Herrera read Dale’s message twice.
“Could be a trap.”
June was already moving toward the machine-shed door.
Herrera blocked her.
“It could also be true.”
“Which is why officers will check.”
“That Bible was beside Grandpa when he died.”
“I understand.”
“No, you don’t.”
June stopped herself.
The words had come out sharper than she intended.
Herrera did not react.
June tried again.
“Grandpa asked me to read to him Saturday.”
“What did you read?”
“Nothing. He fell asleep before I found his glasses.”
Her eyes went toward the farmhouse.
“The Bible was on the nightstand.”
Herrera called the officers inside.
No response.
She tried again.
Static.
Then one voice.
“Lieutenant, rear door movement.”
Herrera straightened.
“What movement?”
“Possible entry. East side.”
Every officer near the shed changed posture.
June’s heart started pounding.
“Robert.”
“Stay here.”
Herrera drew her weapon and moved outside.
Mark caught June’s arm.
“Don’t.”
“I wasn’t going anywhere.”
He gave her a look.
“Fine. I was thinking about it.”
“You’re terrible at lying.”
“So is Dad, apparently.”
We waited.
Gunmetal minutes.
A shout came from the direction of the house.
Then another.
Flashlights moved through the yard.
June gripped the workbench.
A radio crackled.
“Suspect running north.”
Herrera’s voice answered.
“Description?”
“Male, dark clothing.”
“Robert?”
“Unknown.”
June looked at Mark.
The cattle gate.
The old pasture route.
“He knows the farm.”
“So do the officers.”
“Not like us.”
“June.”
“He can reach the creek.”
Mark knew she was right.
Grandpa’s property contained old lanes, drainage cuts, fence gaps, and abandoned equipment paths invisible to anyone who had not grown up there.
But June had.
So had Robert.
Herrera returned at a run.
“Someone entered through the kitchen.”
“The Bible?”
“Officers are checking.”
“Who ran?”
“We don’t know.”
A flashlight signal came from the porch.
Herrera listened to her radio.
Then looked at June.
“The bedroom was searched.”
June’s face fell.
“The Bible?”
“Gone.”
She closed her eyes.
Robert had beaten them.
Or Martin.
Or Dale.
“Anything else?”
“Nightstand drawer emptied.”
June thought.
“What was in it?”
“Can you identify contents?”
“Reading glasses. Tissues. Nitroglycerin tablets. Rosary that belonged to Grandma.”
She stopped.
“And a photograph.”
“What photograph?”
“Grandpa and Dad.”
Herrera watched her.
“Recent?”
“No.”
June looked toward the dark house.
“Robert was nineteen.”
The old photograph showed father and son beside a tractor. Robert was lean and sunburned, one arm across Grandpa’s shoulders. Grandpa was barely forty, smiling in a way June had rarely seen him smile later.
Why would someone take that?
Unless Robert had.
At 9:32, an officer found footprints behind the house.
They led north.
Then disappeared at the gravel lane.
Tire marks suggested a waiting vehicle.
Herrera’s team began searching roads.
June was finally allowed into Grandpa’s bedroom after photographs were taken.
She stopped in the doorway.
The hospice bed remained against the wall.
Sheets stripped.
Oxygen tubing coiled on the floor.
His dresser drawers had been opened.
The nightstand lay on its side.
June picked nothing up.
Her eyes went to the empty place where the Bible had been.
“I should have taken it.”
I stood beside her.
“You had no reason.”
“I knew people had keys.”
“You were burying your grandfather.”
She looked at the hospice bed.
“I was thinking about flowers.”
“That’s normal.”
“I was thinking about whether we had enough sandwiches for the church.”
“Also normal.”
“Meanwhile Dad was thinking about documents.”
I had no answer.
Mark called from the hallway.
“June.”
He held something in a gloved evidence bag an officer had given him permission to show us.
A torn corner of paper.
“What is it?”
“Found under the bed.”
Albright examined it.
Only a few typed words remained.
…beneficial interest described herein shall terminate if…
June stared.
“Terminate if what?”
“The rest is gone.”
Albright looked toward the empty Bible space.
“This likely came from page two.”
“So Robert tore it?”
“Or someone did earlier.”
“Could Grandpa have hidden only page two?”
“Yes.”
June thought of the photograph Robert sent.
Page one intact.
A promise.
Half the farm.
Page two contained the conditions.
Maybe Robert had known the condition all along.
Maybe that was why he needed Grandpa’s other records altered.
“What kinds of conditions would contracts like this have?”
Albright shrugged.
“Continued employment. Repayment. Performance. No transfer. Survival. Any number.”
Mark leaned against the doorframe.
