November 15, 2003

Blacksburg Airport – Blacksburg, Virginia

1102 Eastern

Harm smiled as he got off the motorcycle. He had a feeling this would probably be one of the last few days he'd be able to ride the bike before having to put it away for the winter, so he'd decided to take one last long ride. An added benefit was that he'd been able to really relax, simply enjoying the ride and not really having to think about anything else.

Harm's smile got even bigger when he turned from laying his helmet on the seat of the bike to find Mattie racing towards him.

"You're late, Harm," she scolded him.

"Sorry, boss," Harm replied with a grin that seemed to say he wasn't really sorry.

"I've got everything I could find waiting in the office."

Harm nodded, seeing how anxious the teen was to get down to business. He followed her into the office and smiled at the pile of paper sitting there waiting. Pulling over a stool, Harm began going through the pages, just reading for right now. Once he was finished, he had a much deeper appreciation of the giant mess that had just been dumped into his lap by Mattie. Although, to be entirely fair, the true bad guy was Thomas Johnson. Turning, he looked over at Mattie.

"I have a few questions for you, Mattie, and some are likely to be a little hard," Harm said.

"I'll be fine, Harm. If it's what I need to do to save the business, then I'll answer anything."

"Alright. Do you know if your mother left a will, when she died?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Now, do you know if there was an attorney involved, someone who handled the estate for you and your father?"

"It was old Mister Peabody. He was a friend of my grandmother and he handled everything."

"Great, now do you know his number, because I'm going to have to talk with him about your mother's will and who owns the business and the house."

"Oh, but if you talk to him and he finds out my dad isn't here, then…."

Harm sighed softly, there was no easy way to get around the five hundred pound gorilla that was in the room. Mattie had been abandoned by her father and with her mother being deceased, the next step was her being made a ward of the state. He could see that she had also realized what that would mean.

"I'm sorry, Mattie. Unfortunately, that's the only way forward that I can see. I need to know if the house and the business were left to you or to your father. If they were meant for you, then I can try and help you. If they're your father's, then there isn't a whole lot I or anyone but your father can do. Do you happen to have a copy of your mother's will?" Harm asked gently.

"No, I don't," was Mattie's dejected response.

"Do you know if Mister Peabody works on Saturday's?"

"No, he's almost 70. He retired a few years ago, but helped my dad out from respect for my mother. He'd be at home, most likely."

"Alright, let's grab this stuff and head over to his house," Harm said before remembering that he had brought the motorcycle today. Mattie grinned as she realized the problem and then laughed.

"Well, I guess I can be a biker girl," she said and watched the horror that crossed Harm's face at that image. "Actually, we can just take the truck."

Harm shook his head as he followed Mattie from the office and out to the truck. Harm did, however, stop her before she could get behind the wheel. There was no way he was letting her drive.

Mister Peabody's house – Blacksburg, Virginia

1257 Eastern

Harm and Mattie had gotten lucky, as Mister Peabody had been home. When they had pulled up, they were greeted by the old man sitting on the front porch beside an old black and white coated beagle. When Mattie got out of the truck, the old man stood and walked down the steps to envelope her into a broad hug. Turning to Harm, she made introductions and could see Mister Peabody cautiously looking at Harm.

However, once Harm explained the reason for their visit, the atmosphere became much friendlier. Motioning for the pair to follow him, Mister Peabody led the way into the house and through to a small office located off the living room. With everyone settled, the old man began the conversation.

"How can I help you, Mattie dear?"

"Harm is helping with some problems with the business and we need to see a copy of my mother's will to answer some questions."

The old man simply raised an eyebrow, before turning and going to the file cabinet behind his desk. There were no wasted movements, no searching for the right drawer or file. The man obviously knew exactly where the documents he wanted were.

"What questions do you have?" Mister Peabody asked in a tone that didn't exactly promise answers to those questions.

"Who is the owner of both the family home and the business known as Grace Aviation?" Harm asked, watching the other man.

