The younger man turned.
“Yes?”
“If those papers are worthless, you don't need them.”
Grant didn't answer.
“And if they're worth fifty thousand dollars, I ought to find out why.”
Meredith took a breath.
“Mr. Walker, we don't recommend discussing the merits of potential claims without counsel.”
Sam nodded.
“That's the first sensible thing anybody from your company has said.”
Rachel nearly smiled.
Grant did not.
He looked toward the farmhouse.
Then toward the barn.
For a moment, his eyes remained fixed on the rusted tractor visible through the open doors.
“Your father should've left that machine alone,” he said.
Sam felt a chill.
He stepped forward.
“What did you say?”
Grant seemed to realize he'd spoken too freely.
He looked away.
“Nothing.”
Sam's voice became hard.
“No. You said my father should've left it alone.”
Meredith placed a hand against Grant's arm.
“Let's go.”
The executive stared at Sam.
Then spoke quietly.
“You have no idea what that box can do to this county.”
Sam held his gaze.
“Then maybe it's time somebody found out.”
Grant returned to his SUV.
The vehicle disappeared down the gravel road.
Rachel watched it go.
Then turned toward her father.
“Fifty thousand dollars.”
Sam nodded.
She looked toward the barn.
For several seconds, she was silent.
Then whispered, “Dad, what did Grandpa Henry know?”
Sam looked toward the old farmhouse.
He remembered his father's locked toolbox.
The false bottom.
The letter hidden beneath a sheet of yellowed newspaper.
And one final line he hadn't told Rachel about yet.
If Edwin Vale ever disappears, don't believe the story they'll tell. The man who betrayed Peter wasn't the man they blamed.
Sam swallowed.
Then answered.
“I think my father knew who stole the cooperative.”
Rachel looked frightened.
“Who?”
Sam turned toward her.
“The man whose family still owns most of the valley.”
Rachel found the attorney through an old school acquaintance.
Her name was Leah Moreno, and she operated a small legal practice in Wichita handling property disputes, estate matters, and commercial litigation. She wasn't impressed by the viral auction video, the supposed gold certificates, or the rumors that Samuel Walker had become a millionaire overnight.
When Rachel called, Leah asked only three questions.
“Who has the original documents?”
“Were they photographed before anyone moved them?”
“And has your father signed anything since the auction?”
Rachel answered carefully.