A Fortune to Die For (White Oak - Mafia Series Book 1)

by O'Connor, Liza

  Fortunately, yesterday, when she’d stopped for gas at the Indian Casino, she’d been able to replace many items she couldn’t carry on the plane. The “no fly” items included a Swiss army knife, matches in a waterproof tube, a compass, a small shovel, a hatchet, and two stainless steel water containers now filled with water. If something were to happen and she couldn’t make it out of the woods, she wanted to have everything she needed to survive.

  Meg quickly donned her hiking clothes, then filled the hip-pack with her survival gear. Soon, she had everything fitted inside except for the shovel and ax, which she attached to external loops, one on each hip.

  Satisfied with her gear, she sat down and laced up her water-resistant, toe-reinforced, mid-ankle hiking boots. After tucking in the legs of her bug-resistant pants into the top of the boots and zipping up the knee-high gaiters to protect her lower legs from whatever came her way, she was ready.

  Excited to be hiking again, she grabbed her floppy hat and headed to the living room where both Tess and Helen waited, dressed much the same.

  They both smiled and Helen softly whispered to Tess, “Told you.”

  “Nice gear!” Tess said. “We can take on anything now.”

  There was an exit from the lower part of the house that didn’t require going through the closet. A good thing, given Tess wore a full-size backpack. Helen had a hip-pack similar to hers.

  The trail literally began at the door.

  Meg breathed in with great pleasure as she followed the two women into the woods. It had been a long time—four years to be precise—since she’d been hiking without the stress of fearing some deranged person might take her out any second.

  The forest seemed ancient compared to the woods she normally hiked. Almost all the trees had light gray bark, standing nearly one hundred and fifty feet with massive branches, creating a shaded canopy. “How old are these trees?”

  “Most are a hundred and fifty to two hundred years old,” Helen replied. “Though a few may be hitting four hundred.” She pointed to a thick, straight trunk five or six feet in diameter. “This beauty’s pushing four.”

  “The white oak’s heartwood is denser and thus less susceptible to fungal diseases,” Tess explained, “thus it’s a long-lived tree if it can avoid being cut down. It’s highly valued as lumber because it’s closed cellular structure makes it rot-resistant. This tree would sell for three or four thousand dollars at final market.”

  Helen huffed at Tess’s last comment.

  Meg quickly did the math and frowned. Even if the average tree brought a price of $1000, assuming 200 trees per acre, they were sitting on four billion dollars’ worth of trees. No wonder Helen’s relatives wanted her to sell. They weren’t after her land; they wanted to harvest the trees.

  Which explained why Helen searched for a person who loved hiking and had more money than she ever wanted. Anyone else would sacrifice the forest for wealth beyond their imagination.

  After trekking for two hours through the forest, Meg was in love. The well-marked and maintained trails took them up and down hills, along ridges and into swamps where white oak timber was used to make long-lasting boardwalks.

  Helen thumped her heel on the boardwalk. “When nature takes down a tree, I have a friend who flies in here with a helicopter, takes out the trunk once Tess removes the branches, and airlifts it out of the woods to his lumber mill in LaMotte. Then he flies the cut lumber back and drops it where Tess wants.”

  “Costs a fortune,” Tess added.

  Returning to her estimated value of the tree, Meg was about to drop the price significantly due to the difficulty of retrieving the wood but realized if land developers leveled the forest as they went, they would build roads to extract the trees. In fact, the most profitable way would be to raze this land into a level flat bed of dirt and replant grass and trees on planned subdivisions, destroying everything special about this place.

  The cries of a large variety of birds filled the air in the meadow. “What types of animals live here?”

  Tess tilted her head. “We’ve got the usual suspects—raccoon, deer, otters, and mink. Up in the hills, I’ve seen the prints of a mountain lion. It may have been passing through, or it may have decided to make this home. I always look for signs of it when I hike, but mountain lions are extremely cautious of humans and normally keep their distance.

