Keaton laughed. “Pretty wise for a guy living in a trailer, Mr. Bernard.”
The old man’s chuckle faded into something sadder. “Life teaches you, son. Usually the hard way.”
Months slipped by—groceries, small repairs, long talks. Bernard became the grandfather neither of them had ever had.
Then one Tuesday in late spring they knocked and no one answered.
The door was unlocked. The trailer was empty.
They waited two hours. Searched the woods. Called until their voices cracked.
Police shrugged. Hospitals had nothing. Days became weeks. The trailer stayed dark.
A month later the case was closed—just another missing old man.
Life forced itself forward. They graduated high school, turned eighteen, still dreaming of college they couldn’t afford.
Then one morning Frede’s phone rang.
“Good afternoon. This is Jeff, attorney for Bernard Langston. I need you and Keaton to come to my office. It’s important.”
Both boys got the same call.
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