Chapter 9 - THE LEGACY OF HALE
With the fall of Victor Hale, the landscape of Portland’s construction industry changed overnight.
Hale Infrastructure was liquidated, its assets sold off to pay the massive back taxes and fines imposed by the federal government. The high-profile trial had exposed a deep vein of corruption within the city’s political machine, leading to the resignation of three city council members and the indictment of several high-ranking state building inspectors.
Daniel stood on the balcony of their coastal cottage, watching the storm clouds roll in from the Pacific.
His phone rang. It was Mara.
"Hey, Daniel," she said, her voice sounding lighter than usual. "Just thought you’d like to know. The state has officially begun the demolition of the old Hale headquarters downtown. They’re turning the land into a public park."
"That’s good news, Mara," Daniel said.
"And there’s more," she continued. "The state attorney is launching a new task force dedicated to investigating financial abuse in domestic violence cases. They’re calling it the Claire Project. They want to know if you’d be interested in consulting."
Daniel smiled, looking back through the glass door at Claire, who was laughing as she watched a pair of dogs run along the wet sand outside.
May you like
"I’ll have to talk to my wife, Mara," Daniel said. "But I think she’d like that very much."
He hung up the phone and walked outside, joining Claire on the beach. The cool wind whipped around them, but as Daniel wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close against his chest, they both knew that the cold had finally lost its power to hurt them.
