Bakkian Chronicles, Book I - The Prophecy (2 page)

Steve laughed. “Yeah, yeah, you have a point. Hey, listen, I have a question for you. Have you or dad received a certified letter in the last couple of days? From an attorney named Arthur Carroll?”

His mother thought a moment. “No, nothing like that here. An attorney sent you a certified letter? Are you all right? Is someone trying to sue you?”

“
No, no, nothing like that. He sent a letter stating dad’s parents had died in a car accident, and that I’m named as beneficiary in their will. I just figured dad was named as well. I mean, I know they had their differences, but I just figured the attorney would have contacted the two of you first.”

Bonnie Miller sighed and sat down. Her husband had most definitely not gotten along with his parents. How could a happily married couple neglect their only son?

“
No, we haven’t received anything. When did this happen?”

“
Just about three weeks ago.”

“
I’m really sorry to hear that. I didn’t know them that well. I only met them once. I don’t know how your father is going to take this. He’s playing golf at the moment. I’ll have to tell him when he gets back. He didn’t take his cell.”

“
But why would they name me beneficiary and not dad? Were things that bad?”

“
Yes, honey, they were. They hadn’t spoken to each other in years.”

“
I sure as hell don’t remember talking to them, either. Why name me?”

“
I don’t know why they did. They must have had some reason to. What are you going to do?”

“
Well, I guess I can call this lawyer to see what he needs me to do. Do I have to go to his office? Can’t he just tell me over the phone what they left me?”

“
You’ll have to talk to him personally. When going through a will, I’ve never heard of a reputable lawyer disclosing the contents over the phone. Just let me know what happens, alright?”

“
Is dad going to be okay?”

“
Leave your father to me.”

“
Okay mom, thanks. Bye.”

“
Goodbye, Steven.”

Steve sighed inwardly. Figuring his boss wouldn’t give him any problems about dealing with a death in the family, he picked up his phone again and called the attorney's office and made an appointment for the following day. That done, he decided to call his wife whom he had just dropped off fifteen minutes ago at the hospital. Sarah Miller was the supervisor for a company that provided medical billing on behalf of the local hospital. Her job was to oversee a team of people who relentlessly nagged the insurance companies on the hospital’s behalf until they paid the claims that she and her team had submitted.

“
Hi honey! What's up?”

“
Hey, babe. I’m stuck in traffic at the moment. Haven’t even made it to the office yet. Hey, listen, remember that certified letter that I got yesterday? Forgot about it until just now. I decided to open it. It looks like my grandparents passed away. They…” and was quickly cut off.

“
Omigod! What happened? When did this happen? Ummm…” Sarah paused a moment. She only knew of one set of Steve’s grandparents, and his grandfather had passed away a number of years ago, leaving only his grandmother. He had clearly said “grandparents”. Plural. “Who?”

Steve smiled.

“
They were dad's parents. You've never met them. Hell, I can’t remember ever meeting them before. Mom claims that I did, but being only two years old doesn’t count. Anyway, they were always out of town. They never came to family get-togethers. They were the family outcasts.”

“
Oh, I'm so sorry. Is there anything I can do?” Now Sarah sounded upset.

“
I know this is cold-hearted, but I didn’t know them. They never made an effort to get to know us, so I really didn’t worry about it. Apparently I’m named in their will. So thanks to that, I have to go see their lawyer tomorrow morning, see what's up. I have plenty of PTO, so I’ll take the day off and pretty much spend it on the road. Just what I always wanted to do on a day off. He's probably gonna try and make me pay some type of legal fee, isn’t he?”

“
You’re not responsible for any debts or fees,” Sarah pointed out. “If anything, you’ll have to liquidate the assets to pay for anything that’s owed. Be cordial to him tomorrow. I don't want you scowling at him, or anything like that. Promise.” It wasn't a request.

“
Okay, okay, I promise. I'll wait to see what he has to say before I start scowling.”

Sarah laughed and hung up.

As it turned out, the lawyer was surprisingly polite. Of course, he was in Boise, a two hour drive from his home in Twin Falls. Fortunately, the drive gave him plenty of time to come up with excuses to get out of doing too much work or paying any money.

Arthur C. Carroll had seen better days. He appeared to be in his sixties, was overweight, balding, and had stained teeth. Well, that’s what you get when you drink too much coffee, Steve thought.

“
Mr. Miller, thank you for coming,” the attorney shook hands with him. “Please sit down. I know you had a long drive, so I'll make this as short as possible.”

Steve smirked.
I'll believe that when I see it.

“
I can tell from your expression that you’re expecting the worst. So I’m pleased to disappoint you. You’re the sole beneficiary of the Miller Estate in Coeur d’Alene. That includes their home and land, about a hundred and fifty acres.”

Steve's eyebrows shot up, his jaw clanging noisily on the floor.

“
A hundred and fifty acres? In Coeur d’Alene? Wow.”

“
That is correct, Mr. Miller. Their residence and the land it’s sitting on now belong to you. What you do with it is entirely up to you. Sell it, live on it, demolish it, it doesn’t matter to me. Please sign here. The transfer of title will take about thirty days. Then the estate is officially yours.”

“
Free and clear?”

“
Free and clear,” the lawyer confirmed.

Steve shook his head in amazement and signed the papers. Once the documents were signed and given back to the attorney, he was handed a set of keys. And a map.

