No transfer.
Ruth died in 1983.
The parcel should have passed through her estate.
But no estate transfer appeared.
“So who owns it?” I asked.
Aaron leaned back.
“Legally?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t know.”
“That seems like a concerning answer from the county.”
“It concerns me too.”
We hired a title researcher.
Her name was Evelyn Park, which Dad considered evidence that the universe was mocking him.
She was sixty, efficient and completely uninterested in our family drama.
“I deal with land,” she told us. “Land is dramatic enough.”
Three days later she sat at Dad’s kitchen table with maps spread everywhere.
Brent came too.
Inviting him had been Dad’s idea.
“If his house is involved, he should hear it with us.”
Brent looked pale.
“I bought title insurance.”
Evelyn nodded.
“Good.”
“That doesn’t sound reassuring.”
“It should. That’s why title insurance exists.”
She traced a line across the map.
