The Fairbanks Inheritance

Typed excerpts from the Diary of Audrey Fairbanks - 12 January, 1962

Day four of the exhibition for my inheritance is going quite well. Since the ship has set sail for the Amazon, I have been stuck in the hold with little room to even breathe, scraps to eat, and the constant paranoid fear that one of the crew—or worse, Brendon—will find me. My stay has been fair otherwise. Sneaking rations when the cook isn’t looking is incredibly easy, and I was able to keep my biology samples hidden in an out-of-the-way place. Lord knows I’ll need them when we reach South America.

I called Mrs. Frank directly after I learned of Father’s death. I thought that she would allow me to continue doing research in the Caribbean, but she was less than convinced I could get the money. Said it would all go to Brendon, despite my age. And if I don’t obtain that inheritance, I will lose not only my opportunity to research, but also my room and board. I was hoping Brendon wouldn’t even show up at the reading of the will, but he siphoned so much out of Father’s pocket when he was alive, apparently he just couldn’t resist the allure of more wealth.

I think I will be able to make my presence known the day after tomorrow. There’s no way he could possibly throw me out without turning around. And the journey to Brazil won’t take more than two weeks. I’ll be able to stand his presence for two weeks. I hope.

…

“Captain! Looks like we got ourselves a stowaway!” Brendon’s burly right-hand, Nicole, was dragging a much shorter woman behind her. One with very familiar brown curls. She shoved his elder sister in the cabin with one hand and pulled the door shut on her way out.

He sighed deeply. “Audrey. What are you doing here?”

She massaged her arm and regained her balance, brushing off her trousers with a scowl. “What do you think, brother? The same as you.”

He let the map he was studying roll up with a crisp snap. “Don’t ‘brother’ me. How did you get on my ship?”

She regarded him with a smug smile. “Oh, it wasn’t difficult. I simply snuck aboard with the other stolen goods.” He ground his teeth together, but she cut off his impending argument. “And don’t think you should be the one who’s all high and mighty here, Brendon. Not when you didn’t even come to Father’s funeral. Of all the lousy brothers in all the world, I managed to get to most lazy and selfish one.”

He folded his arms across his chest and shifted his weight, trying to pretend like the barb didn’t bother him. “You would be defending him. After all he’s done. You can’t see him as anything other than a god. And why didn’t you just rent some other boat to take you to Brazil instead of hijacking mine? Is someone low on cash?”

She jerked her chin out to look down her nose at him, an impressive feat for someone who was at least five inches shorter. Ha. I knew it. She only took that posture when he was right and she didn’t want to admit it. “Oh, we need each other. How’s reading the map going, hmm?” She brushed past him to unroll it again.

“Just fine, thank you.” It was not fine. He couldn’t make heads or tails of the damned thing.

“Thought so. And why was that exactly? Oh right, because you were off ditching University and blowing the funds Father gave you on this stupid ship instead of solving his puzzles and breaking his codes. Like I was.” She fixed the glasses around her neck on her face as she bent over the table and examined the map carefully, a sad, nostalgic smile crossing her face. Brendon tried to suppress the twinge of guilt he felt. It wasn’t his fault, he had nothing to be guilty about.

“Well?” He asked after several long seconds.

She looked up, obviously irritated by his impatience. “I know where it is. But I’m navigating this mission and we’ll be finding my inheritance together.”

“My inheritance.” He corrected. He needed that money. Anytime he smelled his own sweat, he could hear the sound of a hammer being clicked back and feel the barrel of a pistol against his temple. Brendon had never touched cards since.

“We can split it 60/40.” She argued, fishing a key from around her neck. “I have this.” She’d gotten it at the reading of the will. But he had no idea what it opened. He clenched his teeth, but wasn’t willing to give up that easily.

“50/50.” Assuming that was enough. If not, she didn’t need the money as much as he did. “Don’t forget that I have all the equipment and the ship. And a loyal crew. I could leave you stranded in South America without a penny if I wanted to.”

Audrey paused, as if debating whether or not he would really abandon her. He was bluffing, but she could no longer tell; they had spent too much time apart. Her distrust was gut wrenching, whether or not he’d admit it. They had been so close in when they were kids. “Deal.”

She held out her hand and he shook it.

…

Typed excerpts from the Diary of Audrey Fairbanks - 28 January, 1962

We’ve finally landed at Port Manaus and I haven’t poisoned Brendon yet, so that’s something at least. We also don’t have far to travel to get to the cave where the money has been buried. But we will need to go deep into the jungle to reach the cave, and we’ll need to take only what will get us there and back. No niceties. I retrieved my bag, though, so I will be prepared to take samples or administer the antidotes to whatever diseases we pick up. Assuming I can treat them.

