“She inherited the parcel from her grandfather before she married.”
“For decades it generated almost nothing.”
“A farmer leased part of it.”
“Taxes were paid from that income.”
“Then development began moving toward it.”
I swallowed.
“What is it worth?”
Gideon did not answer directly.
“The most recent independent appraisal was approximately 1.6 million dollars.”
I stared at him.
“No.”
“Yes.”
“No.”
“Margaret had eight hundred dollars in checking.”
“Margaret lived simply.”
“That is not the same as having no assets.”
I sat back.
“Why didn’t she sell it?”
“She didn’t need to.”
“And because she believed the land would become more valuable.”
“Who owns it now?”
Gideon opened another document.
“A trust.”
My stomach tightened.
“Who is beneficiary?”
“You.”
I did not speak.
Gideon continued.
“Margaret created the Willow Bend Land Trust four years ago.”
“The parcel was transferred into it.”
“You are the successor trustee and primary beneficiary.”
