Whisper In The Dark (The McKinnon Legends-- The American Men Book One) (8 page)

After nodding his head and saying “Um hum” several times, Kate watched as he then tossed the note back onto his desk, put the glasses back on his head, and looked back at her.

He got straight to the ugly truth to her being there. “I assume you wish to know if this document is legal.”

“Yes. Is it?” She moved to the edge of her seat.

“Yes, and because Kyle has been dead more than forty-eight hours, the Golden Circle now belongs to Langston, I’m afraid.”

“What would happen if the note had been paid before the forty-eight hours? What then?” she asked cryptically.

“Well, that would depend. There is a clause inside which does allow for Langston to sell the note for face value without Kyle having knowledge or consent. It is the usual standard language here and here,” he said pointing to two specific paragraphs. “Now, if you paid the note inside the forty-eight hours, the deed would be cleared up and the note recorded as fulfilled without Langston being able to sell, call, or claim the debt.”

“What if someone else paid it? What then?”

“Again, it would depend. It states that Langston must accept payment unconditionally at any time inside the note term and the debt could be transferred to the new holder or terminated depending on the circumstances, as long as the note is paid by Kyle or any of his designees.”

“Designees? Such as?”

“I know Robert McKinnon is the executor of Kyle's will. Robert also has power of attorney to do such things on Kyle’s behalf. If Kyle were alive, then he could have initiated a new instrument to pay the note. However, if Langston were to accept payment, he would in fact transfer the note, not nullify or forgive the note. However, Katherine, no new instrument has been negotiated to my knowledge, and it has been more than forty-eight hours. The same stipulation applies here. The new holder of the note would now be the legal holder of the property if you cannot meet the terms.”

“Thieving bastard. He stole the ranch right out from under me! And I trusted him,” she almost cried. First, because she knew she was in a deep hole, but more because she had trusted Robert.

You would think she would have learned after her disastrous marriage never to trust a man who looked as good as Robert and had sharp brains to match. He was as shrewd as he was eye candy. She should have known better. No one is that nice. No one is that unselfish. Just because she knew him fifteen years ago did not mean she knew him still. Kyle going to Langston and not Robert should have tipped her off. Her trust was foolish, stupid, and costly. Well, never again.

“Are you talking Langston?” Lyles asked surprised, interrupting her train of thought. “Katherine, unless you are a fool, no one actually trusts Dallas Langston. At least anyone who has ever had dealing with him never trusts him.”

Yet, Katherine was nobody’s fool as far as he knew. He had done some digging once Kyle’s state of affairs became open. He knew she would be the sole person to inherit, both the good and the bad, from the Brandenburg estate.

She had done very well in the financial community until the vicious allegations were levied against her by her vindictive ex-husband. His jealousy had abounded in that relationship. As a financial planner, he continued to lose clients left and right giving bogus and high risk advice while she on the other hand had prospered. Careful investing and cultivating her contacts, coupled with knowledge of the booming Asian economy, had made her clients and her firm millions. It all came crashing down around her ears, amassing tens of thousands of dollars of debt in attorney costs to defend her innocence against charges that could not be substantiated. The watchdogs eventually went on to bigger and better trails to sniff out, but poor Katherine was left to mop up the mess left behind.

Once all the criminal charges were dropped and her record cleansed of any federal indictments, the civil charges just kept coming. Clients sued her for breach of confidentiality. Daniel, her ex, had pilfered her files using the confidential information of her clients to blackmail some and financially bring the ruination of others. It did not matter that she was not the one who gave him access to all the sensitive information. Katherine’s intern had had an affair with Daniel Masterson, Katherine's ex, and had given him access to Katherine’s files. The twenty-two-year-old senior at NYU was expelled from school and was now doing jail time for the part she played in the extortion.

Eventually, the mess was settled. Her clients were not any more understanding, but at least she did not have to go to jail, and as far as he knew there was no probation time either.

“Not Dallas, Mr. Lyles. It was Robert I trusted.”

