A Small Matter of Inheritance.

“You will have to be very precise with me Mr. Smith. Is it ok with you if I just call you Christian?”

“Sure, that’s fine.” I replied. I sat down in the small interview room opposite Detective Lisa McCarthy.

“What we have is two dead bodies and a missing person. As you were present at the scene, I am expecting you to fully cooperate with us and explain just what happened. You are aware that you may have a lawyer present at this time, Mr. Smith?” I nodded. She put down her pen and notepad and pressed record on the device sitting on the table between us. The room was quiet except for the air conditioning unit that rattled every so often.

“My father passed away two weeks ago,” I began. “I had not seen my half- brothers since his funeral but was invited to the home of my eldest half-brother, Alex, to discuss the will.”

When I left my house to walk to his place the temperature was already becoming unbearable. It was nearly lunchtime when I approached the house. I stopped at the front porch and took a breather as I had walked continually from my home to his. After taking a breath and wiping my forehead I walked forward and knocked on the front door. It opened almost immediately.

“We could see you standing out on the street. Why did you walk here? It’s the middle of a heat wave?” Alex gave me a curious look as he spoke. “Put your bag down there by the door and take a seat.”

“I’ll keep it beside me,” I said, and took a seat next to the window.

“Why Christian is here at all is a more important question,” said Jason, my half-brother.

I looked across at Jason who had stood up from his seat but he did not approach me.

“Is this new?” I asked, pointing to a concrete bench top.

“Yeah, recently installed. Now the bench and floor matches,” said Alex. He ran his finger along the edge of the bench and stopped at the corner. “Smooth and sharp.”

“Why are you here?” Jason again said. “It was our father recently buried, not yours. Your old man is still out there somewhere. Go find him.”

“He is here because I invited him. I think it is better that we explain to Christian the situation,” said Alex. He looked at Jason then at Kane, his younger brother, who was sitting in the corner of the room opposite Jason. “I had a call from dad’s lawyer and he told me that no will was left with him. He said that he can organize a meeting for us to discuss these matters, but we think we can do that without needing lawyers involved, you understand.”

1

“But don’t think you’re going to get anything,” said Jason. He stood up again as he spoke. He looked at both Alex then Kane before focusing on me. “He’s not your father. He was ours! Don’t think you can sneak in and take what isn’t yours.”

I stayed in my seat and did not reply. I crossed my leg over the other and looked at my three older half-brothers.

“Dad wouldn’t have adopted you if mum didn’t die after giving birth. He never said it, but after what she did to him, I think he planned on leaving her. So it wouldn’t be right for you to think you are owed something from him. You have been given enough already,” said Kane from his corner.

“You shouldn’t even have his name! No one here thinks you should have our name, take your own father’s name!” Jason said aggressively.

“You don’t have to tell him that,” said Alex. “And if you have something to say then you should just say it without jumping up and down. I’m sick of your theatrics. Dad died less than two weeks ago and you are here yelling about all this stuff. He would be embarrassed!”

The temperature in the room had risen and no one in the room had taken notice except for me, maybe because I was sitting by the window. Jason’s shirt had become wet in patches, which was quite visible in the light.

Jason raised his voice further,

“I embarrassed dad! Me? Who are you to say such a thing! What have I done to embarrass him? It was you who borrowed his money to invest in your start up business that went nowhere. How embarrassing. You talked him into lending you that money and it was never returned. This new floor and bench top probably came from him too! I have never embarrassed him. You on the other hand, stole from him, then left him disappointed,” Jason was becoming worked up, “Alex, you should sit there with Christian, you have been given enough from dad.”

Alex snapped back at Jason’s outburst.

“The fact that the business did not succeed has nothing to do with me. There were other factors you do not understand.” He was visibly annoyed that this was mentioned, as it was still a sore point for him.

“I think that business really could have been something,” said Kane. Whether or not he meant what he said was hard to tell.

“It would have been,” said Alex, “if people had just stuck with me a little longer.”

“Yes, yes it is all their fault,” said Jason wryly, pushing against a metal vase that was standing on the bench. “The truth is you have already taken more than Kane or I have ever received. That will be taken into account when we divide the inheritance.”

