Morrison would have to freeze all collections until it's resolved. Clara leaned forward eagerly. What would you need? Testimonies from other victims. Documentation of the fraudulent practices.
Sam pulled out a list. These are names of people Morrison's forced off their land in the past 3 years. If even half of them will testify. They're scattered across the territory, Ethan pointed out. It would take weeks to track them all down.
Then we'd better start now, Clara said, already standing. I'll take the northern settlements. Ethan, you go south. Tom can manage the ranch for a few days. You can't travel alone.
It's too dangerous. Then send one of the hands with me. They argued about it for an hour before reaching a compromise. Clara would take the northern routes with Ben, the youngest and most trustworthy of the ranch hands. Ethan would go south alone, covering more ground on horseback.
They'd meet back in 5 days with whatever testimonies they could gather. "Be careful," Ethan said as Clara prepared to leave. They stood by the wagon, Ben already in the driver's seat, trying not to obviously eavesdrop. "You, too." She hesitated, then rose on her toes to kiss his cheek. "Come back safe." He caught her waist as she pulled away, holding her in place.
Clara, when this is over, when this is over, we'll talk, she promised. About everything. The next 5 days were the longest of Clara's life. She and Ben traveled from homestead to homestead, collecting stories of Morrison's cruelty. The Hendersons, forced to sell their farm for a quarter of its value.
The Millers, who'd lost everything when Morrison changed their interest rate without notice. The Johnsons, whose daughter had been forced to work in Morrison's house to pay off a debt that never seemed to shrink. Each story made Clara angrier, more determined. She documented everything meticulously, had each person sign their statement, gathered whatever papers they'd kept. On the third day, they stopped at a small homestead where a young widow named Mary Patterson lived with her three children.
Her story was the worst yet. Morrison came calling 2 weeks after my husband died, Mary said, her voice hollow. Said I couldn't possibly manage the farm alone, offered to buy it for barely enough to get us back east. "When I refused, he had the sheriff evict us for non-payment of taxes. Taxes my husband had already paid, but Morrison had destroyed the receipts." "Would you testify to this in court?" Clara asked gently.
Mary looked at her children playing in the dust outside. "What if Morrison comes after us again?" He won't be able to. Not if we stop him now. Mary signed the statement with a shaking hand. On the fourth night camping under the stars, Ben finally worked up the courage to speak personally.