Chapter 24 Chance #2
That's when William Hanlon peeled himself off the shadow of a truck and came striding over.
Tablet. Aviators. The world's most punchable grin. He saw me and smirked. "Mr. Meyer. Didn't expect to see you today. Here to check out the upgrades?" He pitched his voice fake-friendly, but I caught the assessment. He was sizing me up, every inch.
I ignored the handshake he angled at me. "What's with the cameras? You're less than ten feet from my property line."
He tsked, as if disappointed I hadn't come for a tour. "Standard practice for site safety, especially near open water. Lotta liability with contractors on unfamiliar ground. Cameras and sensors cut our insurance rates."
I gestured. "Then why are all the cameras pointed at the creek, and not the build site? Are you expecting an attack of river monsters?"
One of the grunt workers snorted but shut up when William glared his way.
Then he scribbled something on his tablet, all slow and measured. "Construction starts next month. With the holidays, everything got backlogged, but once the land dries up, we'll be working right here. Gotta prep in advance."
Bullshit. I'd seen their plans. The cabins were going on the ridge and away from my property, not here into the floodplain. The only thing worth watching here was the creek. Or, more specifically, whoever happened to be working in it.
I went for the direct hit. "Who cleared doing this? The owner never gave me a heads-up, and these lines are right on the property boundary."
He raised his eyebrows, feigning surprise. "Really? Because we have full approval. All signed." He tapped the tablet like it was holy writ. "You want to see?"
I held out my hand.
He didn't even hesitate, just brought up the tab. He kept two fingers pinning the corner, so I couldn't really lift it. I scanned what I could. It was a scan of the standard land access permit, signature at the bottom, but blurred. No notary stamp visible, either.
I played along. "And the owner signed this? From his vacation in South America?"
William grinned like the world's laziest con artist. "That's what I was told. Maybe a partner or agent, I don't know. SkyArc just gets signatures, and we roll."
Caden flexed inside me, all claws and instant temper. I planted my boots, not backing down.
"Listen. This creek is off limits. It's registered with the state, flagged for a critical salamander habitat, and currently monitored by the NRCS. You'd know that if you'd checked."
That drew blood. William cracked his gum, real slow, and gave me a sideways look acid enough to curdle milk.
"I'll pass that along," he said. "But as of today, we're within our rights. Cameras only record for insurance and loss prevention. If you want to file a complaint, talk to the landowner. He's the one who's protected at the end of the day, not us."
Under the stink of cologne and new plastic, I caught a hit of something sharp and cold. Mint, again. Then it was gone.
I tried one more time. "Are you planning to leave this mess up all season? Or just until you get enough footage of my family at the water?"
His eyes sharpened for a split second, then the poker face slammed back in place. "Just doing our job, Mr. Meyer. If your family's out here, tell them to wave. We like to keep tabs on people close to our construction sites."
I stared him down, letting the pause stretch. "Have you ever had trouble with trespassers, William?"
He grinned, all fake warmth. "Not yet. But we get a lot of lookie-loos. Best to be cautious."
I barked a laugh. "Keep exercising that caution when you're close to my property. You don't have permission to set foot on it."
He chewed his gum, eyes never leaving mine.
"I'll keep that in mind," he said. "Anything else you want to ask, or are we good here?"
I studied the setup. The cameras were perfectly spaced, every angle calibrated to catch activity along Tash's research site.
Not a single lens aimed at SkyArc's own storage shed.
Every sensor was lined up with a flagged point in the creek.
If Tash or her team so much as touched a sample bottle, it'd be caught in 4K.
I shook my head, disgust building in my throat. "No. I think I've seen enough."
He waited, sizing me up again, as if hoping for a final outburst. When I just glared, he shrugged, turned, and sauntered away. As he left, he popped his gum. Mint sliced through the air, sharp enough to sting.
I watched them for another five minutes to see if anyone would slip, but their routine was smooth. Install, log the position, check the solar panels, repeat. Two of the cameras even had motion-tracking lenses.
Caden prowled in my skull, gnashing and growling, but I tamped him down. We'd had enough drama for one week.
I made a slow circle of the creek, double-checked every new sensor, even snapped a quick shot on my phone so I'd remember the model numbers. Tash would want proof.
