives, known for his popular legal thrillers. According to the American Academy of Achievement, Grisham has written 28 consecutive number-one fiction bestsellers, and his books have sold 300 million copies worldwide. Along with Tom Clancy and J. K. Rowling, Grisham is one of only three authors to have sold two million copies on a first printing.
Grisham graduated from Mississippi State University and earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Mississippi School of Law in 1981. He practised criminal law for about a decade and served in the Mississippi House of Representatives from 1983 to 1990.
Grisham’s first novel, A Time to Kill, was published in June 1989, four years after he began writing it. Grisham’s first bestseller, The Firm, sold more than seven million copies. The book was adapted into a 1993 feature film of the same name, starring Tom Cruise, and a 2012 TV series which continues the story ten years after the events of the film and novel. Seven of his other novels have also been adapted into films:
- The Chamber,
- The Client,
- A Painted House,
- The Pelican Brief,
- The Rainmaker,
- The Runaway Jury, and Skipping Christmas.
Grisham is a two-time winner of the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction and was honored with the Library of Congress Creative Achievement Award for Fiction.
When he’s not writing, Grisham serves on the board of directors of the Innocence Project and of Centurion Ministries, two national organizations dedicated to exonerating those who have been wrongfully convicted. Much of his fiction explores deep-seated problems in our criminal justice system.
John Girsham lives on a farm in central Virginia.
II. Reviewer: The Testament
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1. JOHN reviews for The Testament
“The Testament” Grisham takes us to the Brazil wetlands – less legal, more adventure than usual
Grisham starts this two-sided story with Troy Phelen, one of the richest men in America, and his plans to kill himself. Phelan’s family are the archetypal entitled family – children, ex-wives, grandchildren, and hangers on. They all want a piece of the billionaire’s fortune, and they think they are going to get it when he signs a fat will in front of them. But all is not as it seems, obviously. His will reveals a previously unknown daughter.
Phelan’s closes ‘friend’, lawyer Josh Stafford is the executor of the will, and he needs to talk to the daughter. He persuades Nate O’Riley, a partner in his law firm, emerging from yet another stint in rehad to travel to Brazil and explore the Pantanal to find her.
Overall, I am a big fan of this older Grisham story. The initial setup of Phelan’s final hours sets the scene. O’Riley is not a terrible guy, if a little self-pitying. It is easy to dislike the Phelan clan, including Troy himself. The stuff in the Pantanal is excellent – O’Riley cannot hide his terror of anything alive. Some of the last act involving the legal stuff feels a bit slow after the adventure of the jungle, and Nate’s conversion to religion is rather unexpected. That said, this is an enjoyable read, and you can feel the oppressive heat of the jungle as O’Riley drifts deeper into the wetlands, hoping to avoid being bitten or eaten.
2. WAYNE A.SMITH reviews for The Testament
I liked this book about greed, manipulation, serenity and redemption.
Grisham’s first chapter sucks the reader into the story like few beginnings I have encountered. The first person perspective of a bitter and lonely billionaire who plots his revenge on his children even as he has plotted his own death is riviting.
When the story moves to inland Brazil, Grisham’s narrative excels at explaining a remote yet beautiful land that few are aware exists. His characters likewise are well developed and beleivable in their roles. His portrayal of the several amoral lawyers borders on the hilarious and will serve to confirm many people’s stereotypes of members of the bar.
What separates this novel from othe works of Grisham is the presence of God in the life of several of the characters. Religion is a positive influence on those it touches in the story and serves as the fulcrum upon which the plot turns.
This is the first fiction book I can recall reading where the strong faith of several major characters is treated as a positive defining aspect of their lives. In my experience, when I have encountered religion at all in fiction, it usually is presented as a character defect or held up to demonstrate the hypocrisy of those who do not practice what they preach. Grisham’s treatment of faith as a central aspect of character and motivational force is refreshing and much more representative of how it affects most religious people.
I read the book quickly over several days. Great opening, well developed and interesting characters, enough greed and money on the line to titilate and a good juxtaposition of faith and redemption. A winner.
3. W reviews for The Testament
A rich old man is dying,leaving behind an eleven billion dollar fortune.He doesn’t want his ex-wives or his children to inherit it.But the one he wants it to have,doesn’t want it !
The setting is exotic,and memorable, in the Brazilian jungle.It is a thrilling adventure.Grisham spent time in Brazil himself,and gives a fascinating description.
