Access Point 4.
Verify depth.
Phase One must remain undisclosed until acquisition is complete.
"Why did you come to my house last night?"
Helen looked startled.
"I didn't."
"Someone was standing by the fence with a flashlight."
She shook her head.
"That wasn't me."
Daniel felt the room grow quiet.
"Then who was it?"
"I don't know."
He looked at the envelope again.
"How did you know I was investigating the pumping station?"
Helen hesitated.
"Someone contacted me this morning and said the county had opened a preliminary review. They mentioned your name and told me that you had discovered an old pipe while building a shelter."
"Who contacted you?"
"I received an anonymous email."
"Do you still have it?"
"Yes."
"Can you forward it to my attorney?"
"I can."
Daniel opened his laptop and placed it on the table.
"Let's preserve everything. The original report, the email, and any other documents you have. I want Laura to review them before we decide what to do next."
Helen nodded.
For the first time since entering the house, she appeared relieved.
"I was afraid you might refuse to listen."
"Why would I?"
"Because this report could create a great deal of trouble for you."
Daniel glanced toward the plywood-covered window.
"Someone already broke my window. Someone left a threatening note for my daughter. Trouble isn't exactly a new development."
Helen looked stricken.
"They threatened your daughter?"
Daniel explained what had happened.
When he finished, Helen's expression had changed completely.
"Then you need to be careful," she said. "The report was supposed to have been resolved years ago. If the connection is still open, the consequences could be serious. But if someone has known about the problem for years and deliberately concealed it, the consequences could be serious for them, too."
Daniel saved digital copies of the report and the maps.
Then he forwarded them to Laura with a brief message explaining Helen's account.
His attorney called less than five minutes later.
"Daniel, don't circulate that report beyond the people who need to review it. We need to authenticate it and determine whether the county already has a copy. Helen should provide a signed statement describing how she obtained it and why she believes the closure documentation was incomplete."
"Can she do that?"
"I'll speak with her directly if she's willing."
Daniel looked at Helen.
"Would you be willing to speak with my attorney?"
"Yes."
Laura arranged a call for later that afternoon.
Before leaving, Helen gave Daniel one final piece of information.
"There was a second access point," she said. "The map identifies it near the old service road, but the location was never verified. If Westbridge is trying to locate the underground connection, they may be looking for both points."
Daniel looked at the diagram Kevin had photographed.
"Access Point 4."
Helen nodded.
"That number wasn't used in the original municipal report. It may be part of a newer survey system. But the line itself appears to follow the old route."
"Do you know what happened to the industrial facility?"
"It was demolished. The site was sold, and the records became fragmented. I don't know who owns it now."
Daniel wrote down the name of the former facility from the report.
"Thank you for bringing this to me."
Helen stood.
"I should thank you. I have spent twenty-three years telling myself that the problem had been resolved. I don't know whether it has, but I can't keep pretending the report never existed."
She walked toward the front door.
Before stepping outside, she turned back.
"One more thing, Mr. Mercer."
"Yes?"
"Don't let anyone convince you that a high purchase offer means the property is safe. And don't let anyone convince you that a possible environmental problem means you have to leave. Those are separate questions, and both require evidence."
Daniel nodded.
"I'll remember that."
Helen left.
He watched her walk down the path and disappear around the corner.
Then he returned to his office, where the original purchase offer, the engineering diagram, and the old municipal report lay spread across the desk.
For the first time, he could see how the pieces might fit together.
Westbridge had identified seven properties along the route of an old underground connection. The company had offered substantial sums to acquire them. When homeowners refused, the association began enforcing rules that had previously been ignored. Richard Harlan had attempted to inspect the area beneath Daniel's shelter, and an engineering diagram had identified an access point requiring verification.
Now a former city engineer had produced a report warning of a possible contamination pathway.
None of this proved that the company intended to conceal contamination or that the neighborhood was unsafe.