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“Okay…spill it,” I say.
“Dad and I did some digging into the Madigans. Seems your grandfather had an affair with Jeremy Madigan’s niece, Wendy. That affair resulted in…”
“In what?” I demand.
“Shit…” Dale says.
“What? I know there’s something you’re not telling me, Dale.”
“Later,” my brother says quietly.
“Their affair resulted in a child,” Brendan continues.
“So we have another uncle or aunt out there somewhere,” I say. “Someone who might want a piece of the Steel pie. Is that it?”
“It’s not that simple,” Brendan says. “There’s another document in play.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. Apparently Brad Steel, your grandfather, had another sibling.”
“I thought he was an only child,” Dale says.
“Another sibling came out of the woodwork when your father and uncles were younger. He made contact with your uncle Jonah, but then he disappeared again.”
“Where’s this other document?” I ask.
“It’s also in the safe-deposit box.”
“I suppose you have a copy, though?”
“I do.”
He reaches back into the drawer and removes another envelope, this one smaller. He hands it to me.
I pull out the copy—a birth certificate.
William Elijah Steel, father George Steel. Mother is blank. I hand it to Dale.
“It’s been tampered with,” I say. “I’ve heard of the father’s name being left blank, but never the mother’s. The kid had to come out of a woman.”
“Unless she didn’t want to be named,” Brendan says.
I wrinkle my forehead. “So we’ve got a quitclaim deed transferring everything to Ryan, which is neither dated nor recorded. And we have a birth certificate for William Elijah Steel, supposedly fathered by George Steel, our great-grandfather, and who apparently came out of thin air.”
“Birth certificates are easily forged,” Dale says.
“And you know that how?” Brendan asks.
Dale says nothing.
Yeah, my brother has knowledge I don’t, and it’s pissing me off majorly.
“Why call us down here for this?” I ask. “Why not give it to our dad? To Ryan?”
“Dad and I talked about that. We figured you two were the best to approach first, because… Well, you know.”
“Because we’re not really Steels,” I say flatly.
“Well…yeah.”
“You know, Murphy, that shit pisses me off to no end. Dale and I are Steels. In every way that fucking matters. Our parents don’t differentiate between us and their natural kids. Why are you?”
“I don’t mean any disrespect,” Brendan says. “I’ve got nothing against any of you. But these documents could pose problems for your family.”
“Not if you board them back up underneath your floor,” Dale says in a low voice.
Classic Dale. He’s spent his life burying his emotions. He’s opened up since Ashley came along, but he still doesn’t want to deal with this can of worms.
Truth be told, part of me doesn’t either—the part who’s a devoted son and nephew who’d do anything for his family.
The problem is the other part. The lawyer part. I have to know the facts, especially where my family is concerned. Investigate facts, come to a conclusion, and if it’s harmful, make it go away by any means possible, including a payoff. In corporate law, we call that a settlement.
“I can’t do that,” Brendan says. “My dad already knows about it.”
“So the two of you can keep quiet,” Dale says. “No sweat off either of your backs.”
“It’s not that simple,” Brendan says. “We know, and…”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Dale says. “You’re looking for a payoff, aren’t you? The fucking nerve.”
Anger rises in me. Seriously? That’s what this is about? A fucking payoff? Sure, I’ve settled many a case in my day, but not until the facts are known. “Boy, are you barking up the wrong tree, Murphy.” I clench both hands into fists.
“That’s not what this is about,” Brendan says. “We did some research. Not much came up, of course. Your grandfather was a genius at making documents disappear.”
“Just wait a minute,” I begin.
“Again, no disrespect. Ask your parents if you don’t believe me.”
“I intend to,” I say. “For now, though, I’m asking you. If you don’t want a payoff, what do you want?”
“All I want is the cloud off the title of this place.”
“There’s a cloud on the title?” I ask.
“Yeah. Has been since Dad purchased it all those years ago. It’s a lien. Held by the Steel family.”
I look around the tiny room. It’s been updated with contemporary appliances and decor. The bar downstairs is equally modern. Sean Murphy clearly did a lot of remodeling when he bought it, and Brendan’s taken great care of it. Why would the Steels hold any kind of lien on a building in town?
“I didn’t even know about it until Dad told me,” Brendan says. “He said he’d all but forgotten about it until these documents showed up.”
“I see,” I say. “You want us to give up the lien in exchange for these documents. Why should we?”
“You know why. The Steels don’t need whatever value this property has. Why is the lien there, anyway?”
I draw in a breath. “Liens are usually a way of securing debt. Did your father ever owe the Steels anything?”