We’re only taking one crew member, the monster of a woman who seems to be Brendon’s closest confidante. She’s a tough nut, and not afraid to tell my brother when he’s wrong. I like her.

…

30 January, 1962

We’ve only travelled for two days and I’m already tired of it. Brendon and I don’t talk much, although it was a trick and a half to get him to let me manage the map. I’d be worried he thought I was going to double-cross him if he wasn’t so overconfident in his own abilities. I will, though, if I must. If half the money isn’t enough to cover my research bill, I have a quick (potentially deadly) sedative for emergencies.

I’ve been thinking of Father and of the last time I saw him. When I told him I was going to research botany under Mrs. Frank. I’ll never forget the last thing he said to me.

“You’ll not leave me, Audrey Miller Fairbanks. There’s a reason I sent Brendon to University instead of you. You are meant to take care of me, not run away to pursue a cockamamie plant hobby. That is a direct order from your father!”

I left anyway. [unintelligible due to water marks] His eyes were so full of rage I was afraid I would never see him again. That he wouldn’t allow me to.

…

Brendon slashed through the branches of the jungle with a little too much force. He’d been able to suppress the memory of his father for six years, but with his death and the search for the inheritance, he couldn’t help but think about the man. They’d never seen eye to eye. Brendon thought he was too strict, too stuck in the old ways of thinking to appreciate that there was more to life than getting an education. He’d wanted to sail the ocean and make money through trade, not sit in an office all day. So when Father had told him he would pay for Brendon’s education, he took the check up front and ran. It was only six months ago that he’d felt guilty enough to write home. He couldn’t keep the deception to himself any longer.

Now a new fear assailed him. What if the letter he’d written had caused Father’s stroke? The man was prone to a temper and he went six years believing that Brendon was finishing school, not sailing around the world. He stopped his assault on the vines and breathed heavily.

Without warning, he slammed his knife into a nearby tree. It bounced off the thick wood and the shock reverberated into his hand, the knife slipping from his fingers unsatisfactorily.

“How’s your hand?” Nicole’s voice made him turn sharply. She leaned against another trunk, eyeing his frustration with amusement.

“Fine.” He grunted, but flexed it at his side.

“Uh huh. That sister of yours is still scribbling away in her book. But I believe we’re close to the cave.” He nodded his comprehension. “What’s goin’ on between you two? I’ve never seen you so worked up, not even when that villain Barbaras was on our tail.”

“It’s a long story.”

She paused, but he didn’t feel like elaborating. “Uh huh. Well, it’s not my place to say, but I think you’d benefit from talkin’ to your sister. Whenever my siblings and I had a fight, my madda would make us talk it out.” She smiled distantly. “Didn’t work to good when we was kids, but I’m sure you’ll work things out. You always do.”

Yeah, right. It had been years since they’d had a conversation that didn’t end in stony silence. But as he walked back to where Audrey was still sitting, he wondered if Nicole had a point. Maybe it was time to make amends and start over.

“Hey… What are you writing about?”

She looked up sharply, evidently shocked at the lack of acid in his tone. She searched his eyes, then fiddled with her glasses, as if wondering whether or not to answer honestly. “Father.” She said, eventually, “I’m writing about Father.” He must’ve looked surprised because she added: “You too?” He nodded. Her eyes dropped to the forest floor, and she shook her head slowly. “There were a lot of great things about him, but I’ll admit… he was very strict. And uptight. Not just on you, you know.”

As the silence grew more awkward, he could feel the contents of the letter pressing up against his tongue. He wanted to explain, but he feared the consequences.

“Captain, Miss Fairbanks! I’ve found it! I’ve found the cave!” Nicole’s voice broke him out of his thoughts.

Focus on clearing your debts. “Yes, well, the inheritance is all that matters now.” He said, tersely, hurrying towards Nicole’s voice.

It was magnificently hidden. If not for the hidden ‘F’ carved into a nearby tree, he was certain they wouldn’t have found the cave. It was less of a cave and more of a hole in the ground, with a trickle of water running into it. The shrubbery had grown over the top, but as Audrey pulled the branches aside, he could see the dark crevice that a person could fit into. He pulled a torch out of his backpack and shone the dim light inside. The tunnel went down for several meters, and the light didn’t touch the bottom.

