The Devisal of Mr. Dankworth

^{Prompt by @gaby-crb and @calluna}

The familiar ping jerked through my morning haze, the signal of a new email arriving in my inbox, blared from my laptop. I hastily tapped at the volume. My fingers circled around the warm mug in my hand, the hot brush of steam warning me not to take a sip yet. I checked the screen, 16 new emails already this morning. Working from home had seemed so much easier, I never liked the office, or being out on the road, at least at home I had my own brand of coffee, and my cat Neelix, but the emails never stopped.

I cleared through the top 10 as spam, another 5 were easily filed, the last however caught my attention. My eyes focused on the sender name, I hastily placed my mug on the table and clicked the email. The sound of the news playing on the TV melted into the background, even the smell of my burning toast didn't interrupt my focus.

Good day,

My name is Michael Kent, I am the personal attorney and sole executor to my late client, Mr Ian Dankworth, who shares the same surname with you.

After the death of my client, in an automobile incident, in the year 2007, the bank contacted me to provide his next of kin to inherit his fortune, totaling Thirty Seven Million Bruvna ($37,000,000.00) according to the existing bank records.

I have written several letters to his country embassy with the intent of locating any of his immediate or extended family who will stand as the next of kin and all my efforts has been to no avail.

I have received official letters from the board of directors of the holding bank in the last few weeks suggesting a likely precedent for confiscation of his abandoned personal assets in line with existing laws, therefore I have been issued a 30 working days ultimatum to provide his next of kin or forfeit the deposit.

From my professional experience I can use any and all legal means available to re-profile and present you as the next of kin to my deceased client since you share his surname, this would enable you put a claim to the funds on our behalf.

Please kindly indicate your interest by responding to this email so we can discuss further.

Yours sincerely,
Barr. Michael Kent

I glanced at the scuffed bag by the door, I had known Mr Kent would contact me eventually. I was the last person in the country with the surname Dankworth. As my eyes read over the email again, I laughed to myself, this had been easier than I initially thought.

Neelix stalked past the black bag, rubbing up against it, he then stopped and pulled out his claws, pulling at the plastic material.

I stood up fast in an attempt to scare him, knocking my coffee over my laptop in the process. I swore and grabbed at some tissues, watching as the black liquid slowly absorbed. I would forever be cleaning up my own mess.

^Source

Neelix

^{Ending by @darthgexe}

What until now had been the perfect morning suddenly turned into chaos, the documents that were inside the black bag now lay scattered throughout the room, but the most important thing was to repair my laptop, so I looked for my tools and set out to disarm it. While keeping me busy, Neelix took advantage to play with the remains of the bag disordering, even more, the place.

It took me all morning to repair the disaster, fortunately, the coffee could not damage the laptop and I only had to dry its interior with the hair dryer that I bought recently for Neelix, a new double reinforced black bag rested on the sofa, away from the claws of my beloved cat.

At first, I thought of answering Mr. Kent as soon as possible, but thanks to the time I had to think while I was tidying up the place, I decided it was best to wait a couple of days or a second e-mail, so I would raise less suspicion.

The ding dong infiltrated my ear taking me out of my absorbed state, it was the first time someone had knocked on the door since I left the office. I had this feeling that something was wrong. Why are they knocking on the door right now? I stealthily approached the entrance and looked out, it was the police.

"Good afternoon Mr. Danworth we'd like to have a moment with you, we won't take up much of your time."

It was the case of my distant cousin Sofia, the police had the suspicion that her death was not really a suicide and now they were handling the murder hypothesis.

Sofia never married, lived alone with her cat to whom she devoted all the free time her church work allowed her, she was a soul of God, she did not deserve to die, she did not even have the surname Danworth.

The interview was short and concise, I was informed about the details of the investigation, at least those I was allowed to know.

"See you later, Mr. Danworth, we won't interrupt you any longer" they rose from their seats.

The officers were leaving but Neelix stood in their way, my feline companion played with some kind of paper in front of the door.

"You have a nice pet... But, this woman...?"

The officer lifted the photo that the cat was scratching. and that a few hours ago was inside the damned bag, in the photo a smiling Sofia had Neelix in her lap. I would forever be cleaning up my own mess.

The End.

This is a participation for the Finish The Story - Week #51 from @bananafish. I hope you like it there, do not hesitate to comment.