Page 140 of Twisted Knight

“Perfect. Buy cheap, sell high, right?” I say.

“Yeah, but it won’t hold its value. What about the others?” Rhett asks, his eyes glancing down at the notes I have on the map. Notes that mean shit but I cover them up as if there is some big secret there.

“Indifferent to the one on Highway 43. Really loved the one on Willow whatever, but then wasn’t thrilled to find out it’s sitting on contaminated soil.”

You gonna take the bait, motherfuckers?

Rhett clears his throat. “Contaminated? What are you talking about?”

“Yeah, got an earful about how the ground has high methane levels that make the land fucking useless. I mean, you can mitigate it coming up through the soil with barriers and shit, but that’s a huge investment over and above purchasing the land.” I watch them closely. The pulse in Chad’s throat. The tapping of Rhett’s fingers.

“Who told you that? The owner? The real estate agent?” Rhett laughs and glances at Chad. “Not very smart if they’re trying to sell the land.”

“A concerned citizen apparently,” I say. “Not sure. The message came through to my broker.”

“Out on WillowBend, you said?” Chad asks.

“Mmm-hmm. It’s a fucking pity though. Nice piece of property. Perfect for what I needed it for,” I say.

“There’s no methane in the land out there. Christ,” Rhett swears. “We had a friend—”

“Nathan?” Chad asks.

“Yeah, Nathan.” Rhett nods. “He had to deal with these Greenpeace-loving motherfuckers when he was trying to develop some land last year. They went around sabotaging every contract, contractor, even when he tried to buy the land. Tried to scare off buyers with the whole methane spiel.”

“It was all about ‘save the land, don’t develop,’ and shit like that,” Chad says.

“So you think that’s who contacted us?” I ask.

Rhett shrugs. “Sounds par for the course.”

“So you think these activists—”

“Tree huggers,” Rhett snorts.

“You think they are trying to discourage someone from buying the land and developing it by saying it’s contaminated?”

“Yep. That’s what happened to Nathan’s company.”

“Too much hassle. No, thanks,” I say and wait for the reaction.

Three.

Two.

One.

“I disagree. That makes it the perfect time to buy in my opinion. The property has been slandered. No doubt your broker sees in the MLS listing that the price has been dropped several times to mitigate the hassle. Buy cheap, isn’t that what you said?”

“Yes, but the methane—”

“The lie can be proven baseless with an independent consultant, Holden. Have someone go out there. Do some tests, give you a reading to prove that the land is fine. Problem solved,” Rhett says.

An independent consultant? That’s your fucking sales pitch? How much are you paying that consultant to lie for you? No wonder you’re drowning and taking your company down with you.

“Aren’t you the solver of all problems?” I say.

“What can I say?” He holds his hands up. “Whatever I can do to help. I can even get you the consultant that Nathan used if you want. He’s familiar with the land in that area and is knowledgeable in methane since he dealt with this shit for him. Once you have that report in hand, you’d be able to breathe easier about buying the land.”