For the first time, I knew where the missing envelope had gone after the crash. Luke hadn’t lost it on the road. Dale had taken it from the towing yard and handed me the rest of Luke’s belongings without ever mentioning it.
With Hank’s permission, I photographed the inventory and contacted the sheriff’s office. Deputy Ray Lindell, who had responded to the accident, met with me later that day. He reviewed his report as I explained the survey stakes, the land company, and Carolyn’s call.
“The envelope was noted at the scene,” he said. “It went with the truck to the towing yard.”
He asked me to send him Hank’s inventory and the photographs I had taken in the meadow.
“Can you make Dale return it?” I asked.
“I can ask him about it. I can’t promise it’s still there.”
Ray closed the report. “You should also speak to an attorney about the deed he tried to have you sign.”
I made the appointment before leaving the diner. Then I drove home along the road Luke had traveled the morning of the accident. I had spent weeks trying not to imagine that drive. Now I couldn’t stop thinking about the envelope beside him and how determined he had been to deliver it.
