Chapter 25 - The Sheriff

Thomas Bell left law enforcement.
He moved east with his wife.
Before leaving, he visited Samuel.
"I'm sorry."
Samuel looked at him.
"For my father?"
"For being afraid."
Samuel nodded.
"Fear isn't the worst thing."
Bell looked surprised.
"What is?"
"Using fear as an excuse to do nothing."
Bell accepted the words.
Then he handed Samuel an old envelope.
It contained a letter Nathaniel Carter had written shortly before his death.
Samuel opened it that evening.
His father's final sentence read:
May you like
If you ever have enough, make sure your neighbors have enough too.
Samuel cried for the first time in years.