The Steele Inheritance

Don’t ask me what I’m doing here. I’m still trying to figure it out myself. Why did I come back after almost a decade to see a family I ran away from years ago? What could have possessed me to do something I swore never again to do? Perhaps I came back for my grandfather, for the part of him that was still good and sweet and had a smile that made the corner of his eyes crinkle like the paper in the story books he used to read to me. Perhaps I did it for the part of him that could still smile, tucked away in nostalgic folds of memory. But he was no longer that person when I left, so perhaps I’m simply here out of respect for the dead.

I used to think him as strong as the steel he manufactured, but money corrupted and he eventually rusted alongside his most profitable product. As I grew, I saw the person he was becoming, the change in his eyes when he looked at me—less like the adoring child he raised and more like the next step in his business plan, an heir that could skyrocket his company into the future. I tried to save him, begged him to sell the business before he lost himself completely and ended up in an early grave. But it was no use, too much of his soul had been consumed by greed, so I left before he made it impossible to leave.

There was no word from him in almost ten years and I come crawling back with the first letter I receive, asking me to attend the reading of his Last Will and Testament. I wanted nothing more to do with him and this corroded family.

Yet, I came back. Probably for the fond memories of him, but more than likely because I felt guilty for not being able to save him from himself. And what do I get for coming back? A revolver pressed to the back of my cranium by some mysterious stalker cloaked in darkness. I should have just left the vile pack of wolves alone. Let sleeping wolves lie, and all that. But I just had to come back, didn’t I?

_

Several hours ago, I arrived at Steele Manor, my second childhood home, though I barely remember the first. My parents passed in an accident when my bike still had training wheels and I was delivered upon my grandfather’s doorstep a couple days later. I was back, but it still didn’t feel like home.

As usual, I was the last to show. I’ve never been much for punctuality, but in all fairness, it was storming and I was the only one who had to take the bus and rent a beat-up sedan on its last hubcap when the bus’s tire blew. We can’t all drive BMWs.

The lawyer was instructed not to begin without each individual present, so between the years of absence and my tardiness to the reading, tensions were high when I finally forced open the heavy wooden door to the study. Everyone was already seated in the sturdy mahogany chairs, lined with my grandfather’s signature green leather, their choice of drink in hand. All five heads, turned my way, swiveling in perfect unison. My racing heartbeat was the only noise in the silence, and I prayed the others couldn’t hear it, too. I was living my high school nightmare all over again.

My cousin Mary was the first to speak, “It’s about time.”

She addressed the lawyer, turning toward his seat at the desk on the opposite end of the room, “Can we get started now? I have a demanding schedule and the sooner we start, the sooner I can collect my inheritance and get back to it.”

“Y-yes, of c-course miss. Now that all p-parties are here, we can begin.” The lawyer smoothed his combover as he spoke, obviously taken aback that such a beautiful woman had spoken directly to him.

She moved a lock of blond hair out of her face with an air of indifference and then glanced at her nails, finding her perfectly manicured fingers to be of more interest than the balding man before her.

As I walked toward an open seat next to Uncle Alastair and Aunt Delores, Mary whipped her attention back to me, her emerald-green gaze boring holes into my flesh. “Don’t you even think about sitting on that chair. You’re soaking wet and that’s imported Italian leather. I don’t want it smelling like a wet dog when I inherit it. You can stand, Leah.”

Always the charmer that one.

I clenched my teeth and walked to the corner, reminding myself that I would only be here for the night and be gone by daybreak—there was no use in starting a fight with Mary when I would never see her again.

Her twin sister, Rose, gave me a small smile and look of sympathetic understanding. Though they were identical, their personalities couldn’t have been more different. Rose was the tree that gave oxygen so others could breathe, while Mary was the fire that consumed it all. Rose was the only family member I truly missed.

Our attention turned back to the lawyer who was nervously opening the sealed documents. He cleared his throat and began to read:

“I, Malcolm Alexander Steele, being of sound mind, declare this document to be my Last Will and Testament. It is my wish that all staff of Steele Manor shall receive a severance package of $50,000 per year for the next two years. The remaining 2 billion dollars shall be divided equally amongst Alastair, Dolores, Rose, Mary, and Leah.”

The tension when my name was read was tangible in the sneers and side-eyed glances.

“Now, as for Steele Manor and Steele’s Steel,”

Everyone in the room leaned forward ever so slightly, hanging on the lawyer’s next words.

