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Yeah, maybe combining the businesses could work. Or maybe it was time to leave the Cawthorne Corporation altogether.
Dear old Dad would need to find someone else to run the organization.
I grabbed the information I’d printed about Canyon Industries, going over it also for the tenth time, following their trail of businesses. Maybe it was just about developing resorts. From what I could tell, the folks they purchased from appeared happy, even eager to sell. I shifted to the internet, moving from one article on the organization to another. They’d been under investigation for years, their development firm in the crosshairs, but so had ours from time to time. In my mind, nothing was a smoking gun. That was more infuriating than anything.
“Whew,” Jackson whistled.
“What is it?”
“You need to see this. I can’t believe it.” Jackson lifted his head, far too excited at whatever he’d found.
I shifted around to the other side of the table, eyeing his computer screen, not making any sense of what I was seeing. “What is it?”
He leaned back, placing his hands behind his head. “It would appear, dear brother of mine, that we’re in the oil business.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Someone found out there’s oil in deep caverns underneath the land that was purchased last. See the geological report?”
As he moved his finger on the trackpad, I was able to get a bigger picture of what he was talking about. Tests had been done near the spot Jessie had taken me to. “Oil. That’s crazy.”
“If the reports are any indication, the price the Canyon boys wanted to pay is a drop in the bucket of what the land could be worth. Of course, if you’re willing to drill.”
I was thrown, the discovery so unexpected I wasn’t certain how to react. “Who the fuck ordered the report?”
“I haven’t gotten to that yet. But you can rest assured that Hank knew about it given his brother-in-law works for the county. The man is very connected, several friends and family members controlling the town with an iron fist.”
“How do you know that?”
Jackson gave me a look. “While you are the face and force behind the company, I was the one who handled every aspect of discovery for all those businesses that made us millions.”
“I knew I brought you out here for a reason. Keep digging.”
“You mean other than my good looks? And you’re a slave driver.”
“Why do you think I made the big bucks?”
“Ouch. Seriously, if the pictures mean anything, Hank is a very important man in this town.”
“As if I give a shit.”
“Let me see the list Parker sent on the employees.”
“What are you looking for?” I asked, tossing the printed report in his direction.
“Comparing some names.”
Just as I started to return to my perch in front of my laptop, I heard a knock on the door. Jackson and I looked at each other. I headed into the living room, throwing it open. The last thing I wanted was to be interrupted. Seeing George standing at my doorstep was the last thing I needed.
“What are you doing here?” I demanded.
“You have a fire at the barn near the rear of the property,” he said, his eyes imploring.
“What the fuck are you talking about? I told you to stay off the property.”
“I could see the billowing smoke from my place.”
I eyed him cautiously, shaking my head, my entire body bristling. “What are you trying to do?”
