Jason rolled over, away from the sun shining through the windows. He opened one eye just enough to make sure Lotty was still next to him. Her long, dark hair spilled over her pillow, glistening as the sun danced across it. He opened both eyes and had to suppress a laugh when he saw her mouth, completely agape. It seemed the perfect contrast; angelic meets overworked, exhausted mother.

Her eyes opened and she looked around before taking a deep breath and moving closer to Jason.

He wrapped his arms around her.

“Were you staring at me?” she asked. “And why were you grinning like that?”

Jason laughed and squeezed tighter. “Because you were drooling.”

“I was not. I don’t drool.”

“Yes, you were. Puddles.”

She buried her face in his neck. “You’re such a liar.”

He laughed. “Maybe.” He kissed her cheek. “I just like watching you. It’s been a long time since I woke up with you next to me in this bed.” 

The ring of the doorbell startled them both. Jason jumped up and jogged toward the window. He separated the blinds and saw Cade’s truck in the driveway.

“Who is it?”

“I think it’s Cade,” he answered. “I’ll go check.” He moved to the front door, unlocked the deadbolt, and opened the large iron door. Cade, hair disheveled and eyes red, stood on the porch.

“I figured you were still in jail,” Jason said, motioning for him to come inside. If someone had told him a few weeks ago that he’d be inviting Cade Warner into his home, he’d never have believed it.

Cade gave a sad laugh and shook his head as he walked passed Jason.

“Didn’t you steal documents from City Hall? How did you get out?”

“Apparently they don’t know anything about City Hall. They came after me because they found evidence that I was behind the grave robberies.”

Jason sat on the sofa and waited for Cade to follow. “What evidence?” he asked. 

“Well, there was a shovel with my finger prints on it at the cemetery in Kalispell and one of my work trucks had hair belonging to one of the bodies in the bed,” Cade said, running his hand through his hair before sitting down.

“So, how did you get out, exactly?” Jason asked.

“Brent told them he planted the shovel and the hair so now I’m free.”

Jason rubbed his eyelids. “I don’t get it. Why is he admitting to everything? And the more obvious question; why did he plant it in the first place?”

“I’m not sure why he set me up. Maybe I was an easy scapegoat.” Cade leaned closer to Jason and lowered his voice. “But I think I might know why he orchestrated all the crime in Strawberry Estates.”

“Okay,” Jason answered when Cade paused.

“He kept going on and on about how scary the neighborhood was getting. He told anybody who would listen that he was thinking of moving. He talked about the great land in Idaho where he and Nikki might move.”

Jason nodded, recalling several similar conversations with Brent. “He kept talking about how the values of our homes were dropping by the day.”

“Right,” Cade agreed. “He wanted all of us to be scared of this neighborhood.”

“Yeah, I guess so.” Jason stood and paced back and forth in front of the coffee table. “Why? What would he gain from that?”

“Jay O’Brien and I own some land west of your neighborhood. It’s fairly flat and butts right up to the lake, making it the perfect site for homes. We’ve been talking about subdividing and building on it for years. It’s small, only big enough for four homes, but we finally started moving forward on it this year. Part of that meant we needed to pay for soil and water testing.” Cade stared at Jason like that should mean something to him. “There were major problems with both. We were told the area was not suitable for construction, which seemed impossible since it’s right next to this neighborhood.”

“That is strange. So, that’s why you guys think this neighborhood is toxic?”

“We don’t just think it’s toxic. It is toxic. Jay ran a bunch of tests on the soil and water. There are many problems, but the worst is the presence of deadly chemicals like cyanide and chromium six. They have to have been there for years. I believe Brent is somehow linked to the problem and now he’s trying to cover it up.”

“How does scaring the residents cover it up?”

“He’s trying to get them to leave. No one is going to notice poison in the drinking water if everyone’s too scared of the neighborhood to live here.” 

This theory created more questions than it answered.

“Uh, hi, Cade,” Lotty said, peeking her head into the room. Cade smiled at Lotty, and for the first time in months, Jason didn’t feel jealous, didn’t wonder if maybe Lotty regretted marrying him.

