“We’re going to offer him a complete walk-away settlement.”

“He keeps his agency, you keep the land and the house components, and he waives all claims.”

“I’m drafting the proposal now.”

“I’ll call you when it’s ready to sign.”

The line went dead.

I looked at the rearview mirror.

Chloe was watching me, her eyes bright.

“We did it,” she whispered.

“Not yet,” I said.

“But we’re close.”

We pulled into a diner near the highway to get some lunch.

The air inside was cool and smelled of fried onions and coffee.

We sat in a vinyl booth near the window.

I ordered a glass of iced tea and stared at the ice melting in the glass.

My phone vibrated on the laminate tabletop.

It was a text message from an unknown number.

I tapped the screen to open it.

It was a photo of a large padlocked gate.

The gate belonged to the storage facility where Nathan’s crew had taken the modular sections of the house.

A thick chain had been wrapped around the bars, secured with a heavy brass lock.