Page 43 of Mending Fences
“I had Colin put some documents on the secure server for you regarding the Indiana property. I’ll never get the hang of all of that locking and unlocking. I didn’t want to have one of the assistants do it. There must be some leak going on. I don’t like the last offer one of the developers sent over—way too much money.”
Daniel used the code Colin had set up last week to get into the secure folder. “There is some odd language in the original sale of the land to the Fowlers. It keeps referring to another agreement. Any idea what it’s referencing?”
“No, but the mineral rights were retained by the Crawford estate. George Fowler sold his mineral rights to the property two years ago. The buyers must not have done their due diligence, or they would have realized the Fowlers never owned them. What is odder is that Mae Fowler deeded the home to a trust in Mandy Fowler’s name when she was sixteen, but the property was sold out of the trust weeks before Mae died, using George’s power of attorney.”
“Have you found Mae’s will?”
“Just the original with her husband, and he died twenty-five years ago.”
“Something like that.”
“I have researchers looking for the other document. Any chance your girl has anything?”
Daniel stiffened at the reference. “I am not sure if she does. She did mention she was to inherit the house. Not that it matters now. A tornado destroyed it.”
“Ask her. I’ll send you a copy of this latest offer.”
“No rush. I don’t think I want to take any offers dealing with gas drilling, not without protection for some of the land.”
“I see.”
“It has nothing to do with Amanda.”
“I didn’t say it did.”
Daniel set the phone down. He had been getting offers for years now. But until this year, selling wasn’t an option due to the one-hundred-year clause. As much as he hated the mansion, he loved the property. At least twice a year he went down to have a quiet few days, but there were other places to do that. He hadn’t been as big a fool about the old mansion as Amanda believed he was. There were no leaks, and the broken windows had all been boarded up quickly. At least he hadn’t sold the house to the buyers who’d wanted to turn it into a mortuary and private cemetery.
