I sent the letters to every guest whose booking had changed.
The replies came slowly. One man confirmed Rook had offered him a reduced price. Another said he'd been told Cole had sold the north acreage and was closing the lodge. The statements did not prove Rook had stolen the ledger, but they showed he had lied about the lodge.
I copied each letter twice. One set went to a lawyer in Alderwick; the other stayed in the lodge safe.
Cole watched me sort them. "You don't have to carry all of this."
"I know."
"You've said that before."
"Because you keep saying I don't have to."
He leaned against the doorframe. "I don't want you hurt because of me."
"I'm not a porcelain bowl."
"I didn't say you were."
"You look at me as if I might break."
"I look at you as if you matter."
The words s
