The Secret Manuscript by Edward Mullen Read Free Book Online Page A

obviously
knew you.”
    “Is this type
of thing common… you know, where someone leaves their estate to a
complete stranger.”
    “Well, not
quite like this. We get the odd case every now and again where
people donate their estates to charities. This is kind of the same
thing, except you are the sole benefactor.”
    “Is there any
more information in your file regarding why he chose me?”
    “No, there’s
nothing to explain Mr. Gringer’s motivation for doing what he did.
Maybe he’s your long-lost relative.”
    Ben did not
say anything.
    “Alright, why
don’t we start with the big one?” the lawyer said as he slid the
first document in front of Ben to sign.
    “What’s this?”
Ben asked.
    “This is the
title transfer document for Mr. Gringer’s house. I just need you to
read it over and sign at the bottom.”
    Ben did as he
was instructed. As a first timer in this kind of situation, he
relished the opportunity to ask a lot of questions and learn as
much as possible. With each answer from the lawyer, Ben did his
best to comprehend, but was not educated enough to grasp
everything. In those instances, he just nodded and then signed the
rest of the documents that were slid in front of him.
    At the end of
the process, the lawyer asked Ben if he had any final questions.
Ben had none. They both stood up and the lawyer walked Ben back to
the main entrance of the firm.
    “Take care of
yourself, Mr. Owen,” the lawyer said as he shook Ben’s hand. “My
card is in the folder; don’t hesitate to call me if you need
anything.”
    “Thanks.”

Chapter
Twelve
    Ben left the
law firm and rode the elevator back down to the lobby. He could
hardly contain his excitement and nearly shouted at the top of his
lungs. He never thought in his wildest imagination he would become
a debt-free homeowner at the age of twenty-four. He continued to
pull his luggage across the lobby and through the spinning
doors.
    Once outside,
Ben was hit by the intense summer heat of the sun overhead. The
rays were radiating off the glass building and amplifying the
temperature. Ben removed his hoody and shoved it into his bag. He
then walked to the curb to look for a taxi.
    While waiting
on the street, Ben thought he heard someone call his name from a
distance. There were several reasons why Ben chose to ignore the
sound, the most prominent of those being that he did not know
anyone in Calgary.
    “Ben,” the
voice said again, this time much closer.
    Ben had no
choice but to acknowledge the speaker. When he turned around, much
to his surprise, he was staring at the face of a long-lost friend.
Ben was completely caught off guard. He thought he had left his
past behind him, but apparently it was harder to escape than he had
realized. He had been in Calgary for only a few hours and already
he bumped into someone he knew.
    “Kyle,” Ben
finally said, embracing is friend with a hug.
    “Wow, I hardly
recognized you, Ben. You’re all grown up.”
    “Yeah, you
too. What has it been… ten years?” Ben said.
    “Something
like that. How the hell are you, man?” Kyle asked.
    “You know,
same old, I guess.”
    “Are you going
somewhere?” Kyle asked, taking notice of Ben’s luggage. Similarly,
Kyle had a suitcase with him.
    “Actually, I
just arrived,” Ben said. “Where are you going?”
    “I’m moving to
Cold Lake. Rent here is too expensive.”
    “Trust me, you
don’t want to move to Cold Lake, I just came from there.”
    “What am I
supposed to do? I have no choice.” Kyle asked.
    “If rent is
the only issue, why don’t you move in with me? I literally just
inherited a house,” Ben said, as he held up the keys.
    “You inherited
a house? Who gave you a house?”
    “It’s a long
story. I’m on my way there now to check it out. Why don’t you come
with me? If you like it, you can stay there with me rent free.”
    “How could I
possibly say no to that?”
    The last time
Ben and Kyle had seen each other was when they were