“I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation.” Lotty sat in the large chair by the window, tucking her feet underneath her. “Though that may have been because I was hiding on the stairs trying to listen. You guys talk in annoyingly quiet voices sometimes.” She smiled and Jason’s heart constricted. He longed to wrap his arms around her again. She continued, “Anyway, I think Cade is on to something about Brent wanting everyone out and it all somehow ties into the permits.”

The permits. He’d completely forgotten about those.

“What permits?” Cade asked.

“Brent had the building permits for every home in Strawberry Lake Estates,” Lotty explained. “They were in a file cabinet that Nikki gave me and Brent has been trying to find them for months. Last night he was going crazy trying to find them. That’s why he held a gun on Aiden.”

Cade’s eyes widened. “On Aiden?”

Lotty nodded and explained all that had happened the previous night with the cameras watching their house, the permits Brent wanted, and him turning into a madman.

“And he also put the filters on all the wells,” Cade said when she was done.

“So, what if there was something on those permits that showed the soil and water were bad?”

Cade shook his head. “No, they never could have gotten permits if the soil and water were bad. There’s something else going on.”

“Why don’t you talk to Brent?” Lotty asked, eyes fixed on Jason.

He shook his head. He didn’t ever want to see Brent again, and he especially didn’t want to talk to him. He’d knocked his wife out and held a gun on his one-year-old. If he ever saw Brent again, he was afraid of what he’d do to that man. “What good will that do?” He asked.

“I don’t know. He’s always liked you. Maybe he’ll say something to you that he wouldn’t say to the cops.”

“Fake Brent liked me, not criminal mastermind Brent.”

“You never know,” Cade said. “Maybe Fake Brent is the real Brent and the criminal Brent is the fake Brent.”

Jason raised his eyebrows. “I don’t even know what you just said, but I’ll think about talking to him. Just not now.”

“I’m going to check on Nikki and then the boys and I are going to go visit Mom,” Lotty said. You could come with us.” She raised an eyebrow. “I’m sure she’d be thrilled to talk to you about getting shot and about your affiliation with criminals.”

Touché. Jason shook his head. “I would, but I’ll be busy talking to my best friend, Brent.”

Lotty nodded and laughed. 

Cade stood. “I’m going to take off. Please call me if he says anything interesting.” He offered Jason his hand. 

Jason shook it. “Thanks, Cade. We’ll let you know.”

After Cade left and Lotty shut the door, she smiled at Jason.

“What?”

“I’ve never seen you two interact without snide remarks and glaring.”

“That’s not true.”

Lotty turned her head to the side and Jason pulled her close. She rose onto her tiptoes and kissed him. All too soon, she pulled back. “Okay, I’m going to get the boys ready and head over to Nikki’s. I’ll see you after you talk to Brent.”

Jason inwardly groaned. “Great,” he said with a fake smile as he headed up the stairs to change out of his sweat pants.

He made his way toward the police station, which was on the front of the town’s small jail. After checking in, he sat on a green, metal bench for nearly thirty minutes, his nervousness growing. With each passing minute, he fidgeted more. He found a collection of old gum stuck to the side of the bench and counted all the floor tiles he could see (384), before a uniformed guard motioned for him. He followed the guard into a room with three tables. Brent sat at the one in the middle, looking down.

Jason sat across from him in silence, waiting for Brent to look up, but Brent’s eyes stayed locked on his own lap. The anger Jason expected to feel wasn’t there. The miserable, crumpled man in front of him demanded pity. Nothing else. Jason continued staring at him. It was hard to accept that this man had held a gun on Aiden twelve hours ago. He still seemed like his best friend and neighbor, albeit a bit of a sad, defeated mess. It felt like Jason should try to cheer him up by talking about sports or cars, or invite him to grab some lunch together at Wild Wyatt’s.

The silence was too much. Jason pointed at Brent’s torso. “How’s, uh, your wound? Does it hurt pretty bad?”

Brent looked up and stared at Jason for several seconds before answering. “Yeah, it hurts.”

Jason nodded. “Shouldn’t you be in the hospital?”

“I was,” Brent answered gruffly.

“Okay,” Jason answered, glancing at his watch for the third time in two minutes. Lotty and Cade were wrong. Brent wasn’t going to talk. “Well I’m going to take off,” Jason said, pushing back from the table.