One of Grisham’s best.
4. NATALIE VELLACOTT reviews for The Testament
I used to be an avid reader of the likes of Grisham, Patterson etc but found myself moving away from secular fiction after I became a Christian. I remembered that a few of Grisham’s novels had moral or Christian principles–The Testament is one of these.
The story centers around the suicide of billionaire Troy Phelan. He has effectively lived a careless life of self indulgence treating those around him with contempt. He married three times and was believed to have had six grandchildren whose lives he also ruined by spoiling them with million dollar payouts at intervals. No longer able to bear the weight of living he chooses instead to plunge to his death triggering an inevitable fight over his will. But what if there was a mysterious illegitimate daughter serving as a missionary in a remote country…..?
Nate is a recovering alcoholic. He is also a lawyer and assigned to the Phelan case. His task, to track down the elusive Rachel whilst resisting the allure of the bottle that has wrecked his life to date.
I enjoyed this the second time round. The biblical principle that the love of money is a route of all kinds of evil is clearly shown through this story. The author also does a good job in highlighting how an alcoholic will always struggle with the temptation to drink.
The author claims to be a Christian and as already noted I have seen these themes in his books at times. He states in his bio that a close friend of his is a Baptist missionary. In this novel he nearly explains the way of salvation in a manner understandable to all readers. However, he also states elsewhere that he believes that faith is a private matter….how can it be private when we have been given the Great Commission by Jesus Himself and when people are perishing on a daily basis? This author has a great platform for evangelism should he choose to use it. He has spent millions of dollars on football stadiums which maybe shows where his priorities are….
There are a few swear words in the book but it is not strong language. There is no graphic violence or sexual content apart from a few innuendos. I recommend this book.
5. COREY reviews for The Testament
Another solid tale by Grisham! It wasn’t a typical Courtroom Drama either like most of his books are.
The Testament opens us with the ruthless self-made Billionaire Troy Phelan, who is in his 90’s who is dying, has written out his last will with the help of his Lawyer Josh Stafford, and being observed by 3 psychiatrists to see if he is of sound-mind. Phelan commits suicide by jumping out a window just seconds after writing his Testament, which says the rest of his estate will instead of to his money=grabbing family, to his illegitimate daughter Rachel Lane, who none of Phelan’s family or associates know about or have ever seen or met.
Now after Phelan’s suicide, Josh Stafford calls upon his colleague Nate O’Reilly to find Rachel, who has become a missionary in Brazil, Troy paid her to go to college but disappeared into Medical School and Seminary, and went to Brazil. O’Reilly, who has been off and on drugs and alcohol many times, been married twice and both divorced, and has 2 grown-up children from both marriages. Nate travels to Brazil to track down Rachel, and meets up with her in the jungles of Brazil where she is a missionary for the Brazilian Natives. After meeting her Nate tries to convince her to take the money and return to America, but she rejects him saying she doesn’t want the money and won’t return and that she’s happy where she is and happy with what she’s doing, and Nate starts to grow feelings for Rachel.
I loved the story, great characters, I loved the Brazil/South America setting, and I feel the story delivers a great message. I highly recommend this to all Grisham fans!!
6. MAHLON reviews for The Testament
The Testament is an above average effort, but I wouldn’t put it among Grisham’s best. The subject is probate, which Grisham seems to enjoy and always does well. This time an eccentric billionaire Troy Phelan(One of my favorite Grisham characters ever) jumps out of a window to his death, after writing a new will, leaving his $11 Billion estate in limbo.
Despite being fully engaged by the story, there are a few things I didn’t like about the book. I found the main character Nate O’reilly completely unsympathetic. I was very disappointed that the story started out with such a bang and then ended with a whimper. Once again, Grisham could have used a better editor.
I would recommend it cautiously, only because readers will probably get caught up in the story as I did and want to see where the money ends up.
7. LA HONDA VIC reviews for The Testament
A very surprising ending for a very complicated story.
I loved this book although it started out very much like Sycamore Row. I read it first, out of order I guess. It took a couple of chapters to get into the story but it was a page turner after that. The parts of the story that are set in South America in the Pantenal swamp area of the Amazon river basin are both scary and beautiful.
