CHAPTER 3 — THE EMERGENCY MEETING

The HOA emergency meeting began at 7:00 PM.

I wasn't there.

But Tom was.

And he recorded everything legally.

The board sat around a long oak table inside the clubhouse.

Linda sat at the head.

She wore a white blazer and held a thick folder against her chest.

Five board members sat around her.

Three supported her.

One was undecided.

And one, according to Tom, looked like she wanted to disappear.

Linda opened the meeting with a statement.

“This situation has escalated beyond a simple parking dispute.”

Tom later sent me the recording.

Linda continued.

“Mr. Miller has intentionally imprisoned my vehicle inside his garage.”

One board member interrupted.

“Imprisoned?”

“Yes.”

“How?”

“He welded the door shut.”

“That sounds dangerous.”

“It is.”

Linda leaned forward.

“And I believe he did it specifically to intimidate me.”

Tom cleared his throat.

“My client notified Mrs. Prescott that she did not have permission to park inside the garage.”

Linda immediately interrupted.

“That is not what happened.”

Tom looked at her.

“I have the text message.”

She went silent.

Tom continued.

“The message explicitly stated that Mr. Miller did not authorize the vehicle's presence and requested that Mrs. Prescott address the issue through proper channels.”

Linda shifted in her chair.

“That doesn't give him the right to weld a garage door shut.”

“No one said it did.”

“Then he committed an act of retaliation.”

Tom opened another folder.

“Did your vehicle sustain damage?”

Linda hesitated.

“Potentially.”

“Can you identify any damage?”

“No.”

“Did you inspect the vehicle after the welding occurred?”

“No.”

“Did a mechanic inspect it?”

“No.”

“Then what evidence do you have that the vehicle was damaged?”

Linda stared at him.

“I could smell the metal.”

Tom paused.

“The smell of welding?”

“Yes.”

“That isn't vehicle damage.”

She slammed her folder onto the table.

“This man deliberately created a hazardous environment around my car.”

Tom didn't react.

“The garage was ventilated.”

“You weren't there.”

“I have photographs.”

“You weren't physically present when the welding happened.”

“My client was.”

The room became quiet.

Then Tom placed a document on the table.

“This is the manufacturer's operating information for the vehicle.”

Linda frowned.

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“The Mercedes remained in accessory mode for several hours.”

Her face changed.

“What?”

Tom looked directly at her.

“Your client left the vehicle's electrical system powered on.”

Linda shook her head.

“I did not.”

“My client's security camera recorded the dashboard illumination.”

“That doesn't prove anything.”

“The camera also recorded the time.”

Linda's confidence began to disappear.

Tom continued.

“Your vehicle's battery may have been discharged.”

Silence.

One board member looked at Linda.

“You left it running?”

“I left the cooling system on.”

The board member blinked.

“You knew the car was going to stay in there?”

“Yes.”

“And you left it in accessory mode?”

Linda didn't answer.

Tom leaned back.

“I believe that answers the question.”

Linda's face turned red.

“This is ridiculous.”

“No,” Tom said. “What's ridiculous is trying to convert an unauthorized parking incident into an HOA enforcement action.”

Linda stood.

“This meeting is not over.”

Tom smiled.

“It is if you continue refusing to follow your own bylaws.”