Still, it felt strange having come from Wendell’s house, where she’d helped to decorate the bedroom for Julia and Pippa over the weekend, to meet with Candace on Monday morning. More than once she was tempted to mention that she’d seen the girls and they were doing fine. She realized Candace might not appreciate that. Or, worse, might not care. So she kept her mouth shut. Besides, there was the matter of the conversation she’d overheard between Geoffrey and Candace in the office the previous week.
Ginny had called Candace and offered to drop off documents that morning. The offer to purchase White Pines had been accepted, and Scooter Dunham’s deposit had been received. What remained was one contingency: the estate had to be approved for subdivision by the town’s planning and zoning department, so that Scooter could be assured of his development plans. And that included approval from the Inland Wetlands Commission. Otherwise, the deal would fall apart. And there was too much at stake, for Ginny as well, to let that happen.
As she pulled up to the house, she noticed a group of people in the distance, walking through the upper fields. When she knocked, Geoffrey Banks opened the door. She imagined the poor man practically lived at White Pines these days. He invited her in. “Come, join us. Candace and I were just wrapping up an estate meeting.”
They were seated around the dining room table this time, and Ginny couldn’t help but notice the girls’ absence. The quietude made the sprawling house feel especially empty. “Now that we’vegot Mr. Dunham’s documentation, I’d like to get an update on his contingency request. Do we know where things stand with the application for zoning?”
Geoffrey shared a copy of the application with her. “The commission met last week and reviewed our application. The zoning inspections have been done. And the Inland Wetlands Commission folks are conducting their walk as we speak.”
“Ah, that’s who I saw out there,” Ginny said. “So, assuming today’s walk goes well, we should expect approval for our permit to build?”
“Yes,” Candace said. “Assuming.” She glanced at Geoffrey. There: Ginny saw something in her look.
“Is there anything you’re concerned about? Anything that might turn the approval process in the other direction?” Ginny was pressing, but that was her job. If something hadn’t been disclosed, she needed to dig it up now.
“Well, there are lots of wetlands on the estate,” Geoffrey allowed. “Which means that the commission is going to investigate things on their site walk.”
“What kinds of things?” Ginny asked.
“Setbacks. Species of plants and animals, that sort of thing. The engineers have already come in and done soil tests to determine where the wetland boundaries are. The site walk is more of a formality.”
“Nothing to worry about,” Candace interjected firmly.
But that wasn’t entirely true. While the Inland Wetlands Commission may have been a small one, if there were species or soil areas that could not be disrupted by excavation, they could stop a build. Which could mean that one or more of the lots created with the surveys might not be buildable. Unless an abutting property owner wanted to purchase it for privacy, a nonbuildable lot had pretty much zero value.
“Are we still marketing the lot?” Candace asked.
“Yes, of course. The listing remains active until the sale.”
“Good. I think it’s best to keep marketing it aggressively and keep others on the hook. I have a good feeling about Mr. Dunham, but one never knows.”
Ginny did not have such a good feeling about Mr. Dunham, but for reasons other than the one Candace was suggesting. “Well, I should get back to the office.”
Back outside, she noticed the group of commissioners getting into their cars down at the lower barn. They must’ve completed their walk. She waited as they pulled out before she drove down, so as not to disrupt them. When she passed the barn, there were two cars still there. One was a Subaru wagon. The other was a red sports car she recognized right away. But neither driver was around.
Ginny wondered idly if Wendell was there, working somewhere. As she pulled past the barn, she glanced back, looking for his truck. What she saw instead were two men, standing by the side of the barn, speaking closely. One of the men was Scooter Dunham. The other must’ve been a commissioner. Ginny slowed, watching as they shook hands. Scooter looked up just as she drove by, and she pulled her gaze away. Whatever they were doing, Scooter shouldn’t have been talking to a commissioner. She wondered if Candace knew he was on the property.
Ginny glanced in her rearview mirror. The other man was getting into his car. But Scooter was watching her drive away.
There was a lot of work waiting for her, but Ginny didn’t go back to the office.
Instead, she went to Saybrook town hall.
“Well, if it isn’t Ginny Feldman!” Mrs. Hawthorne, the town clerk, stood up from behind her desk and trotted around to give her a hug. “You look no older than your high school graduation.”
Mrs. Hawthorne’s daughter was an old school friend of Ginny’s. “Good to see you, too,” Ginny said. Being home in a small town had some perks.
“What can I help you with, honey?” Mrs. Hawthorne asked.
“I’m representing a client on Timber Lane.”
Mrs. Hawthorne nodded knowingly. “The whole town is talking about it. That beautiful place is going to be dug up and turned into a suburban eyesore.” She clapped her hand over her mouth. “But that’s just my opinion. Between us, of course.”
Ginny laughed. “Of course. I was wondering if I could see the file on the property.”
“You must mean the property card. Is there something in particular you’re worried about?”
Ginny knew it was somewhat unusual for a listing agent to review town property files, but her gut was telling her she should. What she’d overheard of Geoffrey and Candace’s discussion earlier that week suggested that something wasn’t quite right. “I wanted to check on its zoning status and take a look at the history of permit applications.” When she got a funny look, she added quickly, “I’m just crossing my t’s and dotting my i’s.”
