{"id":11425,"date":"2026-10-01T15:41:27","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T15:41:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/?p=11425"},"modified":"2026-10-01T15:41:27","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T15:41:27","slug":"part-13-gregory-lamb-walked-into-harolds-office-carrying-proof-that-sherrys-plans-had-started-before-paige-and-toby-ever-began-dating","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/?p=11425","title":{"rendered":"PART 13 \u2013 Gregory Lamb Walked Into Harold\u2019s Office Carrying Proof That Sherry\u2019s Plans Had Started Before Paige and Toby Ever Began Dating"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Harold did not immediately unlock the office door.<\/p>\n<p>Paige stood several feet away from the intercom, staring at it as if her father might somehow appear through the speaker. Toby kept one hand at the center of her back. She did not lean into him, but she did not move away either.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAre you sure you want him inside?\u201d Harold asked.<\/p>\n<p>Paige\u2019s mouth opened.<\/p>\n<p>Nothing came out.<\/p>\n<p>She had not spoken to Gregory Lamb in years. Until that afternoon, she had believed most of what she knew about his departure came from Sherry. He abandoned us. He left debts. He chose himself. He never looked back.<\/p>\n<p>Now he was downstairs, apparently carrying information about a land scheme that linked him to Leon, Calvin Reed, and the same property Sherry had just tried to sell.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI need to hear what he says,\u201d Paige finally whispered.<\/p>\n<p>Harold pressed the buzzer.<\/p>\n<p>The stairwell door clicked open.<\/p>\n<p>Footsteps sounded below.<\/p>\n<p>Slow.<\/p>\n<p>Heavy.<\/p>\n<p>Uneven.<\/p>\n<p>When Gregory appeared at the top of the stairs, I recognized him immediately from the old photograph despite the thirty years that had passed across his face. He was thinner, his hair mostly gray, and he walked with a limp that forced his right shoulder slightly downward. In one hand he carried a weathered leather briefcase.<\/p>\n<p>Paige stopped breathing.<\/p>\n<p>Gregory did too.<\/p>\n<p>For several seconds father and daughter simply looked at each other.<\/p>\n<p>Then he said, \u201cYou look like your grandmother.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Paige\u2019s face hardened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s what you came here to say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His voice was quiet.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s just the first thing I thought.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Toby shifted beside her.<\/p>\n<p>Gregory looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou must be Toby.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou know who I am.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat makes one of us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gregory accepted the hit without flinching.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI deserve that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Paige stepped forward.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere have you been?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPaige\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her voice shook.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou don\u2019t get to say my name like we spoke last week.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gregory lowered his eyes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re right.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou disappeared.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMom said you left because you didn\u2019t want us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat isn\u2019t true.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Paige laughed sharply.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOf course it isn\u2019t. Apparently nothing I learned in that house is true.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gregory looked toward Harold.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t come here to repair twenty-six years in a hallway.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGood,\u201d Paige said. \u201cBecause you can\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She pointed at the briefcase.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did you bring?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gregory looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>His gaze rested on my face longer than I liked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMara Huitt?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m sorry about Leon.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The grief in his voice sounded genuine.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou knew my husband.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow well?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBetter than Sherry ever told anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Harold unlocked the conference room again.<\/p>\n<p>We went inside.<\/p>\n<p>Gregory placed his briefcase on the table but remained standing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI need to explain Raven Creek before you decide what I am.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Paige sat across from him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve already decided what you are.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s fair.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Toby sat beside her.<\/p>\n<p>I remained near Harold.<\/p>\n<p>Gregory opened the briefcase.<\/p>\n<p>Inside were folders, photographs, bank records, and what looked like an old cassette tape in a cracked plastic case.<\/p>\n<p>Harold stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou kept all this?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor insurance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAgainst whom?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gregory\u2019s expression changed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCalvin Reed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The name settled over the room.<\/p>\n<p>Gregory took out a faded survey map.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRaven Creek was supposed to be a luxury development. Cabins, private marina, gated road, the whole thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He pointed toward several parcels surrounding ours.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cReed needed access.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThrough our land,\u201d Toby said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDad wouldn\u2019t sell.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gregory almost smiled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLeon thought Calvin was a snake before anybody else admitted it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That sounded like Leon.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat was your role?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLand acquisition.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I thought of the old ledger.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou were paid to convince him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Paige\u2019s face twisted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo you tried to take their property too.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gregory looked at her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI tried to buy it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor Calvin.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt first.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He pulled out a check copy.<\/p>\n<p>The same twenty-five-thousand-dollar acquisition incentive Harold had shown us.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI never cashed this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Harold looked closer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt appears deposited.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gregory nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cInto an account Calvin controlled.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Harold frowned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy would he deposit a check made out to you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause he was building records.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Toby leaned forward.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat records?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo make people look paid.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A chill moved through me.<\/p>\n<p>Gregory continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCalvin inflated acquisition expenses. He created payment records for consultants who never received the money. Some people knew. Some didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd you?\u201d Toby asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt first, I knew enough to know the numbers were dirty.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut you stayed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gregory did not soften it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI needed money.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Paige laughed bitterly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEveryone needs money in this story.