For one second, everyone thought it was over.
It wasn't.
Patricia shifted into park.
She stepped out.
She looked at Marcus.
Then at Officer Bell.
Then at the neighbors.
Her face was bright red.
“You're all going to regret this.”
Bell sighed.
“Ma'am.”
“You don't know who you're dealing with.”
Marcus said quietly:
“I do.”
Patricia turned toward him.
“No, you don't.”
Marcus looked at her.
“I know exactly who I'm dealing with.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means I stopped trying to convince you.”
She frowned.
“About what?”
“That you're not entitled to my property.”
She laughed.
“You'll see.”
Then she got back into the Maybach.
She drove away.
The cruiser remained.
Officer Bell looked at Marcus.
“You okay?”
Marcus nodded.
“Yeah.”
Bell looked toward the garage.
“That welder yours?”
“Yes.”
“New?”
“Delivered this morning.”
Bell smiled.
“You weren't actually planning to trap her in there, were you?”
Marcus shook his head.
“No.”
Bell looked relieved.
“Good.”
Marcus laughed.
“I lowered the door because I wanted her to understand that my garage isn't a public parking lot.”
Bell nodded.
“Message received.”
He paused.
“Just be careful.”
“With her?”
“With everybody.”
Marcus looked down the street.
Patricia's Maybach was already gone.
“Why?”
Bell lowered his voice.
“Because this isn't the first complaint I've had about her.”
Marcus looked at him.
“What kind?”
“Neighbors saying she threatens them with association violations.”
Marcus sighed.
“That sounds like her.”
Bell looked toward the house.
“You might want to keep everything documented.”
“I do.”
“Good.”
Bell got back into his cruiser.
Marcus watched him leave.
Then he looked at the garage.
The welder was still there.
The steel bars were still against the wall.
The camera was still recording.
Everything appeared normal.
Except it wasn't.
Because Marcus knew Patricia wasn't finished.
And he was right.
At 7:12 the next morning, Marcus's phone rang.
It was an unknown number.
He answered.
“Hello?”
“This is the association compliance office.”
Marcus frowned.
“Who?”
“Mr. Reed, we received a complaint regarding an unauthorized alteration to your garage.”
“What alteration?”
“Your garage door.”
“My garage door?”
“Yes.”
“What about it?”
“You reportedly manipulated it in a manner that created a safety hazard.”
Marcus closed his eyes.
“Who reported it?”
“That's confidential.”
“I know who reported it.”
The voice paused.