"I'm not selling," Daniel said.
As he turned to leave, his phone buzzed. It was Owen. Don't go home. Meet me at the diner. I found out why Henderson died broke. And I found out who bought his debt.
"Patricia Hale's maiden name is Patricia Vance," Owen said, sliding a printed spreadsheet across the diner table. Marcus and Javier leaned in to look.
"So?" Daniel asked, looking at the rows of shell companies.
"Vance Development," Owen tapped a pen against the paper. "It's a commercial real estate firm owned by her husband. Over the last five years, they've been quietly buying up the undeveloped land directly behind our neighborhood. They want to build a massive luxury shopping plaza."
"Okay, but what does that have to do with my house?" Daniel asked.
Javier realized it first. "Access."
Owen nodded grimly. "Exactly. The new commercial zone is landlocked by a protected wetland to the north and the highway to the south. The only legal way they can lay the massive municipal sewer and drainage pipes required for the plaza is right through the Cedar Grove neighborhood."
"Through my backyard," Daniel realized, his heart hammering against his ribs.
"Arthur Henderson refused to sell his easement rights," Owen said softly. "So Patricia used her power as HOA president to bury him in fines. Thousands of dollars. When he couldn't pay, they put a lien on the house. The stress gave him a heart attack. She was supposed to buy the house at auction, but your bank pushed the sale through to you first."