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“I know something has been going on with you. I’ve seen you in the lawyer’s office. I’ve heard and seen bits and pieces. Do you have some kind of deal cooking that is gonna impact me or Roads End?”
Eddie paused and wondered how his brother got wind of his plan. He finally decided, what the hell. He would have to find out sooner or later. “Yeah, I’ve been working on something and planned on telling you when the time was right. I guess that time is now.” With that, Eddie told Jeff about his casino debt and the threats he faced if he didn’t come up with some cash very soon. He talked about the second meeting with Grant, where Grant had agreed to loan him the money. He then explained how he had spoken to Cyrus, and they worked out a deal to partition the Roads End property. That way, he could sell Cyrus his 50% share. “The important part is Cyrus promised I could repurchase it as soon as I get my money squared away. He’ll lease us the hunting rights for $1 until that happens, and you keep the half with the cabin. It’s a win/win for everyone. I hope you can see that.”
“I presume the oil and mineral rights would also go to Cyrus in this deal.”
“Yeah, but only until I get some cash together and repurchase everything. Besides, we don’t even have an oil lease, so the mineral rights are irrelevant. We would still hunt it like we always have, and Cyrus is just being a friend by helping me out of my jam.”
Now Jeff finally had a clear picture of Cyrus’s motive. Cyrus knew there would be trouble if the court case went against Superior Oil. When the case concluded, whoever owned the property could sue Superior for illegally extracting oil. Superior would then come back and reclaim it from the leaseholders who profited. If Cyrus owned the property when this occurred, he would be off the hook for any back royalties. He also would control 100% of the oil pool that spanned both properties. It was clever and diabolical at the same time.
Jeff then meticulously walked Eddie through the entire case and revealed the plan Cyrus had crafted. Eddie appeared shocked beyond belief.
“You mean Cyrus used me the whole time?”
“Yes. It’s why Cyrus killed Grant. Cyrus knew that Grant and I controlled ? of the property and would never sell it to him. The whole scheme of getting you to partition the property and sell it to him could only happen if you owned at least 50%. The only way that could happen would be to get rid of either Grant or me. He played you the whole time, trying to make you think this was your idea.”
“It kinda was my idea, Jeff. That’s what confuses me.”
“The smartest con men make you think an idea is your own when they set the hook. Cyrus is more cunning than most give him credit for around here.”
“That old rotten SOB killed our brother! How could this happen? I’ve known him my whole life and trusted him implicitly. What do we do next? We’ve got to tell the police, right? Better yet, I’ll go kill that ole bastard!”
“Calm down, Eddie. We’re gonna do this the right way. Tomorrow, I’m going to drive out to the farm and talk to Cyrus. I want to hear his side of the story if he chooses to tell it. The police must be involved, but I want to hear it from him first.”
“Do you want me to go with you? I’d love to get a crack at him.”
“No, I think it’s best if I go alone. I’ll call you when it’s over.”
***
That evening, Jeff tossed and turned in bed and couldn’t sleep a wink. He told Eddie to stay home because he didn’t trust Eddie to control himself. Eddie could be a hothead, and Jeff didn’t want to make things worse by having his brother brought up on charges or jailed. Jeff thought about Cyrus’s plan and what he would say to him the next day. There were still some loose ends he hoped Cyrus would fill in. If he chose not to admit what he did, then all Jeff could do would be to let the police handle it.
Chapter thirty-five
Jeff woke very early the next morning. The morning broke cold and windy, a typical Northern Michigan day in December. The temperature dropped to only 2 degrees Fahrenheit with a 15 mph wind. The weather report indicated the wind chill hovered around -17 degrees. Light snow fell, and the roads were already covered and starting to get slippery. Jeff came downstairs and poured a cup of coffee while he sat in his living room, watching the snow continue to fall.
Around 9 am, he started his truck for the 20-minute ride to Cyrus’s farm. It took a few extra minutes because Jeff had to be cautious on the slippery roads. He pulled into Cyrus’s farm and parked the car near the barn before he walked quickly to the door. He knocked only one time before Cyrus opened the door. “Hey Jeff, This isn’t a great time. Why are you here?”
Jeff fought back his anger before replying, “I’m here because you killed my brother, you bastard! I want to know why!”
