Read Online Landon (In Safe Hands Book 1) by S.M. Shade - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: S.M. Shade
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use.
Hopefully, they’ve left instructions for someone else to handle everything.
After a quick internet search, I leave a message at their lawyer’s office.
“Bye,
Zo!” Ethan calls from the living room as he leaves for school.
“Be
careful!” I shout, my usual parting words to him. He’s having a good day.
There’s no reason to tell him yet. He’s been through enough, and I can deal
with this.
I’m
still sitting on my bed, my mind running a thousand miles per minute when
Frannie knocks on the door. “I’m coming in, hooker! I got to pee!” Her key
rattles in the lock and I hear her use the hall bathroom before she hunts me
down.
“Zo?”
She peeks in the room and sees me curled up on the bed. “Shit, what’s wrong?”
“They’re
dead. I can’t fucking believe it, Fran, but they’re dead.”
Her
eyes widen and she sits beside me. “Who’s dead?”
“My
parents, both of them.”
“What?
What happened?”
“Car
crash. A cop called. I have to ID the bodies. Ethan doesn’t know. I have to
call in to work. Miss school, I guess,” I babble until she wraps her arms
around me.
“Slow
down, girl. One thing at a time. Are you okay?”
Shame
colors my cheeks. “I am. I know I shouldn’t be, but I am.”
“There’s
no way you should or shouldn’t feel, especially given what they did to you and
Ethan. When are you supposed to identify them?”
“I
don’t know. I have to call,” I reply with a sigh, picking up the phone again.
The receptionist at the county morgue explains in a soft voice that I can come
in anytime today, then they can release the bodies to the funeral home. As soon
as I disconnect the call, the phone rings in my hand. It’s the lawyer.
“Ms.
Page, I’m very sorry to hear about your loss,” he says.
“Thank
you. I know you handled a few things for them, and I thought they may have a
will I’m unaware of.”
Frannie
brings me a glass of water while I’m talking, then starts digging in my closet.
“Yes, I have a will they filed about eight years ago. If you’d like to come in,
we can go over it, but it’s not really necessary. As their oldest child, they
left everything to you. I have the insurance company’s information as well, so
you can contact them and file a claim for the life insurance.”
“They
had life insurance?”
I
can hear the ruffling of papers. “Yes, ma’am. Two policies, one for five
hundred thousand dollars that lists you as a beneficiary and one for two
hundred fifty thousand that goes to your brother, Ethan Page. Assuming they
didn’t let the policy’s lapse, of course.”
Now
I know I’m fucking dreaming. Laughter bubbles up from my chest and I toss the
phone aside, letting the hysterics take over. “Shit,” Fran mumbles, which just
makes me laugh harder.
She
snatches up the phone and says, “I’m sorry, Zoe can’t continue right now.
She’ll have to call back.” A pause, and then. “Yes, yes, I understand. Thank
you.” She scribbles something on a piece of paper before hanging up.
Tears
pour down my face as I choke off the laughter. “I’m sorry, but he said we were
inheriting seven hundred fifty thousand dollars!” I collapse into giggles
again. “Isn’t that ridiculous? It’s a mistake. They wouldn’t leave us shit.”
Frannie
hugs me, then hands me a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. “Get dressed, hon. We’ll
figure it out. The lawyer gave me the insurance info. All we have to do is call
and check.”
I
pull myself together and get dressed, choosing to put off dealing with the
insurance company until later. I’m sure there’s nothing there anyway. They made
the will before they disowned us, so I’m sure we inherited the house, and if I
sell it I can at least get us out of this apartment. First things first, the
morgue.
Frannie
accompanies me back to the sterile room that smells strongly of chemicals. They
give me the choice to view on a screen, but I need to see them, really see them
and know it’s real.
Hopefully, they’ve left instructions for someone else to handle everything.
After a quick internet search, I leave a message at their lawyer’s office.
“Bye,
Zo!” Ethan calls from the living room as he leaves for school.
“Be
careful!” I shout, my usual parting words to him. He’s having a good day.
There’s no reason to tell him yet. He’s been through enough, and I can deal
with this.
I’m
still sitting on my bed, my mind running a thousand miles per minute when
Frannie knocks on the door. “I’m coming in, hooker! I got to pee!” Her key
rattles in the lock and I hear her use the hall bathroom before she hunts me
down.
“Zo?”
She peeks in the room and sees me curled up on the bed. “Shit, what’s wrong?”
“They’re
dead. I can’t fucking believe it, Fran, but they’re dead.”
Her
eyes widen and she sits beside me. “Who’s dead?”
“My
parents, both of them.”
“What?
What happened?”
“Car
crash. A cop called. I have to ID the bodies. Ethan doesn’t know. I have to
call in to work. Miss school, I guess,” I babble until she wraps her arms
around me.
“Slow
down, girl. One thing at a time. Are you okay?”
Shame
colors my cheeks. “I am. I know I shouldn’t be, but I am.”
“There’s
no way you should or shouldn’t feel, especially given what they did to you and
Ethan. When are you supposed to identify them?”
“I
don’t know. I have to call,” I reply with a sigh, picking up the phone again.
The receptionist at the county morgue explains in a soft voice that I can come
in anytime today, then they can release the bodies to the funeral home. As soon
as I disconnect the call, the phone rings in my hand. It’s the lawyer.
“Ms.
Page, I’m very sorry to hear about your loss,” he says.
“Thank
you. I know you handled a few things for them, and I thought they may have a
will I’m unaware of.”
Frannie
brings me a glass of water while I’m talking, then starts digging in my closet.
“Yes, I have a will they filed about eight years ago. If you’d like to come in,
we can go over it, but it’s not really necessary. As their oldest child, they
left everything to you. I have the insurance company’s information as well, so
you can contact them and file a claim for the life insurance.”
“They
had life insurance?”
I
can hear the ruffling of papers. “Yes, ma’am. Two policies, one for five
hundred thousand dollars that lists you as a beneficiary and one for two
hundred fifty thousand that goes to your brother, Ethan Page. Assuming they
didn’t let the policy’s lapse, of course.”
Now
I know I’m fucking dreaming. Laughter bubbles up from my chest and I toss the
phone aside, letting the hysterics take over. “Shit,” Fran mumbles, which just
makes me laugh harder.
She
snatches up the phone and says, “I’m sorry, Zoe can’t continue right now.
She’ll have to call back.” A pause, and then. “Yes, yes, I understand. Thank
you.” She scribbles something on a piece of paper before hanging up.
Tears
pour down my face as I choke off the laughter. “I’m sorry, but he said we were
inheriting seven hundred fifty thousand dollars!” I collapse into giggles
again. “Isn’t that ridiculous? It’s a mistake. They wouldn’t leave us shit.”
Frannie
hugs me, then hands me a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. “Get dressed, hon. We’ll
figure it out. The lawyer gave me the insurance info. All we have to do is call
and check.”
I
pull myself together and get dressed, choosing to put off dealing with the
insurance company until later. I’m sure there’s nothing there anyway. They made
the will before they disowned us, so I’m sure we inherited the house, and if I
sell it I can at least get us out of this apartment. First things first, the
morgue.
Frannie
accompanies me back to the sterile room that smells strongly of chemicals. They
give me the choice to view on a screen, but I need to see them, really see them
and know it’s real.
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