Chapter 20

Rather than try to crowd everyone into Tom’s pickup, Sandy decided to use her car for the drive to the Morgenstern’s. So, along with the time they’d taken to dress, it was almost an hour later before they arrived at the Morgenstern home. When they got there, they were surprised to find that the driveway was nearly full of cars.

“This looks like a full-blown party, but I understood we were just coming over to pick up the keys and meet a few of Anna’s close friends,” Sandy said quietly as she pulled her car into an open spot. “Something tells me this meeting is going to be a bit strange since there are so many people here.”

“Well, as long as they don’t party hard enough to wreck the house, I don’t think it matters much to us,” Tom said as he undid his seat belt. “Mrs. Morgenstern definitely said they were having a few friends drop by, but this looks like a much larger gathering than I expected to be here. Besides, I thought she wanted to leave here early tomorrow morning, so isn’t this a strange time to have a party?”

“Hmph, that’s funny because just this afternoon Rachel was saying something about sticking around for a week or more and helping us move in,” Sandy frowned at Tom. “I know Anna was planning on staying in Vancouver for a few days and then in Seattle for a day or two, so I suppose Rachel was hoping to spend any extra time here, then catch up later on. Do you suppose there’s been another change in their plans?”

“Well, we aren’t going to find out anything about what’s going on by sitting out here,” Ann said impatiently. “Besides, I want to see what your new house looks like on the inside.”

“Me too,” Laura chuckled. “I wasn’t going to say anything, but since Ann brought it up I’ll throw in my two cents worth.”

“Yeah, yeah, the pair of you sound like two impatient kids in the back of the car hollering ‘Are we there yet.’ I think we have to find you two a pair of boyfriends so you’ll have something we can bug you about, then maybe we can get some peace and quiet,” Tom teased.

“You know, maybe that’s why Anna had us drag them along tonight? She probably has some eligible bachelors in mind that she wants to introduce them to,” Sandy added to the tease as they all got out of the car. “She always seemed to have someone she wanted to introduce me to when we first met, then I got involved with Sheridan and she gave up on me as a lost cause. It’s too bad she’s leaving town or she’d have these two married in six months.”

Tom and Sandy were still teasing Laura and Ann as they approached the front door. Tom was just reaching out to knock on it when the door was thrown open, then Rachel greeted everyone with a smile and a quick hug for each of them. Once they had all taken off their winter coats and overshoes in the front entrance, she led them into the kitchen portion of the house and over to her mother who greeted them just as warmly. It probably looked unplanned to everyone who wasn’t expecting it, but in the next few moments a few people slipped out of the crowd to join them and Tom knew them all. Adam Horowitz, Charlie Jamison and their wives were the first to join them, then Matt and Linda Devons appeared. Seconds after they all joined the group, Anna Morgenstern unlocked the door to the pantry off the kitchen and led Sandy, Adam, Charlie and Matt inside, leaving Tom with Rachel and the rest of the crowd of women.

“Okay, what’s going on with that deal?” Tom very quietly asked Rachel.

“Well, the final papers need to be signed and Mom has to give Sandy the keys and the deed to the property,” Rachel said just as quietly. “Why else would a lawyer, a realtor and a notary public be involved? I imagine you’ll be called in there shortly, because you need to sign off on the deal and Mom wants everything to be legally binding. Not only that, but she’s planning to explain a few other details to Sandy and you as well.”

“But, this is Sandy’s deal, I still don’t see why I need to be involved?” Tom protested.

“Oh, you were the guarantor of the sale, so your name is involved, and your signature has to be on the final papers. On top of that, there’s a complication or two that cropped up today,” Rachel sighed softly. “First off, the movers arrived here a day or two early, and since Mom is moving out of the country, they refused to handle some of Dad’s toys, so she wants you and Sandy to have them.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Well, to start with, Dad used to make and bottle kosher wine, and it can’t be moved across the border without permits, but legal details like that can’t be arranged quickly. Secondly, Dad was a registered gun collector, and I guess the movers wouldn’t even consider the idea of taking Dad’s collection into the US because of previous problems on other moves. Luckily, Matt Devons was one of Dad’s closest friends, as well as a notary public, so Mom called him, and he called your grandfather, who is not just an old friend of Matt’s but also another gun collector.”

