“Is it legally binding against my father’s abandonment claim?” I asked.

“It completely destroys his abandonment claim,” Daniel said.

“It proves Thomas meant for you to own this farm no matter where the Navy sent you.”

He took out his fountain pen, wrote a line on the front of my case folder, and struck a thick line through the eighteen-hundred-dollar fee entry on his billing sheet.

“I’m cutting my fee in half,” Daniel said, setting the pen down.

“Nine hundred dollars total, and you can pay me after the hearing.”