"Then we find someone else."

"What if Voss reaches us first?"

"He won't."

"You sound very certain."

"I am."

Eliza smiled.

"You weren't always this stubborn."

Cole raised an eyebrow.

"You're the one who taught me."

They left before dawn.

The journey was difficult.

Snow covered the trail, and Eliza could only ride for short periods before exhaustion forced them to stop.

Cole insisted they rest often.

Eliza complained.

Cole ignored her.

By late afternoon, they reached the settlement.

Sheriff Samuel Hart listened carefully as Eliza explained everything.

He examined the documents.

Then his face changed.

"I've seen some of these names."

Cole leaned forward.

"Where?"

"In property disputes."

Hart opened a drawer and removed several files.

He spread them across his desk.

Different families.

Different farms.

Different years.

But the handwriting on the documents was remarkably similar.

Hart looked at Eliza.

"Where did you get these?"

"My husband."

"Where is he?"

"I don't know."

The sheriff looked troubled.

"I've heard rumors about men disappearing after challenging Voss."

Cole's hand tightened.

"Can you act?"

Hart shook his head.

"Not alone."

"Why?"

"Because Voss has money."

Cole leaned forward.

"So do I."

Hart looked at him.

"Money isn't enough."

Cole understood.

They needed evidence that could survive court.

Fortunately, Eliza had more.

She had kept everything Thomas had given her.

Receipts.

Letters.

Maps.

Copies of forged agreements.

Names of intermediaries.

Payment records.

There were enough documents to show a pattern.

But one piece was still missing.

Proof that Graham Voss himself had ordered the fraud.

That proof came unexpectedly.

A former clerk named Benjamin Hale arrived at the sheriff's office two days later.

He had worked for Voss for six years.

He was terrified.

"I can't go back," he said.

Cole asked why.

"Because I copied something."

Benjamin handed over a ledger.

Inside were payments made to men who had altered land records.

There were payments to surveyors.

Lawyers.

Officials.

And beside several entries was Voss's signature.

Eliza stared at the page.

Her hands trembled.

"That's it."

Cole looked at her.

"Are you sure?"

She nodded.

"Thomas showed me that signature before he disappeared."

Sheriff Hart closed the ledger.

"Now we can act."

But Voss knew something was wrong.

That same evening, word reached them that several of Voss's men had left town.

They were searching for Benjamin.

The sheriff moved him to a secure location.

Cole and Eliza remained in town.

For the first time in months, Eliza slept in a real bed.

Yet she could not relax.

She sat beside the window.

Cole entered.

"You should rest."

"So should you."

"I've never been good at it."

She smiled.

"Neither have I."

He sat beside her.

"You know what I keep thinking?"

"What?"

"You built that cabin because you wanted your child to grow up somewhere safe."

"Yes."

"But safety isn't a place."

Eliza looked at him.

Cole continued.

"It's people."

She smiled faintly.

"You're learning."

"Apparently."

There was a long silence.

Then Eliza said, "Cole?"

"Yes?"

"If this ends badly..."

He interrupted her.

"It won't."

"You don't know that."

"No."

He looked directly into her eyes.

"But I know I won't leave you."

Eliza looked away quickly.

Her eyes filled with tears.

She had spent months convincing herself that needing no one was strength.

Now she was discovering another kind of strength.

Trust.

The trial began in the spring.

Witnesses came forward.

Families testified.

Documents were examined.

The forged land records were compared with original surveys.

Benjamin Hale testified about the payments.

Sheriff Hart presented the ledger.

And finally, Eliza Morgan stood before the court.

She spoke without trembling.

She told them about Thomas.

About the documents.

About the families who had lost everything.

About the men who had followed her into the mountains.

She did not exaggerate.

She did not ask for sympathy.

She simply told the truth.

When she finished, the courtroom remained silent.

Graham Voss looked at her.