“Sorry for breaking into the conversation, but according to my granddad, your grandfather must have a helluva lot of political clout because within four hours, he faxed us a copy of your permit,” Linda Devons broke in. “You are now legally your granddad’s agent, capable of buying, handling, storing, transporting, or testing rare and collectible firearms, including shotguns, rifles, and pistols. Not only that, but he faxed Granddad a legal application for you to become a certified collector of firearms; all you need to do is sign it, then Granddad can witness it and send it off to Ottawa.”

“My grandfather got involved?” Tom stared at Linda in surprise.

“Yup, according to him, you need extra protection when you’re up on your gold claim,” Linda grinned and winked. “Granddad had him on the speaker phone, and your granddad was telling us about you having to shoot a bear as it came through the front door of your cabin. He thinks you should carry a pistol whenever you’re up at your claim, something with some stopping power too, something like a Colt 45 or a nine-millimeter.”

“There is at least one or more of each of those in Dad’s collection, Tom,” Rachel said quietly. “Sandy told me that story and the one about her having to shoot a moose when she was on her way to the outhouse too, so I agree with your grandfather. You should have some of the guns from Dad’s collection up at your claim, and you should carry one of them whenever you’re outside.”

“If I carried a pistol when I was out working around the claim, I’m fairly certain that I’d be breaking the law,” Tom frowned. “Openly carrying a pistol is just not allowed in Canada, not at any time. In fact, I’m bending the law while I’m up there because I carry a rifle whenever I’m out of the cabin.”

“I don’t think open carry is all that much of a problem, not if you’re on your property and officially your gold claim is regarded as your property,” Linda said quickly. “Granddad has an acreage just up the road, and we have a firing range in a gully on the acreage. The RCMP officers from town come out to use the range quite often, and they’ve never given us a hassle about having weapons around or carrying them openly. Why don’t you ask your friend Officer MacDonald what he thinks? He’s here tonight, but only as a friend, so he’s wearing civvies, which is noticeable because it happens so rarely.”

Tom didn’t get a chance to answer her right then because Charlie appeared at his side and hustled him into the big walk-in pantry to join the four others who were already there.

“We need your signature on several forms, Tom,” Adam said as soon as Tom came into the crowded room. “As guarantor of the real estate transfer, you have to sign before the transfer of ownership is legal. Officially, the transfer of ownership will take place on March 1st, but unofficially, Sandra will have possession when Anna leaves here tomorrow.”

“Okay, let’s get this done. Where do I sign?” Tom nodded as he moved forward and took the pen. Adam had him sign the first document on the next line down from Sandy’s signature.

Next, Adam handed him the titles, registration papers, and insurance details for a 1952 Willys Jeep CJ-2A, with a trailer, and a second set of documents for a 1961 Mercedes Unimog 404. The titles were already made out, and the vehicles had all been licensed in his name, even the trailer.

Then, Matt Devons joined Adam, and they had him sign two additional forms. One gave Tom the right to ‘buy, handle, store, or test rare and collectible firearms’ as an agent for his grandfather, Sid Redding. The second was a ‘pre-application’ form to allow the legal research necessary for him to make an application for a ‘firearms collector’s permit,’ and both forms had been filled out, all but for his signature.

“I don’t know about this,” Tom sighed, holding the pen in his hand as he read the details on both forms. “I really don’t want to flaunt the law by openly carrying a handgun.”

“You don’t have to, but your grandfather has already bought the collection for more than twenty grand, so you need to sign the form allowing you to act as his agent,” Matt shrugged. “What you do with the handguns afterward is your business, but if it were me and I’d shot a bloody bear trying to come in my door, you damn right I’d start carrying a loaded pistol on my hip. All you have to do is set up a little shooting range on your claim and even the RCMP will look the other way. Hell, I’ll bet when I give this pre-application form to your buddy MacDonald he’ll just ask me to lend him my pen and hand the form back to me once it’s signed. Once a serving RCMP officer has signed the form, your permit is virtually guaranteed. It becomes a rubber stamp situation when the form gets to Ottawa, so if you’ve never been convicted of a federal offence and aren’t under treatment for a mental illness, you’re clear.”

