THE TOWERS FAMILY SAGA
        Episode 67
The desert moon cast long,
jagged shadows across the
white gravel of the yard.
Robert stood on the porch,
his eyes fixed on the dark
outline of the north ridge.
He could see the flickering
lights of the cleanup crew.
They were like fireflies
hovering over a grave.
Minnie stepped out, wrapping
a shawl around her arms.
"You’re thinking about the
FDC again," she whispered.
Robert gripped the railing,
his knuckles turning white.
"The canisters have the old
company stamp on them, Min."
"I thought I buried that
part of the ledger forever."
"But the desert doesn't
keep secrets for long."
Minnie leaned against the
doorframe, her face calm.
"We aren't that company."
"We are Boom Lake now."
The sound of a car engine
disturbed the night air.
It was a black SUV, sleek
and out of place here.
It pulled up to the curb
with a slow, heavy grace.
A man in a suit stepped out,
looking at the small condo
with a cold, distant gaze.
"Mr. Towers?" he called out,
his voice smooth as silk.
"I represent the investors
from the New York days."
Robert felt a chill that
the night air hadn't sent.
"I don't have investors,"
Robert said, stepping down.
"I have a family and a
very small bank account."
The man smiled, but his
eyes remained like flint.
"The canisters on the hill
are worth more than gold."
"There is data inside them
that never reached the sky."
Virginia watched from the
window, her hand on the
phone, ready to call Dave.
Dorothy and Shirley moved
closer to their father.
They were a line of heat
against the cold visitor.
"We don't want your data,"
Barbara said, appearing
from the shadow of the car.
"And we don't want your
money or your lies."
The man looked at the four
daughters of the titan.
He saw a wall he couldn't
buy and couldn't break.
"The past is persistent,"
he said, turning away.
"It will find you again."
He drove off into the
darkness of the canyon.
Robert looked at the ridge,
then back at his girls.
The saga was no longer
about finding the truth.
It was about holding it.
The Arizona wind howled.
The Towers stood firm.
The war was just starting.

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