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CHAPTER ONE
‘THANK YOU FOR cous McLean’
The solicitor looked around the roo of people, some locals, some not
Get on with it, thought Callan He’d only come because the ninety-seven-year-old had been like a father to hihtful, with a wicked sense of huht Callan far ht him
He wasn’t here to inherit anything He could have bought the castle four tius hadn’t been interested He’d had other plans for the estate And after prettythere for part of his life Callan was curious as to what they were
The solicitor started reading ‘Some of you are here by invitation Others have still to be contacted As you us McLean had a considerable estate’
He started with some charitable donations, then us over the years—all of them left sizable bequests that would see thee
Then he cleared his throat and looked nervously around the roo past Callan
Uh-oh The castle What has old crazy done now?
‘Most of Angus McLean’s friends and relatives knew that Angus was a bachelor It was always assuus had no children’ He hesitated ‘But it seems that wasn’t the case’
‘What?’ Callan couldn’t help it He’d spent us McLean Never once in all those years had Angus ever mentioned any children
Frank, the faned for situations like this His legalese seehed nervously ‘It appears that in his day Angus McLean was a bit of a rogue He had six children’
Heads shot around the roohast
But a few heads stayed steady—as if they’d already heard the news
Callan couldn’t believe his ears ‘Six children? Who on earth told you that?’ This had to be rubbish Was a bunch of strangers trying to claim part of the McLean estate?
Frank looked hius told me,’ he said quietly
Callan froze Every hair on his body standing on end It couldn’t be true It just couldn’t
Frank cleared his throat nervously ‘As a result of Mr McLean’s heirs—and with some further research—we’ve discovered there are twelve potential inheritors of the estate’
Callan shook his head No Twelve people all wanting a part of Annick Castle It would be sold without hesitation to the highest bidder Everyone would want their share of the cash Angus would have hated that
‘On Mr McLean’s instructions, all twelve potential inheritors are to be invited to attend a weekend at Annick Castle’ He bit his lip ‘With true Angus McLean style, they are to be asked to take part in a Murder Mystery Weekend—with the winner beco the sole heir of Annick Castle After confir, of course’ His eyes finally met
Callan’s ‘Mr McLean’s last as that Annick Castle stayed in the family and was inherited by one person’
The words chilled Callan to the bone It was exactly the kind of thing Angus would have said—the only thing they’d ever argued about in this world But Callan had always assumed there was no real fa distant cousins Nothing like this
Chaos erupted all around hist the numbers frantically
There was a reporter in aainst his ear Who inherited Annick Castle was big news—particularly when it was being decided in such an unusual manner It was one of the few privately owned castles in Scotland
Callan stood up and walked outside into the rain and biting wind His eyes landed on the building in front of him Annick Castle The place he’d called home for the last twenty-five years
Fro in the bushes, hiding from the drunken, abusive bully that was his father, he’d welcomed him into his home It had becous had become frail and needed support, Callan had been the one to provide it
Annick Castle was the place he’d laughed, cried and learned to be a man
And it was all, doubtless, about to be destroyed by soer
‘Sign here, please’
Laurie looked up at the electronic screen placed under her nose She looked around; her secretary had vanished and the courier looked inature ‘Thanks’
She stared at the envelope It was hardly unusual A letter from another firm of solicitors She put it on the pile on her secretary’s desk It would need to be logged in the system
She rubbed her forehead Yet another tension headache—and it wasn’t even nine am She would be here for at least the next twelve hours She sighed and picked up the court papers she would need for later and headed back to her office
Five minutes later Alice appeared at her office door ‘Laurie, did you see who signed for this letter?’
Laurie looked up It was the heavy cream envelope ‘Yip It was me’
Alice looked a little ehtly protruding stomach ‘I’ve been at the bathroo’
Laurie waved her hand ‘No worries’
Alice smiled ‘I think you should look at this yourself It’s not work-related It’s personal’ She crossed the office and laid the now opened envelope on Laurie’s desk Receiving letters fro But none of them had ever been personal
Laurie looked up at Alice’s retreating back as she closed the door behind her
Why had she closed the door? Alice had already seen the contents of the letter and unless Laurie was in awith clients her door was always left open It felt kind of o her? But if they were, surely that would be work-related, not personal?
She picked up the envelope and turned it over in her hands She didn’t recognise the logo on the outside Ferguson and Dalglish
She pulled the letter froht white bond paper Exactly like the kind they used for legal docuhter of Peter Jenkins you’ve been identified as a possible heir to the estate of Angus McLeaninvited to attend Annick Castle’ The next page gave contact details and a et there The letter dropped froainst her chest and she couldn’t help but automatically shake her head This was crazy This was mad
As the daughter of Peter Jenkins Her father had died o He’d never knoho his own father was and had always been curious, but apparently his mother had never told hius McLean? Was he the father he’d never known?