“He signed the deed in April of 1971.”

“How much did he pay for it?” I asked.

“Twelve thousand five hundred dollars,” Carl said, scrolling with his thumb.

“Paid in full, back then.”

I looked at the tiny black numbers on the phone screen.

“Mama took twelve thousand dollars out of her savings account that very same spring,” I said.

Carl stopped tapping his clipboard against his leg and quietly cleared his throat.

“There’s a landline number printed right at the bottom of the tax filing,” Carl said.