“It’s getting dark.” His sister said quietly. “We should tackle this in the morning when we have a bit more light.”

…

Typed excerpts from the Diary of Audrey Fairbanks - 31 January, 1962 - 3:00 AM

It’s done. The henbane took a few hours to take effect—I used a minuscule amount for fear of killing them instead of simply rendering them unconscious. But it had to be done. I know my brother. I do. He would never leave me with fifty percent of the profits. And even if he did, there may not be enough of an inheritance left to cover my research.

Like he said, the inheritance is all that matters now.

…

Daylight hadn’t even begun to filter through the trees when Audrey left her companions. She pulled back the shrubbery and peered into the hole again. The bottom was about five feet down and then slid at a 45 degree angle. Difficult but not impossible. She just had to tread carefully. Audrey dropped into the tunnel. The sides and roof were covered in moist soil and roots hung down in crisscrossing lines, obscuring the torchlight.

She stumbled downward for a time before the water grew deeper, fed by some unseen stream. Suddenly, the rocky soil gave way beneath her feet and Audrey cried out, tumbling into the darkness.

Everything was black when Audrey awoke to water splattering against her forehead. She fumbled around for a few moments, and found the torch, smacking it against her palm until it regained its light. She took quick stock of her body, noting the screaming pain in her ankle first, but no other injuries of note. Fortunately, her sample case was equipped with more than just pins and vials. She removed her stocking and wrapped her ankle so tightly with a bandage that it was almost more painful than before. But there was no time for injuries. She took a deep, shuddering breath and looked around.

The tunnel opened up into a rather large cave with a pool of water gathered at the lowest point in the back. As she shone the torch around, the beam snagged on something metal. A lockbox. She pulled the key from around her neck and excitement built inside her as she opened the lid.

Audrey inhaled sharply. Bills. Lots of them. Tucking the money into her bag for the moment, she examined the other papers. There was a deed to the Fairbanks Estate in England and the other property in Jamaica. It was all there. She counted the bills and nearly passed out again. £100,000. Enough to keep her research and herself afloat for as long as she pleased.

“Audrey!” She froze. How long was I unconscious? Of course, the henbane wasn’t an exact science, but—“Audrey, are you down there?” Brendon sounded angry. No, angry wasn’t the right word. But he couldn’t be worried about her, that wasn’t like him.

“Yes…” Her voice broke, so she cleared her throat and tried again. “Yes, I’m here!”

“Are you okay?”

Tears stung her eyes, but she blinked them away. “What do you care? Shouldn’t you be asking where the inheritance is?”

He gave a rough laugh. “I’m a little more worried about the sister that drugged me and got herself into a scrape at the moment.”

“Well?” She called up. “Are you going to get me out of it?”

She could barely hear the rock shifting at the top of the cavern over the sound of the water. “That depends.”

“On what?”

“On whether or not you are willing to talk. About the inheritance and about Father.”

“And why do you want to talk all of a sudden, Brendon?” She crossed her arms, leaning back against the wall of the cavern, the lockbox next to her.

“I convinced him it was better to keep the family he was born with.” Nicole’s voice carried over the waterfall.

“You lost me a long time ago,” Audrey sighed. The admission, and the fact that he was worried about her safety tugged at her heartstrings. But how could she trust him again?

“I know. But it wasn’t because of you. I never wanted to go to University. I just wanted to buy my ship. I wanted a family who actually supported me and my own decisions. I was so jealous of you, you know. You were Father’s favorite. But I didn’t want a life behind a desk, and he held that against me.”

“Then, why do you want the inheritance?” She asked.

“When I left, I thought it would be easy. But, Father’s allowance didn’t have enough to pay for a trade license or to pay my crew. So, I gambled. And now I need that inheritance to get some dangerous people off of my back. They’ll kill my crew if I don’t get the money.”

Audrey shook her head. How could she believe a word he said? But maybe there was a way. “Pull me up,” she stuffed the rest of the papers in her bag and stood, hobbling over to the waterfall.

“What?”

“I have to see your face.”

Brendon let down the rope and Audrey tied it around her waist with a proper sailors’ knot; Nicole had been teaching her. When she got to the top, they climbed out of the tunnel and into the green daylight that filtered through the trees.

She studied his face. When they were little, the surest way to tell if Brendon was lying was through his mouth. His lips would twitch after a lie, like he was trying not to smile. But his face remained steady. “Start over?”

The tears finally came and she did nothing to stop them. “I’d like that.”

fin.