Pickup receipts issued.
Instead, residents received vague explanations and the association paid substantial fees to a vendor the treasurer couldn't easily identify.
I looked back.
"What are you going to do?"
She closed the folder.
"I've asked for an independent review."
I nodded.
"Good."
She hesitated.
"The president is furious."
I gave a short laugh.
"That sounds familiar."
Then she looked directly at me.
"Be careful."
I frowned.
"Why?"
She glanced toward the clubhouse doorway.
"Because she's started asking the management office which residents have been sharing information with you."
A cold feeling moved through my chest.
I leaned back.
The president wasn't merely irritated by my questions.
She was trying to identify the people asking them.
And that suggested she had something substantial to lose.
The next morning, I found a notice taped to my front door.
It was printed on HOA letterhead.
The heading read:
FINAL WARNING β UNAUTHORIZED PACKAGE STORAGE.
I stared at it.
According to the notice, my repeated use of the front porch for delivery storage created a security risk and violated the association's updated appearance standards.
It instructed me to enroll in the approved parcel service or arrange all deliveries off-site.
Failure to comply, the letter warned, could result in escalating fines.
I looked toward our driveway.
No packages were present.
The porch was clean.
Our furniture was arranged neatly.
And the only thing stored near the front door was a small potted plant.
I took a photograph of the notice.
Then I brought it inside.
My wife read it while preparing breakfast.
She shook her head.
"They're fining you for receiving mail?"
"Apparently."
She looked toward me.
"Can they do that?"
"I doubt they can enforce this the way they're claiming, especially without the required procedures."
She sighed.
"Then let the attorney respond."
I nodded.
But the notice gave me an idea.
The president was now openly demanding that all deliveries be routed through the HOA's preferred service.
She'd also continued taking parcels from our porch without permission.
And the public resale listings suggested someone connected to the program might be making money from unreturned merchandise.
I wanted one clean recording of the president being told a package wasn't hers and taking control of it anyway.
Not a confusing clip from a distance.
Not a recording that could be explained as an authorized pickup.
A direct encounter.
Something simple enough that nobody could pretend they misunderstood the facts.
I didn't want anyone hurt.
I didn't want a fight.
And I certainly didn't want to damage my own home.
So I consulted a security professional about using an ordinary decoy parcel and documenting any interaction safely.