Former county zoning officer.
Fired six years ago for accepting bribes.
Now listed as an “independent consultant.”
Of course he is.
I lean back in my chair and close my eyes.
This isn’t a siege.
It’s a hostile acquisition.
And it’s being run by professionals.
I call Saint.
“I know who’s coordinating the buyouts,” I say.
“Local?” he asks.
“Yes.”
“And someone bigger behind him.”
“Names.”
“Tom Weaver is the ground man. But he’s not the brain.”
A pause.
“The brain is Rourke Hale.”
Saint is quiet for a moment.
“What does that mean?”
“It means your town is being dismantled by someone who’s done this before.”
“And it means my mother isn’t just leaning on people.”
“She’s paying for expertise.”
I look down at the map again.
At the roads.
The easements.
The utilities.
The land.
“They’re not buying buildings,” I say.
“They’re buying the skeleton of Eagle River.”
48
