The Parker Inheritance

Chapter 47 takes place in 2007 and shares the story of Beatrix Halliday, James Parker’s retired secretary, who is at home making breakfast when Mr. Parker comes to see her. After sharing that he finally went “to her” (301) after Mrs. Halliday’s advice, Mr. Parker asks for one final favor. He gives her an envelope with careful directions to give to her granddaughter, who works at a law firm. Before Mr. Parker leaves, he corrects Mrs. Halliday one more time to say, “Reggie, Mrs. Halliday. My name is Reggie” (302). 

Candice finds herself having to explain everything to both parents, since her father comes to Lambert that night. They argue that she should have told “any adult” (303), and Candice stands up for herself, even asking her father not to call her “Candi anymore” (304).

After some more discussion, Anne leaves the room after suggesting that Joe “talk to her” (305). Candice asks if he’s going to explain who Danielle is. As Candice tries to put the clues together and her father stalls for time, she finally gets it and says: “Mom didn’t say Danielle, did she? [...] Daniel.” Her father hesitates and explains that he didn’t tell her he was gay because he “didn’t want [her] to see [him] any differently” (307). Candice is upset that she has been lied to but is also supportive to her father. She realizes “that somewhere down deep, she had hoped they’d get back together” (308) and begins trying to move forward with her new understanding that it wouldn’t happen. She wonders about how hard it must be for her father to hide his identity, just like it must have been hard for Reggie Bradley. 

Everyone assembles at the Jones’s house to accompany Candice and Brandon to the bank: Ms. McMillan, Tori, Anne, Juanita, and Joe. Before they leave, Juanita invites Mr. Gibbs to come along, but he looks at Brandon and says, “Don’t want to go where I’m not appreciated” (311). After everyone else leaves the house, Candice stays behind and tells Brandon’s grandfather what she really thinks: “He is perfect just the way he is” (311). He tries to argue back, but Candice stays calm and then leaves.

At the bank, they meet Tiffany Halliday, who is surprised that anyone ever found the key. She explains that the press will be there in a half hour, since part of the arrangement is that “the city has to admit how the Washingtons were driven out of town” (313). Candice agrees and wants to help share the story. Candice, Brandon, and Tiffany go in to open the safety-deposit box.

In the box is information “for ten offshore bank accounts… a red scarf… a creased tennis photo” (315), two handwritten notes, and a picture of Parker and Siobhan. Candice wonders about this “new challenge” (315). After leaving the vault, the press asks Candice and Brandon questions about the letter, and the two “began to tell their story” (316).

Much of the money was set aside “for the betterment of the city” (316); after giving Tori a gift of a new car, Candice and Brandon split the remainder “fifty-fifty,” saving it for their futures. Candice begins having dinner with her father and Daniel, while her mother starts working on “her Anne C. Miller novel” (317).

After the media shares the story widely, Candice and Brandon get more information that deepens their understanding of what happened, including a call from Charles “Chip” Douglas. Candice begins to imagine herself writing down stories “one day” (318).

After three months away, Candice comes back to Lambert for a “ceremony to rename City Hall” (319) in honor of her grandmother, to whom the city has issued a formal apology. On a plaque outside the building, Candice has them include her grandmother’s favorite quote.

With the ceremony over, Brandon introduces Quincy to Candice. They’re interrupted by an older man named Odell Davis, who explains that he was there the night Abigail Caldwell dug up the tennis courts. Candice asks him about the bracelet, but he is confused, explaining that the “hole was as empty as a pool in the desert” (322). Candice feels that the mystery of the bracelet “would remain unsolved” (322) and heads off with Brandon to have lunch with Quincy.

The final chapter returns to Abigail Caldwell in 2007 in her first few weeks of “not having a job” (323). She reflects on how much work she had done “to unravel the mysteries of the letter” (324) only to be fired shortly after. She moves to Atlanta to stay with her daughter and her cute two-year-old granddaughter, Candice. When an older gentleman comes to the door and asks for Abigail Caldwell, she is skeptical of why he is there. He says, “You were on the right path, but you must have made a mistake” (325), then compliments her for even attempting to solve the puzzle. Abigail invites him in, realizing that it’s James Parker.

They discuss why the other people wouldn’t try to solve the letter. James asks her why she “risked everything for a city you owed nothing to” (326), and she explains that it was the right thing to do to help people. James says that he has a job to offer her—she’ll get a call about it next week. Then Candice walks up, offering James a Coke. He enjoys interacting with the young child, whispering a secret in her ear before telling Abigail that he must leave. Just before going, he says, “Your granddaughter… knows who I am” (328). Immediately after he departs, Abigail asks Candice his name, but Candice can’t pronounce it correctly, so Abigail can’t decipher it.

Later that week, Abigail gets a package offering her a “second chance” (329) with a bracelet inside. Abigail thinks for a while and decides to make sure the letter could be “solved by someone with a new perspective” (330), feeling that “she could give her granddaughter a running start” (331) by helping her look at puzzles at a young age.