Endings And Beginnings
"Oh, no….that nice old man….how sad!" Laurie exclaimed. Rick tightened his arm around her as he asked, "Do they know what happened?
"His secretary called the paramedics, saying he'd gone into his study before going to bed. When she saw the light on under the door an hour later, she went in and found him on the floor, face down. They tried to revive him….but it was too late. I got a call ten minutes ago from the hospital…they just wanted to see if he had any symptoms or anything here…" Robbie explained. Rick shook his head.
"Poor old guy, he did kind of seem weak after the presentation….I'm just glad we got to meet him. Does he have any family to speak of?"
"I don't think so, Pop…..but it's really going to hit the community hard…there's always been a Masterson or McNeil around…." Robbie said. Laurie sighed.
"We'll have to do something special in his memory, darling….but I'm sure his foundation will put something together. Do you want to come home with us for a nightcap, I really don't feel like staying."
"Sure, Mama…Pop, why don't I follow you home?"
"Good idea, son, let's say good night to Ramona and the kids, then we'll go." Rick agreed.
In the days that followed, a strange murmuring went through the community, as both Window Rock and Silver Rock leaders put together tributes to the late benefactor.
Rick and Laurie attended the one in Silver Rock, then lingered afterward to sign the guest book. As they were leaving the tiny church, one of the mourners approached them in the vestibule.
"Mr. Simon, Mrs. Simon, thank you for coming. I'm Jason Maxwill….from the McNeil Foundation. I was pleased to see you here….would it be possible for the three of us to meet for lunch next week?"
Laurie glanced over at Rick, then nodded.
"Thank you Mr. Maxwill. That was very thoughtful of you to invite us."
"My pleasure. Why don't you come to our new property, it's just outside of town. We'll be opening it next month, but I'd really like an expert's eye on how authentic it is."
The man was positively gushing, and Rick worked hard not to laugh. Laurie's face brightened.
"Oh…you mean the old Masterson ranch….I had heard it was being renovated."
"Renovated? My dear lady, it's a totally new resort now…no cars allowed on the property, only horses..a lavish hacienda with 3 restaurants, a total retreat to the Spanish era!"
At the snotty tone of Maxwill, Rick's need to laugh vanished, and he icily replied,
"I'm sure it's impressive, but if you'll excuse us…"
"Oh, yes….well, thank you, Mr. Simon…I'll have my secretary call you with a date and time…" Maxwill was flustered, and Laurie immediately took Rick's arm.
"Yes, please do…thank you again."
As Rick led her out of the church, he felt her cling to him, and he became concerned.
When they reached their truck, he started to say, "Darlin….I'm sorry…I tried not to let him get to me…but…"
"Rick….thank you, love…you didn't do anything." She interrupted, putting her hand to his cheek. "That man gives me the creeps…..and his rudeness ….the only reason I wanted to accept his invitation was to say thank you for the donation. You were more polite then he deserved."
"Sweetheart.." Rick pulled her hand to his lips, then kissed it. "I don't like anyone being jerky to my wife. We'll turn down his "hacienda lunch" when he calls. Now, " he grinned as he boosted her into the truck cab. "How about a burger?"
"And fries…you're on, love!" she smiled.
After the hubbub of the memorial services, Rick was glad when things quieted down in the community.
He and Laurie could turn over the business of selecting a counselor
to the local schools and their search committee. He and A.J. had just finished looking over Andy's scholarship applications for the next year when Laurie knocked on Rick's office door.
"Darling, Robbie's on the phone…it's urgent."
Seeing her worried face, Rick nodded at her, then picked up his extension.
"Hey, son..what's up?"
"Pop, I just got a weird phone call from some attorney….The executors of Mr. McNeil's estate want me to go to the reading of his will on Tuesday. Apparently I'm a beneficiary!" Robbie told him, a concerned tone in his voice.
"You're what?" Rick replied, puzzled. Across from him A.J. looked at his startled face, and mouthed, "What?"
