Temple: A New Journey Begins
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"This has got to be a fake," Clarence stared at the will that had been revealed to young Kwai Chang Caine. "I don't believe this."
"It isn't. I checked the records myself. As you know every year property taxes have to be paid on the land that you own. Houses of worship and religious institutions are exempt from having to pay that tax. You would think that after a temple had been built on the property, and its use changed that someone would have filed a change in status form. No one did. Someone continued to pay taxes on the land long after the temple burned down. That land is still owned by the Caine family. Not only that, the Caine family owned a great deal more than what is indicated with that."
"What do you mean they own a lot more?" Vance had asked the question. Even he was taken by surprised by that news.
"I still don't understand. There is only one Caine that I know of, and he's a priest. Every Caine this town has ever known has been a priest. They don't have the money to pay taxes on property."
"No, but there still is another branch of the Caine family. There is more to that will than just what is written on the front."
Clarence Cavanaugh turned the page and read more. "You mean to tell me that . . . "
"Oh, yeah," Kermit stated. "Quite a bombshell isn't it?"
"Wait a minute, this has got to be fake. That's not the name of the town."
"I checked that out as well. The name of the town had been changed back in 1898. The land originally belonged to a Sarah Kingsley. She owned quite a bit of the area. It was passed to her granddaughter after she died. It was her grandaughter who changed the name of the town. Seems there was this incident that had involved a certain Shaolin priest and the Kingsley family. Turned out that the grandchildren of Sarah Kingsley were related to Henry Raphael Caine."
"Who was he?" Clarence questioned.
"He was a stonecutter in Lordsville and the grandfather of Kwai Chang Caine."
"Who's this other man mentioned in the will, this Zeke Caine?"
"He was also the great-grandson of Henry Caine." Kermit instructed. "They shared in the property."
"So what happened to him?"
"His family line is still alive, but it's no longer known as Caine. See Zeke had several daughters. Each married into wealthy families and continued to remain in California, all except one. She moved on and married the father of a very good friend of mine. It turns out the taxes are still being paid on the land by the family, but the original Kwai Chang Caine and his descendents didn't know that since there wasn't an easy way to let them know."
"How did the temple get built then?" Vance asked.
"That is a story to be told over a good cup of coffee on a rainy day. Some day maybe it will be told. Even so, the land still remains in the Caine family to this day. And you my friend, along with your friends have been stealing from that family for the past 50 years."
"Hey, now wait just a darn minute. I resent that. I haven't stolen from anyone."
"The money your grandfather earned from that mine doesn't belong to him. Now if you don't want to be prosecuted as an accomplice and have all of that taken away, then I suggest you fess up."
"That mining operation died with him. Once he made his fortune that was it."
"But he passed it on to you, fortune that he never earned legally."
"Father, someone is continuing to mine that place. If you're not involved, then you have to tell Kermit who it is."
"I thought the mining stopped. The only thing I can do is make restitution if this is true. My father may have hated those monks, but I never thought he would steal from them."
"Don't be such a hypocrite, Dad. You hate the monks just as much as Grandpa did. You would love to get rid of them if you could."
"What does that got to do with it, Vance. A lot of people don't like those weirdos hanging around."
"Yeah, but a lot of guys wouldn't stoop to murder to keep them from finding out that mine exists," Vance countered.
Clarence Cavanaugh's eyes narrowed and his brow wrinkled with astonishment. "Murder?"
Continues with Part 51
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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