"Well, let me answer with a question or two of my own. Why exactly do you want to know and why are you asking me the questions rather than speaking with Mattie's father?"

"Mister Peabody, I will be frank with you. I cannot ask Mattie's father, because we don't know where he is. I need the answers because of a letter Mattie got, with regards to a loan of four hundred thousand dollars against the home and the assets of Grace Aviation. In order for me to help her, I need to first know if she will be the one to benefit from that help."

Mister Peabody leaned back in his chair, viably appalled at what he had just been told. It was little secret in town that Thomas Johnson was a drunk, there were even those who believe that his drinking had caused his wife's death, but to hear that he had abandoned his daughter and also effectively stolen her inheritance was simply too much. Taking a deep breath, the old man opened the folder containing Mattie's mother's will.

"The terms of the will were very simply. The house and the business were both placed in trust until Matilda Grace Johnson was to reach the age of 21, at which time ownership was to be transferred to her. Thomas Johnson was to run the business until that time. Mattie's mother hoped that she would go to college and get a degree, which is why she had the trust set for 21 rather than 18."

"What I would be very interested in is how Thomas Johnson managed to take out a loan against assets which he did not legally own? Surely the bank would have verified ownership before loaning such a sum of money," Harm said with a frown on his face.

"That would be a reasonable question to direct to the bank. To that end, you and Mattie may have to consider pursuing criminal charges against her father. Also, now that this situation has been made known to me, I will have to notify the proper authorities to Mattie's lack of parental guidance."

"What does that mean, Mister Peabody?" Mattie asked, scared that she already knew the answer.

"I'm afraid it would mean getting social services involved and seeking a foster family or guardian for you, until you reach the age of 18."

"But, I've been taking care of myself ever since my father took off," Mattie argued. "Why can't I just keep doing that?"

"Mattie, you need to be in school, not working. I know that Grace Aviation means a lot to you, but I'm sure your mother would want you to get a proper education," Harm told the teenager.

"Why can't you be my adult supervision, Harm? I don't want to be with just anyone."

Mister Peabody and Harm exchanged a look, not really certain how to respond to the teen's idea. Harm was very doubtful that a family court would grant him, a single man, guardianship of a teenage girl. Mister Peabody, on the other hand, thought that Harm might be the best person to look after Mattie. The girl was very headstrong and would need someone she liked to be her guardian, lest she simply take off and run away. Mattie seemed to trust Harm and so, could reasonably be expected to do what he told her to.

"I could get the paperwork started for a guardianship for you, Harm," Mister Peabody said with a smile.

"Well, what do you think, boss," Harm said to Mattie with a grin, especially after she launched herself out of her chair and wrapped her arms around Harm's neck.

"Excellent. Harm, if you would just write down your personal information, work information and such, I'll take care of everything. If something comes up, I'll give you a call, and hopefully I can get an emergency hearing scheduled in the next few days."

"Thank you so much, Mister Peabody," Mattie exclaimed.

"My dear Matilda, I feel a little guilty, as if I should have taken better care in making sure your mother's wishes had been followed. I just hope this goes some small way to making that mistake in judgment up to you," Mister Peabody said.

"The only person who needs to apologize is my father, Mister Peabody. You were always a good friend to both my grandmother and my mother."

While Mattie and the old man had been talking, Harm had quickly written down all of his information. Somewhere in the back of his mind, a little voice was asking him if he really knew what he was getting into. If this came to fruition, Mattie would be with him for the next four years. However, that was if the family court even agreed to his being her guardian.

Once Harm had finished writing everything down, it was time for him and Mattie to leave. Things definitely looked brighter for Mattie than they had the night before. So, after once again thanking Mister Peabody, the pair left to drive back to the airport. When they got back to the airport, Mattie and Harm would have a full day going over the company's accounts to see how the business was doing financially. Harm needed to know that information so that he could work on getting the financing to save it for Mattie.