Whitaker shook his head.
"He sounded tired. He said he was going somewhere quiet."
"Did he mention a town?"
"Maybe. I remember the word Pine."
Mason felt his attention sharpen.
Pine.
Pine Ridge.
The motel.
The name appeared again.
"Was there a place called Pine Hollow?"
Whitaker nodded slowly.
"Yes. A village north of here."
Mason looked at Arthur.
"Let's go."
Pine Hollow was a small village surrounded by forest.
The main road passed a church, a general store, and a closed schoolhouse.
The local records showed that a David Carter had rented a cabin there in 2004.
The property was still standing.
It was now owned by a woman named Eleanor Shaw.
She agreed to meet them.
When Mason explained why he was searching, she looked at the photograph.
"I remember him," she said.
"He lived here?"
"For about a year."
"Did he leave suddenly?"
"Yes."
"Did he say where he was going?"
"He said he had unfinished business."
"Did anyone visit him?"
Eleanor nodded.
"An older man came once."
"Can you describe him?"
"Gray hair. Tall. Very polite."
Mason showed her the photograph of Samuel Price.
Eleanor stared at it.
"That's him."
"Did he speak with David?"
"Outside. They argued."
"Did you hear anything?"
"Not much. But I heard the older man say, 'You cannot keep running from what you are.'"
Mason felt a chill.
"What did David say?"
"He said, 'I'm not running. I'm trying to stop you.'"
Arthur looked at him.
"Did they leave together?"
"No. The older man left first. David stayed another few weeks."
"Did he have visitors after that?"
Eleanor nodded.
"A woman."
"Who?"
"I don't know. She was older. She brought him a box."
"Did he seem surprised?"
"No. He seemed relieved."
Mason looked at the photograph of Anna.
"Could it have been her?"
Eleanor examined it.
"Maybe. I can't be sure."
"Do you remember anything about the box?"
"It was wooden. Small. She carried it with both hands."
Mason felt the pieces moving.
The original ledger.
The records Anna had hidden.
William's notebook.
David's search.
It was possible that the box contained the final evidence.
"Did David leave a forwarding address?"
Eleanor shook her head.
"But he left a note."
She went to a drawer and returned with a folded page.
Mason opened it.
The handwriting was David's.
If anyone comes asking, tell them I went to the place where the road ends.
Beneath it was a name.
Black Pine Ridge.
Black Pine Ridge was a remote area north of Pine Hollow.
It contained a few cabins, a disused logging road, and a small lake.
The investigators searched the property records.
One cabin had been purchased in 2003 through a company linked to William Cole.
It was registered under the name William Carter.
The cabin had been sold in 2008.
The buyer was a woman named Anna Bell.
Mason felt his heart begin to race.
Anna had been there.
David had been there.
William might have been there.
They requested a search of the cabin.
The current owner was a retired teacher who had purchased the property without knowing its history.
She agreed to let the investigators examine it.
The cabin stood at the edge of the forest.
It was small, with a stone chimney and a narrow porch.
The door opened easily.
Inside, the rooms were clean.
Someone had maintained the property.
A kitchen table stood near the window.
There were two chairs.
A bookshelf held old novels and a few technical manuals.
The investigators found a photograph inside one of the books.
It showed three people.
William Cole.
David Cole.
Anna Bell.
They were standing outside the cabin.
William looked older and thinner than in the earlier photographs.
David's arm was around his father's shoulder.
Anna stood beside them.
All three were smiling.
Mason stared at the picture.
For the first time, he saw his grandfather and father together after the disappearance.
They had found each other.
The photograph was dated 2005.
Mason sat down.
Arthur stood beside him.
"They were together."
"Yes."
"Your father found him."
Mason looked at the photograph.
"Yes."
He felt relief.
Then grief.
Because he had not known.
Because his father had been alive.
Because his grandfather had survived.
Because the family had spent years mourning people who had not been dead.
The investigators continued searching.
In a drawer beneath the kitchen table, they found a stack of letters.
The first was from William to David.
The second was from Anna to Daniel.
The third was addressed to Mason.
Mason's hands trembled when he saw his name.
He opened it.
My dear Mason,
I don't know whether you will ever read this. I hope you do, but I understand if you never want to hear from me.
I have learned that your father survived. I have also learned that he has spent years trying to return to you.
I am responsible for much of the pain that brought him away. I will not ask you to forgive me.
I want you to know that I finally understand something I should have understood long ago. Love is not control. Protection is not secrecy. A family cannot be saved by hiding the truth from the people who belong to it.
I have tried to repair what I can. I have given the records to people who can use them. I have helped Anna find a safe place. I have asked David to return when he is ready.
If he does not, I will not force him.
I hope you grow into a man who does not need to carry the failures of the people who came before him.
Your grandfather,
William.
Mason lowered the letter.
Arthur looked at him.
"What does it say?"
Mason handed it over.
Arthur read it slowly.
When he finished, he placed the page on the table.
"He finally understood."
Mason looked toward the window.
"Too late."
"Maybe."
Mason stared at the photograph again.
"Did they leave together?"
The investigator approached.
"We found something else."
He held a small envelope.
Inside was a receipt from a private medical clinic.
The date was 2006.
The patient was David Cole.
The diagnosis was serious.
The clinic had treated him for an advanced heart condition.
Mason felt the room grow quiet.
His father had been ill.
The investigators contacted the clinic.
Its records showed that David had received treatment for several months.
Then he had been transferred to a hospital in another state.
The final entry was dated January 2007.
The hospital record stated that David Cole had died.
Mason stared at the page.
The words did not seem real.
He read them again.
His father had been alive in 2005.
He had found William.
He had returned to a quiet cabin.