“Approximately three million dollars over thirty years.”
El silencio.
“He wasn’t wealthy when he left,” I said.
“No. He became wealthy afterward.”
“How?”
Arthur smiled faintly.
“That is something you should see.”
The following morning, we left the children with relatives and drove three hours north.
Eleven of us.
Eleanor.
Arthur.
Two investigators.
La dirección que Julian había proporcionado originalmente era una gran mansión abandonada fuera del condado de Bellweather.
Pero no fuimos allí.
Instead, Arthur directed us down a narrow road through pine forest.
Eventually, the trees opened.
And there it was.
A small town.
Not a house.
A town.
A wooden sign stood beside the road:
VANCE HOLLOW — POPULATION 312
I stared at Arthur.
“What is this?”
“Julian.”
We drove farther.
Había una escuela.
A medical clinic.
A playground.
Several dozen houses.
A library.
Un centro comunitario.
Everything looked beautifully maintained.
Children rode bicycles down quiet streets.