The grass was already muddy from all the foot traffic. One spot, under the shady side of the willow, was trampled almost flat.
Unacceptable.
I took a long breath, forced my hands to unclench, and walked the boundary line all the way to the old cattle fence. Even out of sight, I could hear William's voice. He was barking orders at his crew, telling them to pack up and meet back at the main lot in ten.
I'd give it an additional fifteen before I trusted they were gone.
Back at the shoulder, my truck was right where I'd left it. I eased in behind the wheel, fingers drumming the dashboard.
My lunch plans were ruined. Everything about the morning screamed setup. Not a coincidence. They wanted a reaction. Something they could use. Or maybe they just wanted to know how closely we'd defend our space.
My jaw was still locked tight when I hit the bakery lot. Parking was slammed. Two SUVs, a delivery van, and our manager's ancient Corolla. I nodded at her on my way in, just a grunt, but she was too busy fielding a register meltdown to answer.
I headed for the office at the end of the hall.
Mom had claimed the corner desk, and if anybody belonged in that chair, it was her. She sat ramrod straight, hair up, blouse immaculate after a morning of what should've been "family time." Her phone hovered in both hands, her thumbs moving so fast she probably set some kind of texting record.
I sat in the chair opposite, bracing my elbows on my knees. "There was a SkyArc circus out by the creek."
She frowned, lips pinched. "What happened?"
"They blocked the road. Three trucks, a flatbed, the works. But that's not the real show. They've got cameras up and down the creek bank. Full coverage, right over where Tash does her research."
That got her attention. "All along the water?"
"Every fifteen yards, at least. Trip-wires, too. Solar panels for power. Plus, William Hanlon was waiting for me. Tried to push my buttons, acted like he was dying for a reason to escalate."
She clicked her tongue, disgusted. "I left the house just after nine. There was nothing like that then."
That tracked. "So, what's the story on the landowner? William waved a permit, said it was signed and cleared, but the guy's supposed to be out of the country until February."
Mom's hands flat-lined on the desk. She went absolutely still. Classic "I'm hiding something" if you grew up with her.
"They couldn't have gotten a signature from him," she said. "I've known Cameron Blaine since he was a little boy. He doesn't do business on the fly, and he wouldn't have given SkyArc permission. I knew his father, too. If SkyArc got permission, it wasn't above board."
I nodded. "Yeah, that's exactly how it played. The paperwork looked fake. No notary, nothing. It felt like a stunt. Like they were betting I'd lose my cool."
The phone in her pocket buzzed. Her fingers twitched, but she didn't even glance down. Total poker face.
I tried to give her an out. "If you know anything else, now's the time. We can't let them harass Tash."
She softened. "I'll make some calls. I know a few people in the county office. If that permit isn't legitimate, we'll have a full investigation in twenty-four hours."
"That's not fast enough if they're trying to mess up Tash's work. If they tamper with the stream, even once, her whole study could go in the trash. And they know it."
Mom pursed her lips, calm and considering. "Then we set up our own cameras. Make it clear we're watching, too. I'll call the security company and have them drive out this afternoon."
I barked a laugh. "You think Hanlon's afraid of cameras?"
She arched her brow. "I'll handle Hanlon. You keep the girls safe."
So that was the game. She wanted me to be on "Dad duty," not playing detective. I shrugged, but the urge to go back and rip out every SkyArc sensor with my bare hands was strong.
"Fine. But I'm warning Tash. I'm not letting them blindside her."
Mom stood, all business. "Go home, stay with her and the girls. We'll keep everything on our grounds until we know what's going on."
Her phone chirped again, then buzzed three times. This time, she didn't even budge. Just gave me her patented "dismissed, please go fix it" smile.
I got up, pushing back the chair a little too hard. "If anything else shakes loose, let me know."
"We'll talk tonight," she promised. Something in her eyes, though, said it wasn't going to be the whole story.
I texted Tash.
Headed home soon, tell the girls hi from me.
Then I hit the next pile of orders with a vengeance.
But even while prepping the orders for next week, my mind never left the creek. Hanlon was too slick, the permit was a joke, and the surveillance felt personal.
Whatever it took, I'd keep Tash and the twins safe. No way was I letting SkyArc surveil our property.