Sutherland The Unwanted Inheritance

1. Auflage 2022
ISBN: 978-3-99131-223-9
Verlag: novum pro Verlag
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: 6 - ePub Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, 268 Seiten

In 1999, Michael Packham a twenty-six-year-old doctor working in his local hospital's Accident and Emergency Department receives a letter from a distinguished London law firm, who are seeking to identify the beneficiary of the Last Will and Testament of a former German Panzer tank radio operator who fought against the Allied Forces in the Battle of Normandy in 1944. Otto Wagner, who's Will it is, has left a huge house and farm estate in Southern Bavaria to a British Army Surgeon who saved his life during the Battle of Falaise. The question is, how did a private soldier in the German army obtain such wealth? Why is an organisation of ex Nazis so keen to obtain this estate for themselves and will do everything they can in order for this to happen?

Autoren/Hrsg.

Sutherland, Graham

Leseproben

Chapter 2 We arrived at the offices of Hildreth and Watkins shortly before two. They were part of the Gray’s Inn complex. We pressed the door buzzer and after advising who we were via the intercom, the door automatically released, and we were allowed in. To say that we were impressed by what we saw is an understatement. All the walls were of dark oak panelling. The furniture was regency style. It was all beautiful and lent an air of warm charm which seemed very comforting. ‘Hello, I’m Carol, Mr Watkins P.A. All the arrangements have been made for your stay at the Savoy. Can I offer you a tea or coffee?’ ‘No to coffee or tea but thank you for arranging our stay,’ I replied. ‘That is a pleasure, would you please follow me?’ We followed Carol up one flight of very ornate looking stairs. At the top of the stairs immediately to the front of us was an impressive looking door with the name of Daniel Watkins painted in gold italic lettering. Carol lightly tapped on the door twice and without waiting for a reply opened the door and stood to one side to allow us to enter. An elderly distinguished and one would have to say, a fine-looking man for his age, with a full head of silver-grey hair greeted us warmly. ‘Come in, come in, it is good of you to travel up and see me.’ Giving us both a firm handshake. ‘Please take a seat. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Daniel Watkins, and I am the Senior Partner of this firm. Now you must be Louise Johnson and you sir, I believe to be Michael G. Packham, is that correct?’ ‘You are indeed correct,’ I said. ‘But how is it that you know so much about us, particularly about Louise?’ ‘My dear boy over two years has been spent endeavouring to trace the beneficiary of the Will in question. There were two or three occasions when we thought that we had found that person only to discover that we had not got the right man. And so, we continued investigating every avenue until we came to you. Once found we had to conduct as many background checks as possible to eliminate the possibility that you were not the right man that we were seeking. It was therefore straightforward to establish that this lovely lady, Louise has been your partner for just over two years now. Is that correct?’ ‘You are spot on,’ I replied. ‘Now, I need to ask you a series of questions to confirm what we already believe to be the case. Would you please tell me what your mother’s maiden name was? Her date of birth? Where, and when did she and your father marry? ‘My mother’s maiden name was Anne-Marie McKay. She was born on 3rd September 1939. A date that I and others will always remember as being the date when Neville Chamberlain declared at eleven fifteen a.m. that Britain was at War with Germany. They married in a small town called Frome in Somerset and this was in 1969.’ ‘Do you know how they met?’ ‘Yes, they were both keen runners and met as members of the local running club.’ ‘What did your parents do to earn their living?’ ‘They opened up a children’s book shop, called “Inquiring Minds” in the nearby town of Warminster.’ ‘Do they still run that bookshop?’ ‘No. Very sadly both of my parents were killed in a head on car collision just outside Ilminster on the A303. They were pronounced dead at the scene. This was in 1996. They were on their way to spend a week’s holiday in Cornwall. The car that hit them suffered a blow out and consequently skewed across the road. Not only were my parents killed but also a young couple in the other car. Their one-year-old son survived the accident and is now I believe being cared for by grandparents. It was a difficult time for both families.’ ‘That must have been tough. My apologies for enquiring about them. It must still be very painful. Let us move on. Please tell me about yourself. Where you lived, where you were educated and your occupation?’ ‘Well, I was born in Frome Hospital, I believe in Victoria Road, I am not sure if that is the correct road, I do know though that the hospital there is no more and has been replaced with a new one not far from the sports centre. My birthday was on 3rd August 1970. I attended Frome College from 1981 until 1987 before studying at University College London where I obtained my Degree in Medicine. I then worked as a Junior Doctor at Guys Hospital in London for a while until I qualified and took up my present position almost two and half years ago.’ ‘Do you remember your grandparents from your mother’s side of the family?’ ‘Yes, I do. Both of my grandparents died in the same year. Grandad passing away in July 1987 followed by grandma, two months later. I was not surprised that they died so shortly apart. They were devoted to one another. They are both buried together in the same plot in the Cemetery in Frome.’ ‘What characteristics do you remember?’ ‘Hmm. They were both incredibly, kind, thoughtful and encouraging. And loving. It was my grandad’s experience as an army surgeon, which convinced me to follow him into the field of medicine. It was shortly before he died. I remember him asking me had I given any thought to what sort of career I might like to have. ‘I was a twelve-year-old who was mad keen on football, I was an avid fan of Queens Park Rangers. That season they almost won the Old First Division, which has now morphed into today’s Premier League, unfortunately they were just pipped to the title by Liverpool. I was enthralled with the cavalier play of Stan Bowles, but my true inspiration was Gerry Francis. I wanted to be Gerry Francis. So, I announced to grandad, that I wish to be a professional footballer. ‘I remember, he didn’t respond immediately. He sat there for a long minute or two just gazing at the flames in the open log fire. He then took a sip of his whisky before returning and looking at me.’ ‘It is certainly true Michael, that you are showing great promise as a footballer. I have been impressed whenever I and your grandmother have watched you play. You also though are playing a good game of tennis and I am pleased that your dad has recently introduced you to playing golf. Two excellent games. ‘There is nothing wrong with anyone having dreams of ambition. With all of us, reality is what ultimately decides who we are and what we become. ‘It is a fact that many really good footballers, just fall short of making the big time. And then there is a whole catalogue of players whose ambitions were cut short by career ending injuries many by horrendous tackles, with little thought of the consequence by the perpetrator. Most professional footballers leave school at sixteen or like you at seventeen. They are signed by professional clubs. Between sixteen and twenty-one can be, not always of course, so important in the gaining of qualifications that will set you up for life. ‘My advice to you Michael, you are our only cherished grandson, do something which is worthwhile and can make a difference to the lives of others. I became a general practitioner before the war and returned to my practice after I was demobbed in 1947. I carried on there until 1968 when I retired. ‘Serving my community and looking after their health was wonderful. In the end you know many people and they know you. When you go to the local supermarket, you are continually being greeted by patients and friends who respect you. It was not just medical advice I was dispensing; my patients would come to me with their tax return forms or if they had a problem with paying their rent to the Council or a myriad of problems. I felt like I was more than a doctor, I was their friend and someone in whom they could confide. ‘Of course, I realise that things are changing now and that the pace of living has increased and the demand for instant results and having less time with people seems to be becoming the norm. In many ways I am pleased that I belonged to a bygone era.’ ‘My grandad never spoke voluntarily about his wartime experiences. I knew from my own dad that grandad had been some sort of medic during the D-Day landings. When I asked him what it was like, he would just reply that it was not nice. The scenes that he had to witness would be etched on his mind until he died. ‘I remember my mum saying to me that she thought that grandad had felt a condition I believe they now call ‘survivors’ guilt’. He was unable to help, assist and save as many as he would have like to have done, because of the appalling conditions that he found himself in. I guess, trying to attend a wounded comrade, when you yourself are under fire in the heat of battle, can never be easy? ‘I was successful with my school examines. My grades were high enough for me to enter university and to embark on a career which enabled me to follow in my grandad’s footsteps into medicine. Besides, deep down, I knew that I was not good enough to play professional football at a high level. Grandad was right, dreams do have to give way eventually...