Noah looked down at the letter.
"Why didn't you come sooner?"
Daniel's face hardened.
"Because I was afraid. Because I had a wife and children of my own. Because every time I considered returning, someone sent me a warning."
He paused.
"Then I heard that the Reed house had burned. I knew the time had come."
Hannah wiped her eyes.
"My father would have wanted to meet you."
Daniel bowed his head.
"I would have liked that."
He reached into his satchel again and placed a second document on the table.
It was a sworn statement signed by a railroad engineer who had witnessed Mercer meeting Crowley on the night of the murder.
The statement included the location of a hidden grave near the northern ridge.
Noah stared at it.
"If we can find the grave, we can prove what happened."
Daniel nodded.
"And if we bring the confession to the federal authorities, Mercer and Crowley will have nowhere left to hide."
A noise came from outside.
Horses.
Silas appeared at the kitchen door.
"We've got trouble."
Through the window, Noah saw four riders entering the settlement.
The first wore a sheriff's badge.
The second was Elias Crowley.
The third carried a bundle of papers.
And the fourth was a man Noah had never seen before.
Mercer dismounted.
He walked toward the boardinghouse, smiling.
"Good morning, folks."
Noah moved toward the back door.
Mercer called after him.
"Don't bother running, Bennett. I've got something you might want to see."
He held up a folded document.
"The deed to your ranch."
Noah stopped.
Mercer smiled wider.
"Your father signed it over to Crowley the day before he died."
Hannah went pale.
Noah stared at the paper.
For a moment, the world seemed to tilt beneath his feet.
If the signature was genuine, the ranch was lost.
But then he remembered the letter his father had hidden on Willow.
He remembered the warning.
And he remembered the words written beneath the photograph.
The land remembers everything.
Noah turned toward Hannah.
"He's lying."
Mercer's smile faded.
Noah stepped forward.
"Show me the original."
The sheriff hesitated.
It was only a second.
But it was enough.
Noah saw it.
And so did Daniel Price.
"That document is a forgery," Daniel said.
Crowley drew his revolver.
"Shut your mouth."
Daniel did not move.
"My father was murdered because he refused to sign a false deed. I have the evidence. I have the witness statements. And I have the original survey."
Mercer raised his weapon.
"Then you'll die with him."
The room erupted.
Silas knocked over the table as the first shot rang out. Noah pulled Hannah behind the kitchen stove while Daniel grabbed the documents.
Martha screamed and ran toward the cellar.
Crowley's men fired through the windows.
Noah returned fire, striking the doorframe beside Mercer's head.
The sheriff ducked behind a wagon.
"Burn the place!" he shouted.
One of the riders threw a flaming bottle through the front window.
The curtains caught fire.
Hannah looked toward the back door.
"We have to go!"
Noah grabbed her hand.
Together, they ran through the kitchen and into the alley.
Daniel followed, carrying the satchel.
Silas came last, firing over his shoulder.
They reached the stable and mounted the horses.
Noah looked back at the boardinghouse.
Flames were climbing through the roof.
Martha stood in the street, helping two children escape from the neighboring building.
Hannah urged Willow forward.
"Come on!"
They rode toward the western road as gunshots echoed behind them.