“That's not what I said.”
“It was recorded.”
Jamal played the second clip.
Linda's own voice filled the lawn.
Touch me and I'll have you fined, trespassed, and removed from this neighborhood.
Mills looked at her.
“Removed how?”
“I meant through HOA remedies.”
“What remedy allows an HOA president to trespass a homeowner from his own property?”
Linda didn't answer.
Green noticed the black folder beneath Linda's arm.
“What is that?”
“Association records.”
“Any work order concerning this property?”
“They're confidential.”
Jamal watched her.
Then remembered something.
“Ask her about the other houses.”
Linda's head snapped toward him.
Mills looked at Jamal.
“What other houses?”
“When I came outside, she was texting someone.”
Linda's face changed.
“I wasn't.”
Jamal continued.
“I saw the message preview. It said, Willow Crest done. Two more tonight.”
Silence.
Green looked at Linda.
“What did that message mean?”
“Nothing.”
“Can we see the phone?”
“No.”
“You don't have to consent,” Mills said.
“I know.”
Linda turned toward her SUV.
Green stepped in front of her.
“Where are you going?”
“Home.”
“Stay here while we finish.”
“I have nothing else to say.”
Then Linda's phone lit up.
A new message appeared on the screen.
Green didn't touch it.
But she could read the preview.
Maple Lane still has the camera. Wait until dark.
Green looked at Linda.
“So there are other houses.”
Linda locked the screen.
“That is none of your business.”
Mills reached for his radio.
“It is now.”
Within minutes, dispatch returned three recent complaints from Brookstone Ridge.
A damaged fiber line.
A severed landscape-lighting cable.
A disconnected irrigation controller.
All within six weeks.
Mills looked at Linda.
“Do you know the homeowners?”
“I'm the HOA president. Of course I know them.”
“Were they in violation?”
Linda said nothing.
Green checked the addresses.
“411 Maple Lane.”
“702 Garden Crest.”
“And 188 Willow Crest.”
Jamal stared.
“That last one is me.”
Linda looked away.
Mills asked, “Do you know who lives at Maple Lane?”
Green checked.
“A Hispanic family.”
“And Garden Crest?”
“A Black homeowner.”
Linda immediately snapped.
“Don't turn this into race.”
Jamal looked at her.