CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHT - A CARD UP THE SLEEVE

That evening, Hank made a phone call to a contact he hadn't spoken to in years - a gruff but well-respected journalist named Maggie who ran the local agricultural news website. Hank explained the situation in detail, outlining Carmichael's initial predatory offer to Ben, the intervention of the local ranchers, and now this final, suspicious attempt to snatch the land away. Maggie listened intently, the click-clack of her keyboard the only sound in the otherwise silent room. When Hank finished, a steely glint hardened Maggie's eyes. "Carmichael, that weasel," she muttered. "He thinks he can just waltz in here and bully our farmers? Not on my watch." The next morning, Maggie's website exploded with an exposé. The article, titled "Land Grab or Land Grab? Big-City Developer Targets Local Farmer," meticulously detailed Carmichael's tactics, contrasting his lowball initial offer with the current, suspiciously inflated one. The article also shed light on the emergence of the local ranc