Richard Brandt hadn't just worked for Traceline Environmental Systems. He was their Chief Operations Officer.
The missing puzzle pieces slammed together. Traceline had been shut down for burying toxic waste in residential areas to cut disposal costs. The bucket Sylvia had used to pour that foul-smelling brown water on his porch—it wasn't just dirty water. She was purposely dumping contaminated sludge on his topsoil to trigger a superficial city inspection. Why? Because if the city found "improper chemical storage" on the surface, they would fine Mason and force him out. It was a distraction. A smoke screen to stop Mason's bank from conducting the mandatory deep-soil geological survey for his refinance.