Chapter 4 - The Ghost of Suncrest
The door finally gave way,
and Travis stumbled into the room,
his face red with fury.
He looked at the laptop,
then at me.
"You think you’re so smart,"
he spat,
reaching for the power cord.
"You think you can ruin us?"
"I don't have to ruin you,
Travis,"
I said,
backing away toward the window.
"You did that all by yourselves."
He lunged for me,
but I was faster.
I slipped through the French doors onto the balcony,
the cold air hitting my face.
"This ranch was built on honesty!"
I shouted.
"My grandmother worked this land until her hands bled!"
"You came in here like a parasite!"
Travis stopped,
a strange look crossing his face.
"Your grandmother was a fool,"
he said,
his voice dropping to a whisper.
"She knew what my father was doing."
"She was going to report him,
so he took care of her."
The world went silent.
"What did you say?"
"She didn't die of a heart attack,
Samantha."
"She died of the same 'flu' you’ve been having lately."
The truth hit me like a physical blow.
They didn't just steal the land;
they murdered the woman who raised me.
I felt a cold,
deadly calm settle over me.
"Thank you for that,
Travis,"
I said,
reaching into my pocket.
"The microphone in the lamp caught every word."
His eyes went wide.
He looked back at the office,
realizing he had just confessed to a murder on tape.
Below the balcony,
I saw the flashes of blue and red lights.
The sheriff was here.
And he wasn't alone.
Two black SUVs pulled up behind him,
marked with the logo of the Federal Audit Office.
"It’s over,"
I said.
Travis looked down at the lawn,
at the officers stepping out of their cars.
He looked like a trapped animal.
"I'll kill you before they get up here!"
he screamed,
charging at me again.
I didn't flinch.
I stood my ground as the first officer burst onto the balcony.
Travis was tackled to the floor,
his face pressed into the cold stone.
I looked past him,
toward the old mesquite tree.
"We got them,
Barnaby,"
May you like
I whispered.
"We got them all."
