Читать книгу Sacred Ground - Adrienne Ellis Reeves - Страница 12

Gabe moved to the front window to watch Makima as she walked across the porch and down the steps. He could see the tension in her body and he knew he’d caused it.

He was sorry but there was nothing else he could have done. There was no way he could sell her any part of the property, not even one acre, much less five. He’d told her the will didn’t permit it and she’d had the gall to imply that she didn’t believe him, that he just didn’t want to consider her offer. That had made him angry.

She didn’t know him at all so where did she get off saying he was a liar?

He didn’t know her either but he’d listened to all she had to say about the clinic and had actually been impressed by her story. Losing her sister in such a senseless accident must have been terrible and he could understand how the need for the clinic arose out of it. He could only vaguely imagine how he’d feel if it had been Drew in that car!

The clinic would surely cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and he wondered how Makima and her partners could raise that much money. He dealt with funding in the state agency he worked for and he knew it wasn’t only the cost of getting a business up and running that one had to be concerned about. Keeping it running also cost money and that’s why many enterprises folded after a year or two.

That would be a worse scenario for the clinic than if they didn’t get it started in the first place. Had she thought about that?

He didn’t see why she’d fixated on this property. There had to be other acres in Grayson on which the clinic could be built that would be just as convenient for the community as this was. But no, Miss Makima Gray had apparently made a unilateral decision for this spot and had bullied the people she was working with to accept it.

He could have told her the details of the will but he didn’t see why he had to. That was his private business.

He needed to warn Drew not to talk about it, especially now that he’d met Jeff. It could slip out in a casual remark about them being here for only three months and Jeff could mention it to his sister, who would tell Makima’s brother and the damage would be done.

The hardheaded woman would just have to deal with what he’d told her—that the will permitted no sale.

The next morning Gabe was beating eggs for an omelet while Drew made toast when there was a knock at the back door.

A gray-haired man wearing a sweater stuck his head in the door. “Can I come in?”

Gabe said, “You’re just in time for breakfast. I’m Gabe Bell and this is my brother, Drew.”

“Sam Williams is my name and I’m your neighbor directly across the street.” They shook hands and Sam pulled out a chair at the table and made himself comfortable. “That omelet looks good but I’ll have to pass it up. I’ll join you for some coffee and toast. Zeke and I had coffee together most mornings, you know.”

Sam had sharp eyes and a round face that sported a short gray beard, which Gabe noted was neatly trimmed. He appeared to be in his late seventies.

Gabe served the omelet, poured coffee for Sam and himself and milk for Drew. “How about some fruit to go with your toast, Mr. Williams?”

“Call me Sam. No fruit. I have it later in the day or it upsets my stomach.” His eyes twinkled. “Digestive system isn’t what it used to be.”

He tasted his coffee. “You make a good cup of coffee, Gabe, I’m glad to say. Can’t stand it weak. Heard the two of you caused quite a stir at church yesterday. Sorry I wasn’t there to meet you but this is better. Always good to meet people across a table, you know.” He twinkled at Drew. “You remember that, young Drew. Now, how old are you?”

“I’ll be sixteen in a few months, Mr. Williams.” Listening to this interesting neighbor, Drew had slowed his usual eating pace.

“Growing so fast you’re going to be right up there with your brother in a few years. Bet you can’t buy the groceries fast enough,” he told Gabe.

His good humor made even Drew laugh, especially since he was pouring himself another tall glass of milk. “I’m thinking of putting him out to work to earn his keep,” Gabe said just to see what Drew’s reaction would be.

“Zeke was a smart man, you know,” Sam said. “He grew most of the food him and Sarah ate. Had a garden every year and began one this year. Guess you’ve seen it. When we’re through here I’ll show it to you, young Drew, and tell you what you need to do to keep it going so you can put some food on this table.”

The idea seemed to appeal to Drew. “Okay,” he said.

I like this neighbor, Gabe thought, and waited to see what Sam would put him through. He took a bite of omelet and sipped his coffee.

Sam started in a roundabout way while enjoying his breakfast. “Zeke and I were alike in not having the pleasure of seeing our kids grown and having kids of their own. His daughter, Elizabeth, only lived a few months. Robert died at twenty when a horse threw him while Edward went up to New York and disappeared. It wasn’t until years later that Zeke found out he’d died of tuberculosis and left two sons.”