  “How about bears?” Meg asked.

  “According to Wildlife officials, there are no bears in Iowa.”

  “None?” she challenged, remembering Andy telling her about a bear.

  Helen snorted. “We’ve got one giant bear in my woods. Must have come down from Minnesota.”

  Helen picked up a stick and threw it off the path. “Bears and mountain lions aren’t legally recognized in Iowa, so they have no protection from hunters. I’ve plastered these woods with no hunting warnings, but they show up here anyway. Not much I can do to stop them.”

  “If this were a state park, would it have better protection?” Meg asked.

  “Couldn’t have worse,” Helen muttered. “What do you think, Tess?”

  “If it became a popular place to hike, the rangers would have to crack down on hunters. Otherwise, they’d risk the lives of the hikers. Truth is, the state only takes care of the parks where they get heavy foot traffic. Which means this place would have to have better roads into the woods, parking lots, and restroom facilities.”

  Meg was pretty sure the trees cut to make room for the parking lots and picnic areas would pay for the roads and port-o-johns.

  And maybe even the advertising to encourage people to come. Otherwise, this place was ready. These trails were better maintained than any she’d ever walked.

  For their lunch stop, Helen chose a flat-topped hill. On it were two odd-shaped mounds facing the Mississippi River. As Meg studied them closer, she began to see images. “Are these shaped like animals?”

  Helen patted her arm. “Yes, they are.”

  Tess explained. “I believe these were built by the same prehistoric Indians who built the Effigy Mounds in Harpers Ferry around 800 B.C. Their mound building is a regional culture not seen elsewhere. The two main symbols of the mound builders are the bear, which you can see here, and the bird, which appears to be a pelican.

  Once Tess named the bird, Meg could see it clearly. “Have you ever invited archeologists up here?”

  “No, I haven’t,” Helen snapped. “If I did, I’d have the state telling me I can’t walk on my own property. And they’d probably want to confiscate my land for another park.”

  Her response worried Meg. What if Helen hated her plan for these woods?

  ***

  It turned out a good percentage of the acreage was flood lands filled with swamp white oaks, which only grew to about seventy feet and three feet in diameter. Thus, the value of the trees might be just two billion, but still the trees were worth far more than the land.

  When they returned to the cabin later in the evening, Helen cursed as she checked her phone. “Damn it! Jeffrey’s sitting on the front porch.” She eyed Meg. “Probably looking for you.” She shook her head. “Tess, you and Meg go inside. I’ll climb up the side and see to my son.”

  Once Tess and Meg were inside, the young woman chewed her bottom lip. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to go up and referee those two.”

  “Go on. I’ve got stuff to do. I gather you have internet here?”

  Tess grinned. “Grams bought satellite internet when I came to live here so I could be homeschooled. It’s not secured, so you can tap right in.” She then went outside and followed the same steep path Tess took around the house.

  Meg went to her room and booted up her computer. After making a few calls to firm up numbers, she made several changes to the proposal she planned to present to Helen.

  She’d just finished reading the revised document when someone knocked softly on the door. Upon opening the door, a diminished version of the older woman she’d hiked with looked up at her wit
h tired eyes. “Mind if I come in?”

  Meg stepped back so Helen could enter.

  The old woman bee-lined to the rocking chair and sat down. “Money can ruin people beyond recognition. When Jeffrey was a little boy…a sweeter more generous fellow you’d never meet. And he remained so until Sara got her claws in him. Now all he thinks about is money…specifically, how to get more of it.”

  Meg suspected this was nothing new, but something was. Helen appeared devastated. “Has something happened?”

  “Evidently, his wife has run them deep into debt, which he covered by selling to a land developer his rights to my land when I die.”

  “Oh…”

  “Don’t worry. It won’t hold up in court. He sold the fellow nothing. He has no rights to my land and, had the developer bothered to ask me, I would have told him so. I got my lawyer on the phone, and he laid it out to Jeffrey in black and white. Unfortunately, by claiming he had rights, Jeffrey has committed fraud and could go to jail when this all comes to light.”

