Chapter 103

As Donna brought her pistol to bear on the guy, he said, "Wait! I just have an envelope."

"Ease it out," she commanded.

He pulled out an envelope and she took it. She felt it as if to check to insure it wasn't a danger.

"I'm sorry, sir, but we don't know you and we can't be too careful."

"Actually, I'm happy to see that Mr. Kegler is that well protected."

I took the envelope from Donna and she holstered her weapon. I think every male in the place watched her do that. Donna has very sexy legs.

"This concerns Mr. Goldstein. My name is Abe Smith. I was instructed to give it to you once you and Ms. Sanger were married."

"How is Mr. Goldstein?" I asked.

"I'm sorry to tell you this, but he passed away last week."

You could have knocked me over with a feather. "I didn't hear anything in the news about his passing."

"He lived a quiet life and there was nothing printed in any of the newspapers, at his request." He paused and then continued, "I hate to ask you to do this, but he asked that I be in your presence when you read the letter."

I walked over to a quieter area of the room and sat down. I opened the letter and it read:

"Dear John,

I have always wanted to write a 'Dear John' letter and now I get to.

With that humor aside, I am writing this knowing I don't have long to live. I have an advanced state of cancer and it's inoperable. I knew this when I met you and your lovely bride-to-be.

I told you at the time we met, that I had no living relatives. I amassed a large estate and have no one to leave it to. After meeting you that day in Santa Fe, I had you investigated. So in depth was my investigation that I know what you did in Beirut, Nicaragua, and other various locales in the world.

The night you invited me into your home, I had been to my lawyers to begin the process of leaving you my entire estate. I'm not going to tell you what it is until you agree to use it for a specific purpose. If you choose not to honor my request, I know it will be because of reasons that you alone know.

The request is for you to establish and oversee a victim's foundation. Too many people fall victim to crimes and when it's all said and done, they are worse off than before. Many times the criminals have more rights than do the victims. I studied the press conference you held after the attack in Santa Fe, which I did after meeting you.

If you choose to accept this condition, the gentleman that handed you the letter will give you further details. He will also be available for you to retain to assist you in setting up and running this foundation. One last requirement of the foundation is that it has to be anonymous. No one is to know what the foundation does; other than it deals with charities.

I hope I read you correctly and you will accept my offer. I felt remorse in the fact that I would not be able to get to know you better.

Sincerely,

Aaron Goldstein

I folded the letter and sat there for a minute. I looked up to see the gentleman anxiously awaiting my response. I looked around the room to find Tamara and I saw her talking to her mother.

I walked over to her and said, "Excuse me, but may I borrow my wife for a minute?" Boy, that had a nice ring to it.

I briefly explained what had just transpired and the contents of the letter. I brought my hand up to close her mouth. She was definitely shocked.

I motioned the gentleman to come over to us. "Mr. Smith, this is my wife, Tamara." He shook her hand and then I asked, "When do I have to give you an answer?"

"You have two months in which to accept or reject the proposition. If you accept, you will have six months in which to get the foundation set up."

"If I decline the offer, is there someone else that will be given this same proposition?"

"No. If you decline, then the estate will be divided up among numerous charities."

"Is that a bad thing?" I asked.

"To Mr. Goldstein it was. He had a dream of helping people, not blatant welfare by which undeserving people hold their hands out and are given something for nothing."

Tamara whispered in my ear to accept it if I wanted to.

"Mr. Smith, I will accept Aaron's proposition. The letter said that you would be available to fill a role in the foundation. Is this true?"

"Yes sir, it is. In the letter, Mr. Goldstein made comments about his ability to do in-depth investigations. I headed those investigations."

"What are we talking about in terms of funding?"

"About eight hundred," Abe said.

"Thousand?" asked Tamara.

"No ma'am, million."

I felt Tamara's knees go weak. "Excuse me?" I said.

"That's right, John, you will be responsible for eight hundred million dollars of which thirty percent is yours as inheritance. Aaron wanted it known that you would take on his legacy before letting you know how much money you would be getting. He knew you already had enough money to live on without any of his."

"Are you saying that just for accepting the offer and establishing the foundation, I'll be getting two hundred and forty million dollars?"

"Yes, John, that is correct."

"How much will the government take in estate taxes?"

"That has already been settled. The nominal eight hundred million is free and clear. The thirty percent for you will be transferred to you by the time you get back from your honeymoon. The balance will be distributed for ease of liquidation. There are several pieces of property that will also be deeded to you. I have a packet for you to study."

"How do I know this is not a sick joke?"

"Aaron said you would ask that very question." He reached into his jacket and pulled out an envelope.