Chapter 04: Family Furor

Just before dark Kyle and Ryan drive to the rear of CyberFun, still pulling the covered trailers they’d taken to the competition site almost twelve hours earlier. Kyle activates the garage door opener attached to his visor, and the big metal door rolls up into the ceiling. They both drive into the building and drop the trailers. An exhausted Kyle says, “Ryan, we’ll clean this up tomorrow. I’m just too tired to sort and clean it now.”

“I agree, it was tiring. At the same time, I can’t believe the turnout we had. We weren’t sure we’ll break even, and, instead, we netted over a thousand dollars.”

“It was pretty awesome, but we’ve got to have more help the next time. I plan on trying to get Larry and Nadia to help. He can handle the rental of the units and judge rule violations while she can help with the food and drinks.”

“Man, if she was working behind the food counter no one would be in the field. They’d all be standing around looking at her.”

Kyle chuckles, “True, but it wouldn’t take almost an hour to bring the action to a close.”

“I think the highlight of the day was watching Barbara and Marc work as a team. I’ve never seen such fluid movements and coordinated actions. It was like watching two people with one mind. I sure hope they’ll come back.”

“I don’t think we’ve anything to worry about with that. They had a good time, and she said it was the best run tourney they’ve ever been to.”

Ryan hands Kyle the moneybag and asks, “I hate to ask this, but I’ve got a date. Can you make the night drop at the bank?”

“Sure, and I’ll also grab the receipts from inside. Tell KK I’m too tired to go out, but I’d love to see her. Maybe she’d like to come over in a little while and join me in the hot tub.”

“I’ll tell her as soon as I get home. If she’s like she was last night she’ll be waiting on you when you get there.”

Ryan backs his blazer out of the building into the rear alleyway, and in a moment he’s gone. Kyle backs his Jeep out and uses the remote to lower the door. He pulls around to the front and parks.

He goes inside and checks with the night manager. After getting a summary of what’s happened during the day Kyle does a quick walk around the place while she prepares a bank deposit bag. It won’t be complete, but it’s not a good idea to leave excess cash in the office to tempt anyone. With the bag in hand Kyle returns to his car and drives straight to the bank. He puts the two bags in the night depository and heads for home while looking forward to peace and rest after the long, hard day at the paintball tournament.

As soon as Kyle turns onto his street he can tell something is wrong. A police car is parked on the street in front of the house and there are two unknown vehicles parked in the driveway. Since he’s blocked out of the driveway he can’t get his Jeep into the garage. Instead, he parks in the street, behind the police car. With great fear and trepidation Kyle walks across the yard and enters the front door.

The house looks like it’s been ransacked. Drawers are pulled out and the contents dumped on the floor. Books, sofa cushions, and other items are slung around the room. Kyle can hear a woman screaming in anger in another room. He heads to the sound, only to find his father standing next to a police officer while his Aunt Lucille is on a rampage.

Looking up at Kyle she screams, “What are you doing here? Officer, take him out of here, he has no right to be in this house!”

“Aunt Lucille, I live here with Jonas and have every right to be here. Now what’s this all about?”

The policeman is beginning to answer when she screams out. “Jonas blew his brains out this afternoon, so you’ve no home here. I want you out of my house right now!”

Robert, Kyle’s father, says, “That’s why I’m here, Kyle. To take you home so you can forget all this foolishness.”

Kyle is stunned by the news; at the same time, the arrogance and audacity of his family not only fills him with anger, it also makes him very ashamed. He turns to his father and says, “Father dear, it seems you’ve forgotten something rather important. I’m twenty-six years old, not twelve. I’m a college senior and have already been accepted to graduate school. I’ve no intention of going home with you. Not now! Not ever!” Robert sputters, not knowing how to answer his son. Being the CEO of a major oil company he’s just not used to anyone telling him no. Kyle continues, “In addition, I’ve not heard that Jonas’ will has been read, so how can Aunt Lucille claim the house.”

Turning to the officer he says, “And why are you letting her rip this house apart like this. Until the will is read and the executor of the estate transfers title this woman has less right to be in this house than I do, since this is already my legal residence. Also, I happen to know, for a fact, Jonas intended to leave the house to me.”

“Over my dead body!” Aunt Lucille screams. “This boy is not going to make off with all Jonas’ money. I’ll fight it in court until this house falls down around him, and chaos will follow.”

The officer is stunned back by the revelation the screaming woman doesn’t have the right to do what she was doing. After all, she’s the old man’s sister. He grabs the radio on his hip and calls the station. The Sergeant on the other end is not a very happy camper.

“Son, my Sergeant will soon be here to deal with this. I’ll be honest, I’m in over my head. When these two came storming in like they owned the place I just assumed they had the right to do so, with no one else here to say otherwise.”

“Officer, we’ll deal with that later. In addition, I want to swear out a warrant against my Aunt for trespassing, malicious mischief, and willful destruction of property.” At this Kyle’s Aunt goes ballistic and his dad is incensed his son would do such a thing. The exasperated and indecisive officer calls the station and asks for two more patrol cars in addition to his sergeant.

To add to the turmoil KK cautiously enters the room and asks, “Kyle, what’s going on here?”

“Sweetheart, that’s part of what I’m trying to find out, myself. I don’t know all the facts, but it seems Jonas is dead and that vulture of a sister of his is already circling the body. Also, my pompous, overbearing, and dictatorial father has decided with Jonas gone it’s time for me to give up this foolishness and move home to Houston.”

She grabs Kyle’s arm, “You’re not going to leave me, are you?”