  “I understand. He’s your son, and you love him. Well, at least, I’ve had a great day and great company hiking your forest while—” Meg caught herself and stopped talking.

  Helen finished her sentence. “While my beautiful woods still exist, you mean.”

  Meg went to her and knelt before her, gripping her hand. “This has to be breaking your heart.”

  “It is. I talk a tough story, but sometimes it’s hard to practice what I preach.”

  Meg nodded in agreement, remembering the guilt she suffered when she refused to cover her relatives’ new million dollar mortgages they had foolishly signed.

  “What can I do to help?”

  The old woman stared at her a long moment. “You could buy these woods. Although I will need to charge a bit more than previously thought to cover Jeffrey’s foolishness.”

  “How much?”

  “A hundred and thirty million for all the land but not this house. Tess gets the house. With the extra money, I can clean up Jeffrey’s sixty million dollar mess and still have enough to give everyone else the amount I had planned to.”

  “And what about you?”

  Helen gripped her hand. “This is just between you and me…”

  Meg nodded.

  “I have cancer. As soon as I settle matters fairly and secure the future of my woods, I plan to return to the burial mounds I showed you today, put a gun to my head, and go to heaven.”

  Helen’s response, spoken with such quiet determination and certainty, sent a shiver down Meg’s spine.

  “Tess…” Meg couldn’t imagine how the young girl would survive it.

  “She is the only one in my family who loves me more than my money. I’ve discussed this matter with her before. So she might be hurt I didn’t say goodbye, but she won’t be surprised by my exit. She even knows what I want done with my ashes.”

  Helen gripped Meg’s arm. “So it comes down to you. Are you willing to buy my land and keep it safe, and then find someone to do the same when you die?”

  “I will, if you want, but I think I’ve got a better idea.”

  Helen’s brow furrowed. “I’m listening.”

  Over the next hour, Meg went through her twenty-page presentation. When she ended, Helen’s brow remained furrowed. “Why on earth did you waste the time writing this thing up?”

  Her question was like a javelin piercing Meg’s hopes. “Then you hate the idea.”

  “No, I like it very much. But clearly you’ve spent a great deal of time and research putting this proposal together when all you had to do was talk to me.”

  Relief burst from Meg’s lungs as she realized the old woman’s objection. “The proposal will be needed when I begin discussions with the state. They have to agree to my requirements before I’ll donate the land to them.”

  Helen chuckled. “Then I take back my scold. You were very wise to create this document. Without clear instructions, they will muck it all up.” She then leaned back. “But you didn’t know Tess until yesterday. So how did she get into your proposal?”

  “We talked about her desire to go into Forestry management, and honestly, not only do I think she’ll be great at it, given how much she already knows, but there is no one who I trust to care for your land more than her.”

  Helen nodded. “I considered just giving her the land, but her father would have made her life hell if I did. Your solution is perfect. She won’t own the land, so there’s no reason to torture her, but the state gets the best possible manager for these woods at no cost to them. And Tess gets her dream job.” She blotted her eyes with a tissue from her pocket. “I am so glad I found you.”

  “I am too,” Meg admitted.

  “So let me call Jonas, my lawyer, and have him write up a contract to sell you my land.”

  “I came with a contract. I only need to change the dollar amount, and then I can email it to your lawyer. He can make revisions on it and send them back to my guy. That will speed matters up.”

  Helen smiled and stood. “I’ll call Jonas and let him know you’ll be sending him an email.” Her spryness had returned as she left the room with a lilt in her step.

  Meg corrected the amount and notified her lawyer, David, informing him of the change, and gave him Helen’s lawyer’s number so they could work out any details.

  After a quick knock on the door, Tess eased in and closed the door behind her. “What did you say to Grams? Uncle Jeffrey got her so upset I was ready to call her doctor, and now she’s happier than I’ve seen her in a long while.”