“…sole ownership shall be given to the individual who finds the deed. It is hidden on this property in a very special place, perhaps the most important place for our family…”

Pandemonium erupted before the lawyer could finish, each person wondering why he or she wasn’t named the heir. The lawyer looked terrified—he was not equipped to deal with a hoard of angry, entitled people.

The instant I heard my grandfather’s words, I knew they were meant for me.

I knew where the deed was hidden. The question was, did I want it?

_

I somehow managed to stumble down the hill in this storm without killing myself, using the glow of electricity emanating from the mansion to navigate to the old family barn—much less a barn now after decades of neglect, and more a pile of wood and metal scraps. My grandfather kept it as a reminder of where it all began, where Steele’s Steel was conceived and birthed. This is the barn where my grandfather unknowingly signed his soul away.

I attempted to slide the barn door open without success. The more I pushed, the deeper I sank into the mud. The hinges had rusted through and this storm wasn’t making things any easier. Walking around the side, I found an opening large enough to slip through.

Lightning was the only light source, illuminating the interior for only moments at a time. Letting memory guide me, I searched for the hidden compartment in the dividing wall between the old horse stables. My grandfather showed this spot to me on my tenth birthday, several years after I came to live with him. He told me this was where he kept his most valuable possessions, adding a photograph of me to the collection.

Clumsily, my fingers searched for the latch that would open the steel-lined compartment. After several minutes of blindly groping the wall, I found and released the latch, the door giving way with a dusty sigh. I ruffled through the miscellaneous objects and papers until my hands enclosed around a thick envelope. I waited for a flash of lighting to confirm what I already knew: I held the deed to Steele’s Steel, an international conglomerate, in my shaking hands.

Something cold and hard pressed against the base of my skull, followed by the sound of a revolver’s safety click off.

Terrified, my heart stopped for a beat, then pounded frantically against my chest like it wanted out.

“Drop it. Hands above your head.” The voice broke the rhythmic beat of rain pinging on the metal roof. I raised my hands slowly, trying to figure out where I heard that voice before.

“Stay still. One movement and I’ll shoot.”

I obeyed.

The pressure of the gun left my head as my attacker moved around me, sloshing across the muddy floor. A head of long, blond hair and striking emerald eyes came into view as she bent to pick up the envelope.

“Mary.” I stated, my voice filled with contempt.

One corner of her mouth tilted up in a smirk.

“Guess again.”

“Rose?” I exclaimed.

She chuckled at my gaping mouth.

“Good guess. But you really only had a fifty-fifty shot, and you got it wrong the first time.”

“W-why are you doing this? You were always so kind…”

“Kind doesn’t get you very far and I want the company. I deserve it. It should have been mine.” Greed seeped from her words, mimicking a growl. “After you left, I was the one who sat with him every day, listening to him, learning from him, training to be the dutiful heir. I dedicated my life to him and to the company. So, you can imagine how upset I was when he told me that you were right and he was sorry. I still don’t know what you were right about. He wouldn’t tell me. But he did tell me that he was going to sell the company and reconnect with you. I just couldn’t let that happen, so I slipped a little something into his nightcap. The butler found him the next morning and called the paramedics. They said he died in his sleep,” she grinned, “but we both know what really happened.”

She held a finger to her mouth as though I should keep the secret, but I know she had no intention of letting me leave this barn alive.

Warm tears streamed down my frigid cheeks. Rose frowned.

“Don’t cry. His death was painless, like falling asleep. But I’m actually glad that you showed up, otherwise I wouldn’t have found this.” She waved the envelope in the air as she spoke. “I thought I was sure to be named heir, so you can imagine my surprise tonight at the reading. Even though you left us, abandoned us, he tailored his will to you, knowing that only you could find the deed. I saw you slip away and I followed you. Now, I have what is rightfully mine.”

She moved to open the envelope to ensure the deed was inside.

Rose’s greed distracted her and I seized the opportunity. I charged at her, knocking her to the ground. She hit her head on the floor and the gun slipped from her hand. I got in a couple punches before she knocked my legs out from under me. She tried to get up, but I grabbed her ankle, pulling her down again. We tumbled in the mud, an even match. I was on top one moment, and down the next. I had my hands around her throat when I noticed the gun out of the corner of my eye. It was within reach. Rose must have seen it, too, because the next moment, we were both making for the deadly weapon.

_

A gunshot fired in time with a crack of thunder. The birds nesting in the loft took flight, deciding to take their chances with the storm rather than stay. There were two bodies left in the barn, but only one still breathing.