"I'm supposedly mentioned in Mr. McNeil's will….I thought someone was joking around at first, but this Mr. Lockwood was serious. As a matter of fact, he was going to call you and Mom next…about the donation….something to do with it is in the will too."
"I wonder why, son." Rick was confused by the requests. "It's not like it was tied in to any specific conditions…."
"Rick, Robbie….what is going on?" A.J. couldn't take it any more and spoke up.
At that moment Rick apologized then put the phone speaker on . "Robbie, your Uncle wants to know what's up."
"Sorry Uncle A.J….." As the younger Simon explained, Rick thought over the little they knew about the Masterson McNeil estate.
"Wait a minute…" Rick thought about something Laurie had said. "Sweetheart?"
Laurie came to the office doorway, and he told her what Robbie had called about.
"You said something about rumors…about the foundation being started in repayment for the crimes committed by one of the members of the family, against Grandmother Kasey and Gene Adams?"
"Yes….Rick…that's it! I bet that poor old man was fulfilling some part of the repayment or something…." She exclaimed.
"That's probably it, Mom…." Robbie answered, then Rick added, "And the donation's probably part of it too…. Well, I suppose we can attend this thing…."
"It's next Tuesday at 11 am….do you want me to pick you and Mom up?"
"Sure, Robbie." Rick grinned as A.J. teased "want to show off that new cruiser of yours, huh?"
"Well, it does have a nice stereo system…and a really loud siren…" Robbie joked.
Amid the laughter, Rick saw a sudden look of worry cross Laurie's face, and he reached out a hand to her. "Laurie?"
"It's nothing, love…but …I'm going to look at Grandmother's stories…something's missing." She mused, then giggled as Rick pulled her onto his lap.
"You're what's missing, how about some lunch?" he winked
"That's a great idea, Pop…" Robbie said over the phone, breaking them up.
As the reading of Darius McNeil's will loomed, public speculation about it's contents was the talk of not only the reservation, but of the Phoenix area. Rick and Laurie fielded several phone calls, and Robbie had to have even his service calls screened to avoid reporters tracking him down. On the morning of the appointment with
McNeil's attorney, Rick was impatiently ignoring a tabloid reporter's long-winded question on the answering machine, when Laurie called to him.
"Rick….I found it!"
"Found what, darlin'?" he responded, getting up from the kitchen table and going into the living room.
"What was missing…about Masterson McNeil." She told him, patting a place next to her on the sofa. Spread out on the coffee table in front of her was the second of Grandmother Kasey's diaries.
"I couldn't remember what it was….but it's here…what she wrote about Grandfather Gene. He was kidnapped by Darius Masterson while Kasey was out of town on an assignment with her uncle."
Sitting next to his wife, Rick put an arm around her as she read aloud the journal entry.
"It was hard for me to stay calm as I entered the Sheriff's office. There on the coat hook was Gene's warm jacket, while on his desk rested the holster and gun he carried. I couldn't bear the thought of him somewhere, cold, injured…helpless.. I reached for the coat, and resisted the temptation to cling to it, for his scent was still on the material."
"Miss Kasey, I found those on the ground by Rocky Peak Trail…that's where I figured he was ambushed." Pat told me, as I put down his jacket, and gingerly examined the scuffed handle of Gene's gun.
"Did you see any strange footprints, or signs of a fight, Pat?" I asked, then a familiar voice interrupted his reply.
"We didn't see anything when we searched, ma'am."
I turned to see Darius Masterson, standing in the doorway. As a member of the town council, he'd been deputized when Gene went missing. However neither Gene nor my father had thought him trustworthy, due to his rabblerousing against Chief Redfern's tribe doing business in town. His family had merged with another land-rich clan with dishonest connections, and I didn't trust him either. For forms sake I put on a polite smile.
"Thank you, Mr. Masterson, for your help. I understand you're the one who found Champ?"
He smiled brightly at me. "Yes, Miss Kasey. That wild horse of the Sheriff's, he nearly bit my hand off, but I managed to get a rope around him and the deputy and I brought him back to town."
