Page 20 of Mending Fences
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Next to Bonnie, Terrance was the most efficient office employee in the company. The combination of Terrance’s accent and relaxed demeanor soothed Daniel’s nerves, allowing him to relax as they drove away from Heathrow.
“I took the liberty of having one of your suits brought round to the office to save you time by not stopping at the flat. Sadly, the tie they delivered was that ghastly yellow one I told you to toss on your last visit. I sent a lad to pick a new one up from Harrods. Don’t worry. I ordered it online. You never know when someone is colorblind.”
Daniel reclined in his seat. “Thank you. Anything else I should know?”
“Your schedule is sorted out for the day, and I have someone working on an earlier flight. But I think it is unlikely you can leave Thursday evening as the schedule is too tight, and this other firm has a better pitch for you.”
Daniel nodded.
The driver stopped at a restaurant. Terrance excused himself and soon returned with a box with steam escaping from its sides. He handed the food to Daniel. “Not quite a proper breakfast, but it will do.”
The day’s meetings had gone better than anticipated. No groveling on the part of the ad agency. And he met with the vice president of the European branch to discuss branding of a new line of Venetian bakery–inspired desserts in the mid-class restaurants. Daniel logged into the server and the locked file.
Then he picked up the secure phone line and dialed Colin’s number. “What exactly am I looking at?”
“The first map is from an Indiana government geological survey of known oil and gas locations. The second is the purchases of the last three years by the conglomerate who owns the real-estate investment firm trying to get your property with the odd mineral-rights clause. The third is from a survey your grandfather commissioned.”
“None of these seem important enough to have taken these security measures.”
“Have you read the file labeled ‘Read me first’?”
“No one ever reads the read-me files.” Daniel clicked and did just that. “You’re saying either someone got lucky or we have a leak?”
“I don’t believe in coincidences. If the 1974 survey is correct, the mineral rights are worth millions. Someone had to know about your grandfather’s survey. The Indiana one doesn’t show natural gas on your estate, only at a smaller location about twenty miles west.”
Daniel clicked through the maps. “Well, now we know why they are so aggressive. I remember seeing a few natural gas wells west of Fort Worth. They resembled mini water tanks. Some were quite discreet. It might be worth exploring the impact of a couple of wells like that, but the pond needs to stay.”
Daniel clicked on each surrounding property to bring up the sale information. “Colin, can you ask someone to run a deed check on the ten-acre strip on the south side? Back to 1850, if possible. There was something in the family papers about it, but I don’t remember now. It’s been years since I paid attention to anything other than the date I can finally sell the land. That little strip was the first parcel sold to the conglomerate and the only one with that type of price per acre. Everyone else sold out for high-end agricultural prices.”
“The one sold by a George Fowler? Any relation to Mandy?”
“Uncle. That is where Mandy’s grandmother lived, and I am quite sure she has no idea the land sold for 3.4 mil.”
Colin gave a low whistle. “Family feuds have been fought over less.”
“Go ahead and arrange security personnel to move into the caretaker’s house. I can only be there a couple more days this month, and I don’t want more surveyors sneaking around. I suspect they are from the big-box store that wants the land for a distribution center, but if they are from the gas company, that changes things.”
“Do you know what you are going to do with the place yet?”
“Not a clue.”
