It's All in the Drawings

“Ben, you have to pack a duffel!” His mom said with urgency through the phone. Ben had just found out that he had a distant uncle who had left him an entire estate on one condition, but the lawyer would tell him more when he arrived. A car was on the way to pick him up to take him to the airport, where a private jet was waiting.

“I know this is a lot sweetie, but the lawyer will be able to tell you everything. I love you.”

“Love you too, Mom. Bye.” Ben hung up the phone and finished packing.

The driver said very little on the way to the airport and the flight was relatively short it seemed, although Ben slept most of the way. They were landing in Dallas when a flight attendant woke him up. Ben went through the airport and found a driver at the baggage claim holding a sign with his name. He was a tall, large man who looked like he had years of physical training.

“Mr. Maxen?” He asked, his English thick with a Mozambique accent. Ben smiled and held out his hand.

“That’s me. Nice to meet you.”

The large man took his hand, “I’m Noah. This way please.”

Ben followed Noah out to another car and they started towards the large estate that Ben was set to inherit from this strange, distant, uncle of his. This Uncle Rufus had just passed away, but Ben wondered why everything had been left to him, a nephew that Uncle Rufus had never met.

The gates to the estate were large, ornate cast iron with the initials RF near the top.

“Welcome to Foundling Ranch, Mr. Maxen. Your uncle had this ranch completely customized with things from his travels around the world. You will find many of the staff are from varying countries, as well as the infusion of many cultural attributes around the house and grounds. Mr. Foundling was a friend to all of us, and his sudden passing has taken its toll on just about everyone here.”

“How did he pass, Noah?” Ben asked as they pulled into the round entryway.

“Well, I am not one to spread speculation, Mr. Maxen, but the circumstances were most peculiar. Ultimately, there was an accident while he was out hunting a few days ago. We checked the horse he took out and there was nothing to suggest the horse or the tack had been damaged.” Noah looked at Ben through the rearview mirror. “But that is just the staff talking Mr. Maxen, not necessarily what happened. Well, here we are.”

Noah parked the car under the archway leading into the house. The huge pillars could rival those of the Parthenon. They gleamed bright white in the hot, Texas sun. Ben stepped out of the car and followed Noah up the stairs and into the house. It was light and airy, allowing the breeze to flow through to keep the house cool. Through one of the bay windows, Ben could see a stable a little ways off, with pastures of horses and longhorns nearby.

“Ah, you must be Mr. Foundling’s nephew. I’m Laura, the housekeeper.” A small woman with fiery hair walked down the stairs holding a basket of towels. She smiled kindly.

“Yes, I’m Ben. Thank you for having me.”

“It’s no trouble at all. Any relative of Mr. Foundling is welcome in this home. Besides, I know you’ve had an awful lot happen for you in just a short amount of time, but the lawyer will be here in just a few minutes. As you can tell a lot has also happened in a few short days here too.” Her light English accent matched her pleasant demeanor.

“I understand completely.” Ben said with a slight chuckle. Laura set the basket down on a small table near a mail basket.

“If you will follow me, I will show you to your room and let you freshen up before the lawyer arrives.” Laura led him up the stairs and into a light blue room with a large bed covered by a pale, yellow comforter. Ben set down his backpack and duffel bag and pulled out a charger for his phone. As he went to plug in his charger, Ben noticed there was a loose floorboard near the wall because there was a slight crack where the sealant should have been. He knocked on it and heard a hollow echo beneath. Filled with curiosity, Ben pulled back the board and discovered a small, black notebook. Ben reached in and fished it out. The faded leather gave away the fact that it was old and there were two faded initials on the bottom right corner, RF. He flipped through the pages and realized that most of the pages looked like they were drawings from different views from around the ranch, but the last few pages were of strange messages and abbreviations. Before he could investigate any further, there was a knock on the door.

“Mr. Maxen, the lawyer is downstairs in the study waiting for you,” Laura said on the other side of the door. Ben quietly replaced the floorboard and pocketed the notebook. He opened the door and smiled.

“I’ll follow you.” He said.

Laura led him downstairs and to the study. On the way down the stairs, Ben whispered something to Laura. She looked surprised, but nodded. The study was another ornate room, but neat, organized, and filled with all sorts of books, some in different languages. There were two men setting up folders and papers at a long, round table in the middle of the room. One looked up, while the other continued pulling out papers.

“Ben Maxen?” The smaller man asked. Ben nodded.

“I am Felix Stephens of Stephens, Morris, and McCaid. My father and your uncle were great friends and I am sorry for your loss. This is one of our associates, Rueben.” Rueben looked up and nodded towards Ben.

“Please have a seat so we can start going through the will and other papers you will need to sign.” Felix motioned to a chair and Ben sat down.

“Ben, we believe that your uncle passed due to some unforeseen medical condition and the county coroner has confirmed that it was a heart attack caused by an over-abundance of oxygen in his bloodstream.” Felix’s eyes flitted down to the small black notebook Ben had set on the table. “Where did you get that?” His voice sounded strained and the color had rushed from Rueben’s face.

“I found this upstairs in the guest room. Seemed strange that my uncle felt the need to hide this in a guest room, as if he knew someone was coming after him and his land. I did some research before coming down here and saw that the development company, Sun Daze Builds, was trying to buy portions of land. They also happen to be another client of your office. You, Felix, have been the negotiating lawyer between my uncle and Dale, the CEO of Sun Daze Builds.”

Ben crossed his arms and looked from Rueben to Felix, whose jaw was flexing.

“What are you insinuating Mr. Maxen?” Reuben piped up.

Ben smiled. “Exactly what you’re thinking sir. You were in cahoots with Dale to get rid of my uncle in an effort to get the land through a county buy-out. However, when you found out that he left everything to me, that changed everything. If you think I didn’t notice the small case you put on the table with the needle in it, you’re mistaken. My grandfather is a diabetic and that’s the same case he carries with an extra syringe of insulin for emergencies. Also, at the back of this notebook, there is enough evidence to incriminate the both of you.”

“This is outrageous!” Felix exploded and grabbed the black case. “Rueben, hold him down. The story will read that the fatal heart condition runs in the family.” Felix started prepping the needle. Rueben rushed towards Ben.

“Did I forget to mention that I told Laura on the way down here to call the police?” Ben asked as sirens were heard coming up the driveway. Felix and Reuben looked at each other and both made a mad dash for the door. Throwing it open, they found Laura holding a frying pan and Noah with a small pistol on the other side.

After the police had finished taking statements and took Felix and Reuben into custody, Ben sighed, glad that the day was over. Laura brought him a large slice of German chocolate cake and a cup of steaming coffee.

“How did you know about the lawyers and developer?” She asked as she set the plate down in front of him.

“I found this little black notebook in the guest room that he knew you would use for me, hoping I would find the loose floor board. After flipping through it, I noticed that after his drawings of various areas around the estate, there was a drawing of a dark puddle in one of the empty pastures he labeled. He also labeled it as the area that the developer was trying to buy. Turns out, Uncle Rufus found out he had oil on the property and realized the real reason the lawyers and developer were trying to buy the property for a fraction of what it would actually be worth. So, they decided to try and take it by force and would have swindled me out of it as soon as the paperwork for his will was finished by making the same offer to me. I saw the offer and other initials in the back of the notebook and realized those initials were for the lawyers and the developer.” He took a sip of coffee and looked over at Noah and Laura.

“What is it you do for a living, Mr. Maxen?” Noah asked amazed.

“Please, just call me Ben. I am a private investigator.” He smiled and took a large bite of cake. All in another day’s work.