Gabe forgot to eat, immersed in this picture of his father’s family of which he’d known nothing all these years.

“Since you and Drew are Bells, I take it that Edward Bell was your grandfather?”

“Apparently, but we never knew about him,” Gabe said.

“Your father’s name was?”

“Booker,” Gabe and Drew said in unison.

An expression of satisfaction was clear on Sam’s face and as Gabe poured more hot coffee, he warned himself to be vigilant because Sam appeared to be an expert at drawing information out of you. Therefore Gabe would offer only what he didn’t mind everyone knowing about the conditions of the will. He’d no idea what Great-Grandfather might have confided to Sam. He only knew what he wasn’t going to confide.

“Drew, I think I’d like another piece of toast to go with this good coffee,” Sam said. Drew got up to replenish the toast supply and Sam asked Gabe, “You’d be about thirty-five or so?”

“You hit it on the head exactly.”

“Single?”

“So far.”

“Your parents?”

“Both deceased.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, Gabe and Drew. I thought maybe they were since they weren’t down here with you.”

The sincerity in his voice was unmistakable and Gabe found no false note in it.

Drew put a plate of hot toast on the table and a jar of strawberry preserves. When everyone had eaten some, Gabe decided he would offer some facts.

“We were born and raised in Manhattan. The only relatives on our dad’s side that we knew about was his brother, Jacob. Uncle Jake never married and had no children as far as we knew. Our mother, Virginia Riley, came from a large family and those were the aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents we knew.”

“What did Booker say when you asked about family on his side?”

“He’d say he didn’t have any, or that he didn’t want to talk about it, so early on we learned to leave that subject alone.”

“Your uncle Jake never told you anything?”

“Nothing. We didn’t see him on any regular basis. He’d breeze into town for a few days and we’d never know when he’d be back.”

“Is he still living?”

“He died a year after Dad.”

“I probably knew your great-grandfather as well as anyone in Grayson and better than most,” Sam said thoughtfully. “For years we sat at this table together, especially after we were both widowed. He never said a word about what was to happen to this property. The one time I mentioned it he said it was taken care of. I expected that and never talked about it again.”

He was silent and so were Gabe and Drew.

“He hadn’t been ill, you know,” he resumed. “He just died one day. The next thing I knew, there was a rumor flying around town that an heir from New York had been found. So naturally I was very concerned to meet that heir and see what he was like, you see.” He raised an eyebrow, his sharp glance on Gabe.

“I understand. You wanted to see if the heir was worthy of your friend.” Gabe looked at his inquisitor calmly. The two men measured each other and came to an agreeable conclusion.

“My great-grandfather apparently decided to make a search for Edward’s son,” Gabe said. “It must have been quite difficult because it was only a few weeks ago that Drew and I knew anything about this. We had a visit from an attorney who had worked for Great-Grandfather for some years. He established who he was and who we were. Then he read us the will. To say we were astonished doesn’t begin to describe our feelings.” He glanced at Drew.

“Blown away is what we were!” Drew said.

“It was very hard to believe. In New York inheritance scams are played on people every day, so it took some time to come to the conclusion that what the attorney told us was legitimate. I can’t tell you all the details, but we are the heirs and we’ll be here for a while as things work themselves out.”

Sam was nodding his head. “Your great-grandfather was deep, so I’m not surprised that he worked it out that way. You know, he was quite a scholar in his own way, particularly about Africa. Read books about it all of the time and when something would come on television about that place, he’d tell me to come over and we’d watch it together.”

“I have noticed a number of books about Africa in his office.”

“Those are just the ones he kept. He used his library card for a lot of others.” He drained his coffee cup. “Well, I guess I’ve taken up enough of your time for now. I’m real glad the two of you are here. Feel free to come over any time. It’s the white house with the green shutters.”

“What a character,” Drew said, cleaning off the table as Gabe cleaned up the pans. “I like him.”

“So do I, and I respect him. He’s no dummy.”

“He sure told us a lot about Pop’s family. Seems like every day we find out a little more. Don’t you think that’s crazy?”

“In a way, but on the other hand, we’re living where Pop’s family began, so even though it was a long time ago, people here know bits and pieces that we couldn’t hear about living in NewYork.”

