Page 56 of Small Town Sizzle

I straighten up, feeling a prickle of irritation. “You’re sure?”

She gives me a look that says she knows her job. “I’m sure. If they filed anything, it’d be here. Either they’re working under a different name or not filing at all.”

I sigh and run a hand through my hair. This isn’t the answer I was hoping for, but it’s not entirely unexpected. Teddy said Oakmont Holdings doesn’t play by the rules.

She hesitates for a moment, then tilts her head. “Why are you asking about them, if you don’t mind me being nosy?”

“Trying to connect some dots. My mom was Greta McAllister. I want to make sure that the youth center and the wetlands are protected before I leave town again.”

“Aww, Greta was such a great woman. As far as I know, she went above and beyond to make sure there were no loopholes with the property. Is this just you being cautious, or did something happen?”

“Cautious,” I answer a little too quickly.

She narrows her eyes but doesn’t push. Instead, she leans back in her chair, a thoughtful look crossing her face.

“You know… I don’t work in the tax assessor’s office full-time, but I help out there sometimes when they’re short-staffed. There’s been this guy, JT or something, who keeps coming in and asking a lot of questions about the wetlands and the properties around them.”

That gets my attention. The man who has been coming around Maya is named TJ. Did he change his name when he came in here?

“Questions like what?”

“Like who owns what, what the land’s been valued at, if there’ve been any recent sales,” she says. “I thought it was weird because he didn’t seem like a buyer or anything. More like he was fishing for information.”

“What does this guy look like?” I ask, trying to keep my voice neutral.

“Mid-thirties, scruffy beard, always wearing a ball cap like he’s trying not to be noticed. The beard looks super fake, though. I’m not the only one who thought that. He’s polite, but… I don’t know. He gives me a bad vibe.” She leans forward a little. “And then there’s this woman who came in recently, saying the land was stolen from her family.”

Her description doesn’t match the man that I’ve seen. He’s very clean-cut. Teddy said they don’t play by the rules. Could he be changing his name and wearing a disguise so no one puts two and two together? That would be crazy.”

“Stolen?” I echo. “What’s her story?”

Paige shrugs. “She claimed her family owned a bunch of land out there years ago, but it got taken through some shady deals. She said the land is worth a fortune now because of minerals or something underneath it. But honestly, some of what she said didn’t make sense.”

“How so?”

“Well, for one, she couldn’t produce any proof. Wouldn’t say who her family was. No old deeds, no records. Just her word. And then I saw her talking to JT one day, which was… odd.”

I raise an eyebrow. “Odd why?”

“Because they shouldn’t know each other,” Paige says, lowering her voice. “He said he wasn’t from around here anddidn’t know anyone. And when I asked her about him, she was adamant she didn’t know him.”

That sends alarm bells ringing in my head. I lean closer, my voice dropping to match hers. “What did they talk about?”

“I didn’t hear much,” she admits, looking a little frustrated. “But it sounded like they were planning something. I only caught bits and pieces—something about maps, surveys, and timelines. It didn’t sit right with me.”

I nod slowly, the wheels in my head turning. Oakmont Holdings might not have filed any permits, but if they’re using people like TJ and this mystery woman to stir things up, that’s a lead I can follow.

“Paige, you’ve been more helpful than you know,” I say, offering her a small smile. “Is there anything else?”

She looks hesitant for a moment, then nods. “Sure. I mean, he says he’s with an environmental company, and I can see if I can get the name of it next time. Do you have a business card?”

“Yes, and thanks so much,” I say, pulling a card from my pocket and sliding it across the counter. “Call me if anything comes up.”

She glances at the card, then back at me. “I will.”

I walk out of city hall and straight to my car. I can do a little more digging to see what I can find out. Maybe this isn’t Oakmont Holdings, and it’s another company, but my gut tells me they’re not too far apart.

Chapter Twenty