  “Sit down. Since you are a big part of my proposal, you’ll need to agree to it before I start pushing this through bureaucracy hell.”

  Tess’s eyes rounded as she sat on the bed.

  “Helen is going to sell her lands to me for a hundred and thirty million dollars.”

  Tess frowned and raised her hand. “Two concerns—it’s worth much more, and where will you get the money?”

  “I am paying Helen the amount she asked. And I have sufficient funds to buy and then give it to the state under two conditions. It remains as a state park for perpetuity, and until you graduate with your degree, you will be hired each summer as the assistant to the Forest Manager, and upon graduation, you will be promoted to Forest Manager, a job which you will retain as long as you wish.”

  “No way!” Tess yelled with happiness and catapulted herself from the bed. Then she came to a complete halt, turned, her expression sober, and reclaimed her seat. “What if they want your land but refuse to take me.”

  “Then they’ll have to risk losing the lands entirely. However, once they see the current condition of these trails presently under your care, I cannot imagine them doing so.”

  Tess wrapped her arms around Meg. “No wonder Grams is so happy! This is perfect!” Then she suddenly released Meg. “Where is Grams going to go?”

  “She’s staying here. And when she dies, the house becomes yours.”

  Tess stared at her. “Are you some sort of guardian angel? Because you’ve just made all my dreams come true.”

  For the first time in four years, Meg felt good about winning the lottery.

  Chapter 5

  Tess, Helen, and Meg sat in the living room with its grand glass wall, securing the future of the trees before them. A speakerphone rested on the coffee table. The craggy old voice of Helen’s lawyer, Jonas Dunkin, came through it as he reviewed every page of the contract. The only thing he challenged was the price. When Helen informed him it was her number, he declared he had no other objections and would drive up right away to get it signed.

  A few hours later, a short, stout old man with bushy white hair and a pretty, young assistant, Amy, arrived for the signing.

  “Tess and Amy will sign as witnesses,” Jonas explained, as they sat around the coffee table.

  Helen shook her head. “I don’t want Tess involved. The family will skin her alive.”

  Jonas groaned and covered his face with his withered, ol
d hands. Finally, he looked up at Helen. “I wish you would have mentioned you didn’t want her signing while we were on the phone because the contract requires two witnesses.”

  Helen laughed and patted his leg. “I know. It’s why I called down and asked for more groceries.”

  A red light bulb turned on at the hall door. “That should be our second signer. I’ll go get him.”

  She soon returned with Andy, and both copies of the documents were signed, witnessed, and notarized by the assistant.

  Jonas handed one copy to Meg with a stern glare. “If you need any extra help getting your plans for this land accepted by the state officials, let me know. I have connections.”

  Meg laughed. “In that case, I would like to hire you to help me.”

  Helen gripped his arm. “Before you say you aren’t taking new clients, I’m firing you, so you have an opening.”

  “The hell you are. You’ve opened a can of worms with this sale, as you are well aware. You’ll probably be occupying half my time for the next year. Therefore, I cannot take Miss Williams on as a client.” He then looked at Meg. “But I will give you the name of a lawyer with better connections and who has successfully helped a client donate their land to the state.”

  “I would greatly appreciate that,” Meg said.

  He opened his leather case and pulled out a paper list of contacts. He wrote a name and number on the back of his card and handed it to Meg. “Let him know I referred you.”

  His glare moved to Tess and Andy. “Now, neither of you are to say anything about this contract to anyone. Do I make myself clear?”

  Their heads bobbed in unison.

  Finally, he focused on Helen. “I’m having dinner with Judge Hathworth tomorrow, and you are coming as my date.”

  Helen’s eyebrows rose in challenge.

  He huffed and looked at Andy. “I imagine you have things to do.”

  Andy gulped, as if terrified of Jonas, and escaped with haste.

  Jonas then asked his assistant to wait in the car. However, when he stared at Tess, she crossed her arms. “I’m staying.”