Hollis nodded, looking toward a stack of grain tickets. "I'm doing that."
"One more thing. I reviewed the land proposal. Do not sign it under pressure. The access waiver deserves independent evaluation, and I want a title search on the affected parcels."
"Does Kessler have a connection to Schaefer?"
"We are checking corporate and public records. There are some overlapping business relationships, but an ordinary investment relationship doesn't establish wrongdoing. Let's not get ahead of what we can prove."
Hollis thanked her and ended the call. For the first time, the problem had a shape she could work with. It was not merely an invisible person pressing a button. It was an authorization chain, a disputed invoice, a set of contracts, and potentially a wrongful interruption of her business. Those were matters that could be examined through documents and testimony. They did not require her to guess at motives.
At noon, Lena arrived with the picker parts in the back of an old truck. She was short, broad-shouldered, and cheerful in the way of people who had seen a thousand damaged machines and still believed the next one could be repaired. She greeted Hollis with a firm handshake, then spent an hour with Ellis reviewing the equipment. Together they fitted the needed components, tested guards and drives, and arranged a temporary weather-safe cab solution that met the practical limitations of the old tractor. They did not rush the inspection because news cameras might arrive. They worked as though the only audience was the person who would later have to operate the machine.
When the test was complete, Lena climbed down from the workshop platform and looked toward Hollis. "There's your tractor."
Hollis smiled. "For now."
"For now is plenty."
Lena refused to inflate her bill. She charged for the parts and the travel as agreed and included a note describing the work. Hollis offered to pay extra for staying through lunch, but Lena shook her head. "Your father once talked me through a hydraulic problem at ten at night when I was young and too embarrassed to ask anyone else. This is a business invoice, not a favor I'm billing against a dead man. The prices are the prices."
Hollis looked at her for a long moment. "Did he ever tell anybody he helped?"