With those words, Cyrus’ heart raced. He glanced behind Jeff and noticed nobody else around. Cyrus immediately stepped out on the porch and quietly closed the door behind him. “Follow me to the barn so we can talk in private. Martha is very ill and is not expected to be with us much longer.”
As Cyrus led the way to the ancient barn, he wondered how much of the plan Jeff already knew. Was Jeff just fishing for information? And why weren't the police with him? When they got to the barn, Cyrus sat in the chair while Jeff sat on the bucket. Before Cyrus said anything, Jeff glanced around the barn and noticed an ax propped against the wall adjacent to where Cyrus sat. An open toolbox with a visible claw hammer also rested on the edge of the makeshift table. A small warning of caution crept into his mind. Before he finished that thought, Cyrus responded as if he had read Jeff’s mind.
“Don’t fret, Jeff. I’m an old man. Not gonna kill ya here in my barn. Now tell me what you think you know.”
“I don’t think you killed my brother Cyrus. I know it!” With those words, Jeff fought valiantly to keep his composure and avoid striking out at the old man.
“I actually caught you in a photo messing with the flask on the day before rifle season. It must have been when you went to use the bathroom. Then I remembered your son lives near Muskegon, where the largest concentration of water hemlock grows. Finally, I learned about your problems with your oil lease and that you will likely be sued by Superior to pay back royalties. You’ve been stealing oil from our property for years with your slant well. The final clue came when Eddie revealed your plan to purchase part of Roads End. Putting all these facts together wasn’t hard once they came to light. I don't understand, and never will, how you could poison my brother, Grant, even with your money problems. What kind of a piece of shit are you?”
Hearing Jeff’s explanation, Cyrus’ realized his worst fear. Jeff had figured out almost everything. Cyrus realized keeping it secret anymore served no purpose. He sighed in resignation. “I first want to apologize to you for what I did. I know nothing I can say makes it any easier, but I need to explain anyway. I killed a good man and will have to live with it for life. I‘ll likely continue paying for it in the afterlife too. I got myself into a huge financial jam, and removing Grant was my only way out. My oil wells have been in decline for several years. The royalties are only a fraction of what I used to get. It didn’t seem like a huge problem until the flow of money slowed to a crawl. The amount I am looking at for repayment to Superior is at least a million. I’d be financially bankrupt if that happened. All the people depending on me would be left to fend for themselves. My family always comes first, even when it causes me to commit a terrible act. I know this isn’t comforting or understandable to you, but it is the absolute truth. Nothing in this world is more important to me than my family!”
“Where did you get that water hemlock, and how did you know it’s the most toxic substance around?”
“I’ve known about water hemlock since I was a young boy in grade school. Before eradicating it here in the county, it grew down by the creek in our back pasture. It killed three of our cows before my dad figured it out. My mom always gave us strict orders never to touch or even go near it. Finally, the DNR and the MSU lab came in and eradicated it here on the farm. Walking with my granddaughter on my son’s property, I noticed it growing in a wet, swampy section near the river. I warned him about it and told him to keep Ashley away. Ashley almost spilled the beans when she started to tell that story about her grandpa saving her life that day we visited your camp. She nearly picked it by mistake one day on a walk. That stuff is so toxic you can get violently sick even from touching the flowers. Fortunately, I saw it in time and stopped her before she grabbed it. It was easy to harvest some samples and extract the poison from the roots. In case you didn’t know, the roots contain the highest concentration of toxins. The irony of this whole thing is that if Eddie hadn’t drunk from that flask, nobody would have known Grant didn’t die of a heart attack.”
“So you figured you would acquire half of Roads End, which would insulate you from any lawsuit from Superior. It would also ensure you own the rights to all the oil that lay underground on our side of the fence line. Do I have that right?”
“Yup. I knew that you and Grant would never agree to my plan. Eddie was the weakest link due to his gambling addiction. With Grant out of the way, Eddie owns half of Roads End. That gives him the right to sell his half to me. You would keep the section of the property with your cabin. I would buy the portion adjacent to my land that held oil. It was a brilliant plan, if I do say so myself. Only that random video and Eddie’s drink from the flask caused it to unravel. You need to know that I had no idea I extracted oil from your property, or that my well was slant-drilled until Gar Cherrington told me about six months ago.”
