Nichols looked momentarily surprised, then smiled. “Of course. I don’t have one personally, but funeral homes usually have that done. I’ll have my assistant look into it for you.”

“That would be great. And about the will, I don’t mean to come off as disrespectful of my grandfather or greedy in any way—”

Nichols gave a small wave of his hand. “No, not in the least. You’re wondering if you were named as one of your grandfather’s inheritors.”

“How did you know?”

“A reasonable question on your part. And not out of line at all.”

“So…I don’t mean to be a bother, but…is it possible for someone who works for you to check into that for me?” Abby watched Nichols carefully, hoping his body language would reveal something beyond his polished demeanor.

He shook his head. “Not necessary. I recall the wording myself, which was indeed more generic. You are an inheritor. There are still some undisbursed funds from his estate that I have the authority to direct. I’ll make arrangements for a transfer to be made…Do you have an account?”

“An account?”

“A bank account. I’ll have my assistant help you make arrangements to obtain one.”

Abby sat back against the couch. Nichols was all business and didn’t seem likely to divulge more personal information about Ray. “Thank you. Thank you so very much.”

“It’s my pleasure. I hear from your cousin that you’ll be heading back to Papua New Guinea soon.”

Abby nodded. “My flight is in six days.”

“Then I’ll transfer the funds promptly. I hope your visit to the States has been a pleasant one. My best wishes for your trip back home, Ms. Caldwell.”

Abby watched Nichols disappear. The man was her closest connection to her grandfather. The thought left her feeling cold. And alone.

Sabin stopped to catch his breath. The trail had grown steadily steeper. He was accustomed to hiking to an altitude of ten thousand feet, but at twelve thousand he was feeling the diminished oxygen. He glanced over his shoulder. Abby had stopped thirty feet back and stood admiring the peaks of the Rockies that surrounded them. She had kept pace the entire way as the trail wound upward through aspen and blue spruce yet didn’t seem as winded.

“How do you do this so easily?” he called over to her. “Do you climb mountains in Papua New Guinea?”

She smiled at him and sauntered over. “We do have mountains, but it would take days to hike to them, and they’re outside our territory, anyway. I do a lot of hiking in the jungle. Plus, I’m just thrilled to be outside.”