“We all did.”
Grant turned toward the fourth man, Calvin Reed.
Calvin folded his arms.
“Don't look at me. I'm not pretending the box came from somewhere else.”
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then Grant's voice became cold.
“I am placing the discovery under dispute.”
Sam nodded.
“That's your right.”
“The documents must remain secured until ownership is determined.”
“I agree.”
Grant's eyes narrowed.
“You do?”
Sam looked toward the box.
“Yes. I'd rather have a lawyer examine them than spend the next month arguing with you beside a dead tractor.”
The four farmers exchanged glances.
Grant stared.
Then Sam added, “And I'd like the sheriff's office to witness the inventory. Not because I'm accusing anyone of stealing, but because too many people are already interested in getting their hands on something none of us understands.”
Grant didn't like that.
The suggestion made the dispute harder to control.
But with multiple witnesses present and photographs already taken, he couldn't simply seize the documents without inviting more trouble.
The sheriff's department sent a deputy to the property later that afternoon.
The deputy didn't decide who owned the contents. That was a civil question requiring legal examination.
Instead, she documented the dispute, recorded the witnesses' accounts, and advised the parties to preserve the discovery while their attorneys arranged a lawful process for handling it.
Sam agreed.
Grant reluctantly did the same.
Then the deputy asked about the actual tractor.
Sam produced his auction receipt.
One dollar.
Paid in full.
The deputy looked from the receipt to the rusted machine.
For a moment, a faint smile crossed her face.
Then she returned the paper.
“Mr. Walker, you'll need to arrange safe removal of the equipment. No one should attempt to start or operate it without a qualified mechanical inspection.”
Sam nodded.
“Wasn't planning to.”
Grant gave a bitter laugh.
“You'd have better luck getting that thing to walk out of here.”
Sam looked toward him.
“Then it's fortunate I didn't buy it for transportation.”
The auctioneer's smile disappeared.
By sunset, the tractor stood inside Sam Walker's barn.
Wesley Morgan had helped arrange professional hauling equipment, and the old machine had been loaded and transported without anyone attempting to move it under its own power.
The process cost more than the tractor.
Wesley paid the transport bill.
Sam protested.
Wesley shrugged.
“You can buy me a cup of coffee when you're rich.”
Sam gave him a tired smile.