Page 67 of Sunset Tides
Their presentation lasted twenty minutes, including five minutes to show the tax revenue and jobs generated by the hotel. It was immediately followed by short talks from the other property owners.
They weren’t as polished, but they spoke well and showed pictures of how lovely their lots now looked. Lucy thought no one could argue these places should be condemned.
Or at least, so she hoped. Their side of the argument was done by eleven, and then the council members asked one question each.
Lucy couldn’t decide if it was a good sign they didn’t have many questions, or a signal that they’d already made up their minds.
Once that was done, the head councilman asked if there was anyone from OSS to represent the condemnation case.
There were a few murmurs from the crowd, but no one stepped forward.
He shook his head. “It seems OSS doesn’t think this project is important enough for their presence. We’re going to take a brief recess, and if they haven’t appeared by then, the council will issue their verdict.”
He stood and the room erupted into a chorus of voices. Lucy was startled at first, thinking that perhaps Rob and his demolition crew had finally made their grand entrance, but when she turned around, there was no one. OSS’ table sat empty, their side still unrepresented.
After a short fifteen-minute wait, the council returned. The head councilman tapped his microphone and cleared his throat. “Thanks to everyone for coming out today. I’m pretty sure if I don’t get you out of here in a few minutes, the fire marshal is going to throw me in jail.”
A few chuckles.
He continued. “I will get to the point. This request was a large one, and one we didn’t take lightly. The proposed development on Orcas Island would bring substantial revenue and tourism to our county.”
There was a rumble of boos from the crowd. Lucy gripped onto the sides of her plastic chair.
“However,” he said, his voice booming and silencing them, “the inability of OSS to show even the slightest courtesy in explaining their plans does not inspire confidence. The properties are under good repair, and The Grand Madrona Hotel is a historic and fast-growing business. The request for condemnation has been denied.”
Lillian leapt from her seat with a yell before Lucy managed to process what she’d just heard. After a moment, she too stood, grabbing Claire, Aunt Becca, and Lillian into a hug.
The nightmare was finally over.
Chapter Twenty-eight
The livestream of the council meeting kept cutting in and out, but the final message came through loud and clear: the eminent domain request was dismissed, and OSS had lost their bid.
Rob let out a sigh and released the tension from his shoulders. Even with the signal booster he’d brought for himself, it was hard to get a signal out at sea. He tucked his phone into his pocket and opened the door to the ship’s bathroom.
Above board, the lawyers were flipping out.
“Did you get in contact with them?” one of them demanded. “Did you tell them we’re on our way?”
Rob frowned and shook his head. “I couldn’t get through. No one was answering.”
“This is ridiculous,” said one of the women. “They’ll have to reschedule for another day.”
Rob nodded. “Absolutely.”
He knew there was no chance of that happening. His scheme had worked just as he planned. When Rick told him to get their team of lawyers, field experts, and surveyors to the council meeting on time, he’d had an idea.
Rob declared the public ferries too unreliable to use, and said planes too were questionable with erratic island weather. He convinced the entire team that he needed to rent a private ship to transport them from Seattle to Friday Harbor.
Rick agreed, and then Rob simply gave the captain an extra five hundred dollars to pretend the ship had broken down in the middle of the ocean.
It worked like a charm. No one suspected a thing. The captain had even set off some sort of a smoke bomb, scaring the team into submission for a full hour before their complaints started.
Now Rob was finally in the clear. He gave the captain a signal that it was okay to restart, and off they went. Rob pretended they still had a chance to make the meeting, but by the time they docked in Friday Harbor, a call came in from Rick.
Rob answered as he watched the team shuffle down the dock. “Hello?”
“You blew it!”
