The Timber Conservator's Audit
When a timber conservator is publicly disowned at a high-society restoration gala, an unannounced federal audit reveals a secret identity that turns the tide of power.
Fictional story. Contains scenes of intense interpersonal conflict and emotional manipulation.Chapter 1: The Harbor Dedication
The salt mist off Penobscot Bay clung to the high granite walls of the Blackwood Custom House, turning the evening sea air heavy and damp. Inside the grand courtyard, golden lanterns cast long shadows across polished slate tiles where two hundred of coastal Maine’s most influential patrons had gathered for the annual Maritime Heritage Gala.
Harrison Vance stood at the center of the mahogany dais, his crisp tailored tuxedo immaculate and his white hair swept back with aristocratic precision. As chairman of the Blackwood Heritage Restoration Board, he commanded the room with the practiced ease of a man who believed historic landmarks—and the people who restored them—existed solely to glorify his family name.