And for the first time since he met Martha, he understood that protecting her might require confronting the one person he'd spent half his life avoiding.
He remained outside until Martha called through the door.
"Mr. Montgomery?"
He turned.
"Yes?"
"You may come in."
When he entered, she was dressed in a dry blouse and wool skirt. Her hair had been pinned back, and the gray blanket was folded carefully at the end of the bed. She stood beside the table with both hands clasped tightly in front of her.
Caleb remained near the doorway.
He wanted her to see that he would not come closer without invitation.
Martha looked toward the photograph.
Then she spoke.
"I worked for Harlan Tate for nearly four years."
Caleb nodded slowly.
"I see."
She swallowed.
"No. I'm afraid you don't."
He waited.
Martha drew a trembling breath.
"He owned a freight and timber business outside a Missouri river town. He had a large house, a lumberyard, several warehouses, and crews working along the river. I was hired to help manage the household accounts, cooking, and supplies."
Caleb frowned.
"Accounts?"
She nodded.
"My father taught me arithmetic. I could keep ledgers, calculate wages, and prepare orders. When Mr. Tate discovered that, he began asking me to help in the office."
She looked toward the stove.
"At first, I thought it was an opportunity."
Caleb remained silent.
Martha continued.
"I had very little money when I went there. My father had died, my mother was ill, and I needed steady wages. Mr. Tate promised better pay if I helped with the books."
Her voice became smaller.
"He didn't keep that promise."
Caleb's jaw tightened.
Martha told him about the unpaid wages, the unexpected deductions, and the way workers were repeatedly told they owed money for food, lodging, or equipment they hadn't agreed to purchase. She described women who worked long hours in the household and were paid far less than promised, and laborers who could never seem to repay the debts recorded against them.
Caleb listened.
He knew freight operations well enough to understand how easily a dishonest employer could manipulate accounts when workers had few alternatives.
Martha continued slowly.
"Some of the men couldn't read. They trusted the amounts he wrote down. When they questioned the figures, he threatened to throw them off the property before winter."
She paused.
"I began keeping copies."
Caleb looked up.
"Copies of what?"
"Entries that didn't match the actual payments. Wages that had supposedly been issued but never reached the workers. Charges added after men complained."
Her fingers tightened together.
"I thought if I showed him the mistakes, he might correct them."
Caleb lowered his eyes.
He knew Harlan too well to believe that had been likely.
Martha noticed his expression.
"He became very angry."
For several seconds, she said nothing.