Page 37 of Spock’s Snare

Chloe frowns but nods. “That’s possible, although didn’t they examine the site beforehand? They should also know what permits they’ll need when they made the original quote.”

Darby nods. “They visited the site. My fiancé and his friend met them there. I was working.”

“What else has happened?” Spark asks.

“Just more of the same. Additional licenses, more equipment, and unexpected delays. I know we had to pay a large fee to have the flooring delivered because the order was delayed. Jayson said that I didn’t make up my mind in time, but I thought I decided within the window they gave me.”

“What do Jayson and Jefferey say about the additional costs? Are they worried?” Juliet asks.

“They’re upset. They said that this project is turning out to be more expensive than they originally thought. They’re ready to back out.”

“They want to back out?” Puma asks.

She nods. “Yeah, they want to sell and they’ve already found a buyer. I’m not ready to give up. This project is too important to me.”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: CHLOE

“Why?” Rush asks.

The look on Darby’s face tells me that she’s had to answer this question too many times, and she’s tired of it. She lets out a long sigh before explaining.

“I’ve been working in hotel management for years. I love what I do, but my ultimate goal has always been to own a hotel. I started the business plan in college. Every job has been research. I thought meeting Jayson was another step forward. He and his friend, Jefferey, are real estate investors. When I told him my idea, he was eager to help. Now he thinks we should sell out and try again later.”

“And you don’t want to do that?” Rush asks.

She shakes her head. “Maybe I’m being unreasonable, but this is my dream. I’m not ready to give up. Besides, I’ve put all the money I saved into this project. If I just give up, I’ll lose everything, and it will take me too long to be in a position to try this again. I don’t know if you can help me, but Juliet said you were looking into Red Rock Construction. Do you think there is something wrong with them?”

“Maybe,” Spock says. “We started looking at them because someone has been sabotaging Chloe’s construction sites. They also attacked her father and left a threatening message. We believe that whoever is causing her problems is retaliating against her because she won the Inferno Ridge bid. Red Rock is one of those who lost.”

Darby shoots me a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry. I hope your dad is okay.”

“He’s recovering. He had to have stitches, so he’s resting at home.”

“That’s good,” Darby says. “We haven’t seen any sabotage. Or, at least I don’t think we have. Huh.”

“What?” Spock asks.

“I realized that I don’t know if we’ve been sabotaged or not. We have had problems. Maybe some of those problems could have been from sabotage.”

“Like what?”

“We bought a rundown motel on the outskirts of the Arts District. The Sun Haven. It was built in the seventies and hasn’t been properly maintained in decades. Twenty-eight rooms surrounding a cracked swimming pool, an office that smelled like mold, and a cracked parking lot.”

I know the property. I’ve driven past it several times. The faded yellow sign is missing half its letters, and most of the windows are covered with plywood.

“We bought it with the intention of tearing it down and building from the ground up,” Darby continues. “Something for people who want to visit Las Vegas but aren’t interested in spending their entire vacation inside a casino. Local art in every room, a restaurant featuring food from local farms, live music on the weekends, and rooftop space overlooking the Arts District.”

“That could do well,” I say.

Darby turns toward me. “I still believe in the project, but as I said, Jayson and Jefferey are ready to give up. I think Red Rock has been bleeding us dry. My partners think it is only a run of bad luck. They both say that Red Rock has a good reputation, but I feel like something is off with them.”

“In what way?”

“As I said, the problems started with the demolition, and they haven’t let up. Once the demolition was done, they claimed the original soil report was inadequate. They ordered more testing and conveniently found compaction problems that required additional excavation and imported fill.”

I frown. “Did your original report show any issues?”

“No. We hired another engineer to review both reports. He said the additional work might be justifiable, but Red Rock had already replaced the soil before he could inspect it.”