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gregory looked at her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd some of us made terrible decisions because of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen Leon refused to sell, Calvin told me to keep pressure on him. Offer more. Approach Mara. Talk to neighbors. Create inconvenience.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stared at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat kind of inconvenience?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAccess disputes. Survey complaints. Easement questions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I remembered.<\/p>\n<p>For months, Leon had been furious about strangers appearing near the cabin.<\/p>\n<p>I had thought developers were simply aggressive.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe was trying to wear us down.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat changed?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gregory looked at the cassette tape.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLeon showed me what Calvin was doing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Harold sat straighter.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat exactly?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFalse investor statements. Duplicated property values. Loans backed by parcels Calvin didn\u2019t control.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The same structure Harold described earlier.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe asked me to help prove it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Paige stared at her father.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou helped Leon?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEventually.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause I realized Calvin intended to blame me when everything collapsed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gregory rubbed his left hand over his right wrist.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wasn\u2019t noble. I was scared.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Honesty did not absolve him.<\/p>\n<p>But it made his story harder to dismiss.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does Sherry have to do with this?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n<p>His expression changed.<\/p>\n<p>A long silence followed.<\/p>\n<p>Paige leaned forward.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDad.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gregory looked at her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour mother found out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe went through my files.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The phrase landed with painful familiarity.<\/p>\n<p>Paige closed her eyes.<\/p>\n<p>Of course.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEven then?\u201d she whispered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did she do?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt first, she told me to quit.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That surprised me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe thought Calvin was dangerous?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe thought I was going to bring trouble home.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gregory sat.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne night Calvin came to the house.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Paige frowned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t remember that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou were asleep.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow old was I?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThirteen.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her face tightened.<\/p>\n<p>Gregory continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe told me Leon was creating problems and wanted to know whether I had given him documents.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHad you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSherry heard everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He looked down.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe next morning she asked what the Huitts were worth.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>No one spoke.<\/p>\n<p>Gregory\u2019s voice became quieter.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe understood immediately that Leon had property Calvin needed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Paige stared at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd instead of being afraid\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe got interested.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The words hurt more because Gregory sounded ashamed rather than angry.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe asked what Calvin would pay for cooperation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Toby stood.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJesus.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gregory nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat was the beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Paige\u2019s face had gone colorless.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy mother tried to sell their property before I even knew Toby.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gregory looked directly at her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe tried to sell information.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat information?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSchedules. Leon\u2019s habits. Whether he was considering selling. Whether Mara knew about the pressure.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I felt cold.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid she talk to Calvin?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMore than once.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Harold asked, \u201cDo you have proof?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gregory removed a small notebook.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDates. Meetings. Amounts.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He slid it across the table.<\/p>\n<p>Harold read.<\/p>\n<p>Several entries were from twenty-seven years earlier.<\/p>\n<p>S.L. met CR \u2014 diner.<\/p>\n<p>S.L. asked re incentive.<\/p>\n<p>S.L. suggested family angle later.<\/p>\n<p>I pointed to the last line.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does \u2018family angle\u2019 mean?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gregory closed his eyes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t know then.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Paige whispered, \u201cLater.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen Toby and I started dating.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gregory nodded.<\/p>\n<p>She stood.<\/p>\n<p>The chair legs scraped against the floor.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou knew.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI suspected.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou knew Mom was interested in Toby because of his family.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou just said\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI said I suspected your mother saw opportunity once you two became serious.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Paige\u2019s breathing became uneven.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid she push us together?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gregory shook his head.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wasn\u2019t there by then.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou left.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gregory looked toward me.<\/p>\n<p>Then Harold.<\/p>\n<p>Finally back to Paige.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause Calvin discovered I was helping Leon.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The room went silent.<\/p>\n<p>Gregory opened another folder.<\/p>\n<p>Inside was a police report.<\/p>\n<p>He pushed it toward Harold.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSomeone broke into our house.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Paige stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMom said that was a burglary.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did they take?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOnly my Raven Creek files.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She sat down slowly.<\/p>\n<p>Gregory continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAfter that, I wanted us out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOut where?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnother state.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMom refused.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause she said leaving meant walking away from everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Paige\u2019s face tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat everything?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gregory laughed without humor.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMoney.