Then she sighed.
"Yes?"
I stood.
"I have questions about the package receiving service."
She leaned back.
"What questions?"
"Who authorized the association to collect packages from households that haven't enrolled?"
Her expression changed.
She glanced toward the other board members.
Then she said, "Our security procedures allow the removal of unattended parcels from exposed locations."
I looked at the printed agenda.
"Where is that policy recorded?"
She smiled.
"It's part of our operational guidelines."
"Can residents get a copy?"
"Of course."
I nodded.
"Will you provide it?"
The room became quiet.
Her smile faded.
"We don't need to turn every routine safety decision into an argument."
I looked toward her.
"Several residents are missing property. I'm asking what authority the association has to collect it."
A man near the front turned in his chair.
Then another resident raised her hand.
"I'd like to know that too."
The president frowned.
"We've covered this before."
The woman shook her head.
"I've never seen the policy."
A board member beside the president leaned toward his microphone.
"Perhaps the management office can provide the relevant documents."
The president turned sharply toward him.
"That isn't necessary."
He looked surprised.
I waited.
The president returned her attention to me.
"If you're dissatisfied with our services, you're welcome to make a formal complaint."
I nodded.
"I already did."
Her expression tightened.
"And it will be handled in due course."
I held up a printed still from my camera recording.
"Then can you tell me where this package went after you took it from my porch?"
The room fell silent.
The president stared at the image.
Several residents leaned forward.
She looked toward me.
"That's an inappropriate accusation."
I kept my voice level.
"It's a photograph of you carrying a parcel addressed to me. I'm asking where it went."
The board member beside her looked at the print.
Then at her.
"You personally collected a package?"
The president lifted her chin.
"I occasionally assist with security operations."
He frowned.
"Is that part of the program?"
She looked irritated.
"Why are we making such a big issue out of this?"
A woman in the second row spoke.
"Because my package went missing too."
Another voice followed.
"Mine."
The president tapped the table sharply.
"One speaker at a time."
I lowered the photograph.
I hadn't planned to start an argument.
But for the first time, I could see that several people in the room had been asking the same questions privately.
They simply hadn't realized how many others were affected.
The president ended the discussion by promising that the management office would review the complaints.
I sat down.
She moved to the next agenda item.