Chapter 12 #2
Timber nodded at that.
“Yet, according to her own daughter, Aunt Penny also mispresented her products in terms of having an organic certification. She hung up fake documents and signs and figured that nobody would know. Then when somebody challenged her on it, she ended up just removing the signs and saying, there were a few issues, and she was working on them.”
“Sure, she was,” Timber muttered, with a headshake.
“Chelsea was horrified when she found out, feeling as if she’d been complicit in the lie, even though she had no idea and was a minor for a good share of the time. Plus, Chelsea was working the farm all those years, under the guise of how it would all go to her.”
“Sounds as if work isn’t exactly high on Penny’s priorities, not if she’s been after her daughter’s student loan proceeds.”
“That’s the next problem,” Sterling noted. “If Aunt Penny’s attempting to play that game, it’s not easy on anybody. She’s all about getting whatever she could out of both her daughter and Grandpa, then turns ugly when they push back and she doesn’t get her way.”
“Nope, it’s never easy, is it? So keep us posted and just stay safe. This other person involved, the boyfriend, appears to be an unknown entity, and, as we know, when people have their homes threatened, things can go south pretty quickly.”
“Yeah, you’re not kidding,” Sterling confirmed, “because it’s also my home.”
“And we’ll do everything we can to support you in that.
The last thing we want is to see you out of a home.
It’s become very clear for veterans, like each of us, that getting a place to call your own is a very important part of settling back into civilian life after the military service we’ve seen and the injuries we’ve sustained.
Lots of these guys are now in the position to also consider buying their own place. ”
“Yeah, my lawyer mentioned that too. Depending on the land out there, I could potentially set up some lots for people to purchase or rent. I need to see the place first, after all these years.”
Timber studied him and nodded. “That’s not a bad idea, and something I want to do down the road too. Depending on what we end up doing here, I’m not sure I can accommodate everybody,” he admitted, “so I’ve been speaking to the neighbor, who may have more land to sell.”
“You shouldn’t have to be the sole housing location for all of us,” Sterling noted. “I’ve always hoped to have my own place. If I have room and can do something like that, then I’m all for it. After all, I’ve been without a home for most of my life.”
“Exactly, and, because you’ve been without, you’re more than happy to step up and help,” Timber noted.
“So just take it easy, and let’s not make this into too big of a deal.
Hopefully Penny will come around. … Plus, if the lawyer decides you need to elevate your position by living on the place, I’m not at all comfortable with your going there alone.
So we will send a few men to move with you. ”
“Thanks. I appreciate that.”
“Any idea of the size of the existing house?”
“Not really. I have the memory of an eight-year-old, but I don’t know if they’ve changed the residence at all. I can ask Chelsea about it.”
“And that’s another thing,” Timber said, staring at him. “The fact that Penny’s after her daughter’s student loan proceeds speaks volumes.”
“I know, right? Thankfully Chelsea’s college has already been paid the bulk of it, and she’s gotten the education it was intended for,” Sterling said, shaking his head.
Timber frowned. “To think that she’s just expected to hand over an online transaction like that to her mother on demand is crazy,” he stated, “and even that alone would be enough to get Penny in trouble.”
“Agreed, but in trouble is one thing, and getting her off my land is an entirely different thing,” he pointed out.
Timber raised one eyebrow. “If they get arrested for something …” And he just left it open-ended.
Sterling thought about that for a long while, wondering just how that would work. They would probably just release Aunt Penny on bail, and she would come back home. However, if it truly was all about squatters’ right, then he could just move her out, but he didn’t want drama over it all.
Toward the end of the day his lawyer called him back.
“She did show up to a meeting, not Charlie, even though he was invited to attend as well, and it was a short discussion since she didn’t have the required retainer money on her,” he greeted him, without preamble.
“She wasn’t happy and stated that the property is hers and that no way anybody will take it from her.
So, the answer to your question is, she won’t leave, even though it was explained to her that she’ll lose it.
She says that she’s invested her time and energy into it all these years, and she wants compensation for it. ”
“That’s nice. I also want rent money.”
He snorted at that. “You could try that, and I’m not saying that it would work or it wouldn’t, but she’s counting on the fact that you also weren’t there all these years.”
“Yeah, because I didn’t know it was mine,” he stated bitterly. “I just knew I had a family who ditched me.”