“Katherine, what is going on?" He saw her hesitate. "I’m your attorney, Katherine. You must tell me. It is the only way I can help you.”

Kate sighed. “Robert paid Langston in full. He now owns the Golden Circle. And I have no recourse?”

“Robert, huh? It could be worse, Katherine. But no there is no recourse, I’m afraid, not as it stands. However, better Robert than Dallas Langston, my dear. Trust me. Robert was looking out for your and Kyle’s interests. I would bet my license on his actions being honorable.”

“Mr. Lyles, how can you say that? He did not even give me a chance. I trusted him,” she repeated.

“He had a very small window of time in which to react, Katherine. Keep that in mind before you place him on trial and convict him unjustly. If you will recall, that is an unpleasant feeling having been there yourself. If he did not consult you, perhaps he did not have time to do so.”

“Still, he should have told me right away. But no! I had to hear it from Brice like he was trying to use it to twist a knife into Robert.”

Lyles would not doubt for a moment that was Brice’s intention never understanding or caring the depths this perceived betrayal of Robert would gouge into her. Brice was almost as much a bastard as his old man. Lyles had always thought so and today was no different.

He had loved Brice’s mother as a young man. However, Dallas’ wealth and slick devil’s tongue had enticed her away from him before he could marry her. He had always blamed Dallas for her death feeling she died from loneliness. Dallas left her alone in the mansions as he perused his own interests, leaving her to languish unloved and unfulfilled.

“Is there anything in there that I can use?” Hope was in her voice, a hope Mr. Lyles did not share.

Then she answered her own question.

“I doubt it, given Langston drew it up. For all I know, he killed Kyle for the ranch never dreaming Robert would swoop in, riding to my rescue like some medieval knight.”

“I’d be very careful where and to whom I sling those kinds of accusations.” That warning was not unheeded.

“I know, I’m just...I don’t know,” she paused searching for the words looking at her hands clasped tightly in her lap.

“I know, dear, but there is one small glimmer of hope. Robert is a fair and just man. It would not have been so if Langston still held the note. You would have been on the street before we could have placed Kyle in the ground. Robert might be willing to work something out.”

He cautioned her about trying to keep the ranch. Unless she had personal funds or a source willing to go out on a limb, she knew she was going to be sorely disappointed. Kyle was bankrupt, and it was just a matter of time before the ranch would have gone on the block anyway, whether in part or whole.

Katherine took a deep breath. She was a survivor and she would get through this, too. “So, what is your suggestion? What are my options here?” she asked wondering at the way her life had just gone further into the crapper.

Katherine waited as Mr. Lyles searched through the small pile on his desk. He found what he was looking for and placed the envelope in front of him before passing it to her.

“I have only this one question, Katie.”

There was something in his eyes. She could not quite peg it. Was it knowledge, truth, understanding?

“And that question would be?” she asked looking into the eyes of the only man in the world who knew all the family secrets, and she did mean all of them. He probably knew things of which she did not have a clue. Her father and Mr. Lyles had been more than just attorney-client. They had been friends and fellow Masons of the local chapter. That aside, they both hated Dallas Langston. So
the enemy of my enemy is my friend
would have done it even if genuine affection had not sealed the life-long friendship.

“Katherine, what would be so valuable to possess that Kyle was dragged all the way out in the middle of Brandenburg land? Was he killed for ten dollars and a cheap watch which the killers did not even bother to take? No, I don’t think so.” Shaking his gray head slowly only emphasized his words.

It was then she understood what he was saying to her. She read between the lines.

“You believe it, too. You believe there is something to the myth of the buried fortune on Brandenburg lands?”

“I did not say that, although most myths are lined with kernels of truth. What I am saying is information is a powerful thing and the prospect for riches even more so. Whole civilizations have been conquered on the guise of converting the heathen. When....”

She interrupted him.

“When in reality it was the gold driving the likes of Cortez and the Spanish royalty,” she finished his thought.

“Precisely my point,” he said nodding his head.

She looked at him as he leaned forward laying his forearms on his desktop.

