AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Grandmother, I have to go.”
“Listen to me, child. Don’t investigate why we lost the Sweet B or why your grandfather is no longer with us. Things are better left in the past.”
“Yes, ma’am,” she said, knowing she couldn’t obey her, knowing she had to find out the truth. “I love you.”
“Love you too. Now get home back to San Antonio,” she said.
“Soon, Grandmother, soon,” she replied before disconnecting the call.
Nathan stared at her. “Problems?”
“My grandmother wants me to stop trying to learn what happened, but I can’t.”
He nodded. “I think Cal would like for you to stop as well.”
She shrugged. “If I learn what happened, maybe I can put the past behind me.”
“Or if you continue digging, you might uncover something you don’t want to know,” he said.
There was that.
“I would like to find my grandfather, Paul Bradley, and speak to him,” she said. “Do you think you could help me find him?”
Lawyers had access to databases that often gave the last known address of people they were searching for.
“You’re not going to stop until you uncover the truth, are you?”
“No,” she said.
“Come on, let’s go to the office. Maybe we can find out something about him there.”
They hurried out the door. She rode in his truck as they bounced down the lane that led to the ranch.
Memories of riding down this lane came rushing back, the last time they’d driven down this road, her grandmother and mother crying, Her grandfather Kenneth driving, his face hard like stone while she knelt and gazed out the back of their car at the disappearing ranch.
The days, weeks, and months after had not been easy.
Often, she remembered seeing her grandmother crying and her grandfather comforting her.
“As much as I hate to admit it, I’d like to understand what happened. It’s not every day that a man gets a million-dollar ranch for nothing. What happened that Ronald received the ranch,” he said to himself. “Did your grandfather drink too much, grow anything illegal, or gamble?”
“My grandmother refuses to talk about what happened, so I don’t know,” she said, thinking about her warnings to let the past remain in the past.
They arrived at the office. His clerk was still there working. When they walked through the door, she handed him a handful of messages. “I’m leaving for the day. See you tomorrow.”
“Bye,” Nathan said glancing at the messages she’d taken. “Nothing of importance here that can’t wait. Let’s see what we can learn about Paul Bradley.”
In his office, he pulled up a chair so they could work on the computer together.
It took only a matter of minutes before he found him.
“Last known address is in San Antonio,” he said. “Hmm…”
“Oh no,” she said, glancing at the computer screen. “Look, he has a criminal record.”
She scanned the screen at the long list of offenses. Most of it was either stealing or driving while intoxicated. He’d even gotten married and divorced once again.
She wasn’t ready to return to San Antonio, but she would if she could see him. She wanted answers.
