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“Yes… That’s it. And then I read my neighbor’s name on your phone… And this person who works for you was giving you updates on their business. And I’m not talking their business business––“
I jerk my hand up, ending her explanation.
“Are you interested in buying their place?” she asks, regardless.
Her eyes stay glued to me as I ponder an answer.
“And there was something else about an accounting firm in Ridgewood, NJ,” she goes on. “It caught my eye because I grew up in New Jersey. While my foster family couldn’t afford to live in Ridgewood, we weren’t that far away from that area, and my real parents’ place was pretty close too. I find it odd that everything somehow revolves around these places that are connected to my history… One way or another, they have to do with me, even if it’s a weak connection.”
“All right…” I murmur, stepping back, and clasping my hips. “I understand your concerns,” I say, giving her a run-of-the-mill answer, a standard reply when handling a complaint. “I didn’t think it would interest you. You are right. There is a bit of a connection. Before we came here, I found out someone had messed with my security systems at my place in Long Island,” I say, pausing and observing her expression change.
Her brow is no longer furrowed as things begin to make sense to her, so I continue.
“Your idea is more than an unfounded theory. I saw the connection, too… Between you having someone break into your house and me having my security system hacked… To some degree,” I say in response to her tilted eyebrows in surprise. “Grayson, the man I’m on the phone with at odd hours, is a retired PI. He’s more than that, actually. He was my grandfather’s best friend and my mother’s godfather. He looked into my security issue and became suspicious when I told him about your story.”
I suck in a long breath and exhale slowly.
“And then he looked into the area and had his people check the closest neighbors’ houses. He knows the Yearwood family is away, and he thought their place might be a target too. While investigating, he found out they’d hired an appraiser. And yes, I might be interested in buying that property. But that’s not all,” I say as her eyes brighten and I feel emboldened to continue. “The appraiser came highly recommended by this accounting firm in New Jersey. No connection to your family place of residence.”
Now that is a blatant lie.
But it doesn’t make a difference to her. She’s happy with my response. Everything makes sense.
And it does…. To a point.
The reality is… Well, the reality is more troublesome than I thought.
Grayson has confirmed my suspicion.
There is a third party involved, and George Back has given me a weird vibe for a reason.
George’s firm does business consulting and offers investment advice. They sometimes approach the house owners in the eventuality that they might be interested in selling their homes.
It’s a hot market right now, so the Yearwood family must not have been suspicious when they received a legit call from Bach Accounting and Business Services, and they agreed to work with an appraiser that came highly recommended by the company.
Here comes the kicker. The appraisers they usually work with have never learned about this gig. No one from the firm had told them about the lead.
Someone else showed up to check the place.
That someone else, we both suspect, is our guy.
He’s used their property to snoop around and, later at night, to surveil Raven’s place.
That’s not all.
George Bach, who proves to be the third party I was talking about, is not only after the same thing I am and my father is but also has solid information about it.
Hence the nocturnal visits.
So when I ran into Andrew’s brother in his mother’s home, I was right to feel that something was off.
George knew who I was. He knew why I was there.
By now, he suspects I know things about him I wasn’t supposed to.
The way I see it right now, aside from being in a race against time, we’re pretty much in the open.
The only thing unknown to my father is that his former best friend’s brother is also in the race.
