"Don't argue with her through the neighborhood email."
I smiled faintly.
"You know me too well."
She nodded.
"Unfortunately."
I forwarded the message to my attorney and preserved it.
Then I closed my laptop.
My wife looked surprised.
"That's it?"
"For tonight."
She smiled.
"Good."
We went into the kitchen and helped our son finish his science project.
For the first time in weeks, I managed to spend an entire evening without opening the security recordings.
But the following morning, the treasurer called.
Her voice was shaking.
"You need to know what happened at the clubhouse."
According to the treasurer, the HOA president had arrived shortly after the incident and demanded access to the association's parcel inventory records.
The management office maintained a shared system used to log collections, storage assignments, and pickup confirmations for participating households. The treasurer had requested copies several times during her review of the program's finances.
The president had refused.
Now, suddenly, she wanted the records immediately.
The treasurer told me that staff members were being instructed to classify several missing shipments as unclaimed property.
I felt my stomach tighten.
"How many?"
"At least eighteen entries were flagged yesterday."
I looked toward my desk.
"Do they have owner information?"
"Some do."
"Then why would they be unclaimed?"
The treasurer was quiet.
Then she said, "That's exactly what I asked."
I took a breath.
"Have you spoken with the board?"
"Yes."
"And?"
"They're arranging an emergency meeting."
I nodded.
"Good."
She hesitated.
"There's something else."
I waited.
"The vendor that handles the unclaimed inventory has the same mailing address as the resale business we were questioning."
I stared.
The same resale business my wife had found online.
The one listing luxury products against a familiar gold-trimmed mirror.
I sat down.
"Are you sure?"
The treasurer took a breath.
"I've confirmed the address in the vendor documents."
I looked toward the window.
For months, we'd believed packages were simply disappearing.
Now it seemed possible that some were entering an association-controlled collection process and eventually being transferred to a private business.
And the residents were paying monthly fees for the privilege.
I thanked the treasurer.
Then I contacted the investigating officer and my attorney to provide the new information.
I didn't ask the treasurer to access files she wasn't authorized to review.
I didn't tell her to copy confidential records improperly.
I simply encouraged her to preserve the association documents she was legitimately responsible for maintaining and to cooperate with the independent review the board was beginning to arrange.
The situation had become too serious for neighborhood speculation.
If the package program was being used to divert residents' property, every step needed to be documented carefully.