Chapter 11 - THE SETUP
The realization was uncomfortable.
Someone had deliberately pushed me toward Oakridge.
But why?
If Catherine Wells or somebody working with her wanted the acquisition scheme hidden, inviting me into the center of it made no sense.
Unless the plan had changed.
Elena said exactly that.
“Maybe somebody wanted the scheme exposed.”
“Who?”
“Someone inside it.”
Emma shook her head.
“Not Thomas.”
“Richard?”
“No.”
“Brenda?”
“She didn’t know you were coming.”
“Martin?”
Emma hesitated.
“Possibly.”
But Martin had spent eighteen months trying to sell Oakridge.
Why destroy his own plan?
Then we examined the anonymous complaint’s metadata.
It came through a privacy service.
No direct origin.
But the wording had been copied from somewhere.
One phrase:
UNDERPERFORMING PROPERTY.
Martin used that phrase constantly.
Too easy.
Maybe intentional.
At midnight, Richard finally gave a formal statement.
His attorney had returned.
A new attorney this time.
More expensive.
Richard denied taking HOA money for personal use.
He admitted investing in Oakridge Acquisition Partners.
He claimed the investment came from savings.
Elena showed him transfer records.
He asked for a break.
When he returned, his story changed.
He claimed some transfers were “management reimbursements.”
Then she showed him Daniel’s false purchase receipt.
Another break.
By the third hour, Richard looked less like the king of Oakridge and more like a man realizing everyone else had documents.
Finally he asked:
“What happens if I tell you about Catherine?”
There it was.
I had stayed out of the interview until then.
Now I entered.
Richard looked at me.
For once, there was no smug smile.
“You know her.”
“Yes.”
“She hates you.”
“I’m aware.”
“That’s why she chose Oakridge.”
I stared at him.
“Explain.”
Richard leaned back.
“Thomas said the transit corridor was the opportunity.”
“Catherine?”
“She said you were the obstacle.”
“To buying Oakridge?”
“To everything.”
Elena asked, “What does that mean?”
Richard looked at me.
“She said Maya Vance never sells when someone pressures her.”
That sounded like Catherine.
“So you created financial problems.”
“Yes.”
“To make the asset unattractive.”
“Yes.”
“And when I still refused?”
“Catherine got angry.”
“What did she want next?”
Richard laughed without humor.
“She wanted you embarrassed.”
I felt my expression change.
“The police call.”
Richard shook his head quickly.
“No.”
“Then what?”
“She wanted residents angry at Vance Global.”
“So why did you call the police?”
His face reddened.
“I didn’t know it was you.”
That part, at least, seemed true.
“You knew my name.”
“I had never seen you.”
“Catherine never showed you a photograph?”
“No.”
“Martin?”
“No.”
I looked at Elena.
Odd.
Richard continued.
“The plan was to create enough complaints that local media started asking questions.”
“Then what?”
“Catherine said your board would pressure you to sell.”
“She overestimated my board.”
Richard almost smiled.
“I know that now.”
“What about the anonymous message that sent me to Oakridge?”
He frowned.
“What message?”
I believed his confusion.
“What about Thomas?”
“I don’t know.”
“Catherine?”
“No idea.”
Then Richard said something that surprised me.
“But if Catherine knew you were coming that day, I would have known.”
“Why?”
“Because she would have told me to stay away.”
That made sense.
The last thing Catherine wanted was Richard confronting me personally.
The police incident had exposed everything.
So whoever sent the anonymous complaint was sabotaging Catherine.
Someone within the conspiracy had turned.
Who?
At 2:15 a.m., we got the answer.
Martin Keene asked for another meeting.
He arrived alone except for his attorney.
He looked exhausted.
“I sent the complaint.”
I stared at him.
“Why?”
“Because Catherine was going to cut me out.”
There it was.
Not conscience.
Self-preservation.
“She told Thomas my ten percent was unnecessary.”
“So you decided to burn the deal.”
“I decided to make you look.”
“Why not simply tell me?”
“Because then I would have had to admit what I did.”
Of course.
He wanted rescue without confession.
“You thought I’d investigate Oakridge.”
“Yes.”
“Did you expect Richard to call the police?”
“No.”
“Did you expect the cabinet?”
“No.”
“Then what did you expect?”
“You’d talk to residents.”
He looked down.
“You always ask questions when numbers don’t feel right.”
That was the closest thing to a compliment I had heard all week.
I didn’t appreciate it.
“Why now?”
“Catherine knows I sent you.”
“How?”
“I told Thomas.”
Elena stared at him.
“Why would you do that?”
“Because Thomas called me twenty minutes ago.”
The room became still.
“What did he want?”
“He said Catherine is shutting Oakridge Acquisition Partners down.”
“That’s good.”
Martin shook his head.
“No.”
“What?”
“She’s moving the deal.”
“Where?”
“To another entity.”
“Which?”
“I don’t know.”
He leaned forward.
“But I know this.”
“Catherine is meeting investors tomorrow.”
“For Oakridge?”
“For the entire transit corridor strategy.”
My anger sharpened.
“She still thinks she can buy it?”
Martin looked at me.
“No.”
“Then what?”
“She thinks she can buy Vance.”
Silence.
I almost laughed.
Then realized he wasn’t joking.
“What exactly did she say?”
Martin swallowed.
“That Oakridge was never the final target.”
May you like
He looked directly at me.
“You were.”
