Rhett shook his head and so did Julie. “I’d just like to know why I’m here.”
“I’m sure you do.” Cross lifted a thick file from the corner of his desk and placed it in front of him. “I’m the third or fourth lawyer to manage your parents’ estate. Your father left very detailed instructions on how he wanted everything managed and to make sure that you were provided for. He couldn’t foresee that his parents would be killed in a car accident only a month after he and his wife died. This resulted in you being placed in foster care as no other relatives could be found, even after a long, drawn-out process to find them.” He opened the file and removed a bunch of papers. “This is the last will and testament of your parents. Each of them left the estate to the other and then finally to you. There is a codicil your father added to determine exactly what would happen to the estate if both of them perished before you became of age. This was added to the wills only six months prior to their deaths. As your parents were both under thirty, I have often wondered if he’d had a premonition to make such detailed plans for his estate.”
Rhett slid his hand into Julie’s and she squeezed his fingers. Glad of the support from her being there, he linked his fingers through hers. “I am totally oblivious to anything that happened. All I was told when I left foster care was that when I turned twenty-five, I must come to Black Rock Falls and speak to the lawyer in town.” He nodded to Cross. “I was relieved to receive your letter. I had no idea anyone knew where I lived.”
“Oh, I’ve been following your life since I took over the estate. It’s been some years now. I knew you had obtained a full scholarship for UM and so there was no need for me to interfere with your life. If you had needed financial support I would naturally have contacted you and opened a trust fund. Everything is in the codicil. Your father made his instructions perfectly clear.” Cross cleared his throat. “Obviously you will receive a full copy of both wills, but I’ll go through the main parts of them for you. Your parents owned a large ranch, here in Black Rock Falls. Lawson’s Ridge covers over one hundred and twenty thousand acres of prime cattle land. They run bison and Black Angus cattle. It’s a very lucrative property. All the documentation, accounts, and the like are in the file for you to peruse.”
Finding it hard to breathe, Rhett nodded. “I gather there is someone running the business in my absence?”
“Yeah, you have a full staff. A ranch manager who has been there for years and is very capable. Accountants, a firm in town works for you. There’s nothing for you to worry about. The accounting firm and I oversee every part of your investment and it’s running like clockwork. You have a fine team there.”
Rhett ran a hand down his face. “It wasn’t my intention to become a rancher. For my entire life, all I wanted to do is to help children in need. I can’t imagine changing my plans at this stage. Is there a house or a place there for me to live, or has the manager of the estate taken that over?”
“The house is just as your parents left it.” Cross leaned back in his chair and towered his fingers. “It has been maintained, cleaned regularly, and you could move into it today. The manager and his wife and family live in a separate ranch house on the estate. There are separate bunkhouses for the staff and a number of other buildings for residences. In fact, there are a huge number of barns and other buildings covering the estate. You’ll need to go and look for yourself. It’s so massive I can’t possibly explain it all in one meeting.”
Not sure if he should be excited or terrified, Rhett swallowed hard. “So there’s really nothing for me to do if it’s running like clockwork. I can just live there and let it tick along?”
“You could and I’m more than happy to retain my fee for overseeing everything.” Cross smiled. “I figure that once you’ve settled in and seen the running of things, you might want to take the reins yourself. I am more than happy to walk you through everything you need to know, and like I said, the people managing the ranch have been doing so for many years and I’ve never had a complaint.” He slid a piece of paper across the desk. “You might want to cast your eyes over your bank account. After the deduction of expenses, the profits, less the taxes, are deposited into your account. The figures are up to date, and everything in this account belongs to you. You of course have the right to sell the estate, if that’s what you want. The ranch is very prestigious and there are buyers all over for the meat. The breeding program you have there also produces saleable cattle that are in high demand for their breeding. You have inherited a very lucrative business that most people would be overjoyed to inherit.”
Leaning forward to glance at the document, Rhett held his breath at the figure on the bottom line. He had become an instant multimillionaire and the realization frightened the heck out of him. He raised his attention back to Cross and shook his head slowly. “This is going to take a lot to digest. I’m a little overwhelmed. I obviously would like to go and see the property but I would like you to remain overseeing everything until I can find my feet. I don’t intend to be taken advantage of and my expertise isn’t in ranching.”
“I understand completely but you will need to take a letter from me to the bank here in town and have your signatures added to the accounts. You obviously have a personal account that has the amount in it I’ve just shown you, but there are numerous other accounts that are used to run the estate. You can be assured that nothing gets paid without an invoice. The accountant who is in charge of the finances is top notch.” He took an envelope out of the file and pushed it across the table to him. “This is a letter addressed to you. It came with very strict instructions not to be given to or opened by anyone else. The contents are of a highly sensitive nature and the letter has been in the safe for the last twenty-two years.” He flicked a glance at Julie and then moved his attention back to him. “You may want to open it in private.”
Turning the envelope over in his hands, he shook his head. “You’re my lawyer and she’s the only friend I have right now. I trust both of you.” He slid a finger under the seal and a single piece of paper dropped onto the desk.
Dear Rhett,
* * *
How strange it is to be talking to the future you. My little boy is now twenty-five and a man, no doubt set in his ways and fresh from college. I must say whatever has happened to you since we last met, your mom and I love you with all our hearts.
Lately, a few unusual things have happened around the ranch. I can’t go into details because I might place you in danger. I visited my trusted lawyer and made plans should anything happen to your mom and me. I made it impossible for the ranch to be sold and it would continue under the guidance of a manager until such time you are able to take over. I could see no reason why a lucrative business should fail, and this being the case, you will inherit a fortune.
I hope my parents raised you. I’ve already spoken to them and made them aware of the situation and they will be caring for you until we get this sorted. God willing, nothing bad will happen to us and you’ll open this letter after we’ve lived a full life, but if you’re reading this at twenty-five and we’ve been dead before you turned three, it was murder.
When the accidents started to happen, I figured someone was trying to make us sell up at a massive loss and leave the ranch, but lately, I’ve seen things that would make your hair curl. The sheriff has been out and found nothing unusual. I figure he believes I have an overactive imagination.
Hopefully, the problem will be resolved by the time you read this, but be aware, people are not who they seem.
* * *
Your loving father,
* * *
Christopher Lawson
* * *
P.S. Remember: The most important day in our lives was the day you were born.
The letter slipped from Rhett’s fingers and he looked at Julie. “Someone murdered my parents.”
Twenty-One
Jenna chewed on the end of her pen as Rio made notes on the whiteboard about the cases, listed side by side for comparison. Her body ached and the last place she wanted to be was at work. Wolfe had conducted a series of tests to determine if they had contracted anything nasty from the stormwater and taken various scans to ensure that Jo and she hadn’t received any permanent damage from their injuries. Numb from the injections Wolfe had inserted in her shoulder, she understood it would be only a matter of time before the local anesthetic wore off and the pain set in. She needed to be at home when that happened. Taking pain meds wasn’t something she enjoyed, but if it meant getting a good night’s sleep, she would do it this time. It was imperative that she discovered who was murdering these women before they hit again. Convinced it was the same person, even though both MOs were totally different, kept her going. She looked at Rio. “While we were playing in the floodwater, did you discover anyone common to the victims?”
“So far I’ve found only a few, I’m afraid.” Rio turned back to the whiteboard. “As all the women were members of our self-defense class, we concentrated our attention on anyone who came in contact with them as a group.” He made notes as he spoke. “Do you recall Lana Peters? She was one of our guest self-defense instructors and has a military background.”