“Wait, Jason.” Jason turned to face him again as Brent fidgeted with his collar. “I, I need you to do something.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Brent continued as if he hadn’t heard Jason. “Please watch out for Nik and the kids. I don’t want them to get hurt.”

“I think it’s a little late for that. They’re hurt, Brent. You hurt them.”

Brent looked directly at Jason. “Please. Just make sure they’re okay. This was supposed to help them, to make sure they were safe.”

Jason sat down again. “How was any of this going to make sure they were safe?”

Brent was silent again.

“We’re back to this, huh? Why were you trying to scare everyone out of Strawberry Lake Estates?”

Brent leaned closer. “To avoid this happening.”

“What do you mean? And why did you pin it on Cade?”

Brent sighed. “He was an easy target and he always had his nose in everything." He rubbed his temples and whispered, “Jason, this is so much more than you realize. I’m just a pawn in a huge game.”

“Then explain it to me. How is it so much more?”

Brent’s laugh sent chills down Jason’s spine. “The neighborhood wasn’t safe. That was a fact. It was my job to get people out of there.”

“You holding a gun on my son was your way of accomplishing that?”

“That was your fault—well actually Lotty’s. She got in the way and they knew she had the permits.”

Jason tried to keep his expression neutral as long as Brent was talking, but it took all his strength to avoid punching Brent in the face. Brent lowered his head and whispered, “Jason, just please keep my family safe. Convince them to leave. You should leave too.”

Jason’s new phone rang and Lotty’s name flashed across the screen. He swiped right. “Hey, I’m still with Brent. Can I call you in a few minutes?”

“Hold on, Jason, those permits are forged,” Lotty said. “The permits Brent wanted so badly. He forged them years ago before we ever lived here.”

Jason glanced at Brent, who was watching him closely. “Uh, okay, how do you—”

“Brent was heavily medicated last night and he said some things to Nikki. Most of it didn’t make any sense, but he told her people were going to find out he forged the building permits for the entire neighborhood.” Lotty mumbled something to someone else—probably one of the boys. “Anyway, ask him about it.”

“Uh, I’ll see,” Jason said, not wanting Brent to catch the direction of the conversation. “I’ll be home soon.” He hung up and slipped his phone back into his pocket, his head trying to wrap itself around the information. Why would Brent have forged permits for the neighborhood? The lots were prime lake-front property so was it all about money? Memories swirled through Jason’s head; conversations with Brent about his family leaving him money years ago, how he could only afford the house they had because of the inheritance. Had this really been going on for so long? Jason looked up to find Brent’s narrowed eyes locked on him.

“Brent, what can you tell me about the permits?”

Brent shook his head. “Nothing important.”

“I think it’s important. I think you forging them is kind of a big deal. Don’t you?”

Brent shook his head and swore under his breath, but gave no explanation.

“Brent, I have to know what I’m protecting your family from.”

“Look, they couldn’t get permits. Something about the land taking longer to clean up than they expected.”

“Who’s ‘they’?”

Silence.

Jason tried again. “Clean up from what?”

“From the plant. Strawberry Lake Estates sits on what used to be a steel processing plant. The land seemed perfectly usable, but no one would sign off on it.”

“Except you.”

“Well, yeah, but, no. I didn’t have that kind of authority, but I knew what the permits looked like and they were surprisingly easy to replicate.” Brent grinned like he expected Jason to smile back. “An inspector signed off on the water test and-”

“Scott Willard,” Jason interrupted.

Brent raised an eyebrow. “Yes.”

“So, you forged permits a decade and a half ago. What triggered the problem this year?”

“I never thought there was actually a problem with the land. I wouldn’t have lived in the neighborhood if I had. Last year, everyone’s plants were inexplicably sick and dying. This year, Cade and his foreman ordered tests on nearby land and the results were...well, they weren’t good. I knew someone would try to look into the building permits for our neighborhood. I’d taken them from City Hall years ago, but I went to get them, to make sure no one would ever find them, and discovered Nikki had given you guys the file cabinet.”

“So, you organized a robbery to get them back?”

“No, that wasn’t me.” Brent shook his head.

Jason scoffed.

“They didn’t want those permits in the wrong hands so they went after them.”

“Brent, who is they?”