2

“Absolutely not!” Said Alex who was becoming furious. “That money was a gift and as such has nothing to do with whatever is left in the estate. What agreement we had has nothing to do with you.”

“If I was given that money, I would have turned it into profit, but you know what, your failures are your own burdens to bear.”

With quick stride Alex moved towards Jason who stood in return and it looked like physical confrontation was about to break out if it were not for Kane who stood and weakly interjected.

“We shouldn’t lose focus. Remember we want to do this without lawyers.”

“Of course you don’t want lawyers involved!” Jason laughed at Kane as he shifted around and directed his aggression towards him. “How many times have you needed a lawyer in the past few years? Are you still not allowed near schools and playgrounds?” Jason roared in laughter as we looked on in disbelief at Jason who could find mirth in such statements. Kane looked defensive but remained quiet. All this time I was still sitting near the window. The sun was on my back and I was hot. I did not mention to my brothers that the room temperature was increasing and that turning on the air conditioning might create calmer heads.

Jason broke from his laughter and the room was quiet for a moment. He turned back to me with angry suspicion.

“I know what you think. You think that you were the favorite. You think you are better than us. Dad told me you were spending a lot of time with him before he passed. Did you guys know that? That Christian was spending a lot of his evenings with dad?” At this, both Alex and Kane were watching me.

“What were you doing?” Jason continued, “Trying to score something from him? What were you trying to do? Were you hoping to get in the will? Who sees a sick old man and looks at him like an opportunity?”

“There is no will,” Alex interrupted. “That’s why we’re here.”

“Yes, we know that now,” Jason bluntly responded, “but he didn’t know that then. I want to know what he was fishing for.”

“Not everyone is fishing for something, Jason,” interjected Kane, “I saw dad a few times before he died. Are you saying I was fishing?”

“You most likely were,” Jason said.

“Who are you to make such accusations? You have no idea why I had visited dad.”

“Why then,” Jason said.

“It has nothing to do with you Jason,” said Alex.

“You’re all as bad as each other. All of you have been dipping into his pocket for years! You all have cleaned him out!

3

Alex looked visibly annoyed at Jason’s outburst but held his tongue.

“You Leeches,” he pointed at both Alex and Kane. “You have all used dad. You have all had your share.” Jason’s demeanor had become more aggressive as the day moved along. He wiped sweat off his forehead with his hand and gave it a flick motion towards the ground in an effort to remove the moisture before rubbing his hand on his trousers. His eyes seemed to stick to whoever he was looking at like he was fixated on a particular part of their face.

He turned his anger again towards myself, “You shouldn’t even be here.” He took a step towards me but stopped.

Alex also looked down at me.

“The real reason I invited you here, Christian, is to tell you plainly and face to face that there is nothing here for you,” Alex said with a patronizing tone. “The remains of our father’s estate must remain with his true offspring. We don’t want you to think you are entitled to anything. You understand that don’t you?”

He tried to sound reasonable, as if what he was saying was natural common sense. That somehow as an adopted son I was ineligible to any inheritance.

“It’s not we don’t like you Christian,” Kane joined in, “We just want what’s right and what is rightfully ours. You understand don’t you?”

“Of course he doesn’t understand! That’s why he is here,” Jason shouted.

“Why do you keep doing that? Every time I say something you have to yell and make a scene! I wasn’t even talking to you!” Kane responded angrily to Jason, laying a finger on him as he spoke. Jason, who was larger, grabbed his hand and pushed it away from himself and back into Kane’s chest.

“I will break your arm if you wave that finger at me, creep. Don’t ever raise your arm at me!”

There was a knock on the interview room door and an officer walked in.

“I’m sorry to interrupt you Detective McCarthy but we believe we have found the missing person, Kane Smith.”

Detective McCarthy looked at me. I took in the information calmly. At first I stared at the table then directed my gaze toward the detective.

“Where is he now?” asked Detective McCarthy.

“Autopsy,” said the officer. “We will need to have someone formally identify the body.”

