When Hank finished describing the watermelons, the development representative asked one question.
“Has anyone inspected the old collection system?”
Hank hesitated.
“I saw a county truck there.”
Victor's voice sharpened.
“What county truck?”
“Conservation office, I think. Maybe somebody from the water department.”
For several seconds, the line was quiet.
Then Victor asked, “Did they take measurements?”
Hank frowned.
“How would I know?”
Victor exhaled.
“Find out.”
Hank stared.
“I'm not trespassing on Daniel's property.”
Victor's tone cooled.
“I didn't ask you to trespass. I asked whether you could learn what the inspection involved.”
Hank looked toward his porch.
For a moment, he was irritated by the man's assumption that he would simply do as ordered.
Then he remembered the money promised through Prairie Gate's arrangement.
“What if Sarah refuses to sell?”
Victor answered too quickly.
“She'll reconsider.”
“She's stubborn.”
“Everybody has a financial limit, Hank.”
The old farmer didn't answer.
Victor continued.
“Her credit review is approaching. She's a single mother with a difficult property and a drought-damaged operation.”
Hank felt uncomfortable.
“Her son seems to think the garden will save them.”
Victor laughed.
“A few watermelons won't pay a mortgage.”
Hank knew that was true.
But something about the man's confidence bothered him.
He asked, “Why does Prairie Gate care so much about the North Bed?”
Victor paused.
Then answered smoothly.
“Because our engineers need to understand drainage conditions near the proposed access corridor.”
Hank frowned.
“You said the land was mostly useful for storage.”
“Plans evolve.”
The old man looked toward the Mercer farm.
“Did your people know Daniel had a seep before they made the offer?”
Victor didn't answer immediately.
Then said, “We've reviewed publicly available information and preliminary surveys.”
Hank's stomach tightened.
“That wasn't my question.”
The man's voice became firm.
“Hank, your agreement with us concerns your property and potential introductions to neighboring sellers. Leave the technical evaluation to our team.”
Then the call ended.
Hank stared at the phone.
For a long time, he didn't move.
He'd spent weeks telling himself that Prairie Gate simply wanted inexpensive agricultural land.
Now he wasn't certain.