CHAPTER 26
Wednesday July 10th
Dep Chandra rose from his desk as Zoe showed Tess into the manager’s office.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t come yesterday,” Tess apologised.
“I understand perfectly. How is she today?”
“She was still out to it this morning. She’ll be fine, I’m sure. You can’t know how thankful we are that you were there for her.”
“Please. I only did what anyone else would have. It was nothing.”
“From what we’ve heard, it is the exact opposite. It appears that you did what nobody else would.”
Dep Chandra reluctantly accepted Tess’s tribute. “Well, I’m glad it all worked out and she’s safe. Now, down to business.”
“Business? I’m only here to collect my key. Well, Mia’s key actually since I gave it to her.”
“You might want to rethink that gift,” suggested Dep with a wry smile.
Mrs Donaldson loved a puzzle. But this one was easy.
“That’s an old safety deposit box key,” she had answered without hesitation when Dep had shown her the key the previous day.” She pointed to the engraving. “Town and Country Mutual: Box number seventy-two.”
“Where would it be now?”
“Oh, we wouldn’t have it any longer. When we changed to PCCB the board made the decision not to hold safety deposit boxes anymore. I actually had the job of writing to every box holder to ask them to come in take whatever it was they were keeping safe. Mostly it would be documents, jewellery, currency, family mementos. One contained the skeleton of a snake!”
“And what would happen to the boxes?”
“As a gesture of goodwill we let owners keep the boxes if they wanted. Some did. Some just took the contents. One owner had died. His poor wife didn’t know about the box until our letter arrived. Her excitement was short-lived, however. The box was full of love letters from his mistress.”
“But what if a box wasn’t collected? What would happen to it?”
“I’m almost certain that all boxes were collected. But I did leave soon afterwards to have my second baby.”
“So it’s possible that some boxes, or a box, would still be here?”
“Yes, I suppose so. And if it is it could only be in the safe.”
“And that,” Dep Chandra smiled triumphantly, “behind some boxes of historical records, is exactly where I found it!”
“A safety deposit box? And it matches my key? My goodness. Whatever is inside it?”
“I can’t tell you that, Ms Newell. That’s only for the owner to know. But with your permission I’ll fetch it.” Dep Chandra disappeared for a few minutes. When he returned he locked his office door behind him and placed a long, grey, metal box on his desk. The number seventy-two was engraved into an oval shaped tag and riveted onto the front of the drawer.
“Would you like me to leave?”
“No, please stay. Something might jump out.”
“It would be something very dead,” Dep grinned.
Tess didn’t know why but she was trembling as she pushed the key into the keyhole. My promise key is not a promise after all. It is something very different. But he did still love me. He said so in the letters. Maybe a ring. An engagement ring. No, he couldn’t afford that. Beside, why would he want to leave me a ring when could have given it to me before he left?
Even after these years the key turned easily. Tess open the lid. No, not a ring.
Tess looked at Dep. “Would you please …” Tess had opened enough letters in the past week to last her a lifetime.
“Certainly.” Dep reached in and took out the large brown envelop. It contained several documents, all typed, that seemed to Tess to be very wordy and official.
Dep scanned the documents. Tess tried to read his expression but couldn’t. Finally he looked up.
“Do you know a George McFudgen?”
“George McFudgen?” For an instant Tess could smell the oil and grease. She could see the tall, quiet man and the big, white smile that used greet her when she visited the workshop. “Yes, I do. He was Charlie’s father.”
“And Charlie is ..?”
Tess’s eyes glistened. “Charlie is Alison’s father. Mia’s grandfather. He died in Vietnam. That’s how I have the key. Although we weren’t married we were, I suppose, unofficially engaged. Charlie nominated me as his next of kin so the army gave me the key.”
“Well, it seems that these documents were left to Charlie by his father. And if you were nominated by Charlie as his next of kin, then they pass on to you.” Dep scratched his head then continued. “With your approval I’ll run all this past our solicitor just to verify your legal entitlement to the contents of the box.”
“And?”
“And if everything checks out, Ms Newell, you are the owner of quite a lot of property in Clowder Bay.”
Tess stared barely unable to take in what was being said. “Properties … what properties?”
“Let’s see. There is some industrial land on Forest Road, just outside town. All the land out that way backs on to the state forest and is fetching a good price. What else … Two hectares up past the old post office. Beautiful position. Beach front property. And, finally, what’s this one … ah, yes, it seems that George McFudgen owned the old post office as well. He must have leased it to Australia Post, or the Postmaster-General’s Department as it was known then. Actually, I wonder if we have an inactive account in his or his son’s name. Let me see.”
While Dep tapped on his keyboard searching the bank’s computer records, Tess tried to get her head around what he had told her so far, especially the news that the McFudgen’s owned the old Post Office, her beloved childhood home.
“Yes. Here’s an inactive account in the name of Charles McFudgen.” Dep clicked another couple of times. “Crikey!” Tess smiled at his attempt at a broad Australian accent. “Of course there haven’t been any withdrawals from this account for over forty years but it seems that up until about ten years ago there were regular deposits. Quite large ones.”
“Deposits? Who would have been depositing money into Fudge’s account?”
“The deposits are dividends from shares. They look like shares in a mining company and every year the company deposited Charlie’s share of its profits into his account. Mining companies come and go and I’d say this one went down not long after the final deposit.” Dep Chandra tilted his head to one side and looked matter-of-factly at Tess. “Ms Newell, it seems that you are quite a wealthy woman.”
Tess couldn’t speak for a minute. Then she asked, “Would you mind calling Alison?”
Dep Chandra again listed Tess’s newly-discovered property portfolio.
“I’m dumbfounded,” said Alison. “Even the old post office. But how can this be? Mum owns the building she grew up in. It used be heritage listed. Now all of a sudden it’s not. That building is due to be auctioned this Saturday and most likely knocked down soon after. And all this property mum now seems to own … surely the council would have expected the owner to be paying rates all these years.”
“Yes, it is all a bit strange,” agreed Dep. “I’m going to do a bit of investigating. I have a friend who works in the finance section at the council. I’ll ask Eddie to do a little quiet checking. I’ll let you know what I can come up with.”
Tess stood up. “Thank you, Dep, but it’s not urgent. We know you must have other things to do as well.”
“Actually,” Dep disagreed, “with the Post Office auction this weekend, it is urgent. If it sells then we have to convince a court to prevent the development of the site while you establish your legal right to possession of the property. It could all take years and lots of money. Leave it with me.”
Alison and Tess hurried back to the hospital to continue their vigil at Mia’s bedside.