Chapter 74 - The Woman Who Knew Too MuchWe found Rebecca at a small bookstore near the town center.
She was in her early forties, with shoulder-length brown hair and a quiet expression.
When I introduced myself, she immediately recognized my father's name.
"Robert Bennett?"
I nodded.
She stared at me.
"You're his daughter?"
"Yes."
For several seconds, she said nothing.
Then she closed the bookstore's front door.
"I wondered when someone from your family would come looking."
I felt my heartbeat quicken.
"You knew about us?"
"Not everything. But my father spoke about the lodge."
She led us into a small office behind the store.
There were photographs on the walls, several boxes of old books, and a wooden desk covered with papers.
Rebecca opened a drawer.
"I kept something my father left me."
She removed a small leather notebook.
Inside were handwritten notes, bank records, and a map of the northern mountain property.
I leaned forward.
"What is this?"
"My father's original copy of the family trust."
Michael examined the first page.
"Is this authentic?"
Rebecca nodded.
"He told me never to destroy it."
Then she showed us a letter addressed to Dad.
Robert, I have discovered that Caldwell intends to use the northern land as security for another development project. He has already contacted Daniel. Do not trust either of them until you understand what they are planning.
My stomach tightened.
"Was Daniel involved in another deal?"
Rebecca nodded.
"According to my father, he was trying to sell an access easement through the northern property."
"Without Dad's permission?"
"Yes."
I felt anger rising.
"Why didn't anyone tell us?"
"Because my father died before he could finish the investigation."
Rebecca explained that her father had been collecting evidence against Caldwell for months.
He had discovered that the developer's company was using false property descriptions to obtain financing.
The northern parcel wasn't simply valuable because of its location.
It contained the only practical access route to a larger area of undeveloped mountain land.
If Caldwell gained control of that route, he could potentially influence several neighboring properties.
Michael examined the map.
"That's why he wanted the land so badly."
Rebecca nodded.
"He wasn't interested in building one resort. He wanted control over the entire development corridor."
I looked at the map.
"Does this mean the lodge is still at risk?"
"Possibly."
She opened another folder.
Inside was a recent letter from a company associated with Caldwell.
It had been sent to the local planning authority.
The letter requested approval for a new access road through the northern parcel.
I stared at it.
"He's still trying."
Rebecca nodded.
"And there's something else."
She removed a second document.
It was a list of shareholders in a newly registered development company.
One name appeared near the bottom.
Daniel Bennett.
I felt sick.
"Uncle Daniel told us he had nothing to do with Caldwell anymore."
Rebecca looked at me carefully.
"Perhaps he was telling the truth about the past. But this document is dated only six months ago."
Michael stood.
"We need to speak to him."
I shook my head.
"Not until we understand what he's doing."
Rebecca handed me the notebook.
"Take it. My father wanted your family to have it."
I accepted it carefully.
Before we left, she said something that stayed with me.
"Your father wasn't afraid of losing the lodge. He was afraid that the family would destroy itself trying to protect it."
I looked back at her.
"Then we'll make sure that doesn't happen."
But when we returned to the parking lot, my phone rang.
Daniel.
I answered.
His voice sounded desperate.
"Where have you been?"
"Finding the truth."
"Then you need to come to the lodge immediately."
"Why?"
He whispered:
"Because Caldwell has just filed a new application, and this time he isn't trying to buy the land."
May you like
He paused.
"He's trying to have the entire property declared part of his development."
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