Chapter 76

As I mentioned before, the Berkeley sawmill was the largest in the county.

According to what was said, old Jonah Berkeley had made a small fortune by cutting down large trees in the mountain forests, and for almost forty years his saw-and-chain empire prospered. The problem came when his children refused to continue with the family business, and Jonah became ill. Cancer, although evil tongues said that his own children caused the cancer by leaving him alone in the business. In the end, old Berkeley had died without naming a successor to take over the sawmill or its debts, and everything was on hold for the moment. It had been several weeks since the roar of trees falling to the ground or the distant, chaotic purr of large saws or tractors had been heard. There were no trucks loaded with logs on the road, and most importantly: the siren that announced the beginning of the workday for the lumberjacks did not sound early in the morning.

So, as far as I knew, that semi-aband