My mother-in-law, Linda.
A man in a down jacket, holding a notepad, looked like a real estate agent.
And another man kneeling near my gate, with a tool bag.
A locksmith.
My mouth felt dry.
They weren’t there to talk.
They weren’t there to pay a visit.
They were there to take something.
I contacted Sheriff Walt.
He resumed the fight halfway through the first ring.
« Sheriff Hensley. »
« Walt. It’s Olivia. They’re here. My family. They brought a real estate agent and a locksmith. »
A brief silence.
« Is someone trying to get through the gate? »
« They’re working on it, » I said, watching the locksmith put down his bag.
« I’m coming, » he said immediately. « Stay inside. Don’t face them alone. »
« I won’t do it, » I said, even though part of me wanted to storm out and demand answers.
« And call Rachel, » he added. « Your friend from JAG. »
I hung up and dialed Rachel Monroe’s number — Captain Monroe — who now serves with the Jaguar at Fort Harrison.
She wasn’t just my mentor. She was the one who encouraged me to study law after leaving the army.
When she answered, her voice was calm, composed, almost soothing.
« Olivia, take a deep breath. Tell me exactly what’s going on. »
I explained in a low voice, pacing around my living room, my eyes fixed on the gate camera.
She didn’t panic.
« Record everything. Don’t open that portal. Sheriff Hensley will handle the initial contact. I’ll head over to him. »
« Rachel, this is madness, » I said. « They’re acting like they own the place. »
« The feeling that they’re entitled to anything makes people bold, » she replied. « But the law is on your side. Have faith. »
His calmness reassured me, but my hands were still shaking when I turned on the speakerphone and looked at the camera.
Dad gestured broadly toward the property, waving his arms as if giving a tour. The real estate agent nodded politely but seemed uncomfortable. Linda clutched the strap of her purse with both hands. Evan paced the room as if waiting for a reward.
« It’s that house, » said Dad, his voice barely audible over the broadcast. « She doesn’t live there. She just bought it to annoy us. »
« For revenge, isn’t it? »
The locksmith wiped his hands and knelt down in front of the keyboard.
I heard the faint metallic clicking of the tools.
Linda whispered something to her father. He retorted curtly, « She’s not even here. »
« Linda went to do what the military does. The locks shouldn’t be a problem. »
I felt a burning sensation rising behind my eyes. Anger, humiliation, disbelief.
They were trying to erase me.
I changed the camera angle.
Evan banged on the gate, shouting, « Olivia, we know you’re gone. Stop acting like it’s yours. »
I swallowed with difficulty.
My voice was trembling as I whispered to Rachel.
« He’s breaking down the gate. He’s really trying to take it. »
« He can’t, » she said. « And he won’t. Walt is almost there. »
As on the Q line, a county police SUV appeared in the distance, its headlights bouncing off the icy road.
Dad didn’t notice it until the car stopped behind them.
Walt stepped out, hat down, his posture calm but undeniably authoritative.
« Hello everyone, » he began.
Dad stiffened.
« Sheriff, I’m glad you’re here. We were just trying to help my daughter. She’s lost. She bought land that doesn’t belong to her. »
I almost choked.
Walt crossed his arms.
« Mr. Carter, this is private property. Unless you are the title deed holder, you are in violation. »
Dad snickered.
« It’s a family property. There’s been a misunderstanding. »
« The only misunderstanding, » said Walt evenly, « is the idea that you could call in a locksmith to force entry. »
The locksmith got up quickly.
« Sir, they said they had the authority. »
« They won’t do it, » said Walt. « Put away your tools. »
The man did not protest. He crammed his equipment into the van as quickly as he could.
The real estate agent cleared his throat.
« Mr. Carter, perhaps we should… »
His father turned abruptly towards him.
« You’re not going to start? You said you’d put it up for sale today. »
« I said, » the real estate agent gently corrected, « that I would examine the property, assuming the legal documents were in order. It appears that this is not the case. »
Walt approached, his hand lightly resting on his belt.
Not threatening.
Here.
« I ask you all to move away from the gate. »
Evan sneered.
