"There's no way they are going to give us any information. We have no interest in the claim, if one was even made. I tried like hell to get the details from the person that sold that clock and got zilch," said Piper, ever the voice of negativity.
"So, we can't contact them about that accident, but I can find out the details of who my dad got into an accident with, see if the details match."
"Good idea Kristen. We'll know then if this is actually something other than a mild coincidence. If it's the same car, then there is no way it could be a coincidence."
"There is one small catch," said Kristen. "I have no idea where the documents are. There was so much paperwork. I swear he kept every single letter he got."
"Do you still have them?"
"I shoved all that stuff in a closet to worry about later. Anyone fancy sifting through it all with me?"
"Sure. I bet it won't take long with all four of us working on it," Piper wanted to make herself useful.
"I'm going to need help to carry it all in here."
After three trips to and from the closet, they had managed to move everything, and the pile of mail was scattered all across the carpet. They all sat around the pile in a circle and got to work.
"So, they will talk to you, right?" Martin asked.
"Yeah. The claim was never actually settled. I phoned the company once, and they asked me to send in documentation to prove that I was named in his estate, and I did that, but then I just kind of forgot. There is probably still an active claim."
"Why was it taking so long to settle? It happened months ago, right?"
"There was a liability dispute. Injury claims. These things take time."
"Hey. I think I found it." Piper waved a piece of paper around.
Kristen laughed. It took them longer to move all the post than it did to find the letter. Usually, when she was looking for something, it would be the very last place she looked.
~~~
Kristen barely slept and was up as soon as the offices opened. The piece of paper was flattened out beside her and she had the claim number and policy number ready. Before dialing, she took a deep breath. She had built herself up so much that it was anticlimactic when she had to listen to awful covers of songs for forty minutes. On the verge of giving up, someone finally answered.
"Good morning, you're speaking to Brenda at Best Choice Insurance, how may I help?"
"Hi Brenda. Can I give you a claim number?"
"Certainly, could I just get your name please?"
"Kristen McBride. The claim number is ECS109429973."
"Thank you."
"For security purposes, can you give me the name of the plan holder?"
"Alex McBride."
"And a date of birth."
"March third, 1957."
"And the first line of the address."
"1228 Sawyer Road."
"Thank you. How is it I can help today?"
"I don't know if you received the documents I sent in?"
"I can see they have been received and noted on the plan. We haven't heard from you in some time. We have an offer from the third-party insurer. A 50/50 liability split."
"Yeah, that's fine. Why I'm calling is because I need the license plate number for the third-party vehicle."
"I'm sorry. We're not able to provide that information."
"Really?"
"Yes. We are not able to provide that information."
"Is there a way of getting it?"
"No. We are not able to provide that information."
"I know, you just said that."
"You may be able to obtain a copy of the police report."
"Don't you have that?"
"Yes, but we're not authorized to disclose it."
"Why is that, specifically? What law or regulation? I can send a request to access any information held on me, right?"
"What I can do, is speak with the claims handler when they're available, and get them to give you a call back."
"When will that be?"
"Callbacks are within 48 hours."
"Really? It's kind of urgent."
"Yes, that is the time-frame, but I will mention to them that it's urgent."
Kristen hated being this person, but she couldn't just leave it. "Is it possible to speak to a manager? It is very urgent."
"The managers are in a meeting at the moment, but I can refer you to them when they are available. Manager callbacks are within 24 hours."
"That's okay, I guess."
"Is it the number you are calling from now?"
"It is."
"Thank you for your call. Is there anything else I can help you with?"
"No. That's it." She resisted making a snide comment and hung up.
"Kristen." Piper came up behind her.
"What is it?"
"I found the sale. Of the car. There's a whole string of messages about it. Same license plate."
"That's great. The insurers wouldn't tell me anything."
"Martin thinks he's found an address for the buyer too."
"That's amazing. I'm going to get ready. We can go pay them a visit."
Chapter
Twenty Eight
Kristen drove slowly down the street until she saw the blue Ford Focus parked out front.
"We're not just going to knock on the door, are we?"
"Hell no. I don't want to tip him off. I just thought we could stake it out for a bit. Don't worry, I brought snacks." Kristen grabbed two family-sized bags of chips and threw one to Piper and Martin in the back.
"What if he's not even there?" Piper asked before shoving a chip in her mouth. The confined space amplified the crunching and the rustling of the bag.
"Then we're wasting our