For me the contrasts between greed and the way it can make lives ugly and pointless, and how a simple life can bring a person forgiveness and purpose was the meaning of this book. The parts of the book that take place in South America are wonderful. The trip up rivers in The Pantenal, which is part of the Amazon river basin to find an American woman Missionary, were both scary and beautiful. I am a armchair traveler and this book took me to another place in the world that I can only go to in books. I loved it.
8. CAROL JONES-CAMPBELL reviews for The Testament
Second Read: I totally forgot that I have already read this book just over four years ago. I really liked it then, and really like it now. Highly recommend if you like good courtroom.
First Read: Fascinating!! I was extremely intrigued by this Grisham. His writing is above par, and definitely good enough to keep the readers at grasp and wondering what will happen next. I’m not too much into suicide, but the grip of it keeps us reading and wondering what the story is fully about.
Though different from many of his other books, I think The Testament becomes one of my Grisham favorites. Troy Phelan, a self-made billionaire, jumps to a spectacular death after signing a will leaving his fortune to an unknown daughter, Rachel Lane, and spurning his six other children by three failed marriages, all of whom are circling like vultures waiting for their lucky day to finally arrive. The wrinkle is that Rachel is a missionary in a remote part of Brazil, and is totally out of touch with the Western world except for two phone calls a year. So Josh Stafford, Troy’s long-time lawyer, dispatches one of his associates, Nate O’Riley, on a mission to find Rachel.
Nate is fresh out of drug rehab (his fourth trip), and is coming to terms with the wreck his life has become, with a failed marriage and kids he doesn’t stay in touch with, on top of federal charges that jeopardize his law practice and good intentions but little hope of true sobriety and recovery. Josh sees this little trip as a chance to get Nate back on his feet, and also keep him away from trouble for a little while. Rachel Lane is a missionary there with World Tribes Missions, a group that seeks to evangelize unreached peoples by sending missionaries in to live with tribes permanantly and to get to know them and earn their trust. Nate, with the help of a couple local guides, finally tracks Rachel down in a remote village, only to learn that she doesn’t want the money. This to Nate is of course shocking, and as he spends a few days with Rachel, he comes to see the deep contrast between her contentment and his own searching and floundering.
While in the jungle, Nate catches malaria, and narrowly escapes death after convalescing in a Brazilian hospital for a number of days. Once back in the States, he begins acting as Rachel’s lawyer, in defense of the will, since the other Phelan heirs are contesting the will and seeking their own share of the vast estate. In the end, a settlement is offered to the other heirs, solving the legal troubles, except for the need for Rachel’s signature. When Nate makes a return trip to Brazil, he learns that Rachel died of Malaria. But before her death, she signed the necessary papers, giving Nate control over the vast fortune in the form of a trust to benefit World Tribes, the spread of the gospel, and the betterment of the people of Brazil.
This book has the legal intrigue of Grisham’s other books, with some comical but also interesting heirs and their lawyers battling for control of billions of dollars. But it is in the characters that this book excels. Grisham shows the devastation that money and greed can bring in the lives of the three ex-wives and six heirs-apparent (whom I absolutely can’t stand) to the Phelan fortune. And he does a great job of contrasting this with the contentment that can be found elsewhere. Rachel is a very authentic character, and adds great depth to the book. In my opinion, the best character proves to be Nate O’Riley. His journeys to Brazil parallel the searching in his own life, and his encounters with the Phelan heirs and with Rachel cause him to refocus his own life. He re-focuses his life with new purpose and meaning. His journey shows how painful the past can be, but also how liberating God’s truth and forgiveness is. The journey isn’t easy for him, but Grisham has cast it just right, to make it authentic without being shallow and moralizing or preachy.
In short, I loved this book. The setting was fun and different, the legal maneuvering is vintage Grisham, and the characters bring the story to life. And, best of all, it is a great “testament” to the source of true meaning in life, none other than God and the forgiveness that comes through Jesus Christ.
9. SHANA reviews for The Testament
I am reading The Testament, by John Grisham.It’s about a man named Nate who is put in charge of finding the illigitament daughter of a billionaire.She’s a missionary to a remote jungle and is, as far as he knows, unreachable.So he sets out on a journey with vivid characters and challenging situations.Jevy the body guard and Milton the pilot befriend him and try to help him on his journey.I love this book.I can’t stop reading because Grisham describes Nate’s trials with such color and emotion.I just read a part when his plane crashed and killed a cow and it went into super-detail about the blood and guts and how the farmer got mad because cows are important.It’s a great read.Dive in but be ready to get involved with the characters.They won’t let you go.
