“Ifthere was a will,” Paradise added.
“Oh, there’s a will, all right. I saw it with my own two eyes.”
“The probate court didn’t find any evidence of one.”
“Says who?”
“My attorney checked it out. You were unable to bring any proof to the court.”
“That doesn’t mean the will doesn’t exist. I know it does, and I’ll find it.”
“Maybe your uncle destroyed it.”
“He didn’t have ti—” Dean broke off and brushed past them on his way to the truck.
Blake clung to Paradise’s hand, and they watched him go. “Did he start to say Allen didn’t have time?” Paradise whispered when Dean’s tires spit gravel in his urgency to get away from them.
“I think it’s likely.” Blake rubbed his head. “I think he killed his uncle. I wasn’t sure before, but I can sense his desperation. He’s found out about the rare earth somehow, and that’s driving this new determination to find the will.”
“I think so too.” She walked with him back to her building. “I’ve got some steaks I can grill for dinner.”
He hesitated. “I probably should go home and tell Mom what happened. Not only is Dean determined to find that will, but he plans to sell it and have the property destroyed by mining. He has no care for neighbors or the land.”
“I’ll grab them and meet you at the house then. I’ll fix dinner and you can talk to your mom. Do you think she’ll still be determined to look for the will?”
“Probably. Honestly, I don’t know what’s right. Do we actively try to turn the property over to someone who plans to destroy everything around us, someone who’s a murderer as well? He has no conscience. I could sense it.”
Paradise could, too, but she didn’t want to sway him if he had a strong conviction on what to do. She tried to imagine the animals dispersed across the country and the land with gaping holes. The buildings would be gone. And what about their neighbors? How could allowing such destruction be the right thing to do?
The bright future she’d envisioned seemed more and more elusive.
Chapter 31
The aroma of grilling steak mingled with the scent of freshly mown grass. Blake relished watching Paradise flip the steaks. She was altogether too beautiful for him to be able to drag his gaze away. With her cheeks flushed and her hair a halo around her head, he wished they were alone so he could have her all to himself.
He hadn’t had a chance to tell her or Mom that Jane had called to tell him preliminary results from the paint chips showed a match between the white and blue trucks. But she’d also warned him that with the official cause of death a drug overdose, it wouldn’t change much. They had to prove Dean had injected his uncle with meth.
Clark had joined them for dinner, and Blake forced himself to pull his attention from Paradise. He handed Clark the first plate of food. “Yard looks good,” he told him. He wished he could give his friend a raise. He was worth so much more than Blake could pay. The fences were in great shape with Clark’s welding skills, and so were the zip lines. Bringing him here had been a real boon to the park.
“Thanks.” Clark set the plate on a round patio table and took a seat.
Blake took his own plate and sat beside Clark. “You know the park about as well as anyone. Any ideas where something small might be hidden?”
Clark’s brows rose. “Small as in a will? You’re not going to look for it, are you?”
“I think we have to figure out where we stand.”
Clark’s chin came up and his brown eyes flashed. “You stand on firmer ground if that will is never found.”
Blake couldn’t deny that. Anxiety over their possible expulsion from The Sanctuary had mounted with every day they wrestled with this. It would be better toknowwhat was coming than to worry and stress over it. Though he knew God was in control, it was hard to let go of his need to fix everything for those he loved.
He cut a piece of his steak and chewed it. “Great steak, babe,” he called.
Clark hadn’t touched his plate. “Tell me you aren’t serious.”
“Mom is determined too.”
He glanced at his mother, who was sitting at the picnic table with Frank and the boys. Was her romance with Frank going to go anywhere? Even if it did, she’d mourn the loss of everything she knew here. She believed in the park and the work they did. She cared about every employee she’d ever hired and did her best to be a friend and mentor to them. All the unknowns had to be gnawing at her too.