He kisses her and replies, “Leave you? I want to marry you!”

His father interjects, “I’ll disown you. When your little gold digging bimbo learns you’re destitute she won’t be so willing to stand by you.”

“Robert, you’re no longer my father. I haven’t taken a dime from you in six years. You haven’t even sent me Christmas or birthday presents during that entire time, so I won’t miss your money at all. Now get out before I have you thrown out!”

“Kyle,” soothes Kathleen, “calm down. I know you don’t want his money or his control, but if you have him thrown out you’ll dishonor the memory of Jonas.”

A chastened Kyle nods. He turns to the policeman and asks, “Has anyone notified Jonas’ attorney or made funeral arrangements?”

The policeman frowns as he answers, “We didn’t know who would be the executor, so the body’s still at the morgue.”

“OK, we’ll wait for your sergeant. When he arrives I’ll open the safe. As for Jonas’ wealth, as far as I know he didn’t have much. He drew a small retirement from the military, and for the past few years he was semi-retired from the university. He only taught two classes a day. The lawyer will have all of the details, but I know there aren’t stacks of money or bags of jewels lying around. He may have had some investments, but I don’t know anything about them. So as far as I know there is no great treasure for me, or for anyone else.”

“But,” Lucille cries, “he had to have money as he never spent any!”

“My dear sweet Aunt. Did it ever occur to you he never spent what he never had? According to your logic the homeless have to be the richest people in the country. Now, your nephew here, my father, is the one in the family with money. Why aren’t you all over him?”

“Because your father has a wife and children, even if one of them is ungrateful. Jonas has been a widower for six years and has no non-adult children.”

Kyle has to bite his lip, since this woman has to be the most illogical person in the world. He turns to the police officer and asks, “Sir, are they sure my grandfather committed suicide? From my aunt’s attitude and timing I’d be extremely suspicious at the moment.”

“Why you little son of a bitch! Where were you all day?”

“Father dear, are you going to let her disparage Mother like that? As for my whereabouts, I’ve been running a paint-ball competition since before oh eight hundred hours this morning, and I’ve more than a hundred witnesses to my presence there.”

A voice behind them adds, “Which I’ve already determined through my son, who was there. Kyle, I’m Sergeant Ammons. Officer Dupree, who made such a mess of this home?”

“The victim’s sister, Sir. The young man has ordered her charged with trespassing and willful destruction of property. Earlier she told me the house was hers and demanded I throw the young man out. He claims it’s his residence and his grandfather planned to leave the house to him.”

The Sergeant points to Kyle’s father and asks, “And where do you come into this?”

Robert hands the sergeant a business card, saying, “I came to take my son home, getting him away from this cheap, gold-digging bimbo.”

Turning to Kyle he asks, “Son, how old are you?”

“Twenty-six.”

The Sergeant sighs at the ceiling while thinking about the ludicrous actions of a father treating a twenty-six year old son this way. He looks back at Kyle and asks, “Are you potty trained?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Do you owe this man any money?”

“No, Sir, but he’s about to owe a ton of money to my future wife. Twice he’s slandered Kathleen in front of witnesses, and I’ll make sure she files a suit against him. I also want a court order forcing him and my aunt to stay away from both of us, as well as this house.”

“First, I have to admit you’re definitely old enough to freely live your life outside of your father’s influence. Second, as for being a witness to a slander suit, I’m an officer of the court and I have to testify as to what I heard him say about your young lady. If it’s not true, then it’s definitely slander. As for a restraining order against the two, in the circumstances, I doubt it’d be hard to obtain. Now, how do we get in touch with the victim’s attorney?”

Kyle leads them to the study and removes a picture from the wall. Behind it is a small safe, which he opens. Inside, there’s a tube roughly twelve inches deep and four inches in diameter. Kyle then steps back and says, “Sergeant, everything I am aware of in this house that has any financial value is in the safe. And, before anyone asks the obvious, this wall has the only safe I’m aware of. In addition, so that no one can accuse me of stealing anything, I want you to pull everything out and catalog it. There should be a blue binder in there. That was where Jonas kept a copy of his will, along with his lawyer’s business card.”

The Sergeant does as Kyle requests while thinking to himself, This is one smart young man. He thinks ahead and responds to attacks, not just react to them. The Sergeant finds the copy of the will in a blue binder, just as Kyle said. There’s a business card stapled to the front with the name of his grandfather’s attorney. A phone number is hand written on the back, along with the word home. He calls the lawyer, Stanley Patterson, and advises him of the situation.

On hearing the news Stanley says, “Sergeant, I’ll be there shortly. I can tell you the house is to go to Kyle, his grandson. There are some unusual stipulations regarding the house, so I can’t reveal everything about it at this moment. I can advise you Jonas’ sister and others will be sharing the liquidated value of everything he owned other than his car, the house, and all the personal property therein, which are to go to Kyle. But, if any of them dispute the provisions of the will then all of the money from the liquidation, not just their own share, is to be given to a stated charity.”

“Thank you, Mister Patterson,” the Sergeant says into the phone, “We’ll wait for you to arrive.” The Sergeant turns back to the others, saying, “The attorney will be here soon. He did assure me this house, Mister Alexander’s car, and the contents of both are supposed to go to Kyle. The rest of the assets are to be liquidated and divided among the other heirs. Mister Patterson will go over it more, later. One important thing he mentioned concerns a provision if any of the heirs dispute the will then all of the money for all the heirs, other than Kyle, will be forfeit and given to a specified charity.”