“Yeah, Penny wasn’t very kind about that either and stated that you were a fool for going into the military when you could have come back and worked the land with her.”
“With her?”
“Yeah, that’s what she said, and I get it. I knew that would get your back up.”
“Wouldn’t you feel the same way?”
“Sure, exactly the same way,” he declared cheerfully. “The good news is that we’ll be setting up court dates. When I explained that to her, she pretty much just dared me by saying, Bring it on.”
“Good enough,” Sterling stated. “Now, what happens if I want to move onto the property myself?”
“It’s in your name, so you can do whatever you want,” he replied. “Just be aware that, if things get ugly, I don’t know how a judge will react.”
“How a judge would react if I move into my own place?” Sterling asked, dumbfounded.
“Yes, but we’re also trying to stay on the good side of the law here.”
“And yet it’s mine, and I just thought that, maybe if I move onto it, I could begin to sort out what I wanted to do with it, and could start making some plans.”
“She probably won’t let you in the house, and, if she did, her armed and freeloading boyfriend is there.”
“Who in this instance will also get rousted off my land,” he snapped.
“Legally, of course,” the lawyer interjected. “It doesn’t help you if there’s trouble.”
“What happens if they get arrested?” he asked.
“You mean, if they did something or … I don’t know. In what scenario are you thinking they would get arrested?” he asked curiously.
“She fraudulently sold organic produce, and she’s tried to get the daughter’s student loan proceeds. I mean, where do my rights come into play?”
“That’s a good point,” he noted. “Your rights are a bit askew, in the sense that she’s living there.”
“But what if I was living there too?”
“I don’t know,” he admitted. “In theory the property is yours, and your grandfather has it well documented that he paid the taxes and upkeep,” he pointed out. “Yet obviously it will be a whole lot easier and faster if she left on her own.”
“We know she won’t do that.”
“No, I don’t think she will.”
“And we know that the boyfriend won’t cooperate, so—”
“Yeah, and that part worries me,” he acknowledged. “We can’t have you doing anything stupid out there.”
“Right, stupid, like defending my land.”
“And she would say she’s defending hers by pulling the trigger.”
“Right, that sounds lovely, so I need a day when they’re in town and not at home.”
“If you moved in then,” the lawyer replied, “it’s potentially possible, but you could incite a pretty rough scenario.”
“Probably, but then again—”
“I know. I know,” the lawyer said. “It’s your place, and you’ve been horribly wronged, so maybe that’s what you feel like you need to do. I’m trying to get a judge on tap for this,” he reminded Sterling, “and it shouldn’t be that hard, but it’ll take a little time.”
“Right,” Sterling muttered. “Let me know what you find out. I do easily have six men who can move onto the property with me and access to more if needed.”
After a moment of silence, his lawyer whistled. “In one way that would do it, and in another way it could get pretty ugly.”
“I know it’ll get ugly, but why is that my problem? It’s been ugly for me since Aunt Penny showed up when I was eight years old, and I lost everything and everybody I loved.”
The lawyer gave a heavy sigh. “I can see that this will be an issue.”
“Of course it will. I want my land back,” he declared. “My grandfather’s statement reveals who is the rightful owner and who has always been intended as the rightful owner.”
“I know. I hear you. Just let me get a court date first,” he stated. “I know a judge, and I should call him.” And, with that, he ended the call.
Sterling headed back to work. The other men stared at him, and he sighed. “I just don’t quite know what I’m supposed to do.”
Joel shared, “There is a new law on squatters, I heard.”
“Yeah, yet she’s been there an awfully long time, so I don’t know if they’ll consider her squatting at this stage,” Sterling said.
“Obviously I do, but I don’t know about the judicial system.
I’m a living example of bureaucratic systems that don’t always get it right.
” And he added, “There’s also another aspect to this that I don’t really want to think about.
” He pulled out his phone and texted his lawyer, asking about the police file on his mother’s fatal accident.
The lawyer called him back. “Sorry, I forgot to tell you. They consider your mother’s car fatality as a case closed.”
“Fine,” he snapped. “I’ll go directly to a local detective then.” With the lawyer still sputtering as Sterling ended the call, Sterling dialed the detective in town who had helped Badger multiple times. Timber too. Sterling explained what the issue was.