9-29-08
I am still reading The Testament, by John Grisham.The Phlean family is completely crazy as is my family.They are especially crazy over money.After Troy Phlean jumped off the balcony of his four story house the lost their marbles and ran around like chickens with their heads cut off.This sounds remarkablly like my family.Another place in the book describes a scene where, in the plane, Jevy, Milton, and Nate run over a cow.It’s very graphic and slightly distrubing but it reminded me of another book I loved.In Three, by Ted Dekker, Slater places a bomb in Kevin’s dog’s house and kills him because he fails to do his biding.It also is extremely graphic.The whole book is a relation to the world.But particurally the persecution of the Brazillian Indians was a reminder of the history the United States to me.
10. LATA reviews for The Testament
This is a re-read for me after almost 19 years. I didn’t remember much of it, though I did remember there was an adventurous trek through the Brazilian jungles.
The plot is very similar to that of Sycamore row. In this book too, there is a billionaire, who commits suicide, leaving behind a surprise will, without giving anything to his children. The deceased man doesn’t evoke sympathy as he was never much of a father, had multiple wives and mistresses and a wicked sense of justice. There is a lawyer, who is very focused on upholding the dead man’s wishes.
While the benefactor of the will in the ‘Sycamore Row’ was known, here nobody knows about the illegitimate daughter’s existence.
I am very forgiving when it comes to John Grisham’s books. If this was by any other author giving such long winded details of the Phelan kids, the American judiciary, the trek into the jungles, the religious sermons, I would have got irritated and given a 2 *. But with Grisham’s writing, the story flows smoothly, every detail is interesting. The dramatic scene leading to Troy Phelan’s death was entertaining. The discovery phase was extremely lively, when Nate thrashed all the witnesses.
I got a little bored when the Phelan kids’ wasteful lifestyle was repeated, and I found it difficult to keep track of which kid he was talking about. The religious propaganda was also overdone.
III. The Testament Quotes
The best book quotes from The Testament by John Grisham
“Shame was an emotion he had abandoned years earlier. Addicts know no shame. You disgrace yourself so many times you become immune to it.”
“You can’t beat yourself up, Nate. You’re allowed to forget the past. God certainly has. Paul murdered Christians before he became one, and he didn’t flail himself for what he’d been before. Everything is forgiven. Show your kids what you are now.”
“The first family is Lillian and her brood—four of my offspring born to a woman who rarely let me touch her.”
“If you’re gonna be stupid you gotta be tough.”
“In one long glorious acknowledgment of failure, he laid himself bare before God.”
“When witnesses concoct lies, they often miss the obvious.”
“Four rehabs meant a fifth was somewhere down the road.”
“He’d had his career, his triumphs. Success had brought him nothing but misery; he couldn’t handle it. Success had thrown him in the gutter”
“It wouldn’t pay to get fresh with a missionary.”
“But you worship money, Nate. You’re part of a culture where everything is measured by money. It’s a religion.”
“I believe in God,” he said, truthfully but weakly. “It’s easy to say that,” she said, her words still slow and soft. “And I don’t doubt you. But saying is one thing, living is another matter.”
“It’s a sad culture. People live in a frenzy. They work all the time to make money to buy things to impress other people. They’re measured by what they own.”
“a slender, artificial Christmas tree with a solitary string of lights. He watched them blink to the tune of some Brazilian carol, and despite his efforts not to, Nate thought of his children. It was the day before Christmas Eve. Not all memories were painful. He boarded the plane with teeth clenched and spine stiffened, then slept for most of the hour it took to reach Corumba. The small airport there was humid and packed with Bolivians waiting for a flight to Santa Cruz. They were laden with boxes and bags of Christmas gifts. He found a cabdriver who spoke not a word of English, but it didn’t matter. Nate showed him the words “Palace Hotel” on his travel itinerary, and they sped away in an old, dirty Mazda. Corumba had ninety thousand people, according to yet another memo prepared by Josh’s staff. Situated on the Paraguay River, on the Bolivian border, it had long since declared itself to be the capital of the Pantanal. River traffic and trade had built the city, and kept it going.”
Excerpted from The Testament by John Grisham
Chapter 1 – The Testament
I sit and stare through the tinted glass walls. On a clear day, I can see the top of the Washington Monument six miles away, but not today. Today is raw and cold, windy and overcast, not a bad day to die. The wind blows the last of the leaves from their branches and scatters them through the parking lot below.
