Then toward the porch.
Then drove away.
The father watched from the window.
"Do you know that officer?"
The son shook his head.
"No."
The old man remained quiet.
Then said something that made his son uneasy.
"I don't think he's looking for trouble."
The younger man frowned.
"What do you mean?"
His father looked toward the driveway.
"I think somebody sent him to find it."
The sergeant had received his instructions that morning in a private office above the developer's temporary sales center.
The building overlooked the proposed Mill Creek Landing site.
From its windows, visitors could see an enormous stretch of cleared land, survey markers, construction fencing, and machines waiting for the next phase of work.
Beautiful architectural renderings covered the walls.
A model of the finished neighborhood stood on a polished conference table.
Small decorative trees lined the miniature streets.
Tiny houses faced landscaped courtyards.
And a model creek curved around a proposed public park.
The display was impressive.
But the real property beneath it remained complicated.
Several easements were disputed.
Drainage approvals were still under examination.
And the elderly homeowner's challenge threatened to delay an important portion of the project.
The developer was furious.
He was a fifty-four-year-old white American businessman with silver-streaked hair, expensive suits, and a reputation for getting difficult projects completed.
Some of that reputation was deserved.
He had built successful commercial properties.
Created jobs.
And invested in neighborhoods that had previously struggled to attract businesses.
But he was also impatient.
He considered delays expensive.
He disliked people who questioned his decisions.
And he believed most obstacles could be overcome through sufficient pressure.
The elderly homeowner had become an obstacle he couldn't easily remove.
The developer had offered money.
Sent representatives.
Contacted county officials.
And repeatedly described the easement dispute as a minor problem.
But the older man kept asking for original documents.
Worse, the attorney representing the family had begun requesting certified records and information concerning the disputed signature.
The developer knew what that could reveal.
The easement had not been obtained through a clean transaction.
He hadn't personally written the false signature.
But he knew that someone within the project's land acquisition process had submitted a document that might not withstand close examination.
He also knew the development had proceeded on assumptions that depended on those access rights.
A serious legal challenge could delay construction.