“Good God.” Sterling provided a few more details, and, when he finally ran out, the detective sighed. “Jesus, do you guys ever have anything but trouble over there?”
“No, because everybody likes to take advantage of disabled veterans.”
Silence came on the other end, and he replied, his voice heavy, “Unfortunately I’ve seen way too much of that myself.
Okay, so now I need to get involved. You’ve got lawyers involved in the property dispute, and she did come in for an initial meeting, so she’s been duly notified that the land is not hers and that she needs to vacate, right? ”
“Yes,” Sterling confirmed, “and now I need assistance in getting her out of there.”
He groaned at that. “I’ll need to hear from a judge on that before I can get involved.”
“My attorney has a phone call in on that too,” Sterling shared. “It just frustrates me that I have to go to a court of law to confirm my claim. They should be backing me up already.”
“And you’ll have to do that, with your aunt contesting ownership. So let’s do it by the law as closely as we can, and then we’ll be in a better position to move her out,” the detective explained. “You do know that it won’t necessarily be easy.”
“I do, but …”
“I know. I know. I understand fully your point of view. Still, I have to see the paperwork first.”
“Sure, I’ll have the lawyer send you the paperwork with the property in my name, the letters from my grandfather, my mother’s will, and all that.”
“Of course Penny is already in residence.”
“She is, and her boyfriend has weapons.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah, he’s a loser. He doesn’t work, and apparently he likes to bash her around a little bit.”
“So, he’ll be the problem.”
“He’ll definitely be a problem, but the locals say Aunt Penny can get out of hand as well. I’m hoping he’s not as big a problem as I’m expecting.”
“Oh, he will be,” the detective muttered. “That just seems to go along with it.”
“Let’s hope not.” By the time he got off the call, the volunteers were already muttering among themselves. Sterling shook his head. “If anybody has any ideas on what I should do here, I’m all ears.”
Joel shrugged. “Now that you’ve contacted Richard, I think you let it sit for a little bit, and see just where it goes.”
“I forgot to tell him one more thing.” Sterling pulled out his phone and called Richard back, who answered in a wary tone.
“Now what?”
“You should contact my cousin Chelsea about this Charlie guy, who goes by Chuck. Her mother, my aunt Penny, had demanded that Chelsea turn over the student loan proceeds she used to complete her nursing program, and she refused. Both her mother and her boyfriend have no idea how student loans work, expecting Chelsea to have stacks of cash around her apartment, gathering dust. Aunt Penny’s boyfriend has also been giving Chelsea a pretty rough time, making her so uncomfortable and feeling unsafe in his presence that she moved out.
Meanwhile somebody slashed all four of her tires, not long after she refused to give them the money.
I have both Chelsea’s number and Lindsey’s number, who was there at a coffee shop chatting with Chelsea at the time when her tires were slashed, and ended up giving her a ride to work. ”
“Okay, give that to me,” Richard ordered. “This will cause all kinds of issues, won’t it?”
“Yeah, it sure will,” Sterling muttered. By the time he got off the call, the men stared at him.
One of them shook his head and noted, “So, we really need to get rid of this guy.”
“Yeah, we do, but I just don’t know how. The lawyers and now this cop are saying I need to do it as legally as possible.”
“Which just means you are following the rules while your aunt and her lazy boyfriend don’t have to.”
“Exactly, but, for now, we better get to work.” As Sterling reached the front door first, he opened it to a surprise. He gently shut the door and shared, “Guys, we’ve got a mountain lion on our front porch.”
Joel laughed. “Time to get the animal whisperer. I would normally just yell for Timber, but I think I’ll find him for this.”
Sterling had to smile. Things out here made his life better, even when finding a mountain lion blocking his path.
As he reached the back door, with everyone but Joel behind him, he opened the back door and found Big Mike, the large black bear, digging in the trash bins again.
Sterling shook his head, muttering, “If this happens too often, we may have to devise another way from here to the bunkhouse.”
Joel smiled and added, “I vote for a zipline.” That got a chuckle from the guys.
Timber arrived, frowning, with Joel in tow. Both seemed confused as the men all gathered at the back door. When Sterling explained the situation to them, they both laughed.
Timber replied, “I’ve got this. Joel, go throw some food scraps from the kitchen out past our deck. Meanwhile, I’ll coax our mountain lion on her way. It’s probably Mona Lisa. I’ve dealt with her before.”