Why I am worried about the pain? What’s wrong with a little suffering? I’ve caused more misery than any ten people.
I push a button and Snead appears. He bows and pushes my wheelchair through the door of my apartment, into the marble foyer, down the marble hall, through another door. We’re getting closer, but I feel no anxiety.
I’ve kept the shrinks waiting for over two hours.
We pass my office and I nod at Nicolette, my latest secretary, a darling young thing I’m quite fond of. Given some time, she might become number four.
But there is no time. Only minutes.
A mob is waiting–packs of lawyers and some psychiatrists who’ll determine if I’m in my right mind. They are crowded around a long table in my conference room, and when I enter, their conversation stops immediately and everybody stares. Snead situates me on one side of the table, next to my lawyer, Stafford.
There are cameras pointing in all directions, and the technicians scramble to get them focused. Every whisper, every move, every breath will be recorded because a fortune is at stake.
The last will I signed gave little to my children. Josh Stafford prepared it, as always. I shredded it this morning.
I’m sitting here to prove to the world that I am of sufficient mental capacity to make a new will. Once it is proved, the disposition of my assets cannot be questioned.
Directly across from me are three shrinks–one hired by each family. On folded index cards before them someone has printed their names–Dr. Zadel, Dr. Flowe, Dr. Theishen. I study their eyes and faces. Since I am supposed to appear sane, I must make eye contact.
They expect me to be somewhat loony, but I’m about to eat them for lunch.
Stafford will run the show. When everyone is settled and the cameras are ready, he says, “My name is Josh Stafford, and I’m the attorney for Mr. Troy Phelan, seated here to my right.”
I take on the shrinks, one at a time, eye to eye, glare to glare, until each blinks or looks away. All three wear dark suits. Zadel and Flowe have scraggly beards. Theishen has a bow tie and looks no more than thirty. The families were given the right to hire anyone they wanted.
Stafford is talking. “The purpose of this meeting is to have Mr. Phelan examined by a panel of psychiatrists to determine his testamentary capacity. Assuming the panel finds him to be of sound mind, then he intends to sign a will which will dispose of his assets upon his death.”
Stafford taps his pencil on a one-inch-thick will lying before us. I’m sure the cameras zoom in for a close-up, and I’m sure the very sight of the document sends shivers up and down the spines of my children and their mothers scattered throughout my building.
They haven’t seen the will, nor do they have the right to. A will is a private document revealed only after death. The heirs can only speculate as to what it might contain. My heirs have received hints, little lies I’ve carefully planted.
They’ve been led to believe that the bulk of my estate will somehow be divided fairly among the children, with generous gifts to the ex-wives. They know this; they can feel it. They’ve been praying fervently for this for weeks, even months. This is life and death for them because they’re all in debt. The will lying before me is supposed to make them rich and stop the bickering. Stafford prepared it, and in conversations with their lawyers he has, with my permission, painted in broad strokes the supposed contents of the will. Each child will receive something in the range of three hundred to five hundred million, with another fifty million going to each of the three ex-wives. These women were well provided for in the divorces, but that, of course, has been forgotten.
Total gifts to the families of approximately three billion dollars. After the government rakes off several billion the rest will go to charity.
So you can see why they’re here, shined, groomed, sober (for the most part), and eagerly watching the monitors and waiting and hoping that I, the old man, can pull this off. I’m sure they’ve told their shrinks, “Don’t be too hard on the old boy. We want him sane.”
If everyone is so happy, then why bother with this psychiatric examination? Because I’m gonna screw ’em one last time, and I want to do it right.
The shrinks are my idea, but my children and their lawyers are too slow to realize it.
Zadel goes first. “Mr. Phelan, can you tell us the date, time, and place?”
I feel like a first-grader. I drop my chin to my chest like an imbecile and ponder the question long enough to make them ease to the edge of their seats and whisper, “Come on, you crazy old bastard. Surely you know what day it is.”
“Monday,” I say softly. “Monday, December 9, 1996. The place is my office.”
“The time?”
“About two-thirty in the afternoon,” I say. I don’t wear a watch.
“And where is your office?”
“McLean, Virginia.”
Flowe leans into his microphone. “Can you state the names and birthdates of your children?”
“No. The names, maybe, but not the birthdates.”
“Okay, give us the names.”
