My eyes scanned the first few lines.

“Marcus,” I said.

He looked at me, his face twisted in anger.

“What?” he spat.

“Wexler Stone just pulled out,” I said.

The clearing went completely silent, save for the rain.

“What did you say?” Marcus asked.

“They are cancelling the entire development agreement,” I said.

“They are suing you, Warren, and the estate for fraud.”

Marcus took a step backward, his boots sliding in the mud.

“That’s impossible,” he said. “The contract is locked.”

“They have a morals and legal compliance clause,” I said, reading from the screen.

“They are demanding the return of the initial deposit immediately.”

“I don’t have it,” Marcus whispered.

“I know,” I said.

The police officer walked back from Caroline’s car, holding a thick leather folder.

“Mr. Mercer,” the officer said. “I need you to come with me.”

“Wait,” Marcus said, looking around wildly. “We can fix this. Warren can fix this.”

“Warren Bellamy is currently being detained at his home,” Lydia Crane said.

She checked her phone.

“The state police served a search warrant on his office twenty minutes ago.”