Steve was puzzled.

“
What’s the map for? I know where Coeur d’Alene is.”

“
Their property is northeast of the city, bordering BLM land. I’ve only been to the estate once. Trust me, you’ll find the map useful. Good luck, Mr. Miller.”

And with that, he again shook hands with the attorney and left the office.

Steve's mind was spinning. He owned a mansion now? And a hundred fifty acres of land? He had to call Sarah, as this was Breaking News. They were going to have to celebrate! But how? How could he keep this a surprise from Sarah? How could he, the world’s worst secret keeper, keep his big mouth shut? Oh, why bother. She’ll see through me in a heartbeat, he thought. Fine, dinner it is.

Of course, Sarah knew something was up the moment his little ‘let’s go out for dinner’ suggestion escaped his lips. Was he upset and wanted to get his mind off of his grandparents? Was the trip to the lawyer’s office a waste of time? No, she shook her head. That couldn't be it. If that were the case, they wouldn't be eating out. Okay, so why are they going out then? Wait a minute. Out to dinner? On a weekday? Did he inherit some money? Why won’t he tell me? She sighed. Steve and his surprises. This had better be a pleasant surprise.

After they had placed their orders, Steve then proceeded to fill her in on what had transpired at the lawyer’s office.

“
A mansion? You never said they were rich. And a hundred fifty acres? That’s gotta be worth something up there. Coeur d’Alene is a resort town, you know.” Sarah clapped her hands. “I wonder if it’s a pretty mansion with a garden? Wouldn’t that be great?” Sarah looked at Steve and sobered instantly. “Oh honey, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound so excited about your grandparents’ death.”

“
Hey, don’t worry about it. Like I told you, I didn’t know them. I say we contact a realtor up there and put the property up for sale. Let’s see what kind of offers we can get on it. I want to be done with it. The way I see it, we should be able to make some good money off this whole deal. Real estate is worth a lot up there.”

Sarah clapped her hands again, back to being instantly excited.

“
We don’t have anything planned this weekend. You should be able to take Friday off. Just tell ‘em that since there’s been a death in the family, you have to go to the funeral. I’ll take it off, too. We can go up there to see what the place looks like.”

Steve shook his head.

“
You want to drive up there? Going through someone’s house is not my idea of fun. The place probably has orange shag carpeting. Lime green appliances. Formica countertops.” He chuckled at the mental picture this formed and returned his attention back to Sarah. “Did you know that when dad moved out of his parents’ house, I’ve never once heard of him returning to visit? Hmmm…” Steve's voice trailed off.

Sarah waited. Was there more to this story?

“
They never attended family reunions,” Steve continued on, moments later. “No Christmases that I can remember. No phone calls to say hello, how are you? And for my birthday, they always sent three lousy bucks in my birthday card when I was a boy. And now I learn they have, er, had a mansion.” Steve paused, and looked at his wife. “I never knew these people. I always thought they were cheap and wanted nothing to do with me. Then I find out they’ve given me essentially everything they own. I don’t understand why. What’s the logic behind that? Sure, I’m flattered that they chose to give everything to me, but why should I bother with them?”

Sarah had remained quiet the whole time Steve had been rambling, nibbling on a bread-stick. Now that he appeared to be done, she took a breath. “I think that since they’ve named you in their will, they thought highly of you. You should at least go to their house up there and see for yourself what you were given. I think you owe them that.”

Steve wasn’t ready to commit to a day long drive. Not yet, anyway.

“
I looked it up. MapQuest says that Coeur d’Alene is a twelve hour drive from here. Twelve hours!! Wouldn't it be a better idea just to call a local realtor and put the house and property up for sale? We could get some bids for cleaning the place up, tossing trash, etc. I’d be willing to pay for that provided I didn’t have to be involved. I wonder if Lynn has any contacts up there.”

Lynn was one of Sarah’s close friends that they periodically hung out with. She just happened to own her own real estate brokerage.

Sarah fixed him with a glare. “You can call her if you like. However, we’re going. This is important and you’ll feel terrible if you don’t go.”

Steve mentally scratched the remaining items off of his list of issues and resigned himself to the trip. A day-long drive up the northern Idaho panhandle.

****

Steve sighed. How much longer was this drive going to last? When he had looked at the map to plot their course, he still couldn't see how it could last twelve hours. The starting point and ending point were in the same state for crying out loud! They had passed Boise several hours earlier. Now they were on a straight stretch of SR-55, in the middle of nowhere, with nothing to see. The steady humming of the SUV’s tires on the asphalt was beginning to make him drowsy.

Sarah had gone to the library to check out several audio books. Steve had to admit, it was a good way to pass the time. Provided that they were murder mysteries, and not romance novels. Although he’d deny it under the most heinous of tortures, some of them weren’t too bad.

This novel, however, was boring beyond belief. The story was very slow to start. He had believed (prayed!) that the pace would pick up, but after three cds, it was apparent that it wasn’t going to happen anytime soon. And what was with the narrator? Flat, emotionless, unenthusiastic voice that could put even the most caffeinated person to sleep in just a few minutes. Which moron listened to her and thought, “Gentlemen, here’s an idea, let’s have her make an audio book”? How many accidents was this lady responsible for, anyway? **Groan**. Seven more CDs to go.