“Deceased,” said Detective McCarthy, “I’m sorry Mr. Smith to put this on you but can you come downstairs to identify if this person is your brother?”

4

I nodded and we stood up. The heat hit us as we entered the stairwell, which was not air-conditioned. The rush of heat made me light headed and I almost lost my footing as I walked down the stairs. We entered the room and walked past some trolleys and forensic equipment. Kane’s body had taken on a slightly green hue and when Detective McCarthy approached she took a deep sigh.

“Is this your brother, Kane? She asked.

“That’s him,” I said quietly.

“What is the cause of death?” McCarthy asked the coroner present.

“Asphyxiation. It says he was found in his car in his garage,” said the coroner looking at his clipboard.

Detective McCarthy looked at me for a moment.

“I can’t let you leave at the moment, I’m sorry, but go upstairs and have a drink of water. Collect your thoughts and we will continue with our interview soon.”

I walked upstairs holding the handrail. I drank some water then sat back in the interview room. Detective McCarthy entered the room 15 minutes later.

“I’m sorry you had to do that,” she said, “but please go on with what you were telling me because we haven’t yet established what has happened. You last said that Jason had physically assaulted Kane and made a threat towards him.”

I continued with my recount.

Kane looked threatened and angry that he could not stand up to his older brother. He stood back but there was a look of agitation that stayed on him. Alex noticed it too but he himself looked annoyed.

Alex shifted and stared directly at Jason.

“Jason, I wasn’t going to bring this up, but you have called Kane and myself leeches.” The look of anger slightly transformed to pleasure in Alex’s eyes, like someone holding a pair of aces. Alex’s voice took on an imperious tone.

“I saw your ex a few months back. Do you guys remember her?” Alex looked at both Kane and myself before continuing. “I had a very interesting conversation with her. Now, I understand that what she told me was in confidence, but…”

“Shut up Alex,” Jason warned angrily.

“You say I took money from dad for selfish purposes, when you…”

“Alex I said shut up!” he seemed to know where the accusation was going and madness poured into his eyes as they seemed to dart about inside his head.

“How can you swallow your hypocrisy? You laughed at Kane for his problems. You said you never needed anything from dad. Except that’s not true. You lied to

5

your father then took his money to pay an out of court settlement to your ex- partner for…”

With swift and furious momentum Jason picked up the metal vase from the table and struck Alex across the forehead. Alex fell backwards and his head made a thud upon contact with the concrete floor.

Kane screamed in disgust and lunged at Jason, who was standing over Alex’s body. His tackle caught Jason off balance and as he fell sideways his head cracked against the sharp corner of the concrete bench. Blood flowed sickly from his head as he stared at Kane. The side of his head was concave and he tried to speak but spat blood. Kane let out a pitiful sound and put his hands over his head. He bent down to check on Alex when Jason’s hands clasped around his neck. Kane immediately grabbed on to Jason’s wrists in an attempt to break free but his brother held on with more strength. Kane let go and placed his hands around the neck of his brother, lifted his head forward, then down with force. Jason spluttered as his eyes tightened. I grabbed Kane and pulled him off Jason.

“Don’t touch me!” Kane gasped as he looked at me. His face was white. He scrambled to his feet and ran out through the front door, entered his car and drove away.

That’s when I called for an ambulance.

“And after that we turned up,” said Detective McCarthy.

“That’s right,” I replied, “I waited there till the ambulance and police arrived.”

“And you provided duty of care till the ambulance arrived?”

“Yes.”

“Jason was pronounced dead at the scene, Alex died on the way to hospital,” said Detective McCarthy. “I have one more question Mr. Smith.”

“Sure.”

“You brought a bag with you to your brother’s house. You said that you wanted to keep it beside you. Can I ask what was contained in the bag?”

“It contained my father’s will. He never told them but he had left it with me and asked that I would take it to my brothers once he had passed.”

She pressed stop on the recording device and looked at me after a pause.

“Out of curiosity, what did it say? If I may ask,” questioned Detective McCarthy.

“I don’t know. I have never opened it.”