Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 77170 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77170 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
“Looks fine to me,” I say. “But tell me this. Can this trust force foreclosure?”
“A mortgage lien will usually take priority over all other liens, so if they do end up forcing foreclosure, the mortgage companies will get first dibs on any moneys from the property.” Mr. Brown shakes his head. “Like I said, this is highly irregular. The letter will hold them off for a few weeks, and even if they force the issue, foreclosure is a long process. You’ll all have ninety days to surrender the properties.”
Dad pulls out his checkbook. “This is fucked up.”
“I agree,” Mr. Brown says.
“I’m ready to write a check for your services, Mr. Brown.”
“There’s no need,” Mr. Brown says. “My fees are taken care of.”
“By whom?” I ask, already knowing the answer.
“Donny Steel.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Dad says. “We took up a collection from the citizens of Snow Creek. They’re willing to pay to get this taken care of.”
“Apparently Donny’s also willing to pay. He says his family feels terrible about all of this.”
“Well, they should,” Dad says. “But we don’t want their tainted money.”
“With all due respect, sir,” Mr. Brown says, “the Steel moneys are not tainted.”
“Maybe you and I have a different definition of tainted.” Dad swiftly writes out a check and hands it to Mr. Brown. “Here’s a retainer. That should cover this letter that you wrote and the next several hours. Let me know when you need more.” Dad stands. “Brendan, let’s go.”
I smile apologetically at Mr. Brown. “We’ll be in touch.”
“But, Mr. Murphy…”
Dad has already left the conference room, and he’s walking down the hall toward the exit sign. We plow through the reception area, and he hits the elevator button.
“Some nerve,” Dad says.
I’m not sure what to say. A big part of me agrees with my father. The Steels had some nerve paying for my place to be reconstructed as well. Dad doesn’t even know about that, and if I mention it now, smoke is liable to come out of his ears and his head might pop clean off.
We get back in the car and head back to Snow Creek.
Dad doesn’t say a word.
So I stay silent.
No reason to rock the boat.
I check my phone since Dad is driving this time. Ava still hasn’t returned my call, so I try again, this time not leaving a message. Then I send her a text.
Hey, baby. Worried about you. Please get in touch with me.
Just as I’m about to shove my phone back in my pocket, I get another text, and Dad’s phone rings at the same time.
It’s the other clinic, where we had our DNA test. They have our results.
“Dad?”
“What is it?”
“Turn the car back around. We’re heading back to the city.”
“What for?”
“The other clinic has our DNA test results.”
Dad takes the next exit, turns around, and heads back. “Can’t they give us the results over the phone?”
“Probably, but I want to see them on paper. Don’t you?”
He nods. “Yeah.”
A few minutes later, we’re back in the city, and we pull up in front of the lab, exit the car, and walk in.
“We just got a text that our results are in,” I say to the receptionist.
“Of course. Your name, please?”
“Brendan Murphy. This is my father, Sean Murphy.”
“Just a moment, please.” She taps on her computer. “Yes, we do have the results. Did you want to discuss them with someone?”
“Just looking at the report is fine.”
“All right. One moment please.” She taps again, and then she goes to her printer, pulls off some papers, and hands them to us.
“May I see your IDs, please?”
“Yeah, sure.” I pull out my wallet, extract my driver’s license. Dad does the same.
“Good enough.” She hands me the papers. “If you have any questions, let me know.”
Dad and I leave the office and stand outside in the hallway. I glance through the results. There’s a lot of garbled language about DNA sequences, but the result is the same.
Dad and Jack share paternal grandparents.
“Just as we thought,” I say.
“Yep.”
“We’ll figure it out, Dad.”
Except I’m not sure if we will. Sean Murphy is long dead, and whoever took his sperm? Damn… He could’ve just donated it himself. But then, how could Wendy have gotten access to it?
“Let’s look on the bright side,” I say. “You have a cousin. A cousin who could marry and have his own children. Your uncle’s line will go on, even though he died.”
“I suppose that should be some solace,” Dad says. “But you know what? It really isn’t.”
“I’m going to give Jack a call.”
“Why? He probably got the same text we did.”
“True.” Before I shove my phone back in my pocket, I check to see if Ava has gotten back to me.
She hasn’t.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Ava
It’s three in the afternoon by the time I make it to downtown Denver. Ugh. I hate driving here. Parking is terrible. I find the building but have to park two blocks away.