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBy then, Sherry believed Raven Creek would eventually restart. She thought the Huitt property would always matter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My skin prickled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe was waiting?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot exactly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen what?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe watched.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Paige whispered, \u201cFor years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gregory nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen Leon got sick, she asked me whether Toby would inherit.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Harold looked at him sharply.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBefore I left.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat was years before Leon died.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Harold opened the blue folder.<\/p>\n<p>One of Leon\u2019s notes suddenly made sense.<\/p>\n<p>Questions had begun long before we realized.<\/p>\n<p>Gregory looked at Toby.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen you started dating Paige seriously, Sherry contacted me for the first time in years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Toby\u2019s face hardened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did she want?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo know whether your father had ever changed ownership of the cabin.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Paige covered her mouth.<\/p>\n<p>Toby said, \u201cAnd you told her?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy should I believe you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou shouldn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gregory pulled the cassette from his briefcase.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut you should believe this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He placed it on the table.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat is it?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA recording.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOf whom?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLeon and Calvin.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My heart stopped.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLeon\u2019s voice?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I reached for the tape.<\/p>\n<p>My fingers shook.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAbout three months before Leon died.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Harold stared at Gregory.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou never told me you had this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLeon asked me to keep one copy outside legal files.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn case your office was compromised.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Elaine had not even arrived yet.<\/p>\n<p>Leon\u2019s caution had begun earlier.<\/p>\n<p>Gregory pushed another item toward me.<\/p>\n<p>A small envelope.<\/p>\n<p>Leon\u2019s handwriting appeared across the front.<\/p>\n<p>For Mara \u2014 only if they come for the cabin again.<\/p>\n<p>My vision blurred.<\/p>\n<p>Toby saw it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMom.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I pressed one hand against my mouth.<\/p>\n<p>For twelve years, I had grieved a husband I thought had simply tried to put his affairs in order before dying.<\/p>\n<p>Now his voice, his warnings, and his preparations were emerging piece by piece.<\/p>\n<p>Not because death made him paranoid.<\/p>\n<p>Because he had been watching a threat he believed might outlive him.<\/p>\n<p>I opened the envelope.<\/p>\n<p>Inside was one sheet.<\/p>\n<p>Mara,<\/p>\n<p>If Raven Creek returns, the land is not the real prize.<\/p>\n<p>My hand froze.<\/p>\n<p>I read the next line.<\/p>\n<p>The road is.<\/p>\n<p>Harold stood.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat road?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gregory leaned over the map.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe access corridor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Leon\u2019s letter continued.<\/p>\n<p>Do not sell the corridor separately. Do not sign an easement. Do not let anyone convince Toby the cabin is just sentimental property.<\/p>\n<p>Toby closed his eyes.<\/p>\n<p>That was exactly what Sherry had tried to do.<\/p>\n<p>I read further.<\/p>\n<p>Calvin needs legal access to make the western parcels financeable. Without us, Raven Creek stays broken.<\/p>\n<p>Gregory nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLeon figured it out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Harold pointed at the map.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe corridor increases the value of all surrounding parcels.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBy millions,\u201d Gregory said.<\/p>\n<p>Paige looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow many millions?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He hesitated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cToday?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPotentially twenty or more across the entire development.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Toby stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd Calvin wanted our land for two hundred ten thousand.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The absurdity was now complete.<\/p>\n<p>This had never been a distressed sale.<\/p>\n<p>It had been an attempted acquisition of a strategic choke point at a fraction of its value.<\/p>\n<p>Harold turned the letter over.<\/p>\n<p>Nothing else.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy didn\u2019t Leon place the corridor under separate protection?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe did,\u201d Gregory said.<\/p>\n<p>We all looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n<p>Gregory reached into the briefcase.<\/p>\n<p>He removed one final document.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA conservation access covenant.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Harold took it.<\/p>\n<p>His eyebrows rose.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLeon recorded this?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTwo weeks before he died.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does it do?\u201d Toby asked.<\/p>\n<p>Harold read.<\/p>\n<p>Then looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt prevents commercial road expansion through the corridor without written approval from the trust and adjoining conservation authority.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Relief came too quickly.<\/p>\n<p>Then Gregory said, \u201cThere\u2019s a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Of course there was.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCalvin knows about it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Toby\u2019s shoulders tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo the only way around the covenant is to prove the trust consented before it was recorded.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Harold\u2019s face went still.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat would require a preexisting agreement.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gregory nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd Calvin claims he has one.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stared at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSigned by whom?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gregory looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLeon.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My heart lurched.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t believe it\u2019s real.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere is it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCalvin showed me a copy years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you tell Leon?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI did.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gregory\u2019s eyes moved to the cassette tape.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said, \u2018Then we find out who forged my name.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/?p=11426\">Click here to continue reading: PART 14: Leon\u2019s Recorded Voice Revealed the Forged Agreement Calvin Had Hidden for Decades and Why Sherry Could Never Let the Cabin Records Surface<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Harold did not immediately unlock the office door. Paige stood several feet away from the intercom, staring at it as if her father might somehow appear through the speaker. Toby &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11412,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11425","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feel-one-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11425","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11425"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11425\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11472,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11425\/revisions\/11472"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11412"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11425"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11425"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11425"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}