Excerpt of Included!

DOWN RIVERan argument that went too far. Happens all the time. The second comes downto money.”“What do you mean?”“Maybe Dolf was the one killing cattle and torching outbuildings. MaybeDanny caught him doing it and got killed for his trouble. It’s thin, but a jurywill listen.”I shook my head. “Dolf has nothing to gain one way or another.”Puzzlement twisted Robin’s features. “Of course he does. Same as your father.Same as Zebulon Faith.”“My father owns this place. The house, the land. All of it.”Robin leaned back, put her hands on the table’s edge. “I don’t think so,Adam.” She tilted her head, still confused. “Dolf owns two hundred acres, includingthe house we’re sitting in.”I opened my mouth, but no words came. Robin spoke slowly, as if I werenot quite right in the head. “That’s six million dollars, based on the latest offer.One hell of a motive to squeeze your father into selling.”“That can’t be right.”“Check it out,” she said.I thought about it, shook my head. “First of all, there’s no way Dolf owns apiece of this farm. My father would never do that. Secondly”—I had to lookaway—“secondly, he’s dying. He wouldn’t care about money.”Robin understood what that statement cost me, but she refused to backaway. “Maybe he’s doing it for Grace.” She put her hand on mine. “Maybehe’d rather die on a beach some place far from here.”I told Robin I needed to be alone. She put soft lips on my face and told me tocall her later. What she had said made no sense. My father loved this land as heloved his own life. Guarding it was his special trust; keeping it for the family,the next generation. Over the past fifteen years, he’d given partial ownership tohis children, but that was for estate planning purposes. And those interestswere merely shares in a family partnership. He kept control; and I knew that hewould never part with an acre, not even for Dolf.At eight o’clock, I went to the house to ask my father if it were true, but his187