Page 13 of In Pursuit of the Truth

After getting out of his truck, he snapped a leash on Minnie and led her to the front door. It swung open before they’d reached it, and Bailey ushered them in.

Minnie’s nub wagged double time as she greeted everyone. Seth and Jordan fawned all over her, and it wasn’t clear whether they or the dog enjoyed it more. He took her leash off and kept an eye on her as the boys lavished her with pats and praise.

Jenny greeted Nate with a tight smile. “Hey, not that it isn’t nice to see you more often, but we’ve got to stop meeting like this.”

“Seriously.” He looked to Bailey and offered her an encouraging smile.

Her brows were drawn, and the lines at the corners of her mouth deepened with the frown that quickly replaced the small smile she’d given him in return.

Jenny lifted a piece of paper that she’d slipped into a clear evidence bag. “I’ll take it back and have the team check it for prints. Same with the envelope, especially the inside. Maybe they’ll come up with something.”

Bailey nodded, but she didn’t look convinced. “I appreciate that.” She glanced at her sons and lowered her voice. “I realize the letter is likely referencing the fact that if I don’t accept the next offer, realtors won’t stop bothering me, but it feels more sinister. As if I need to watch our backs.”

Nate didn’t care whether the threat was an empty one or not. It was messed up to send a letter like that to anyone.Especially considering that Bailey was a widow trying to raise two little boys on her own.

He’d love to get this person alone in a room and teach him or her some proper manners.

Jenny turned to Nate. “I already told Bailey that I need to run. I’m having dinner with my parents in about forty-five minutes.” She made a face.

“Uh oh. I take it that’s not a good thing?”

“It entirely depends on whether it’s a nice, relaxing family meal or if my mom has taken it upon herself to find the love of my life and present him as a blind date.”

Bailey put an arm around her friend’s shoulder. “I’ll be praying for you. Call if you need to talk about it. Or text if you need an escape.”

Jenny chuckled. “Will do, and I just might take you up on that last one.” She sobered. “I’ll run this letter by the station first. Seriously, Bailey. Just be extra careful, and call if you’re worried about anything. Okay?”

“I will. Thanks again for coming out here.”

Jenny waved goodbye and left, closing the door behind her.

Bailey walked over and turned the deadbolt in place. She leaned against the door and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, they were filled with a combination of exhaustion and worry.

“I wish I knew why someone was doing this. And why now? It doesn’t make any sense.”

Nate wished he had the perfect thing to say to make her feel more at ease. “I dug into the realtor who came to the store yesterday. He’s sold property for many people, but he tends to specialize in large pieces of real estate, and he’s been known to locate property and sell it to the town of Destiny.”

Her brows rose as she pushed away from the door and motioned for him to follow her into the dining room. “Can I get you a Coke or Sprite?”

“I’ll take a Sprite. Thank you.” He waited until she’d handed a can to him and got one for herself. They sat down at the table where he could keep an eye on Minnie and make sure she wasn’t getting too rowdy with the boys—or vice versa.

Nate took a sip of his soda. “Destiny has been growing a lot, and the city limits have been expanding steadily for a while. This area out here is probably the next to be transformed into residential property, and a place like yours could bring in a lot of money if it were sectioned off and sold as plots for developers. It could be that someone is trying to capitalize on that. Buy from you now when it would be cheaper and then sell when the land is in high demand in a few more years. Maybe even less.”

It wasn’t a bad business plan and one that he could respect if it were all done on the up-and-up. But sending a threatening letter to the owner in hopes of scaring her into selling was inexcusable. Of course, there was no proof that Mr. Driver had anything to do with the letter at all.

Bailey looked thoughtful, but she didn’t say anything.

He picked up his can of soda. “If you remember the names of any of the realtors who’ve contacted you, please let me know. I’d like to check on their companies, too. It’s also possible that there may be some mineral rights interests. If someone thinks there may be a good source of oil or something similar, they may be hoping to purchase the land specifically to sell the mineral rights to another company.”

“How do we find out about that?”

“I’ll do more digging.”

“I appreciate it.” Bailey took a long drink of her Sprite.

Minnie ran into the dining room and dove beneath the table, shaking his soda can along with the salt and pepper shakers.

Jordan squealed and started to duck under the table when Bailey reached out and snagged him by the arm. “I don’t think so, mister. You’re going to knock this table over and make a mess.”

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