Chapter 33
Chapter Thirty-Three
Derek
I park my truck in front of Mike's law office, glancing out at the small town square as I gather my thoughts. This isn’t how I thought I’d be spending an afternoon, but after what happened on Friday night, I can’t sit back and wait for things to get worse.
I need him as far away from the orchard as possible.
I step into the office, and his secretary gestures for me to go straight into Mike’s office. He’s sitting behind his desk, rifling through some paperwork, but when he looks up and sees me, he flashes a grin and waves me over.
“Derek, good to see you,” he says, standing to shake my hand.
“Thanks for seeing me on a Saturday. I really appreciate it.” I take a seat, leaning forward as I run a hand through my hair. “He was out at the house again last night. He hasn’t been served the restraining order yet, either.”
“I’m aware. I got the report just a bit ago. Seems they can’t find him even now.”
“What can I do? If he never gets served, then…”
“You pressed charges again, and there’s video proof of it this time. He’s going to see jail time. It’s just a matter of when. I should’ve asked this before, but did you set up cameras after the fire?”
“I did. They were off-line when he was on the property, though.”
“Did anyone else know that you put them out?”
“Only Teddy. We talked about it one night. I don’t think anyone saw me putting them out, but they could have. I thought I was pretty careful about it.”
“Could have been that one of your guys saw them and thought a trespasser put them out.”
“If that’s the case, they would have mentioned it to me.”
“Sure, sure. David could have found them, but…I don’t think he’s that smart. He lives at the bottom of a whiskey bottle most days.”
“You think he’s got someone helping him?” I ask as I blow out a long breath. “Actually, it would make sense if he does. I know that the guy we chased the night of the fire wasn’t him.”
“I think he’s getting help. Is there someone he was close with? Any new hires? Is there someone that he could have promised the orchard to if they helped get rid of you?”
“No new hires. All the hands have been out there since before Sharon. David’s always been such a dick to everyone, so I don’t think it’s a case of any of my ranch hands helping him.”
“Brother-in-law? Cousin?” Mike thinks out loud.
“No. He and Nora are so hateful to everyone that…I just don’t see anyone helping them unless they’re desperate.”
“Fair point.”
“I’ve got the cameras up and running again. I changed their locations last night and hid them a little better, too.”
“Did you go back into the footage to see if you could see when they went off and a face of someone?”
“Whoever did it didn’t get in the feed at all.”
“Smart,” he says as he blows out a breath. He leans back in his chair, his eyes narrowing in thought. “Okay, let’s break this down. They went through a different lawyer for all of this when they sold the land to you and Sharon. According to it, you are the landowner, despite what they’re saying.”
“No, we leased it.”
“No, you may have thought you leased it, but Sharon had another document stating that the two of you owned the property and all of its entities to do as you wished with it. The agreement signed by all four of you states that they sold the property to you for an amount and a monthly percentage of income. Which is what your accountant is paying them.”
“They have no rights to the land?”
“None. I’m sorry that I didn’t see this earlier. The paperwork I filed stated you guys were leasing, but when I went digging into the files at the courthouse, I found this. You can file charges for trespassing now, as well.”
“Whoa. And that’s still the case even though Sharon died?”
“Yes, both of your names were on this document, which means it all defaults to you at her death.”
I blow out a long breath, feeling relief. At the same time, it seems too good to be true.
I shake my head. “Their monthly income has doubled over the past year from what they were making, yet they tell people I’m bleeding them dry.”
“We can file a suit for slander, too.”
“I appreciate that. They’re greedy bastards, as you know. The orchard is doing incredibly well, but paying them out each month is a lot. They also have access to the funds and…”
Mike smiles, his gaze sharp. “We’re about to wrap all of that up. I’d keep on Sheriff Clark about the charges and go press more if you need to. Don’t be afraid to annoy law enforcement. Sometimes it’s the only way to get things done.”
“I’ve learned. They seemed to have forgotten about the arson. I keep asking for updates, but they don’t have much.”
“I assure you that your insurance company has not forgotten about it and is doing their own investigation,” he says with a shake of his head. “I know the department is overwhelmed, but you’re not the first to tell me they’re dropping the ball on something. Clark got dropped into a shit show.”
