For fourteen years, Thomas had been a man who always had an explanation. He had blamed the weather, the market, the bank, and the men who failed to pay him.
Now he seemed to have run out of excuses.
But a confession was not the same as redemption.
Samuel folded the letter.
“Why should I believe you?”
Thomas looked toward the house.
“Because I am telling you something that could destroy me.”
“That has never stopped you from protecting yourself before.”
Thomas nodded.
“I know.”
He took a deep breath.
“I am not asking you to forgive me. I am asking you to let me help correct what I did.”
Samuel looked at him for a long time.
Then he said, “You will give me every document you have. You will tell the truth to the county clerk, to the lawyer handling Father's estate, and to anyone who asks about the payment to Dr. Lang. You will not speak to Anna about the child unless she chooses to speak with you.”
Thomas nodded.
“And you will not come to this ranch without my permission until I decide otherwise.”
Thomas's face crumpled.
“I understand.”
Samuel stepped aside from the porch.
“Then go.”
Thomas put on his hat.
For a moment, he looked as though he wanted to say something more.
Instead, he mounted his horse and rode away.
Anna came to stand beside Samuel.
“Do you believe him?”
Samuel watched his brother disappear down the road.
“I believe he is finally afraid of the truth.”
“Is that enough?”
“No.”
He turned toward her.
“But it is a beginning.”
The following morning, Samuel rode into town with the letter from Edward and the forged land transfer.
He went first to the county clerk.
Arthur Bell examined the documents, compared the signatures, and confirmed that the proposed transfer had never been legally recorded.
Then Samuel visited the lawyer who had handled Joseph's estate.
The lawyer, Mr. Jameson, was a careful man with silver spectacles and a habit of reading every page twice.
He examined Edward's letter in silence.
At last, he looked up.
“This is serious.”
“I know.”
“Your uncle appears to have intended to acquire the eastern parcel through deception. The question is whether the medical report was part of a larger attempt to establish that you were unfit to inherit or manage the property.”
Samuel nodded.
“Can you prove it?”
“Not from this letter alone. But the bank draft, the original medical notes, and the correspondence may establish a pattern.”
Samuel placed Dr. Harris's ledger on the desk.
Jameson opened it.
His expression changed as he read the entries.
“Where did you obtain this?”