“Furthermore,” I said, “the land Trevor Pike wishes to develop is designated as a protected watershed.”

“Under Asheville municipal code section forty-two, no commercial structures may be built within five hundred yards of the creek.”

“Trevor’s proposed cabin village sits directly in that zone.”

I watched Trevor out of the corner of my eye.

The smile had left his face, replaced by a tight, pale line.

“That is a local ordinance issue for the planning board, Ms. Lane,” Judge Whitaker said.

“It is, Your Honor,” I said. “But it speaks to the motive behind this emergency motion.”

“And it relates directly to the financial disclosures Mr. Pike submitted to this court last month.”

I drew a deep breath and pulled the second set of papers from my folder.

“Mr. Pike claimed under oath that he had secured a two-million-dollar development loan based on his personal assets,” I said.

“I have here a copy of the actual loan application submitted to Piedmont Bank.”

“To secure that loan, Mr. Pike pledged the Cedar Hollow property as his own sole collateral.”

The courtroom went completely silent.