The oak tree still cast its shadow across the yard. Birds still moved through the branches. The distant hills were still green beneath the morning sun.
Yet everything felt different.
What had happened seemed to have marked the place.
Part Three
In the days that followed, I learned the full extent of Michael’s plan.
He had been struggling financially for nearly a year.
Several investments had failed. He had borrowed heavily to support a lifestyle he and Jennifer could no longer afford. Their mortgage, credit cards, car payments, and business debts had placed him under enormous pressure.
Instead of telling anyone the truth, Michael hid the situation.
He began looking for a single solution that would erase all of his problems.
My land became that solution.
A developer really had expressed interest in buying property throughout the area. If Michael could acquire my acreage below market value, he believed he could resell it quickly for a substantial profit.