“Robert left the farm after seven years.”
June looked at him.
“If the agreement required him to stay…”
“He lost the interest.”
Albright nodded.
“Potentially.”
June’s phone rang.
Dale.
She answered immediately.
“Where are you?”
His voice was low.
“I can’t talk long.”
“Are you with Dad?”
“No.”
“Where?”
“Gas station.”
“What town?”
“I don’t know.”
“Dale.”
“I got away.”
Herrera moved closer.
“Put him on speaker.”
June did.
“Are you hurt?”
“No.”
“Where’s Robert?”
“He went to the farm.”
“He already came.”
Dale swore.
“Did he get the Bible?”
“Yes.”
Silence.
June gripped the phone.
“What was on page two?”
“I never saw it.”
“You knew it was in the Bible.”
“Keene told me.”
“Where’s Keene?”
“I don’t know.”
“Why did you run from the bank?”
Dale breathed hard.
“Because Robert told me police were coming for me.”
“They are.”
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
“This isn’t funny.”
“No.”
June’s voice sharpened.
“Neither is putting your company on forged transfer documents.”
“I didn’t forge Grandpa’s name.”
“Then who did?”
“I don’t know.”
“You expect me to believe that?”
“Keene prepared the documents.”
Everyone looked at Herrera.
She began writing.
Dale continued.
“He said they were drafts.”
“With Grandpa’s signature?”
“I didn’t see the signed version until later.”
“When?”
“Two weeks ago.”
“Why didn’t you tell anyone?”
“Because Robert said Grandpa had signed an earlier agreement giving him rights to the farm.”
“The page-one agreement.”
“Yes.”
“And you believed him.”
“He showed it to me.”
“Did he show you page two?”
“No.”
June closed her eyes.
Of course.
“What did you think your company was doing?”
“Receiving the property temporarily.”
“For what?”
“Restructuring.”
Mark whispered an obscenity.
Dale heard.
“Shut up, Mark.”
“No.”
June interrupted.
“Why your company?”
“Because Robert’s businesses had liens.”
That mattered.
“Liens from what?”
“Loans. Lawsuits. I don’t know.”
“So Dad couldn’t receive property directly.”
“That’s what Keene said.”
“And you agreed to hold it.”
“I thought it was legal.”
“Did Grandpa know?”
“I thought he did.”
“Then why did you run?”
Dale stopped.
June waited.
“Because three days ago Keene showed me the signature page.”
“And?”
“It looked wrong.”
June closed her eyes.
“You knew.”
“I suspected.”
“You still said nothing.”
“I was scared.”
“So was Grandpa.”
That silenced him.
Herrera took the phone.
“Dale, this is Lieutenant Herrera. Tell me exactly where you are.”
“I’m not getting arrested.”
“That depends on evidence and prosecutors. Right now I’m more interested in keeping you alive.”
“Why wouldn’t I be alive?”
“Because the people you were working with are destroying evidence.”
Dale breathed heavily.
Herrera continued.
“And you just became a witness.”
He gave the gas station name.
A patrol unit was sent.
Before hanging up, June took the phone back.
“Dale.”
“What?”
“Who sent the threat to me?”
“Robert.”
“The video?”
“Keene recorded it.”
“Why midnight?”
“Robert said your rescission period ended then.”
Vernon shook his head.
“It doesn’t.”
June said, “Dad lied to you.”
“Yeah.”
“About a lot.”
“Yeah.”
She almost felt sorry for him.
Almost.
“Did he ever say what happens after I rescind?”
“He becomes trustee.”
“No.”
Dale went quiet.
“What?”
“Grandpa amended it.”
Silence.
“Robert gets nothing.”
Dale exhaled.
“Oh, God.”
“What?”
“He doesn’t know.”
“We figured that out.”
“No.”
Dale’s voice became urgent.
“You don’t understand.”
“What?”
“Robert doesn’t think he can lose.”
June looked at Herrera.
“Why?”
“Because Keene told him the amendment can’t matter if the original trust disappears.”
Vernon stepped closer.
“What original trust?”
“The signed master copy.”
Vernon’s face drained.
“Where does Robert think it is?”
Dale answered.
“Prairie State Bank.”
Everyone turned toward Vernon.
He was already reaching for his phone.
The bank’s security company answered on the second call.
The alarm had triggered six minutes earlier.
Click here to continue reading: PART 11: Robert Went After Grandpa’s Original Trust at the Bank, While Dale Finally Explained the Debt That Had Kept Him Trapped
Grandpa’s Will Gave Every Grandchild One Dollar, Then the Attorney Set a Sealed Envelope in Front of June
Part 10 of 16
