“Then you know the authority exists.”
“I know there’s language about removal.”
“Exactly.”
“I also know there is language before it.”
Rachel’s expression tightened.
I said nothing.
Luis turned the page.
“I want the whole section.”
“You have the relevant language.”
“I want the whole section.”
She changed tactics.
“The structure is unsafe.”
That was new.
“What?” I asked.
“The silo has significant deterioration.”
“According to whom?”
Rachel pulled out another document.
“Daniel Reeves Structural Consulting.”
Luis took it.
The title read:
EXTERIOR CONDITION OBSERVATION – EXISTING GRAIN SILO.
I moved beside him.
Rachel placed her hand over the lower part of the page.
“This was commissioned by Oak Crest.”
“Then why are you covering it?”
“I’m not.”
She removed her hand.
Luis read.
“Visible corrosion.”
Rachel nodded.
“Age-related panel deterioration.”
“Yes.”
He kept reading.
“Recommendation for further evaluation.”
Her expression changed.
Only slightly.
I asked:
“Did the engineer go inside?”
Rachel looked at me.
“The inspection documented deterioration.”
“Did he go inside?”
“I am not responsible for his methodology.”
Luis looked up.
“That’s a fair question.”
“The structure is obviously old.”
“Old isn’t the same as condemned.”
Rachel’s tone sharpened.
“No one used the word condemned.”
“You told my crew this was a safety removal.”
“I said safety was a concern.”
Mark had walked over to the lower access hatch.
He pulled the handle.
Locked.
“Did anybody access the interior?”
I raised my keys.
“I can.”
Rachel said:
“That isn’t necessary.”
Luis looked at her.
“If the justification is structural danger, why wouldn’t interior access be useful?”
She ignored that.
Instead she pointed toward the field.
“The board does not intend to debate this indefinitely.”
Luis closed the engineering memo.
“I need four things.”
Rachel folded her arms.
“Go ahead.”
“County permit approval. Owner authorization or whatever substitute authority the county accepts. Utility marking. And if you’re telling me this is being demolished for safety reasons, I need the actual engineering basis for the scope.”
“The HOA is paying you.”
“Yes.”
“So perform the contract.”
“My contract does not require me to demolish a structure unlawfully.”
“Are you accusing the board of acting unlawfully?”
“No.”
He looked directly at her.
“I’m saying I don’t know yet.”
That answer made Rachel angrier than an accusation would have.
Uncertainty took control away from her.
Mark held up the utility sheet.
“We also have an unmapped line south of the silo.”
I knew the line.
A buried electrical service ran from the machine shed to an old pump control box.
“If you bring heavy equipment through there,” I said, “you’ll cross it.”
Rachel waved one hand.
“Then mark it.”
Luis shook his head.
“Nothing gets remobilized until the authority issue is resolved.”
She stared at him.