She squeezed his hand.
"Then ask them now."
The following morning, Tom Callahan arrived at the foundation's old church with twenty members of the Iron Guardians.
They had come to help secure the building.
The church stood on a quiet road beneath a massive oak tree. Its white paint was peeling, and several windows had been boarded up. A small sign beside the entrance announced that the property served as a community learning center.
Tom walked around the building, inspecting the doors and windows.
One of the bikers, a mechanic named Frank Dawson, pointed toward the rear entrance.
"Someone's been here."
The lock had been cut.
Tom crouched beside the door.
"Call the sheriff's department."
A moment later, they heard footsteps inside.
Tom raised his hand.
Everyone fell silent.
A man emerged from the building carrying a cardboard box.
He stopped when he saw the bikers.
For several seconds, nobody moved.
Then the man dropped the box and ran.
Tom shouted for him to stop.
The man sprinted toward the road.
Two riders moved to block his path, while Frank called the police.
The man tried to climb a fence and fell heavily into the grass.
Tom approached.
"Stay where you are."
The man struggled to stand.
"Get away from me!"
Tom stopped several feet away.
"We're not going to hurt you. Just stay still until the police arrive."
The man looked toward the road.
Then he pulled a small knife from his pocket.
Tom's expression hardened.
"Put it down."
The man hesitated.
Behind Tom, Frank spoke calmly.
"Don't make this worse."
The man looked at the crowd of bikers surrounding him.
His hand began to shake.
Then he dropped the knife.
When the police arrived, they identified him as a contractor employed by Sentinel Protection Services.
Inside the church, investigators found boxes of documents that had been removed from the foundation's office.
Several folders were missing.
One contained financial records.
Another contained correspondence with the county land office.
The third contained the original deed.
It was the document Richard Vale needed most.
But the man had not yet delivered it.
He had been instructed to remove the records and destroy anything that could prevent the sale.
Under questioning, he admitted that he had been paid to enter the building.
He also admitted that he had helped arrange the false police reports against Evelyn.
The investigation had become a criminal case.
And Daniel Mercer, the officer who had nearly arrested the woman at the center of it, was now one of the witnesses whose testimony could help bring the entire scheme to light.
Richard Vale did not expect the police to arrive at his office.
He was a successful property developer with expensive suits, a polished office, and friends in local government.
He had spent years buying neglected properties and transforming them into commercial developments.
He believed the old church was simply another obstacle.
When Captain Bennett entered his office with two investigators, he smiled.
"Captain. What a surprise."
She placed a warrant on his desk.
"We need to ask you some questions."
Vale glanced at the document.
"About what?"
"An attempt to obtain charitable property through fraud, intimidation, and the use of false police reports."