Mason noticed the grin and said, “What?”
Philip held up a finger and said, “Give me a minute.”
He disappeared down the hall. A few minutes later, he returned with a large roll of paper, which he spread out on the coffee table.
“Are these the parcels to which you’re referring, Mason?” Philip said.
The paper was a sketch of all the properties surrounding the Johnson’s twenty acres.
“Those are the ones,” Mason said.
I couldn’t help myself, and I began to grin as well.
“Okay, you two,” Mason said. “What’s the joke?”
“There’s no joke,” Philip said. “I’m the son of a bitch of a developer, and Charles is the clever lawyer who’s hidden my purchases behind layers of holding companies. What you see is a sketch of all the properties around the Johnsons’ acreage. Over the past two years, I’ve acquired a total of nine properties. The total acreage is thirty, not counting the twenty acres owned by the Johnsons.”
“You sly dog,” Mason said. “I’m impressed.”