Passion In James County XIX: Family Affairs
Chapter twenty-three
Matt and his Uncle Ezra and Aunt Serena sat in the attorney's office, listening to the lawyer read the terms of his parents' will. According to the document, Matt, as sole heir, would inherit his parent's entire estate.
"I don't know if you know it or not, but you are a very wealthy young man," the attorney told Matt. "The value of your father's investments, were you to liquidate them all right now, totals well over three million dollars. In addition, there is your father's majority interest in his business and some rather substantial and profitable real estate holdings. And, of course, you'll also have whatever settlement you'll receive from the airline's insurance company and the various life insurance policies your parents held. I believe, conservatively, the total value of the estate, once everything is settled could wind up in the range of ten to fifteen million dollars."
Matt was stunned by the vast figures the lawyer suggested, but how much money he had wasn't really important. He'd rather be poor and have his parents alive.
"Geez," Uncle Ezra exclaimed as they drove back to the house after the reading of the will. "You ain't never gonna have to work a day in your life if you don't want to, Denny. Ten to fifteen million bucks. Wow!"
"Now Ezra," his wife cautioned him, "You have to remember, Matt has been through a terrible tragedy."
"I know," Ezra said, "but damn, Serena, you and me, we worked real hard all our lives, and we ain't never gonna have a tiny damn piece of what's fallin' into that damn kid's lap."
They pulled into the driveway, then went in the house. Matt didn't like the tone he heard in his uncle's voice when he talked about the inheritance. He might be reading it wrong, but it sounded to him as if Uncle Ezra was jealous of his inheritance. Even worse, it sounded as if his uncle would like nothing more than to get his hands on some, if not all, of the money.
He went inside and directly upstairs to his room and the darkroom. Working on his photography projects helped ease the grief and loss he felt. It gave him something he could do that made him feel as if he had control over at least part of his life.
His uncle and aunt were using the spare bedroom, which happened to be on the other side of the darkroom wall. In fact, the darkroom was created by partitioning off some of that bedroom and some of the one Matt used. He heard his aunt and uncle enter the next bedroom, then he listened carefully, trying to hear their conversation.
"You know, Serena," Ezra said, "we gotta get that lawyer to unnerstand he hasta make us the kid's guardians and make him come to live with us. Then maybe we could get the courts back home to put us in control of all that money. I bet the court would rather see us takin' care of it, instead of some wet-nosed kid."
"I don't know, Ezra," Serena replied, "If that was what your brother wanted, don't you think he'd have put it in the will? Besides, Matt's eighteen. He's in charge of his own money."
"I been thinkin' about that," Ezra said. "It ain't right, a wet-nosed teen-age kid havin' control of all that money. I mean, he ain't gonna be able to handle that kinda money. I bet, if he was back in Seattle with us, they'd let us take care of it for him."
"I hadn't thought about that," Serena replied thoughtfully. "And you're right about him being too young. I'm sure he'll come back to Seattle with us. I mean, he certainly can't stay here alone. And who else could they appoint as his guardians? We're the only family he has left."
Matt heard it, but couldn't believe it. His worst fears were confirmed. He'd never much liked Serena and Ezra and neither had his father. Ezra, the younger brother, hadn't done much with his life and Matt's father had grown tired of bailing him out.
Matt knew his father wouldn't want either Ezra or Serena to have any say over the estate. All his aunt and uncle wanted, it seemed, was to get control of his money. He thought about telling his parents' attorney. But would the lawyer believe him? After all, Serena and Ezra were kin, the only kin he had left.
"I'm going out," he yelled through their bedroom door as he headed for the stairs.
"Don't be out too late, dear," his aunt yelled back.
Matt took the pickup. He wasn't sure how his aunt and uncle would react to that, but he didn't care. Question was, where could he go? Who could he talk to? Who could help him out of this mess?
He went to Dianna's house. He wasn't sure why, it just seemed like a good idea. He parked the truck in front, got out, walked up the sidewalk, and knocked on the door.
Dianna's mother answered the door.
"Hi," Matt said, "is Dianna home?"
"She's in her room," Dianna's mom said, "come in. I'll get her."
Dianna appeared from the hallway. "Matt! What are you doing here?" she asked.
