"We have new records."
Clara opened the field book.
Peter's eyes moved toward it.
Then his face went pale.
"Where'd you get that?"
She looked toward him.
"My father preserved the original survey references."
Peter stared.
For a moment, he seemed genuinely frightened.
Then he shook his head.
"I can't help you."
Amos leaned forward.
"Peter."
The younger man looked toward the door.
"I've got a family."
Caleb's expression changed.
Clara noticed.
The words carried more weight than a simple refusal.
Someone had made Peter afraid.
Amos spoke gently.
"Has anyone threatened your family?"
Peter looked down.
For several seconds, he didn't answer.
Then he whispered, "You don't understand what those men can do."
Caleb stepped forward.
Amos raised one hand.
Caleb stopped.
The sheriff turned back toward Peter.
"Help us understand."
Peter closed his eyes.
For a long moment, he remained motionless.
Then tears began slipping down his cheeks.
"I didn't kill him."
Caleb froze.
The room went silent.
Peter covered his face.
"I swear to God, I didn't kill Thomas."
Caleb felt his heart pounding.
Amos leaned forward.
"Then tell us what happened."
Peter sat slowly.
His hands trembled.
For several seconds, he seemed unable to speak.
Then he began.
The survey crew had reached the northern quarry six days after Thomas left Caleb's ranch.
There were five men.
Thomas.
Peter.
A foreman named Augustus Rell.
And two laborers assigned to the Granite Valley project.
The work was supposed to involve measuring a proposed freight route and confirming access to a spring above the creek.
Thomas became suspicious on the second day.
The measurements Rell instructed them to record didn't match the route they had traveled.
At first, Peter assumed the foreman was correcting an earlier error.
But Thomas refused to mark distances he hadn't verified.
He argued with Rell.
The foreman threatened to dismiss him.
Thomas laughed.
Then said he'd rather lose wages than sign his name to a lie.
Peter remembered that clearly.
He had admired Thomas.
The older man treated him kindly.
Explained technical work.
And shared food when supplies ran short.
He also seemed incapable of remaining quiet when he believed something was wrong.
On the fourth day, Thomas found an older marker near the upper creek.
It was partly buried.
The original boundary description indicated it should have been used as a reference point.
But the company's new documents placed the marker farther south.
Thomas insisted they record the actual location.
Rell ordered him to stop.
A heated argument followed.