I followed him down the hallway, but when he turned right I continued and then turned left into an enormous kitchen with oak cabinetry and granite counters. Damn, Dudley cooked in style. Was he a baker, like me? Maybe it runs in the family?
I unfolded the reamed paper and sat on the barstool to read it.
Dearest niece Helen,
If you are reading this, then I must be gone. I know you are probably shocked and confused, as I’m almost positive your family never mentioned me. But don’t worry, I have made no mistake in choosing you to take on my post-mortem wishes.
You see Helen, for the most part, I have lived a good life full of pleasure and wealth. I’ve managed to live it fairly independent from our dear, covetous, bloodsucking family. But you Helen, are cut from a different cloth. I’d like to believe that I am too. Was, I suppose.
It is my desire, my dear niece, that you not outrightly reject that which I have passed down to you. I want you to give the house a chance. It has some great character and is filled with rich history, which I don’t want to go unappreciated in my passing. You should see my wishes as an opportunity to cement your independence from our family, the way I had tried, and ultimately failed to do so. Stay strong, and don’t look back. They expect you to fail as well. They will try to fight you for what they have no business to claim. But don’t worry, Wally has everything he needs to see my will to fruition with you.
It is my will that you, Helen, live in my home while you carry out my dying wish. I want you to find my hidden journal where I have drawn up plans for my business. It is your job to carry out those plans and subsequently receive your inheritance. The deed to the house will be turned over to you once you’ve provided Wally with proof that the business is up and running. I have hidden the journal, dear Helen, because I cannot trust just anyone with it. It has powerful secrets, but I trust you. You have a stake in this game, now. You can soon earn your independence and the wealth to fulfill your wildest dreams.
I feel my time drawing to an end within the next few months, but I will go in peace, knowing that my wishes will thrive with you. Enjoy your life and live what I’ve left behind of mine to the fullest.
Your uncle,
Dudley K. Washington
“Jesus, Dudley. Could you be any more cryptic?”
I pondered the note. What the hell was this man talking about? I was supposed to run his business…while living in this house…which I don’t actually own yet? This day has officially gotten stranger.
“Have you had a chance to read it, Miss Washington?” Dudley’s lawyer emerged from the hallway which must house the bathroom.
“Yes, um but I don’t entirely understand. So Dudley hasn’t given me the house yet? Or the inheritance? Not to sound greedy, but I thought that was the reason I came here.”
“It is! It is! As the note states, you will receive it all. Just once you’ve completed Dudley’s requests. It’s all in escrow for now, so now one else can touch it, but I have binding orders to not pass over the deed until you provide proof to me that you’ve completed the business tasks.”
“Okay, so where is this journal with my instructions?”
“That I do not know, Miss Washington. He wasn’t a very trusting man. He was always on edge and it appears he didn’t trust anyone with the location of that journal. Though, we know it is somewhere in this house. You can live here while you look for it, of course. Per Dudley’s orders, you may live here until you can fulfill Dudley’s will and then the deed and inheritance is yours.”
“Okay, well as, um…generous as that may seem, I can’t just uproot my entire life and move here for however long it’s going to take to fulfill this will. Can’t you just sell the place?”
“I suppose I can, Miss Washington, but then the inheritance will be gone.”
Shit, the inheritance. That chunk of change did sound appealing, but this house was over an hour away from the publishing house I worked at. I couldn’t possibly make that commute twice every day. Not to mention, I didn’t want to live in the middle of trees and nowhere. I wanted to be in my apartment next to my favorite sushi restaurant. I was a social creature by nature, and I had to imagine it would be hard to find much social connection in these hills.
“What if I agreed to follow through with Dudley’s wishes, but just not while living here? I could drive in from San Francisco on the weekends and dig around.”
“I’m afraid his will is iron clad in that area. You must live here during your search to receive the inheritance at the end.”
I groaned, bracing my head between my hands.What a nightmare!
“Miss Washington, if I may,” he said. “Think of it as an extended vacation. Most people would love to have a country house to explore for a month. You seem a bit,” he paused, like he was thinking of how to say this next bit. “High strung. Why not breathe the fresh air and try to relax?”
“I am not high strung, Wally. I am ambitious. There’s a difference,” I said, slightly offended. “Is some dead guy's money really worth throwing that all aside?”
“I do not know the amount of the inheritance,” he said. “So that is something only you can decide. But I think it’s more money than most people will see in their lifetime.”
“Wait a minute,” I put my hand up, having fully processed Wally’s previous insult. “Did you say a month?!”
“Yes, Miss Washington. Specifically, Dudley has given you one month to provide proof that the business is at least in its preliminary stages. I know it doesn’t seem like much time, but Dudley wanted to give some incentive to see that you weren’t lounging around here in your stilettos with no progress. If you haven’t provided proof after that month is up, I am to sell it to the highest bidder.”
I chose to ignore the snide stilettos comment. “On the contrary, Mr. Erickson,” I said his name with seeping disdain, “One month sounds like a lifetime to be stuck here.”
“It’s all up to you, Miss Washington. You can turn down the entire deal if you choose.”