A Two Thousand Dollar Nebraska Land Purchase Leads to a Federal Fraud Case
“Let us hope we do not need it,” Sarah said.
I walked out to my truck at four in the afternoon.
The sky was the color of a wet slate shingle, and the wind had died down to a cold, steady draft that smelled of distant snow.
I climbed into the cab and started the engine, letting the heater blow against my cold boots.
I did not put the truck in gear.
I just sat there, looking through the cracked windshield at the concrete steps of the Lincoln County Courthouse.
For three months, I had been telling myself this was a misunderstanding between neighbors.
I had thought we were just arguing over fence lines and old rules.
But the paper in my pocket told a different story.
The Fairmonts had been waiting in the tall grass before I even knew the land was for sale.
My two hundred dollars had not bought me a lucky break or a quiet retirement.
It had bought me a seat at a table where the game was already rigged.
I reached out and touched the steering wheel, my fingers tracing the worn plastic of the horn ring.