« Or what? Are you going to arrest us just because we’re here? »
« If you force this gate or attempt to re-enter the property, » Walt said, his tone now unmistakably serious, « I will arrest you. »
Dad puffed out his cheeks, red spots spreading.
« That’s absurd. My daughter is unstable. She needs help, not a ranch. »
In reality, I laughed bitterly, discreetly, behind my curtains.
Rachel’s voice whispered through my phone’s speaker.
« When you are ready, leave calmly. »
My heart was pounding when I opened the front door and stepped into the cold. The crunch of snow under my boots echoed like a gunshot in the morning stillness.
I walked along the long gravel path that led to the gate, each step assured, deliberate.
When Dad finally saw me approaching, his mouth opened as if he had seen a ghost.
« Olivia, » he said, his voice breaking.
« You thought I wasn’t here, » I said softly. « You thought you could take my house. »
He opened his mouth, then closed it again.
Evan mumbled, « We… we thought you were deployed. »
« I am not, » I said. « And even if I were, this land would still belong to me. »
Linda stepped forward weakly.
« We were just trying to help Evan. He needs a place. »
« What he needs, » I said calmly, « is to be held accountable. »
Dad’s face tightened.
« Are you ungrateful? »
« That’s enough, » Walt interrupted sharply. « It stops now. »
Rachel’s car stopped behind Walts’s, and she approached — her immaculate uniform under her winter coat.
Dad’s eyes widened.
« Who? Who is it? »
« Captain Rachel Monroe, » she said. « From the Office of the Attorney General. I advise Ms. Carter. »
Dad blinked.
« Jag for what? It’s a family affair. »
“No,” Rachel replied. “This is a legal matter and you are in violation of property law.”
Dad’s face has turned pale.
Evan stepped back, suddenly uncertain.
And for the first time in a long time, I felt something change.
Not victory.
No revenge.
Something more stable.
Control.
For a long time, nobody said a word. The wind blew through the pines, the engines idled, and my breath formed small white clouds in front of my face.
I could feel my heart pounding under my jacket, but my voice, when I finally spoke, was steady.
« You brought a real estate agent, » I said to my father, « and a locksmith to my house. »
Dad tried to regain his composure, his tone oscillating between shock and anger as always.
“We were trying to rectify a mistake,” he said. “You bought something that was meant for your brother. You knew that.”
I inclined my head.
“No, not at all. I never knew Evan wanted this place. I didn’t even know you knew it existed. I found it online like any other buyer. I paid for it out of my own pocket. I signed the deed. You deprived me of Christmas and then you decide you can still decide where I should live.”
His jaw was functioning.
« Don’t twist the facts. You always do that, Olivia. You always play the victim. »
Behind him, Evan was sneering.
« You stole it, Liv. You heard Dad. I had plans. You knew I was looking for a fresh start. »
I looked at my brother.
I really watched it.
That same overgrown child I’d bailed out far too many times. His shoulders slumped under a nice jacket he hadn’t paid for. His gaze flickering between our father and me, waiting for someone else to clean up the mess.
« What I do know, » I said softly, « is that you missed the deadline for your financing. The bank repossessed the loan. It was on the open market. You didn’t lose the family land, Evan. You lost a bad loan. »
Her face turned red.
« You think you’re so superior to us because you wear a uniform and learned fancy words in law school. »
« That’s enough, » Rachel said, approaching me. « Mr. Carter, your daughter is the legal owner of this house. You called a locksmith under false pretenses. This could be interpreted as attempted burglary. »
The real estate agent swallowed.
« I knew nothing about it. Miss Carter, I am truly sorry. I shouldn’t even have been there without your consent. »
He raised his notepad.
« Consider me gone. »
Dad turned around to look at him.
« You can’t just leave like that. We had an appointment. »
« What you had, » the real estate agent replied cautiously, « was a false declaration concerning the property. I don’t want to be a part of that. »
He looked at me, blinking almost apologetically, then hurried to his car and drove off.
The locksmith had already slipped into his van. A moment later, a cloud of dust rose behind him as he drove off down the road.
Now, there was only us left.
Family.
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