Chapter 11 - The Clearing of the Title
By noon, the crime scene tape had been cleared from the porch. The federal agents had loaded the captured weapons, the encrypted hard drives, and Julian Sterling into their transport vehicles, leaving the driveway quiet once again.
Inside the kitchen, the morning sun poured through the high windows, warming the old wooden table where Eleanor sat drinking a fresh cup of black coffee. Jax sat across from her, holding a screwdriver as he reattached a brass hinge to the cellar door.
"The land trust is officially cleared," Eleanor said, setting her cup down on a coaster. "The lithium rights have been transferred to a state conservation fund. No one will ever mine this riverbed."
Jax didn't look up from his work. "And your ledgers?"
"Delivered to the grand jury," she replied. "Sterling and his financial partners will spend the rest of their lives in a federal facility."
May you like
She looked at her nephew, her blue eyes softening slightly. "You played the part well, Jax. Your father would have been proud of the way you held that door."
"I wasn't playing a part, Aunt Eleanor," Jax said quietly, setting the screwdriver on the table. "You asked for two sons. You got two sons."
