693 Some People Are Dead; She Is Still Alive (1/2)
Chapter 693: Some People Are Dead; She Is Still Alive
Translator: Nyoi-Bo StudioEditor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Even though Eddy was 99% sure that the person on the phone was the one who called earlier, he still both carefully and politely asked, ”Erm… okay, Kathy. It was you who called earlier, right? I arrived at the office late today, so I'm really sorry that I missed the call.”
”Yes, and it's okay. I did say I would call back again,” the person on the other end of the line said. ”You are Eddy, right? My name is Louise. Can I call you Eddy?”
”Sure, of course.” Eddy shifted himself to a more comfortable position as he sat on the chair. ”Kathy, what can I do for you?”
”It's like this, Eddy––I would like to donate a sum of money to your Foundation. Can you let me know the remittance account number for the Foundation?”
”Oh! Please allow me to represent the Foundation and extend to you our sincerest gratitude for your generosity!” Eddy happily switched on his computer. ”But please understand that we still have some procedures that need to be done, if you do not mind. To ensure your rights and interests, I will have to record this conversation.”
”Please, I do not mind,” the other party said.
Eddy subsequently pressed the recording and hands-free button and pulled out the information database from the computer. ”Okay, I've begun the recording. Now can you tell me your full name again?”
”I am Katherine Donna Ryan,” the voice said.
With every word the other person said, Eddy would type out the respective letters.
”Katherine Donna Ryan?” Looking at the results that appeared on his screen, Eddy was stumped. He repeated the name another time, ”Er, Ms. Ryan––I mean Kathy–– have you donated money to our Foundation before?”
”Yes I have, but I can't remember the donation process. My memory isn't that good anymore since I'm at that age, you know,” the person over the line stated, using a perfunctory tone as if they were trying to hide something.
”But…” Eddy swallowed a mouthful of saliva while staring at the screen before stating with much difficulty, ”Kathy, your previous donation was made in the form of a will… Listen, no matter who you are, this joke isn't funny.”
Eddy quickly browsed through the donation records for Katherine Donna Ryan. She had made a number of donations to the Foundation over the past ten years. The donation amount was different each time, but they were all designated to be used in lung cancer research. The last donation figure had the largest amount; it was processed by a lawyer as her will.
Was it a repeated name? It was very rare to have the same first name, surname, and middle name, much less choosing the same Foundation for a donation. It couldn't be a coincidence; the only explanation would be that this was a prank.
”I know, I know,” the person over the line laughed. ”I understand how you feel. The matter with the will is not wrong, but… an accident happened. Initially, I thought that I was gone for good––even the lawyer and doctor thought so––but I survived in the end. Look, I'm all healthy again and on a holiday now in China—can you hear the firecracker noises outside? They are having their New Year's now, so it's really lively here!”
Eddy said, ”Of course, I know it's the New Year's period. Why do you think I was late this morning?
Feeling thirsty, Eddy picked up a paper cup filled with coffee and emptied it. He switched the receiver to the other ear and wedged it between his shoulder.
”Hold on for a moment; please do not hang up.”
He pushed the hold call key on the landline telephone before he accessed the old voice recording data for when Katherine Donna Ryan made her previous donations. He started to play the recordings.
A voice––exactly the same as the one over the phone––could be heard coming from the computer's speaker. Other than the outdated audio file and a slight distortion caused by the conversion from analog signal to digital signal, Eddy judged that it was definitely the same person.
So, the lawyer and doctor really made a mistake?
The doctor misdiagnosed and issued the death certificate, and the lawyer then proceeded to donate all of her assets to the Foundation with that death certificate? It sounds rather ridiculous…
With all of that, Eddy took a deep breath. From the bottom of his heart, he felt sympathy for both the doctor and lawyer. How much money do they have to compensate her for making such a serious error? The doctor's license might even be suspended for life.
It must be the case; there seems to be no other reasonable explanation for this.
Eddy closed the old recording files and reconnected the call. ”Kathy, are you still there?”
”Yes I am, Eddy. Have you confirmed what you needed to?” The other party laughed, as if anticipating Eddy's reaction.
Eddy cleared his throat. ”I apologize, Kathy. I misunderstood you earlier.”
”Of course you did. Who would fake another person's name to make a donation? It's not like we're here to withdraw relief funds.” The other party laughed and accepted his apology. ”Okay, now let's move on to the real business.”
Although what she said made sense, Eddy still felt like something was amiss, but he was not able to find any reason or proof to support his suspicions.
”Kathy, do you have a fax machine on your end? I will need to fax over a copy of the confirmation letter for the donation to you. Our bank account will be on the confirmation letter and we support fund transfers through PayPal, too. Can you fill up the letter and fax it back to me? Is that okay with you?”
There was a pause on the other end of the call. The handset transmitter was covered up, and it seemed like the other party was discussing something with someone before returning to the call with a slightly bothered tone. ”Can't you just give me the account number? Must it be so troublesome?”
Eddy was caught off guard for a moment before he explained, ”Forgive me, Kathy, but this was your request for all of the previous donations, because of your request to have the donations used in the funding for the research towards lung cancer. If you do not wish to limit the usage of the funds, then it would no longer be necessary for you to fill out the confirmation letter. So, Kathy, do you wish to limit the usage for the funds, or would you prefer not to place any limits?”
Just like earlier, the other party paused for a moment and continued with a resigned tone, ”Fine, fine. Fax the letter over to this number here.”
Eddy faxed over the confirmation letter.
”Kathy, have you received the confirmation letter?”
Moments later, the voice responded, ”Yes, I've received it, but how do I fill this thing out?”
The suspicions in Eddy's heart grew. Although Kathy's previous transactions were not handled by me, she should have already filled out countless confirmation letters by now. Why is she still having trouble filling out the letter?
Regardless, Eddy still patiently explained, ”On the first section, you will have to fill in your email address and residential address, so that we can send you the donation receipt. For the second section, you will have to select your funding target from a single selection to multiple selections. You will be able to see selections like lip cancer, colorectal cancer, gallbladder cancer, liver cancer, bone cancer, and names of various different cancer types. If you plan to only fund the research for liver cancer, please select option number ten. The third section will be for you to fill in the amount that you wish to donate. As for the last section, please check the reason for your donation as listed below there: in memory of someone, to pay tribute to someone, or if you just wanted to make the donation.”
There were rustling noises, heavy breathing, and mumbling coming from the other end of the phone, as if the person was softly grumbling while filling out the letter. Occasionally, noises of cats meowing and dogs barking could be faintly heard, too.
Not more than a few minutes later, the other party put down their pen and said, ”Okay, I've filled it all out. Now, what do I do? Can I make the transfer now?”
It was Eddy's first time meeting someone in such a hurry to make a donation, as if they could not wait to donate out their money.
He licked his lips and said, ”Please sign on the signature line of the confirmation letter, then fax it back to me.”
”What? I still have to sign?”
The other party seemed to be very surprised and unwilling to sign, but Eddy insisted on getting their signature.
With no other choice, as if explaining themselves, the person explained, ”It's been a long time since I hand-wrote something. I've almost forgotten my own signature…”
Eddy said, ”Even if it has been a while since you wrote something, is it even possible for you to forget how to write your own name?”
Moments later, the fax machine started to ring as the faxed document arrived.
”Eddy, is that all?” the other person asked.