“Yeah, we’re incredibly lucky that the fire didn’t do more damage and that we’re all safe. It could have been way worse than it was.”
“Absolutely. I’ll stay on the sheriff, too. The sooner they can find David and get these charges active, the better it is for us. I’ll make sure I have everything wrapped up and waiting when the charges are in place.”
I take a deep breath, feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the possibilities. “Anything to keep David off my land and protect what I’ve built there.”
“Good. I’ll keep working on it and document everything in the meantime. If he comes by again, get proof of whatever he’s doing. I would have someone stall him until the police get there.”
“Will do,” I say, feeling a bit of relief at finally having a plan in place. “Sharon wouldn’t have wanted things to go like this, and I hate that it has. Especially for the kids.”
“They don’t have much to do with them, do they?” Mike asks.
I shake my head. “They never really did. It always used to break Sharon’s heart, but then she got to the point when she realized it was her parents’ loss, not the kids’, and things were different.”
“For sure. I know it sucks for the kids, but they’re not missing out on much. I’ll be in touch with you about all of this.”
“Thanks, Mike,” I say as I walk out of his office.
I head directly to the truck and steer toward the school. I had timed it perfectly because I’d be on time to pick Casey up from school. Eric has football practice, so today, I think Casey and I will wait in town and go to Miss Betty’s diner for a little treat.
As I pull up to the school ten minutes later, Casey and Amber are standing outside talking. They’re both smiling and giggling as they wait for me to arrive. Instead of going through the pickup line, I park and get out.
“My two favorite girls,” I say softly as Casey comes over to hug me. “How was your day?”
“Miss Shafer thinks I should audition for the school play,” Casey beams.
“Is that so?” I ask, my eyes darting between the two.
“Yeah, we’ve been working on some things in the classroom,” Amber adds. “And she’s a natural.”
“I never knew you wanted to do something like that.”
“Mom and I…” Casey starts before she quickly looks down at the ground.
Amber immediately reaches over and rubs Casey’s back gently. “There’s nothing wrong with talking about your mom. Sometimes that’s what helps the most.”
Casey nods before she leans into Amber. “I told Miss Shafer how I used to write skits and then act them out for Mom. I…I stopped wanting to do it when she died.”
I smile softly, remembering how much Sharon loved watching Casey’s creativity play out. She'd always brag about how talented she was and about how she should have her audition in Hollywood.
I feel a pang of sadness at the memory and that Casey was muting her memories for whatever reason. My eyes flit to Amber, who’s smiling proudly at Casey. I’m grateful that she’s so encouraging to Casey.
“Well, then it seems like it’s more than perfect that this opportunity has come up,” I tell her as I pull her into a hug. “When are auditions?”
“Next week. There’s a meeting tomorrow about it after school.”
“Perfect. We can practice this weekend,” I offer.
Casey’s eyes light up as she looks back at me with a wide grin. “Really?”
“Absolutely, whatever you need. I thought we could go to Miss Betty’s diner right now while we wait for your brother’s practice to end.”
“Really?” she gasps. “Can Miss Shafer come?”
“I think that you and your dad need to spend some quality time together,” Amber answers quickly. “There will be plenty of time for me to join you guys in the future.”
“It’s okay. You’re more than welcome,” I tell her as I reach down and lace my fingers through hers.
“No, it’s okay,” she replies softly. “I have a lot I need to do here.”
“Will you be at the house tonight?”
“No,” she sighs. “Bree is coming apart about some of the wedding details, and I promised I’d help her. Hopefully tomorrow.”
Her eyes dart away quickly, and I squeeze her hand.
She always looks me in the eye. Why isn’t she now?
“Is everything okay?” I ask her.
“Bree is just stressed, and I’m her bestie and maid of honor, so it’s on me to help.”
“It’s not really. You don’t have to bleed yourself dry for others.”
“I hear you,” she replies before hugging me and Casey quickly. “I need to get going. I have a meeting with a parent.”
She doesn’t wait for a response and just quickly scurries away.
Something is going on.