“Don’t I know it.” He put an arm around Mary and pulled her close. She looked up at him and smiled. She loved him in his uniform.
Just then she felt her phone buzz. She’d just received another email from Patricia Parker in New York. “I found another something regarding the Taylor farm.” Mary jumped. “Jake, can you run me home?”
“Right now? I thought you wanted to stay and eat some more Wisconsin delicacies.” He loved her big appetite.
“I just need to get going. It’s... about work.” She didn’t want to say she had a possible lifeline to save the farm until she was sure it was solid.
“All right, sure. My shift ends in five minutes. We can go. I’ll just radio the guys.” He spoke into his shoulder mic, and they waved goodbye to everyone.
“What’s this about?” Jake asked as they pulled out of the parking lot in his cruiser.
“It’s actually not about my work. It’s about the farm. I have a lead,” she said.
Upon hearing that, he stepped on the gas.
Chapter 70
At home, Mary pulled out a folder.
“What’s in there?” Jake asked.
“It’s our lease agreement for this house. When For the Win rented it for us, Kitty Bell had her fiancé’s law firm draw up the contract.” She rifled through the papers. “Here it is.”
Then she got her phone and went to the email from Patricia Parker.
“Bingo,” she said.
“What did you find?”
“Patricia said that the law firm representing the manufacturer that wants to take over the farmland also represents a lot of Chinese defense companies. And the name of the law firm rang a bell with me. I was right. It’s the same firm.”
“So, how would that help my dad save the farm?”
“Well, it could be a big no-no. Any law firm that represents the interest of a foreign country or business must register with the government. It’s called FARA, or the Foreign Agents Registration Act. With China’s history, any time there’s a connection, it triggers this requirement.”
“Why?”
“Because all businesses in China are ultimately owned by the Chinese government.”
“Ah, okay. I get it. But what are the consequences for lying about that?” Jake reached into the fridge and got two seltzers for them. He opened them both, then handed her one. “Aren’t lobbyists and lawyers always lying?”
“If I’m right, the joint manufacturing partnership—between the federal and state governments, along with this private company—would require a national security review. So, any of these so-called investments must go through this committee for approval. I won’t bore you, but it’s called the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States. I’ve not seen anything in your dad’s paperwork where this proposed deal has gone through any review. And so, if they’ve hidden it, or were playing loose with the facts, then the whole thing can come to a screeching halt.”
“Because it could be a matter of national security?” He was catching on.
“Exactly. But we need proof.”
“How do we get that?”
“Well. I need a little bit of time and to run this by one of the law partners in the city,” she said, taking a sip of the cool sparkling water. “Mind if I do a little work instead of going back to the festival? I’m meeting up with your dad in the morning.”
“Tell you what. You go to work, and I’ll go get a couple of steaks to grill. We can stay in tonight. I’ll light the fire.”
“It’s a gas fireplace, all you do is flip a switch.”
“That isn’t the fire I was talking about.”
She caught on. “Oh, I see.”