“He forgot to show me the garden,” Drew remembered.

“I think he stayed longer than he’d planned but he won’t forget. Watch for him tomorrow morning. What had you planned to do in the time before Jeff gets here?”

“Hadn’t planned anything special. Why?”

“Do a little treasure hunt and see if anything at all looks unusual or that might be a clue for us.”

“Okay.”

“One other thing, Drew. Did you get the idea that Sam Williams wanted to know everything that was in the will?”

“Yeah. He was, like, champing at the bit but you didn’t tell him.”

“You and I both have to repeat to others what I told him because a lot of people are as curious as Sam is. Just say we can’t talk about the details of the will and we’ll be here for a while. The topic might come up when Jeff gets here because it’s a natural question. Okay?”

“Sure, I can handle that.”

Gabe was anxious to explore his great-grandfather’s office. If there was something significant about the treasured destiny to be discovered, shouldn’t it be in the place where he did most of his work and study?

He stood in the doorway, noting how it had been set up. A dark brown desk with three drawers on each side was on the wall to his right, flanked by a floor lamp and a two-drawer beige file. The rest of the wall was a closet.

Opposite the doorway where he stood was an eight-shelf bookcase. On one wall beside it was a large map of Africa while the map on the other side showed details of West Africa. A comfortable chair with a table lamp stood beside it. A curio cabinet, other maps of the world and several chairs completed the furnishings.

He created his own little library, Gabe observed, and probably spent most of his time here as he grew older. It was well lit, comfortable and warm. He could see himself spending evenings here dipping into the books.

He began his search at the desk. The drawers were filled with bills going back twenty years. Apparently, Great-Grandfather didn’t believe in credit cards. All the receipts showed payment in cash. This even went for large items like the pickup truck Gabe had seen in the garage.

The house was paid for. The property tax statements represented the largest outgo of money. Gabe read the figure for the assessment of the property and whistled softly. He laid the paper down, stunned.

He couldn’t fathom being the potential owner of such valuable property. It was like winning the lottery. He’d never thought of having a lot of money. The most he’d desired was enough for him and Drew to get by on comfortably.

Still a little dazed, he looked through the other drawers but discovered nothing out of the ordinary. The stacks of bank statements would have to wait for another time, when his head was clearer.

He stood before the map of Africa and studied it. The attorney, Mr. Moultrie, had told him that this destiny business had its origins with some African slaves, so Gabe could understand why Great-Grandfather had an interest in the continent. But it was so huge. Had one country been singled out?

He moved to the other map, which showed only the west coast of Africa and its countries. Most of the slave trade had embarked from the west coast, if he remembered his history. Maybe the map had been marked for easy identification as to the area the slaves came from.

Gabe picked up the magnifying glass from the desk and looked closely but could see no mark of any kind.

He went around the walls, looking at the other maps and prints. He also looked behind them to satisfy himself that they contained no clues.

The bell rang downstairs and a minute later Drew yelled up, “Gabe, Jeff’s here.”

“I’m in the office. C’mon up.”

Jeff didn’t look anything like his sister, which was just as well, Gabe thought as he said hello. Jeff was broad across the shoulders and about five feet four inches. He had freckles and a broad nose.

“My mom reminded me to bring this book back since I was coming over here.” He handed Gabe a hardcover volume.

“Whose is it?” Gabe wanted to know.

“Mr. Zeke’s. He talked in our history class about Africa and said he had some books if anyone wanted to borrow one, so when I had to do a report I came and got that one.”

“Folktales of West Africa,” Gabe read aloud. “Is it a good book?”

“I liked what I read of it.”

“What kind of grade did you get?” Drew asked.

“Ninety-one.”

“Cool,” Drew said. “Shows it was a good book for you. I didn’t know our great-grandfather spoke in schools. Did he do it often?”

“Most every year for some grade. He was sort of an expert on Africa around here and he loved to talk about it.”

Drew and Gabe exchanged a glance. One more piece of new information to add.

Later in the evening, Gabe went to sit on the bench in the field. I learned some things about you today, Great-Grandfather, he mused, but there’s more I need to know if I’m going to carry out your plans.

What am I supposed to find and where are the clues you left in your house?