“Katherine, whether I believe there is a fortune to be found or not is immaterial. The fact others do believe there is treasure and are willing to kill for that possibility is material.”

The light went on for her. “You think I’m in danger?”

It was something she had not given a moment’s thought to until just that second. The shock and pain she was going through had blocked the thought before now.

“Katherine, I know the last couple of weeks have been traumatic and would have been difficult under the best of circumstances, however, you must wake up. Kyle is dead. George attacked. Yes, I think you are in danger and so does Robert. We both believe you could have already become a victim if it were not for Robert’s men.”

“You mean his ghosts? They are like shadows. They are always there, but I never see them. It’s creepy.” She shook her shoulders as if a chill had passed over her.

“They are serving their function. You need an ally, someone you can trust. I believe Robert is such a man. He brought this by, but did not say why and I have not looked at its contents. He asked me to give it to you when you came in to see me.”

He slid the envelope across his desktop to her.

Opening it up, she looked at the document.

She read over the offer.

I, Robert Samuel McKinnon, do here by offer the following options to terminate the promissory note which I hold in my position:

Fair market value, less the debt owed in the amount of three million dollars. I agree to pay this and if accepted then Katherine Delight Brandenburg will relinquish the deed to the Golden Circle and all livestock, mineral rights, and crops currently ready for harvest. (George can stay and will be given a stipend and lodging for the remainder of his life, all health care will be the sole responsibility of the McKinnon Trust).

We go partners on the treasure. The Cruel Shelf, jobbing pirate’s share to captain’s. And as captain I get to choose my booty. Your share must cover the note or the Golden Circle is still mine.

Take it or leave it. You have one hour to decide.

“Is he crazy?” she asked handing the document back to Mr. Lyles to read. Unsure of what Robert was up to she blinked several times trying to puzzle it all out. “He must be crazy.”

The older man looked the document over. It was a legal offer. “No, personally I think it is a good offer. He is giving you a choice, Katherine. That is more than Dallas Langston would have ever done.”

He handed the document back to her.

“What the heck is he talking about? The cruel shelf?” she asked looking up and over the paper.

He smiled in spite of the gravity of the situation. Robert was a lot like his old man had been with a quirky sense of justice.

“It is an old pirate’s measure of disbursing the booty. The captain gets twenty shares to the jobbing pirate’s share of five.”

“This is a joke, right?”

“No. It is a peace offering. Take the money and run, dear. He is offering you a way to save face and fair market value for the ranch.”

“He took my birthright right out from under me.” She sounded unreasonably whiny even to her own ears.

Lyles slapped the desktop hard with the flat of his hand making her jump.

“That is immaterial and childish. Langston legally held a note Kyle unwisely entered into with that barracuda without consulting me. Robert paid Langston off, and he did not have to do so. Remember that fact, Katherine. He was not the one to rob you of your birthright. I know you don’t want to hear it, but Kyle did that. Now, can you or can you not pay Robert?”

She stared at him in stony silence as the finality of the situation finally sank in.

“Not at the moment, no.” Sighing and shaking her head, Katherine knew deep down Mr. Lyles had a valid point. Kyle’s decision was just one Brandenburg choice of many going all the way back to Thaddeus for which she was now fielding the consequences.

Lyles softened. “My dear, even if you did repay the debt, running a spread the size of the Golden Circle is hard and expensive work. You are a financial wizard, Katherine. You of all people understand the dangers of being undercapitalized. One slip and the ranch will be on the block at a fraction of its value. Take the money. It is the best thing for everyone.”

She leaned back in the chair. She had George to consider. He was her responsibility now, and he needed dependable health care. He deserved to live out his days in comfort or at least free of worry. With the money she would get from the sale and her ability to invest, they could live comfortably the rest of their lives. They could live anywhere. She could buy a much smaller track of land if they wanted to have the country lifestyle. They could move closer to the city to give them more conveniences. It had taken the ambulance over thirty minutes to reach the ranch. If George or she got hurt, it could mean the difference between life and death.