“If Sandra and your sister will be spending time up in your wilderness hideaway, Tom, you will need to protect them,” Anna Morgenstern entered the conversation. “In fact, it would be wise for them to learn how to handle a handgun themselves. Abe had both Rachel and I learn how to use one and both of us are decent shots, so I’m sure Sandra and Ann could do just as well.”

“Most of Abe’s rifles and shotguns were practical equipment, hunting tools if you will, and meant to be used. Only one or two of those are what you could call specialty or collectible rifles, but when it came to handguns, he bought quality and class. He had several top-of-the-line pistols and one revolver that I’ve often drooled over, but even then he insisted that they were all common calibers and completely reliable,” Matt said quietly. “If you want to try shooting any of them, you’re welcome to come up and use our range, but we might ask to try firing some of them when you do.”

“Why, thank you, Matt. I do appreciate the offer, but with all the snow on the ground right now and considering how busy I’m going to be for the next while, I think I’ll have to take a rain check on that visit,” Tom nodded to him.

“Well, legally, all the items I needed to have signed are done, so I’m going to go rejoin my wife and enjoy the party,” Charlie smiled as he slipped several documents into folders, then into his briefcase.

“All right, gentlemen, if that is all of the legal rigmarole, I really need to have a short chat with Sandra and Tom in private. We won’t be long, and we’ll see you in a few moments,” Anna said quite candidly.

None of the men even commented, and soon the small room felt a lot less crowded. Anna checked that the door was closed, then turned to face Sandy and Tom.

“I’m sorry to have to ask this, but circumstance dictates that Rachel will need to return to Bear Creek for some time. Since she was a close friend of yours in college, Sandra, we were hoping it would be okay for her to stay with you,” Anna said quietly, after glancing back at the door.

“Sure,” Sandy smiled. “Rachel was talking to me on the phone this afternoon and already told me that she was planning to come back to town for a week or two, so I invited her to stay here.”

“Yes, she mentioned that, but I felt you should know a little more about the situation,” Anna sighed softly. “A complication or two have arisen in the last few hours. It seems there are problems with her marriage, which were compounded today at the reading of Abe’s will. Neither she nor I was aware until then that Abe had lent funding to Sheldon, or that Sheldon had made no attempt to repay those loans. Even worse, there is a possibility that Sheldon was actually working with Sheridan Lister to some extent, since he did have mutual contacts.”

“Oh boy!” Sandy snorted, then shook her head. “So is that why we didn’t see him when we arrived tonight?”

“Yes, to add insult to injury, Sheridan left this morning with Abe’s old Chrysler and the Airstream trailer following the reading of the will. He was supposedly going to meet us in Vancouver, but the car and trailer were found abandoned at the Kamloops airport earlier this evening, so we really don’t know what is going on with him. I have contacted friends in Vancouver and Rachel’s older sister in Arizona, as well as our contacts in California and, of course, the RCMP. At this time, however, we are in the dark as to why he would flee or where he would go,” Anna sighed much more heavily. “As you know, Sandra, this is Rachel’s second marriage, so she took some precautions with her personal finances this time; however, there is some question about her home, since that is jointly owned with Sheldon. She has also been in contact with lawyers, Charles Jamison here and her personal lawyer in Los Angeles, but as you can imagine, things are up in the air.”

“Yeah, I can understand,” Sandy agreed, and Tom nodded. “With all of this going on, I’m surprised that you’re having a party here tonight.”

“Well, it wasn’t meant to be this large, and it had been arranged earlier in the week, mostly by the Devons, who have been extremely fine neighbours, so we couldn’t really cancel it. Instead, we decided to put on the best front we could and carry on, because after all, I am leaving tomorrow, and I do need to say goodbye to all my friends. Rachel is really the one who is under pressure, and so far, she seems angry but somewhat relieved, so I don’t think the marriage was going as smoothly as she and Sheldon tried to make things appear.”

“Well, once you’ve gone to Vancouver, she can lean on us,” Tom said quickly.

“Actually, she’s going to Kamloops tomorrow; then, we’ll see if we can regain possession of the Chrysler and the Airstream. If we can, she’ll be driving it to Vancouver and will fly back after we make some arrangements to store the two vehicles for now.”

“Oh boy, the flight back here from Vancouver is a milk run, with two or three landings and at least two transfers to a smaller plane,” Sandy snorted, then frowned. “Tom, do you think you could talk your dad into flying to Vancouver and picking her up?”