The county records showed the account had been closed six months ago.

I ran my fingers over the dry paper.

This wasn’t just a property dispute anymore.

It was a criminal matter, and Trevor had dragged my entire family into the center of it.

I looked at the old grandfather clock in the corner of the living room.

It was just past eight in the evening.

The storm outside seemed to be worsening, the wind rattling the old glass panes of the front window.

A sudden branch scraped against the metal roof with a sharp screech.

I took a deep breath and closed the folders, sliding them into my leather briefcase.

I needed to sleep, but my mind was spinning with the details of the documents.

If I presented these papers tomorrow, Trevor would likely face indictment.

My parents would lose their home to pay off his creditors.

Kelsey would be left with nothing but her husband’s debts.

But if I stayed silent, they would take the cabin.

They would bulldoze the trees my grandfather had planted fifty years ago.