She smiled.
“We're working on that.”
I stared at her.
“What does that mean?”
“You'll see.”
She walked away.
That evening, Margaret came to my house.
She brought several documents.
“These were given to me by someone on the old board.”
I spread them across the kitchen table.
They were meeting minutes.
Six months earlier, Linda had presented a proposal for a community trail.
The proposal required access through several private lots.
Most homeowners had rejected it.
Except Linda.
She had continued pushing the plan.
Then I noticed something.
One of the proposed access points ran directly across my property.
The bridge was marked as a future public crossing.
I looked at Margaret.
“She wanted to turn my bridge into a community access point.”
Margaret nodded.
“And there was more.”
She gave me another document.
A development map.
A company called GreenStone Community Development had expressed interest in purchasing the land surrounding the creek.
I looked at the ownership information.
GreenStone's registered agent was a man named Richard Prescott.
Linda's husband.
Everything suddenly made sense.
Linda wasn't trying to protect the neighborhood.
She was trying to increase the value of a development project connected to her family.
If the HOA could claim access to the creek, GreenStone could advertise a private nature trail.
My backyard was part of that plan.
The next HOA meeting was scheduled for Saturday.
I arrived early.
So did Linda.
She stood at the front of the room.
“We need to discuss Daniel Carter's refusal to comply.”
I raised my hand.
She ignored me.
“The board believes his structure creates a liability.”
I stood.
“Can I see the engineering report?”
She paused.
“There isn't one.”
“Then how do you know it's unsafe?”
“Common sense.”
Several residents exchanged looks.
I placed the county survey on the table.
“The county surveyed the area.”
Linda looked uncomfortable.
“The survey isn't relevant.”
“It establishes property boundaries.”
“We're not discussing property boundaries.”
“Yes, we are.”
She slammed her hand on the table.
“This is an HOA meeting.”
“And you're trying to control private property.”
The room became quiet.
I handed copies of the development map to the residents.
“Does anyone recognize this?”
People began reading.
One resident stood.
“What's GreenStone?”
Linda immediately interrupted.
“A private company.”
“Why does their plan run through Daniel's backyard?”
Nobody answered.
I looked at Linda.
“Why is your husband's company listed as their registered agent?”
The room erupted.
Linda's face turned red.
“That is a personal matter.”
“No,” I said. “Not if the HOA is being used to increase the value of a private development project.”
Linda stood.
“This meeting is over.”
“No.”
She stared at me.
I continued.
“You don't get to end the meeting because people are asking questions.”
For the first time, several residents began speaking.
“Let him finish.”
“Where did this proposal come from?”
“Why wasn't this disclosed?”
“Did the board know?”
Linda looked around the room.
She was losing control.
Then someone in the back spoke.
It was the former HOA treasurer.
“I knew.”
Everyone turned.
He stood slowly.
“I resigned because I didn't agree with the project.”
Linda stared at him.
He continued.
“Linda wanted the HOA to spend $45,000 on preliminary trail planning.”
“That's impossible,” someone said.
“I have the invoices.”