Anger rose up in me; Champ wasn't a wild horse, but a trained one. The only reason he would have reacted that way to Masterson was……."
"Was if he was involved in Grandfather Gene's capture." Rick finished, looking up from the yellowed page of the journal. Laurie nodded.
"That's what Grandmother figured, so she cooked up an excuse to get Masterson to stay in town, then took Champ out to where he and Gene were separated. Sending Deputy Pat back for reinforcements, Kasey took a chance.
"Okay, Champ…..find Gene….Gene needs you!" I took the lead off his neck, and after staring at me for a moment, Champ took off, racing down the trail towards the edge of the homestead lands, then veering off into the foothills. Jumping on Lightening's back, I followed him for almost half an hour through a sharp mountain pass. Suddenly the pass opened up to a small plot of land set in the trees. On this land was a rickety old shack, with a partial second story. A weed-strewn driveway led around the back of the place, and I saw a small, run-down barn backing to the hillside. Dismounting, I tied Champ to a sturdy tree, then crept along to the rear of the building. Peering inside, I saw Gene tied to a chair, his head lolling to one side. Not seeing anyone around, I wrapped my hand in a cloth, then broke the window above the doorknob. Reaching in, I unlocked the door, then slid inside. Closing the door, I blinked in the near-darkness, then saw Gene's head raise up.
"Who's there?" he mumbled. My breath caught in my throat, as I saw dried blood on his face, and his right eye blackened.
"Gene…" I forced my voice to be steady. "It's Kasey…just stay still, I'll get you loose."
At the sound of my voice he turned his head slowly, then peered at me through a half-closed eye.
"Kasey….." He blinked, then took a deep breath. "How did you….where did you come from?"
"I came as soon as I got the wire about you being missing, from David and Deputy Pat…" I stepped carefully over rotting floorboards into the room, then quickly pulled out a knife and cut the cruelly tight ropes from his arms and legs. A muffled groan escaped his lips as circulation began to flow to his limbs. I put an arm around him to support him upright, then felt his breath on my face.
"Kasey, thank you…how did you find me, did you follow Masterson?"
I shook my head as I got Gene to his feet. "No, Gene, I remembered how you taught Champ about tracking. So that's what I did…I waited until Masterson was in town, then I followed Champ from the place you were taken. Pat and the others are right behind me."
In the dim light I saw open admiration in Gene's eyes. "That was good thinking, Kasey…now to get out of here before Masterson comes back!"
Putting my arm around Gene, I helped him out the door and over to where Champ was waiting. Patting his old friend, Gene whispered, "That's my pal…you're a hero."
As if saying "Thanks", Champ bobbed his head in response.
"He is the smartest horse ever, Gene. Can he bear us both to town?" I asked, then the sound of horses hooves made us scramble to the other side of the shack.
Panting, Gene had to put most of his weight on me as we hid behind the rear of the building. Just then Masterson rode into sight, two men following him, his head jerking back and forth as he looked for signs of someone following him.
"We have to distract them, Kasey…I've got to go back in and retrieve the Chief's treasure map…."
"Treasure map?" Rick stared blankly at his wife. Laurie nodded.
"Yes, Chief Redfern had once discovered a hidden "treasure", but refused to ever touch it. Several years later, it was hidden again…since then the rumors have been that it's a chest full of gold. I've always thought it might contain the remains of the original elders of the Navajo, or the official documents awarding this land to the people."
"That would be the real treasure…" Rick said thoughtfully, then was surprised by Laurie putting her arms around him and kissing him.
"Darlin'? " he murmured, then was touched by her saying, "If I didn't love you so before…I'd fall in love with you now."
Pulling back, he looked puzzled at her until she said, "You understand….how much more valuable something that belongs to the people is, compared to gold…our heritage."
Moved, he stroked her face. "Sweetheart, your heritage..is my heritage…Besides, look what that rumor started…"
Laurie nodded, then cuddled against Rick as he peered down at the yellowed journal.