Chapter 9 - Love Under InvestigationCole arrived at Zaria's apartment shortly after eight that evening.
She had moved back into her own place two days earlier, unwilling to confuse staying with him with forgiving him.
Her apartment was small, crowded with books, and filled with photographs of old Baltimore streets.
On the wall above her desk hung a picture of Lillian Bell standing outside the original family grocery store in 1978.
Cole stopped in front of it.
"Your grandmother looks like you."
Zaria remained beside the door.
"Don't."
He turned.
"Okay."
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then she pointed toward the sofa.
"Sit down."
Cole obeyed.
He looked more tired than she had ever seen him.
"I want the whole story," Zaria said. "Not the version you think I can handle."
He nodded.
"In January, Parker Atlantic contracted me to review several buildings near Bell Street. My father's company had been assembling properties for a mixed-use development."
"Did you know Bell Row was on his acquisition list?"
"Yes."
"Before we met?"
"Yes."
The answer hurt even though she had expected it.
Cole rubbed his hands together.
"I wasn't sent to meet you. I was at the library because the city archive had photographs and drawings I needed. When we started talking, I had no idea you were personally involved."
"But you learned."
"In May. I recognized your mother's name on a company document."
"And you kept dating me."
"Because I loved being with you."
"That's not an excuse."
"I know."
She moved toward the window.
"Did you tell him about us?"
"Not at first."
"When?"
"In August."
Zaria turned sharply.
"The same month he bought the loan?"
"Yes."
"Did he already know who I was?"
Cole lowered his eyes.
"He asked about your family. I told him your mother managed Bell Row."
Zaria felt a surge of anger.
"You gave him my family connection."
"He already knew the Hayes family owned the buildings."
"You confirmed I was his son's girlfriend."
"Yes."
"Did you tell him I had inherited twenty percent?"
"No. I didn't know that."
"Did he tell you?"
"Not until September."
Zaria sat down opposite him.
"Why would he tell you?"
"Because he wanted me to persuade you that selling was reasonable."
Her heart seemed to stop.
"And what did you say?"
"I told him I wouldn't use our relationship for business."
"Did you tell me any of this?"
"No."
"Then you kept his secret for him."
Cole looked devastated.
"I thought if I stayed out of the business, I could protect us."
"From what?"
"My father."
Zaria studied him.
For the first time, she wondered what growing up with Gideon Parker had been like.
Cole's apartment was modest despite his father's wealth. He drove an old car, wore inexpensive clothes, and rarely spoke about his childhood.
She had assumed he was simply independent.
Now she saw the shape of a longer struggle.
"Why did you stop working for him in June?"
Cole hesitated.
"Because I found out how he intended to use my preservation report."
"He was planning demolition?"
"Selective demolition and major interior redevelopment. The report showed how he could retain the exterior appearance while replacing most of the existing uses."
Zaria thought of Pearl's bookstore.
"Did you object?"
"Yes."
"What happened?"
"He said buildings exist to generate returns, not preserve memories."
"And?"
"I told him those buildings were people's livelihoods."
Cole looked at the floor.
"He told me I was being sentimental because I'd never had to keep a company solvent."
Zaria almost laughed.
Her mother might have said the same thing.
"Did you keep copies of the report?"
"Yes."
"Will you give them to my lawyer?"
"All of them."
She watched him carefully.
"Even if they hurt your father?"
"Yes."
"Even if they hurt your career?"
He lifted his eyes.
"Yes."
Zaria wanted to believe him.
That was the most frightening part.
She still loved him.
She still remembered how gently he had held her hair when morning sickness made her miserable, how he listened when she talked about her grandmother, how he placed his hand on her stomach and whispered goodnight to a baby who could not yet hear him.
But tenderness was not the same as honesty.
"I need time," she said.
Cole nodded.
"I'll give you that."
He stood and walked toward the door.
Before leaving, he placed a small envelope on her desk.
"What's that?"
"The original contract summary for my survey."
"Why give it to me?"
"Because you should know what I was paid to do."
After he left, Zaria opened the envelope.
Inside was the contract, signed in January.
The client was Parker Atlantic Properties.
The project description named Bell Row and three adjoining properties.
And beneath the title was a sentence that made Zaria sit down.
Project objective: Evaluate redevelopment feasibility following anticipated acquisition of remaining Bell-family holdings.
The company had been planning to acquire Bell Row months before she met Cole.
That did not prove he had approached her deliberately.
But it confirmed that his father had wanted those buildings for a long time.
Zaria turned to the next page.
A handwritten note appeared in the margin, in ink that was not Cole's.
Ownership obstacle: Renee Hayes. Secondary consent: daughter. Identify approach.
May you like
The note was dated February 3.
The same day Cole had asked Zaria for her phone number.
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