UNBROKEN PROMISE

~56~ Evidence

The afternoon sun streamed through the windows of the house as Caleb sat cross-legged on the floor of his room, giggling at Cookie, who had his nose buried in a small, dusty bag. The loyal dog wagged his tail furiously, proud of his discovery. Caleb clapped his hands, delighted. "What you got there, boy?" he asked, crawling closer to the bag.

Cookie barked once, dragging the bag closer to Caleb before nudging it open with his snout. Coins and papers spilled out onto the floor, catching the light in a way that made Caleb’s eyes go wide. "Cookie!" he exclaimed, his laughter ringing through the room. "We’s rich!"

Scooping up the coins and some papers, Caleb bolted out of the room and down the stairs, Cookie bounding after him with the bag in its mouth. "Mama! Mama, come see!" he called out as he dashed into the kitchen where Megan was kneading dough for supper.

Megan looked up, startled by her son’s excitement. "What is it, sweetheart?" she asked, brushing flour off her hands as Caleb ran up to her.

"Look, Mama!" he said, thrusting the items into her hands. "Cookie found this. We's rich now, right?" His little face beamed with pride as Cookie wagged his tail, clearly thrilled to have been part of the discovery.

Megan’s brow furrowed as she looked down at the coins and a few folded papers in her hands. Her breath caught when she unfolded the papers and saw what was written on them. The handwriting wasn't familiar.

"Caleb," she said gently, crouching to his level and cupping his cheeks. "Where did you find this?"

Caleb hesitated, his eyes darting to the floor. His lips quivered, and Megan’s heart softened immediately. She stroked his cheek and smiled. "It’s okay, sweetheart. I’m not mad. Just tell me where Cookie found it."

Encouraged by her tone, Caleb nodded. "Cookie found it under the bed in the guest room," he said softly, his eyes big and sincere.

Megan’s lips tightened, her heart racing as she tried to keep her expression calm. She pulled Caleb into a hug, kissing his forehead. "You did so good, Caleb. Thank you for telling me."

Standing, she called for Jacob, her voice louder than usual. "Jacob! You need to come in here!"

Jacob appeared in the doorway a moment later, wiping his hands on a rag. "What’s all the shoutin’ about?" he asked, raising a brow.

Megan handed him the bag and explained, her voice low and hurried. "Caleb and Cookie found this under the guest bed. I think it’s Ezra and Clara’s. Look at what’s inside."

Jacob frowned, opening the bag and rifling through its contents. His expression darkened as he pulled out a stack of letters, reading the first few lines. His jaw clenched. "Damn fools," he muttered under his breath as he flipped through the papers.

"What is it?" Megan asked, watching him closely.

Jacob straightened, his face a mixture of anger and satisfaction. "This... this is exactly what we needed," he said, his voice firm. "Proof. They’ve been schemin’ and lying all along. These letters—they’re correspondence with that so-called aristocrat. Turns out, they's in debt and planning to sell oma off like she's cattle to be bargained with. And here..." He held up a piece of paper with numbers scrawled across it. "This is an accounting of the money Ezra’s been takin’ from the man, claimin’ it’s for Oma’s dowry."

Megan gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "I knew they were up to somethin’," she whispered fiercely. "But this... this is downright evil."

Jacob crouched, pulling Caleb into his arms and giving him a big kiss on each cheek. "You, my boy, just helped us more than you can ever imagine," he said warmly. "And you too, Cookie," he added, ruffling the dog’s fur. Cookie barked happily, wagging his tail harder.