But why?
Daniel sat across from Simone in the records office.
"Could be a mistake."
"No."
"You don't even need to think about it?"
"I already did."
Daniel sighed.
"Right."
Simone pointed at the document.
"Look at the margin."
Daniel leaned closer.
A faint vertical line ran down the page.
"Scanning artifact?"
"No."
She enlarged the image.
"There."
A tiny code appeared beneath the text.
Daniel's eyes widened.
"Document scanner identification?"
"Exactly."
They traced the code to a machine located inside the municipal planning department.
That meant the altered document had been created by someone with access to official equipment.
Simone called Brent.
"Where are you?"
"Hawthorne Ridge."
"Find Elaine Mercer."
"Already did."
"And?"
"She's angry."
Simone almost smiled.
"That narrows it down."
Brent lowered his voice.
"There's something else."
"What?"
"She's not the only one."
Simone became silent.
"Who else?"
"A developer named Marcus Vale."
"Does he own property nearby?"
"No."
"Then why is he involved?"
"That's what I'm trying to find out."
An hour later, Simone arrived at Hawthorne Ridge.
Elaine Mercer was standing beside her mailbox.
She was holding a stack of papers.
"You shouldn't be here," Elaine said.
Simone stopped.
"Why?"
"Because this isn't your investigation."
Simone looked at the papers.
"Then perhaps you can explain why your name appears on five complaints concerning city property."
Elaine's expression changed.
"I filed one complaint."
"Only one?"
"Yes."
"Then someone used your name."
Elaine stared at her.
For the first time, fear appeared beneath the woman's anger.
"I didn't authorize anything else."
Simone nodded.
"That's what I thought."
Brent arrived from the opposite sidewalk.
He held up a folder.
"I found something."
They gathered near Simone's SUV.
Inside the folder was an old survey map.
The map showed the green space behind the neighborhood.
But someone had drawn a thick red line across it.
Brent pointed.
"That line wasn't on the original."
"Who added it?"
"Unknown."
Daniel examined the paper.
"There's a date."
Simone looked closer.
"Twenty-two years ago."
Brent nodded.
"Exactly."
That meant the scheme hadn't started recently.
Someone had been preparing for this for decades.
Simone folded the map.
"Find the original."
"Where?"
"County archives."
Daniel looked at her.
"And if it's missing?"
Simone's eyes narrowed.
"Then we know somebody has been cleaning up the evidence."
Across the street, a black sedan slowly pulled away.
Simone watched it disappear.
She memorized the plate.
Then she said quietly:
"We're no longer investigating a property dispute."
Daniel looked at her.