Chapter 111

Mason noticed the grin and said, “What?”

Philip held up a finger and said, “Give me a minute.”

He disappeared down the hall. A few minutes later, he returned with a large roll of paper, which he spread out on the coffee table.

“Are these the parcels to which you’re referring, Mason?” Philip said.

The paper was a sketch of all the properties surrounding the Johnson’s twenty acres.

“Those are the ones,” Mason said.

I couldn’t help myself, and I began to grin as well.

“Okay, you two,” Mason said. “What’s the joke?”

“There’s no joke,” Philip said. “I’m the son of a bitch of a developer, and Charles is the clever lawyer who’s hidden my purchases behind layers of holding companies. What you see is a sketch of all the properties around the Johnsons’ acreage. Over the past two years, I’ve acquired a total of nine properties. The total acreage is thirty, not counting the twenty acres owned by the Johnsons.”

“You sly dog,” Mason said. “I’m impressed.”