"That's exactly what we'll do."
Over the next week, they gathered records.
The son created a chronology.
The father searched his old correspondence.
And the attorney requested certified copies of relevant documents.
Then an unexpected discovery changed the situation.
The father found a letter from the development company dated several weeks before the purported easement.
It offered compensation in exchange for property access.
The father had written a reply.
He declined.
He explained that the proposed arrangement was too broad and that he wanted a detailed engineering analysis before considering any changes.
The letter had been mailed.
A copy remained in his blue folder.
The disputed easement was dated less than a month afterward.
The son read both documents.
Then looked toward his father.
"They sent you an offer."
"Yes."
"You turned it down."
"Yes."
"And then this easement appeared."
His father nodded.
The son felt a chill.
He looked toward the signature.
Then toward his father's original letter.
For the first time, he began suspecting that the disputed document wasn't an ordinary administrative error.
Someone might have tried to create the appearance of permission that had never been given.
The attorney agreed that the circumstances warranted further investigation.
She began preparing the necessary steps to challenge the document and preserve the relevant records.
The family also contacted the appropriate county officials.
Then something disturbing happened.
A county employee called the father and suggested that he stop making accusations.
The older man listened.
Then asked.
"Have you looked at my letter?"
The employee hesitated.
"What letter?"
"The one refusing the easement."
A pause followed.
Then the employee said, "These matters are complicated."
The father nodded.
"Then let's be careful."
The employee sighed.
"Sir, you need to understand that important projects are depending on this development."
The old man looked toward the backyard.
He thought of the creek.
The young mother's flooded basement.
The drainage maps.
And the people whose homes lay downstream.
Then he answered.
"That's why we need to make sure the papers are right."
The call ended.
Two days later, a patrol SUV drove slowly past the house.
Then again the following morning.
The father noticed.
The son noticed too.
At first, they assumed the police were conducting ordinary patrols.
But on the third day, the same vehicle stopped near the driveway.
A uniformed sergeant sat behind the wheel.
He looked toward the gray pickup.