Marcus shook his head.
"I can."
He entered the code.
The door didn't move.
He checked the control panel.
The garage had been manually disabled from the inside.
Marcus looked through the window.
Someone had unplugged the motor.
The officer took photographs.
"Do you want to make a report?"
"Yes."
The officer documented everything.
Then he said something Marcus never forgot.
"Whatever is happening here, don't touch anything."
Marcus nodded.
"I wasn't planning to."
The officer left.
Marcus stayed outside.
He called an attorney.
Then he called a locksmith.
Then he called his private security company.
And finally, he called a forensic document specialist he knew through work.
Nobody entered the garage.
Marcus waited.
That night, at 9:37 p.m., Patricia finally called.
"You've created a serious problem."
Marcus stood in his kitchen.
"I found three HOA trucks inside my garage."
"They were there for association business."
"Who authorized them?"
"I did."
"You don't own my garage."
"The association has enforcement authority."
"Not inside my property."
Patricia sighed.
"Marcus, don't make this more complicated than it needs to be."
"I didn't put three trucks in my garage."
"You've been obstructing an official investigation."
"Into what?"
Silence.
Marcus waited.
"Patricia?"
"You'll receive further notice."
The call ended.
Marcus stared at the phone.
Then he said quietly to himself:
"Okay."
He opened his laptop.
He created a new folder.
The name was simple.
Garage.
Inside it, he stored every piece of evidence.
The next morning, he received another letter.
This one accused him of obstructing HOA security operations.
Marcus almost laughed.
Instead, he forwarded it to his attorney.
The attorney called ten minutes later.
"I think something bigger is happening."
Marcus looked toward the garage.
"I know."
"No. I mean bigger than an HOA dispute."
"What do you mean?"
"I ran the association's name."
"And?"
"There are corporate filings that don't match what you've been told."
Marcus sat down.
"Explain."
"Your HOA security program isn't being run entirely by the association."
Marcus frowned.
"Who is running it?"
"I'm still checking."
The attorney paused.
"But there are two companies connected to the board."
"Which companies?"
"I'll send you the records."
Marcus waited.
His phone buzzed.
The files arrived.
He opened them.
One company was listed as a security contractor.
The second was listed as a document management service.
Both companies shared an address.
Marcus stared at the address.
It wasn't Houston.
It was in a neighboring county.
And the registered agent for both companies was the same person.
A man named Daniel Voss.
Marcus recognized the name.
He had seen it on an HOA invoice.
"Who is Daniel Voss?"