Temple: A New Journey Begins
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The sheriff read through the deed and then tossed the paper back on the table.
"That's not much to go on. Says here that land was given over to a Kwai Chang Caine and his descendents, but if I understand this document, Kwai Chang Caine lived over 150 years ago."
"But the land was never sold and his name is also Kwai Chang Caine," Vance interceded.
"Doesn't matter. The courts will point out that this was to the ORIGINAL Kwai Chang Caine . . ."
"And HIS descendents," Vance pointed out. "He's one of them."
"Does he have any proof like some kind of family tree?" the Sheriff questioned.
"Kermit can get that information."
"What about a will? If he had a will, there would be no question about it."
"I don't know. There was no will with the deed. Kermit, do you think you can find out?
Kermit was strangely silent after they had gone back to the house. The conversation that he had with Peter in Shambhala was weighing heavily on his mind. Although he promised the kid to not say a word, how was he going to explain the envelope that he now held in his possession?
"Kermit, are you all right?"
All eyes turned toward him.
"Oh yeah, just peachy."
"Did something happen while you made your investigation?" Caine asked.
'Apt choice of words kid,' Kermit thought, as he rubbed the stubble of his beard and silently observed that he needed a shave. "I did find something, you might say."
Kermit handed Caine the thick envelope and watched as KC tore into its contents. He waited for the questions, but they never came.
"I think this is what you are looking for Sheriff."
"Yep, this will help your case, but only in civil court, not in criminal court. You have to prove that a claim was filed while the land was still occupied."
"A claim was filed by a Vance Cavanaugh, Kyle Jameson, and Mike Carson," Kermit stated. "It was filed two weeks before the temple was destroyed."
"So my grandfather was in on it," Vance stated.
"Just as you suspected."
"But what about the other two men?"
"Mike Carson died suddenly ten years later and left his fortune to his son Jake. Kyle Jameson is still alive. He must have been very young, maybe in his twenties, when the mine was discovered."
"And my grandfather died fifteen years ago, when I was twelve. He never mentioned where he got his fortune. He just put the information about the bank account in his will and my father never questioned it."
"You're going to have to show me where this mine is. If Jake and Bobby Carson and Kyle Jameson are involved, we're going to need more proof than this," the Sheriff indicated with a hand gesture, pointing to the items that rested on the table. "It may require that we do a stakeout to catch them."
"I did go over the three men's bank accounts from that time," Kermit stated.
"I didn't know you could go back 50 years for that kind of record," Vance stated with surprise.
"Banks have to keep all of their records, especially for those clients whose bank accounts are passed down from generation to generation," Kermit explained. "The number on the account doesn't change, unless the name of the bank changes due to mergers. This particular bank changed hands about four times. Even so, two of the three men listed their sons as beneficiaries on their accounts. The only one who hasn't changed is Kyle Jameson. Though the account number changed, his name remained on the account."
"Is that significant?"
"Oh yeah," Kermit stated with conviction.
"I don't see how it could be?"
"You have to look for the pattern. To find it you have to look at the bank accounts prior to the discovery of the mine, what all three men were earning at the time."
Kermit typed a few key phrases on his computer then pulled the CD from a slot on the side. "Here. Take this home and see for yourself. Pay strict attention to the Carson accounts and the Jameson accounts."
"What should I look for? The Sheriff questioned.
"You'll know it when you see it. In the man time, I've got to arrange for a stake out."
"Hold it right there. You know by showing me all of this, you've turned it into an official investigation. You're not in my jurisdiction."
"That badge I showed you gives me the right to be in every jurisdiction I need to be in," Kermit reminded the Sheriff. "Besides, you also have a murder to solve, and I'll bet my reputation that they are related."
Continues with Part 39
Alisa Joaquin Copyright@2004.
This story cannot be reprinted or sold in any other form without strict permission from
the author. It is being distributed here solely for your enjoyment.
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