I take my time. It’s too early to be sharp. I want them to sweat. “Troy Phelan, Jr., Rex, Libbigail, Mary Ross, Geena, and Ramble.” I utter these as if they’re painful to even think about.
Flowe is allowed a follow-up. “And there was a seventh child, right?”
“Right.”
“Do you remember his name?”
“Rocky.”
“And what happened to him?”
“He was killed in an auto accident.” I sit straight in my wheelchair, head high, eyes darting from one shrink to the next, projecting pure sanity for the cameras. I’m sure my children and my ex-wives are proud of me, watching the monitors in their little groups, squeezing the hands of their current spouses, and smiling at their hungry lawyers because old Troy so far has handled the preliminaries.
My voice may be low and hollow, and I may look like a nut with my white silk robe, shriveled face, and green turban, but I’ve answered their questions.
Come on, old boy, they’re pleading.
Theishen asks, “What is your current physical condition?”
“I’ve felt better.”
“It’s rumored you have a cancerous tumor.”
Get right to the point, don’t you?
“I thought this was a mental exam,” I say, glancing at Stafford, who can’t suppress a smile. But the rules allow any question. This is not a courtroom.
“It is,” Theishen says politely. “But every question is relevant.”
“I see.”
“Will you answer the question?”
“About what?”
“About the tumor.”
“Sure. It’s in my head, the size of a golf ball, growing every day, inoperable, and my doctor says I won’t last three months.”
I can almost hear the champagne corks popping below me. The tumor has been confirmed!
“Are you, at this moment, under the influence of any medication, drug, or alcohol?”
“No.”
“Do you have in your possession any type of medication to relieve pain?”
“Not yet.”
Back to Zadel: “Mr. Phelan, three months ago Forbes magazine listed your net worth at eight billion dollars. Is that a close estimate?”
“Since when is Forbes known for its accuracy?”
“So it’s not accurate?”
“It’s between eleven and eleven and a half, depending on the markets.” I say this very slowly, but my words are sharp, my voice carries authority. No one doubts the size of my fortune.
Flowe decides to pursue the money. “Mr. Phelan, can you describe, in general, the organization of your corporate holdings?”
“I can, yes.”
“Will you?”
“I suppose.” I pause and let them sweat. Stafford assured me I do not have to divulge private information here. Just give them an overall picture, he said.
“The Phelan Group is a private corporation which owns seventy different companies, a few of which are publicly traded.”
“How much of The Phelan Group do you own?”
“About ninety-seven percent. The rest is held by a handful of employees.”
Theishen joins in the hunt. It didn’t take long to focus on the gold. “Mr. Phelan, does your company hold an interest in Spin Computer?”
“Yes,” I answer slowly, trying to place Spin Computer in my corporate jungle.
“How much do you own?”
“Eighty percent.”
“And Spin Computer is a public company?”
“That’s right.”
Theishen fiddles with a pile of official-looking documents, and I can see from here that he has the company’s annual report and quarterly statements, things any semiliterate college student could obtain. “When did you purchase Spin?” he asks.
“About four years ago.”
“How much did you pay?”
“Twenty bucks a share, a total of three hundred million.” I want to answer these questions more slowly, but I can’t help myself. I stare holes through Theishen, anxious for the next one.
“And what’s it worth now?” he asks.
“Well, it closed yesterday at forty-three and a half, down a point. The stock has split twice since I bought it, so the investment is now worth around eight-fifty.”
“Eight hundred and fifty million?”
“That’s correct.”
The examination is basically over at this point. If my mental capacity can comprehend yesterday’s closing stock prices, then my adversaries are certainly satisfied. I can almost see their goofy smiles. I can almost hear their muted hoorahs. Atta boy, Troy. Give ’em hell.
Zadel wants history. It’s an effort to test the bounds of my memory. “Mr. Phelan, where were you born?”
“Montclair, New Jersey.”
“When?”
“May 12, 1918.”
“What was your mother’s maiden name?”
“Shaw.”
“When did she die?”
“Two days before Pearl Harbor.”
“And your father?”
“What about him?”
“When did he die?”
“I don’t know. He disappeared when I was a kid.”
Zadel looks at Flowe, who’s got questions packed together on a notepad. Flowe asks, “Who is your youngest daughter?”
“Which family?”
“Uh, the first one.”
“That would be Mary Ross.”
“Right–”
“Of course it’s right.”
