Mountain Top(69)
“No, I wasn’t born then.”
“Me either. But all those plans were scrapped when it became cheaper and easier to make electricity by burning coal than by harnessing water.”
“Which is good for fishing but doesn’t do a lot for the economy in general.”
“You’re ahead of me. Over the past three years, there has been a huge change in the percentage of ownership between utility, private, and state.”
“What kind of change?”
“Utility company ownership is down to a couple hundred acres on the south side. Private owners now hold options on two thousand acres, and the state controls about six thousand acres, including Horseshoe Bottoms. There has been discussion in the legislature about selling the state’s remaining share of the watershed to open the entire area for private companies that could create a deepwater lake surrounded by residential development.”
Mike opened his eyes wider. “That would be one of the biggest things that ever hit this county.”
“Yes. And a lot of money could be made by people in the right place at the right time. The options controlling access to Horseshoe Bottoms are already in place.”
“Who holds the options?”
Hodges held up the envelope. “Companies in Nevada and New York.”
“Who are the local contacts?”
“That’s where it gets fuzzy, but I have an opinion. I believe the initiative for this whole project came from within Barlow County.” Hodges paused. “Have you seen the new house Representative Niles is building?”
“No.”
“It’s a monster. Some would say a monstrosity. I’ve heard rumors of Italian marble, gold-plated fixtures in the bathrooms, and a bunch of other stuff a man who works in the trust department of a bank couldn’t afford. He’s telling everyone he hit a home run on an investment, some new stock offering he bought for pennies and sold a year later for dollars. But I’m skeptical.”
“Butch Niles is getting a cut for getting this through the legislature?”
“If I printed that, it would fall in the category of unsubstantiated allegations and would result in a lawsuit putting our puny newspaper out of business. However, if my guess is true, there has been a high level of coordination between people wanting to make a lot of money, those holding political influence, and politicians with enough inside information to let the group get ahead of the curve.”
“What about environmental concerns? I always thought Cohulla Creek would end up as a state park, not a huge subdivision.”
“You’re behind on that one. The developers’ plan includes dedication of a tract for public use, a nice little picnic and camping area, but without boat access for the unwashed masses. Only landowners get to ski on the pristine waters.”
“How do you know about this?”
“Through the inadvertent help of a former bank employee who now heads the accounting department at the paper. His cubicle is near mine, and I didn’t want him to hear me talking to you the other night.”
“He told you about this?”
Hodges shook his head. “Not exactly. I have my sources.”
“Braxton, are you rummaging through the trash again?” Mike asked with a smile. “I hope you washed your hands before you ate your hamburger.”
“Trash? You’re in the dark ages before computers.”
“You snooped on someone’s computer?”
“Are you my lawyer?” the reporter asked. “This has to be confidential.”
“Yes, I can handle two clients.”
“His laptop. He’d brought one from home until we got him up and running on our system. Last week, he left it on when he went to the restroom, and I couldn’t help but see what was on his screen. I sent the information in the file to my computer and printed it out after he left.” Hodges held up the envelope. “It’s in here.”
“Who are you talking about?”
“Brian Dressler.”
“From the Bank of Barlow County? He’s one of Jack Hatcher’s chief assistants.”
“Not anymore.”
“Why did he leave the bank?”
“I’m not sure, but it wasn’t a friendly divorce. I didn’t participate in his interview at the paper, but he needed a job as soon as possible and took a huge pay cut. His wife has cancer, and he needed health insurance. That’s about the only employee benefit we have that’s first rate.”
Mike remembered Sam’s dream about the hatchet, deeds of darkness, and Cohulla Creek.
“This is all juicy local gossip that I wouldn’t hear sitting in my office at the church,” Mike replied lightly, “but what does it have to do with Sam Miller?” “Miller is mentioned in a memo in the file.”