Chapter 4
Raymond came to the house after dark.
He tried to look confused.
Badly.
I put the transfer in front of him.
He read the first page.
Skipped the rest.
Interesting.
“You’ve seen it.”
“No.”
“You skipped directly to the signature page.”
His face tightened.
I sat.
“Try again.”
He exhaled.
“Carol asked me to prepare something.”
“Prepare.”
“Yes.”
“Meaning forge my name.”
“No.”
He leaned forward.
“She said you had already agreed.”
I almost smiled.
Again.
My mother’s favorite weapon.
She makes the decision first.
Then tells everyone I approved.
“Did you see me agree?”
“No.”
“Speak to me?”
“No.”
“Then why copy my signature?”
His jaw tightened.
“Because the road matters.”
There it was.
“What road?”
“The orchard corridor.”
“I closed it.”
“Exactly.”
He looked genuinely frustrated.
“Grant, our southern crews are bleeding time because you turned family strategy into a memorial.”
I stared.
“You think Emily’s land exists to save you twenty minutes.”
“It was used before.”
“Not with my permission.”
“Your father allowed it.”
I looked toward Dennis.
He was standing at the door.
His face changed.
I turned back to Raymond.
“When?”
“Years ago.”
“How many?”
“Before Emily died.”
My breathing slowed.
Emily never told me.
Or perhaps she did and I did not listen closely enough.
“What did she say?”
Raymond scoffed.
“She complained.”
Of course.
“What exactly?”
“That cars were crossing near the cottage after midnight.”
I remembered an argument.
Emily told me strangers were using her mother’s land.
I asked security.
They said it was one of Dad’s crews.
I told her it would stop.
Apparently it had not.
She died eight months later in a highway collision.
An accident.
I had never connected the orchard to her death.
Raymond saw my face.
“No.”
Too quickly.
I stood.
“What?”
“Don’t do that.”
“Do what?”
“Turn Emily’s accident into this.”
I had not mentioned her accident.
May you like
The room went cold.
Raymond knew exactly where my mind had gone before I said a word.
