Chapter 14 - The Ranch That Was Never HersThe family arrives to take one last thingThree weeks later, the charges began.
Dale was indicted.
Rebecca entered a plea agreement.
Martin testified.
Daniel dissolved North Valley Capital's development division.
Suzanne remained under investigation.
Mom moved out of her house.
And Carter Ridge Ranch remained standing.
But peace didn't last.
One morning, I found every gate unlocked.
The cattle were gone from one pasture.
The equipment shed had been emptied.
I called Wade.
Someone had entered the ranch overnight.
We checked the security system.
One vehicle.
Then two.
Then five.
Suzanne.
My mother.
Three cousins.
And a moving company.
I drove to the main house.
They were loading furniture.
I stepped out of the truck.
“What are you doing?”
Suzanne turned.
“You can't keep everything.”
I stared at her.
“This isn't yours.”
“This was our family home.”
“No.”
She laughed.
“Dad lived here.”
“Dad left it to the trust.”
“You've taken everything!”
“You mean the things you tried to steal?”
She stepped toward me.
For a moment, I thought she might slap me again.
Instead, she whispered:
“You always thought you were better than me.”
“No.”
I looked at the house.
“I thought I had to earn my place.”
Her face tightened.
“You don't understand.”
“I understand perfectly.”
Mom came outside.
She looked smaller.
Tired.
She approached me.
“I came for one thing.”
“What?”
“Your father's desk.”
I stared.
“Why?”
She hesitated.
“Because there is something inside it.”
“We already searched it.”
“Not the drawer beneath the floor.”
I froze.
“What?”
Mom pointed toward Dad's office.
“There is another compartment.”
We rushed inside.
She showed me where.
Beneath the floorboard was a metal lockbox.
Wade opened it.
Inside was a stack of letters.
All addressed to Mom.
All from Dad.
The oldest was dated twenty-seven years ago.
I read the first page.
Dad wrote that he knew Mom had hidden Daniel.
He knew about the land fraud.
He knew about Suzanne's debt.
But he hadn't abandoned them.
He had been waiting for the right moment to expose everything.
The final letter was different.
It contained one sentence.
Lois, if you ever betray Evelyn again, she will have no reason to protect you.
Mom broke down.
“I should have listened.”
I looked at her.
“You should have listened twenty-seven years ago.”
She nodded.
“I know.”
Then Suzanne spoke behind us.
“Mom?”
We turned.
She was holding another envelope.
Her face had gone pale.
“What is that?” I asked.
She handed it to me.
“It's from Daniel.”
I opened it.
Inside was a bank transfer record.
A payment of $2.7 million.
Recipient:
Suzanne Carter.
Date:
The week before the Fourth of July party.
I looked at her.
“Where did this come from?”
She started shaking.
“I can explain.”
Wade looked at the document.
“No.”
I stared at Suzanne.
“Who paid you?”
She began crying.
And finally admitted the truth.
“It wasn't Dale.”
“Then who?”
She whispered a name.
May you like
A name I had never expected.
“Rebecca.”