Brent continued talking as if he hadn’t heard Jason. “They wanted to scare Lotty. I was terrified they’d kill half the neighborhood in the process, including my family, so I said I’d take care of it. The other crimes were to scare people into leaving and hopefully get the permits back in the process, but I accomplished neither goal.”

Jason grabbed the sides of his chair, trying to channel his anger in a direction other than toward Brent. He needed these answers. Needed Brent to keep talking.

“Why was Scott Willard one of the bodies dug up in the grave robberies? There’s no way that’s coincidence.”

“Like I said, this is bigger than you realize. Let’s just say I had to keep certain people from coming forward and his body showing up in your neighborhood did just that.”

“You killed him?”

“No, his heart failed.”

“With help?”

“Not mine.” Jason could tell that’s all he was going to say about it.

“Why did you want people to leave?”

“It was simply a matter of covering up the initial crime. Everything goes back to the forged permits and they couldn’t have anything linking them to this development.”

Jason folded his arms. “How much did you make? Was it worth it to betray those closest to you?”

Brent’s eyes narrowed.

“Who else is involved in this? Who did you work for?”

“I’m not going to die over this, Jason.”

“I can’t help you if I don’t know what we’re up against.”

“You can’t help me either way. I only told you as much as I did so you’ll help keep Nik and the kids safe. Get her out of that neighborhood.” Brent pushed back from the table. “We’re done,” he yelled at the guard.

The guard led Brent back through a large, metal door. Jason let out a long breath. How had he allowed himself to be deceived by that man for years? A man who was willing to shoot a one-year-old just to keep some secret about forged permits. He would watch after Brent’s family, though only for Nikki’s sake.

He pulled into the driveway. Laughs echoed from the backyard. He rounded the corner and found Ty and Aiden laughing as Lotty chased them, a hen in her arms. She turned to face him and a smile lit up her face. A familiar sense of home settled in around him, a sense he’d been missing for over a year.

“Hey, we have an idea for a new chicken coop,” she said, setting the hen down. “These girls can’t stay in the garage forever. So, we’re thinking we suspend the whole thing. If I go to Dixie’s today, we can get started on it this afternoon—”

Jason cut her off with a kiss until Ty pulled on his shirt. “What do you think, Dad? Can we start today?”

“Let me talk to Mom for a little while and we’ll figure it out.” Jason sat on the patio bench and Aiden immediately started climbing into his lap. Three chickens appeared at his legs. “I take it Flo found her way home.”

“She was by the front door this morning,” Lotty said, nestling in next to him. 

“I think we need to leave the neighborhood,” Jason said. “I don’t like being here when I know there’s poison all around. I don’t like the boys playing in the yard and, even with Brent’s fancy filters, the water scares me.”

“I agree,” Lotty said, interlacing her fingers with Jason’s. “I did some research about cyanide and chromium six this afternoon. Just reading the possible side effects made my liver and kidneys hurt.”

“I’m sure Dad would let us stay with him for a bit while we decide what we’re going to do. That way we’ll only have to move a couple of miles. Plus, the kids would love staying there. Then we’ll have some time to determine what we’re up against.”

Lotty nodded. “Did Brent tell you more?”

“Yeah. The toxins are from the steel processing plant that used to be here. The land was never properly cleaned up. Brent forged the permits for the developer who was in a hurry to build.” Lotty stared at him with wide eyes and Jason relayed everything Brent had told him.

She shook her head. “I still can’t believe it. Poor Nikki.”

Aiden lost interest in all the talking and joined Ty running around the yard. Lotty moved closer and Jason wrapped his arm around her. “How did it go with your Mom?”

“She was actually sorry.”

Jason raised an eyebrow. “She apologized?”

“Well, no. Doll does not apologize, ever. But she was nice and thanked me for coming and kept grabbing my hand and squeezing it. That’s as close as I’ll ever get. Plus, she didn’t say anything negative about you the entire time.”

“Impressive,” Jason said with a smile.

“So, about your dad’s place. He’ll be thrilled to have his backyard turned into a chicken coop, right?”

“Absolutely. It will fit in perfectly between the horseshoe pit and his tomato garden. Who wouldn’t want that?” He kissed Lotty’s forehead. “Everything will work out.”

Lotty lay her head on his shoulder. “I hope you’re right.”