Chapter 75 - The Last Move of Richard CaldwellDaniel arrived at the lodge before sunset.
He looked exhausted.
Michael placed Rebecca's documents on the dining table.
"Explain this."
Daniel examined the shareholder list.
His face changed.
"Where did you get this?"
"Rebecca Bennett."
He closed his eyes.
"I was afraid of this."
I stepped forward.
"You told us you were finished with Caldwell."
"I am."
"Then why is your name on his company registration?"
Daniel looked at me.
"Because he used an old business agreement that I signed years ago. I thought it had expired."
Michael shook his head.
"That's not how company ownership works."
"I know that now."
I felt anger rising.
"How many times are we supposed to discover that you signed something without understanding it?"
Daniel lowered his head.
"I deserve that."
He explained that Caldwell had approached him several months earlier, offering to settle an old financial obligation in exchange for Daniel's signature on a development proposal.
Daniel believed the agreement concerned a neighboring property.
He had not realized that the application included the northern access road.
"Did you receive money?" I asked.
"Yes."
"How much?"
"Enough to cover the remaining debt I owed."
I stared at him.
"So you were paid again."
He nodded.
Mom stood up.
"Daniel, when will this end?"
He looked devastated.
"I didn't know he intended to use the agreement against the lodge."
Michael examined the planning application.
"There's a bigger problem. Caldwell is claiming the property has been abandoned as a commercial asset and should be consolidated into his development zone."
"That's impossible," I said.
"Not necessarily. He's arguing that the northern parcel has been subject to repeated financial disputes and that the current ownership structure prevents responsible development."
I felt my stomach tighten.
"Can he actually do that?"
Helen arrived an hour later.
She examined the application and immediately understood the danger.
"He's attempting to use planning regulations instead of the old loan agreement."
I looked at her.
"What does that mean?"
"He wants the authorities to approve a development arrangement that could make the lodge's access and surrounding land difficult to protect."
Michael frowned.
"But we own the property."
"Ownership is important, but planning restrictions can still affect how land is used."
Helen turned toward me.
"We need to prove that the proposed access road would violate the original family trust and interfere with existing property rights."
Rebecca's notebook contained several maps, but the most important document was missing.
The original easement agreement.
Without it, Caldwell could argue that the road had always been available for commercial use.
Daniel suddenly spoke.
"I know where it is."
Everyone turned.
"Where?"
"Your father's old fishing cabin."
I remembered the small cabin beside the frozen lake.
Dad had stopped using it years ago.
Daniel explained that he had helped Dad move several boxes there after the original loan dispute.
One of those boxes contained the original access documents.
Helen looked at him.
"Are you certain?"
"Yes."
We decided to search the cabin the following morning.
But that night, Caldwell called me.
His voice was unusually friendly.
"I hear you've been speaking with Daniel."
"That's none of your business."
"Everything concerning the northern parcel is my business."
"Not anymore."
He laughed.
"Your father thought the same thing."
I tightened my grip on the phone.
"What do you want?"
"One final offer. Sell the northern land voluntarily, and I'll withdraw the development application."
"And if I refuse?"
His voice became cold.
"Then the lodge may become impossible to operate."
The call ended.
I looked at Michael.
"He's bluffing."
May you like
Michael shook his head.
"Maybe. But this time, we need to be prepared for everything."
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