Clara looked down at the note.
For years, she'd believed Samuel failed to protect the original deed.
Now she realized he may have helped hide it deliberately, then lost the ability to return.
The mill had been abandoned after a flood.
The original custodians were dead.
And the land dispute had become too dangerous or expensive for Samuel to pursue alone.
He'd left instructions.
But those instructions remained hidden inside the toolbox until Clara finally understood what she was looking for.
She looked toward Nathaniel.
“Where exactly is the old mill?”
He frowned.
“Along the eastern crossing.”
“On your property?”
“Part of the foundation is. The eastern wall sits near the old easement boundary.”
Frey nodded thoughtfully.
“Then we approach this properly. We establish access, confirm the survey, and examine the structure without damaging someone else's property.”
Nathaniel looked toward Clara.
For a moment, he smiled faintly.
“You're going to make me do more paperwork, aren't you?”
She laughed through tears.
“Yes.”
He shook his head.
“Of course.”
The recovery took nearly two weeks.
They worked with the surveyor to locate the correct portion of the old foundation.
The structure was unstable in places.
Nathaniel initially wanted to begin pulling stones away himself.
Clara refused.
She insisted that the site be examined safely and that the search remain within the authorized area.
Frey arranged for the appropriate witnesses and documentation.
Mateo helped coordinate the work.
An experienced mason assisted with the old stone structure.
The first day yielded nothing.
The second revealed a collapsed storage recess.
On the third, they found an iron fitting beneath a large foundation stone.
Clara examined the position against her father's drawing.
Then looked toward the brass key.
Her heart accelerated.
“This is it.”
Nathaniel stood beside her.
For a moment, he couldn't speak.
The workers carefully exposed the concealed compartment.
Inside was a small iron box.
Its surface was rusted.
But the lock remained recognizable.
Clara held the brass key.
For several seconds, she stared at it.
Then she handed it to the mason so the mechanism could be examined without damaging the contents.
The box was eventually opened.
Inside were several papers wrapped in old protective cloth.
Some had deteriorated.
Others remained surprisingly legible.
And beneath them lay a folded document bearing a thick red wax seal.
A hawk.
Wings outstretched.
Against a mountain.