“Where did she go to college?”
“Tulane, in New Orleans.”
“What did she study?”
“Something medieval. Then she married badly, like the rest of them. I guess they inherited that talent from me.” I can see them stiffen and bristle. And I can almost see the lawyers and the current live-ins and/or spouses hide little smiles because no one can argue the fact that I did indeed marry badly.
And I reproduced even more miserably.
Flowe is suddenly finished for this round. Theishen is enamored with the money. He asks, “Do you own a controlling interest in MountainCom?”
“Yes, I’m sure it’s right there in your stack of paperwork. It’s a public company.”
“What was your initial investment?”
“Around eighteen a share, for ten million shares.”
“And now it–”
“It closed yesterday at twenty-one a share. A swap and a split in the past six years and the holding is now worth about four hundred million. Does that answer your question?”
“Yes, I believe it does. How many public companies do you control?”
“Five.”
Flowe glances at Zadel, and I’m wondering how much longer this will take. I’m suddenly tired.
“Any more questions?” Stafford asks. We are not going to press them because we want them completely satisfied.
Zadel asks, “Do you intend to sign a new will today?”
“Yes, that is my intent.”
“Is that the will lying on the table there before you?”
“It is.”
“Does that will give a substantial portion of your assets to your children?”
“It does.”
“Are you prepared to sign the will at this time?”
“I am.”
Zadel carefully places his pen on the table, folds his hands thoughtfully, and looks at Stafford. “In my opinion, Mr. Phelan has sufficient testamentary capacity at this time to dispose of his assets.” He pronounces this with great weight, as if my performance had them hanging in limbo.
The other two are quick to rush in. “I have no doubt as to the soundness of his mind,” Flowe says to Stafford. “He seems incredibly sharp to me.”
“No doubt?” Stafford asks.
“None whatsoever.”
“Dr. Theishen?”
“Let’s not kid ourselves. Mr. Phelan knows exactly what he’s doing. His mind is much quicker than ours.”
Oh, thank you. That means so much to me. You’re a bunch of shrinks struggling to make a hundred thousand a year. I’ve made billions, yet you pat me on the head and tell me how smart I am.
“So it’s unanimous?” Stafford says.
“Yes. Absolutely.” They can’t nod their heads fast enough.
Stafford slides the will to me and hands me a pen. I say, “This is the last will and testament of Troy L. Phelan, revoking all former wills and codicils.” It’s ninety pages long, prepared by Stafford and someone in his firm. I understand the concept, but the actual print eludes me. I haven’t read it, nor shall I. I flip to the back, scrawl a name no one can read, then place my hands on top of it for the time being.
It’ll never be seen by the vultures.
“Meeting’s adjourned,” Stafford says, and everyone quickly packs. Per my instructions, the three families are hurried from their respective rooms and asked to leave the building.
One camera remains focused on me, its images going nowhere but the archives. The lawyers and psychiatrists leave in a rush. I tell Snead to take a seat at the table. Stafford and one of his partners, Durban, remain in the room, also seated. When we are alone, I reach under the edge of my robe and produce an envelope, which I open. I remove from it three pages of yellow legal paper and place them before me on the table.
Only seconds away now, and a faint ripple of fear goes through me. This will take more strength than I’ve mustered in weeks.
Stafford, Durban, and Snead stare at the sheets of yellow paper, thoroughly bewildered.
“This is my testament,” I announce, taking a pen. “A holographic will, every word written by me, just a few hours ago. Dated today, and now signed today.” I scrawl my name again. Stafford is too stunned to react.
“It revokes all former wills, including the one I signed less than five minutes ago.” I refold the papers and place them in the envelope.
I grit my teeth and remind myself of how badly I want to die.
I slide the envelope across the table to Stafford, and at the same instant I rise from my wheelchair. My legs are shaking. My heart is pounding. Just seconds now. Surely I’ll be dead before I land.
“Hey!” someone shouts, Snead I think. But I’m moving away from them.
The lame man walks, almost runs, past the row of leather chairs, past one of my portraits, a bad one commissioned by a wife, past everything, to the sliding doors, which are unlocked. I know because I rehearsed this just hours ago.
“Stop!” someone yells, and they’re moving behind me. No one has seen me walk in a year. I grab the handle and open the door. The air is bitterly cold. I step barefoot onto the narrow terrace which borders my top floor. Without looking below, I lunge over the railing.
….
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