I recognized the curve from the aerial photograph of my ranch. The proposed road had been drawn as though a piece of the Morrison access corridor could be folded into the new development. The plans were conceptual, not permits, and the advertisement said the layout was subject to land acquisition and environmental review. Still, I understood why the number in Derek's spreadsheet might be so high. A parcel worth $400,000 as an isolated old farm could be worth considerably more to someone whose expensive project required its shore access.
Lena cautioned me against jumping to conclusions when I called her. Bellamy might have hoped to purchase the parcel through ordinary negotiation, and there was no evidence yet that he had funded Christine's tactics. She asked me to send the advertisement and refrain from contacting the developer. Then she told me that Derek had signed a formal statement, and that she was arranging for the documents to reach the state consumer fraud investigators through a protected evidence process. I felt oddly relieved that the case was no longer held together only by things I carried in a motel bag.
Deputy Brittany Martin met us at the sheriff's office that afternoon. She was in her thirties, spoke without unnecessary emphasis, and refused to be impressed by a large pile of paper unless she understood where each page came from. She listened to me describe the gate, asked for the incident references, and then took a separate statement from Derek. After reviewing the alleged lien and the payment directions, she said the matter appeared to go beyond a disputed assessment. She did not name a crime she could not yet support, but she explained that the sheriff's investigations unit would coordinate with financial investigators if the documents checked out.
"What about the trucks?" I asked. She said blocking lawful access could warrant intervention and that I should call dispatch if the obstruction continued. "What about the photographs of me meeting witnesses?"
I asked. She told me the threatening note would be evaluated with the rest of the conduct, particularly if the sender could be identified. She did not suggest I confront Greg or chase the pickup. Instead, she handed me a direct number for updates and asked me to keep my movements ordinary.
I had never thought of myself as someone who needed to be told to eat regular meals or sleep in a secure place. The past week had taught me how quickly fear could reduce a capable adult to a list of tasks. Lena made me promise I would not set up private confrontations for the sake of getting a better recording. Deputy Martin asked that I preserve the threatening messages rather than answer them. Molly, when I told her what they said, asked whether I would please stop treating the word safe as an inconvenient detail.