Henry nodded thoughtfully. “That is true, Mr. Greer. You see, he left his entire estate to Violet La Verne.”
“Yea-a-a-ah?” whispered the gambler. “That’s fine. I heard that she grub-staked him.”
“It mentioned that in the will.”
“It did, eh? Well, he had plenty of raw gold, and he said there was plenty more where that came from.”
“It must have been rich,” said Henry, “if all the tales are true. He had only a few nuggets left, and no money.”
“That grub-stake was a lucky hunch for Violet,” said Greer.
“That’s what she thought,” said Henry.
“What do you mean, Sheriff—thought?”
“Yuh see, Mr. Greer,” explained Henry carefully, “Ben Todd forgot to record his claim. There isn’t even a location notice to prove that he ever located a gold claim.”
The gambler looked keenly at Henry. “You mean—he never put his claim on record at all; that nobody knows where it is located?”