Her expression sharpened.
“You want me to call them?”
“Yes.”
“You think they'll take your side?”
“I think they'll ask questions.”
“And when they discover you're trespassing?”
“Then I'll leave.”
He paused.
“But if they discover I'm authorized to be here, I expect you'll apologize.”
Victoria laughed bitterly.
“You want an apology?”
“I want the truth established.”
She reached into her expensive handbag and pulled out her phone.
“Fine. I'll call them myself.”
Marcus leaned back slightly.
“Go ahead.”
Ethan looked increasingly uncomfortable.
“Mom, why don't we call the association office first?”
Victoria didn't look at him.
“Because I don't need permission to protect this neighborhood.”
She dialed emergency services.
Marcus watched her speak into the phone, describing a suspicious man who refused to leave a private residential pool. She mentioned his clothing, his location, and his refusal to comply. She did not mention that he had offered to verify his identity, nor did she mention that she had never asked him what business he had there before accusing him of trespassing.
When the dispatcher asked whether he had threatened anyone, Victoria glanced at the bat.
“He's being aggressive,” she said.
Marcus's expression remained unchanged.
“I haven't threatened anyone,” he said clearly.
Victoria covered the phone.
“Stop talking.”
The dispatcher could be heard faintly through the speaker.
“Ma'am, is there a weapon involved?”
Victoria looked at Ethan.
“He has one,” she said.
Marcus's eyebrows rose.
The teenager stared at his mother.
“Mom, that's not true.”
Victoria ignored him.
Marcus slowly lifted both hands, palms visible.
“For the record,” he said, “I have no weapon.”
Victoria turned away and continued the call.
Ethan lowered the bat until its end touched the stone deck.
“Mom,” he said quietly, “you shouldn't say that.”
She shot him a furious look.
“Do you want to go home?”
He said nothing.
Marcus looked at the young man.
“What's your name?”
“Ethan.”
“Ethan, I want you to think carefully about what you're doing. If the police arrive and see you holding that bat during a confrontation, they may have questions for you, too.”
Ethan glanced down at the bat.