Page 10 of Long Gone

“He was like a real estate agent?” I asked, genuinely curious.

“No, although he talked about getting his license.”

“So he was like a liaison between the realtors and the corporations?”

“No.” She shook her head and frowned. “It was much more hands-on. He kept his ear to the ground and seemed to know when a potentially lucrative property would come on the market. He’d snatch it up, do a bit of development to the land, then find a buyer who would pay him more.”

“The people he was purchasing the properties from didn’t know what he was doing?”

She shrugged. “Maybe? Maybe not. He didn’t usually talk to the landowners unless the property wasn’t for sale. Otherwise, he dealt strictly with the listing agent. But for the properties that might fall in an area he thought would be good for development, he was known to approach the owner and make them an offer.”

“Did he approach landowners very often?” If one of them sold their land and then found out Hugo had resold it for more profit, it could have incited one of them to murder him.

“Only a few times that I know of. But that was ages ago, back when he first started. Later he let his real estate agent handle contacting landowners.”

“Seems like a risky gamble,” I said. “Buying land he didn’t know he could resell.”

“He had a map of Lone County and the surrounding counties in his office,” she said quietly. “And he was familiar with a lot of liaisons in corporations. He knew what they were looking for.” Her chin lifted. “And he didn’t just turn around and resell the property. He had studies done on the land. Drainage. The cost of bringing electricity, water, sewers if they were applicable, otherwise septic systems. The logistics of roads for trucks. All of that took time and money.”

“Sounds like a lot of work,” I said.

“It is. No corporation was going to make an offer on land without that information,” she said. “They either work with land developers or hire their own people to handle the logistics. The people who worked with Hugo appreciated that he’d already done the heavy lifting for him.”

“I wouldn’t think there would be that much business moving into the county,” I said.

“You’d be surprised. Hugo and a group of other men were interested in growing the area.”

“A group of other men?”

“The Colter Group. They were trying to bring in more business. Hugo played a huge role.”

“Did the group continue after Hugo disappeared?”

“It disbanded about a year later, but Brett Colter, the head of the group, continued doing the work.”

I made a mental note to talk to Brett Colter.

“Did Hugo own any land when he disappeared?”

“Several properties, but Brett had a legal agreement with Hugo for the development of one of them. A high-end strip mall. Brett took over after Hugo disappeared.”

“What’s going on with the properties now?”

“Not counting the one Brett took over, there were two in Hugo’s company’s name. Burton Management.”

“Did Brett Colter pay you Hugo’s portion for the property they were jointly working on?”

“No,” she said softly and seemed to shrink a little. “When I approached Brett, he told me I had some nerve coming to him after Hugo had financially screwed him by leaving like he did.”

“Did you have an attorney look over the contracts?”

She shook her head. “I don’t have copies.”

“I would think you’re entitled to copies. Did you ask Mitch Morgan to get them for you?”

“He agreed to take my call for a consult as a courtesy because he’s a friend of a friend, but he’s a defense attorney. He says I need a probate lawyer, but he’s going to find one for me.”

“My father is a property attorney,” I said. “I can see if he’ll look into it.”

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