“Vance Fiske said they were capital improvements,” I said.

“Vance Fiske is a small-town lawyer hunting for a fee,” Gordon said, tugging his belt buckle again.

“Those boxes are a structural hazard.

Any appraiser who looks at them puts them at zero equity, and any insurance company would want them torn down first thing tomorrow.”

“The whole town’s going to think I’m being heartless to the veterans,” I said.

“The folks in Dunn County who remember your grandpa Arvid know who you are,” Gordon said.