For a moment, she seemed on the verge of shouting again.
Then she lowered the bat.
It struck the driveway with a dull wooden sound.
The sheriff exhaled slowly.
He called the city police through the nonemergency dispatch number, explaining that a woman had deliberately damaged his personal vehicle and that the bat was now on the ground.
He identified himself.
Then requested that municipal officers handle the incident because he was the property owner and complainant.
The dispatcher confirmed that units were being sent.
The president stared.
"You're actually calling the police?"
The sheriff looked toward her.
"Yes."
She laughed nervously.
"Over a window?"
He glanced toward the broken glass.
Then back at her.
"Over what happened here."
Her expression hardened.
For a moment, she seemed to recover the confidence she'd displayed in the HOA office.
She crossed her arms.
"I'll tell them you threatened me."
The sheriff nodded.
"You can give them your statement."
She stared.
"You're not worried?"
He looked toward the garage.
Then toward a small camera mounted above the entrance.
For a moment, the president followed his gaze.
Her eyes widened.
The sheriff said nothing.
He didn't need to.
Across the street, the elderly widow had been watering her front garden when the noise startled her.
She looked up just in time to see the HOA president standing beside the black sedan.
The shattered window was clearly visible.
For several seconds, the widow couldn't believe what she was seeing.
Then she hurried inside.
Her front porch camera had recorded movement across the street, though its angle was too distant to show every detail clearly.
A neighbor's garage camera offered a closer view.
The teenager who owned the baseball bat had also heard the impact and stepped outside with his father.
The family immediately recognized the bat.
The teenager looked horrified.
"That's mine."
His father put one hand on his shoulder.
"Stay here."
Then he walked toward the sidewalk.
He saw the sheriff standing several yards from the president.
The bat was lying on the driveway.
The broken glass shimmered beneath the afternoon sunlight.
The father stopped.
"Is everybody okay?"
The sheriff nodded.
"Nobody's hurt."
He looked toward the bat.
Then asked the neighbor to remain nearby in case officers wanted a statement about its ownership or where it had been left.
The man agreed.
The president looked toward him.
"This is none of your business."
He stared.
For a moment, he seemed shocked by her tone.